How to help someone teach their dc to read...

[Aubrey]

I have a single friend who's hs'ing her dc...she's got 4 between the ages of 2 & 6, I think...& she's struggling w/ teaching them to read, because she says she doesn't read well herself.

 

She bought Hooked on Phonics (which I know nothing about) but says she can't understand it. She's got dyslexia & doesn't read well herself, she says.

 

She's hs'ing because the crime rate at the local elem sch is higher than the local jr high & highschool, but obviously reading is something she's worried about.

 

I've taught 2 of mine to read, but...the phonics choices were all so overwhelming (& boring). I got...hmmm...whatever was rec'd in the 1st ed WTM & returned it after flipping through. Finally, I went to 1/2 Price & just bought the one thing that happened to be on the shelf, figuring the curric mattered less than the actual *doing* it. (It was Alphaphonics.)

 

I know I can help this friend, but I'm a little overwhelmed figuring out where to begin, what to use, etc. I'd really like to help her gain the confidence & skills to teach her dc rather than just doing it for her because I think that will help their family the most in the long run, but it will be a new dynamic for me, iykwim!

Edited March 30, 2010 by Aubrey

[AngieW in Texas]

I would recommend that she work through Headsprout with her kids. She'd have to buy a separate account for each kid she worked with, so it would probably be best for her to start with just one or two. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee. It takes over much of the teaching of reading. All she'll have to do is watch and listen. I think it will help her to learn how to teach.

 

Headsprout was wonderful for my dyslexic dd.

[Julie in Austin]

Does she have Internet access? If so, maybe she could work through starfall.com with her kids. It is free.

[LibraryLover]

It's possiblle that at those ages, they are simply not cognitvely ready.

[OrganicAnn]

I wonder if there are any learning resources for adults who do not read well. If she felt more confident in her own abilities she will be better able to help her kids.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

Does she have Internet access? If so, maybe she could work through starfall.com with her kids. It is free.

 

:iagree:

[Mom-ninja.]

She could use ElizabethB's free phonic instructions if she has internet.

 

OPG is scripted and she would learn from it. The same can be said for ABeCeDarian. OPG would be the cheaper route of the two.

[Chris in VA]

I'd also have her do OPGtR. The script will help her.

Does she know her basic letter sounds and how to blend them?

 

Has she actually started, or has she just looked thru the material and feels overwhelmed?

[Lolly]

Two thoughts.

 

One, she needs something scripted and easy to follow.

 

Two, her dc may have inherited her dyslexia which could make things a little more than difficult.

 

Lastly, how well can SHE read? If she can barely read herself, I don't see how she is going to be able to teach her children.

[Aubrey]

I'd also have her do OPGtR. The script will help her.

Does she know her basic letter sounds and how to blend them?

 

Has she actually started, or has she just looked thru the material and feels overwhelmed?

 

What's OPGtR?

 

Yes, she wants a script.

 

I'm sure she must know her basic letter sounds, probably how to blend them. She wanted to be a paramedic & did great on everything except the written portion of the test. She said there were long scenarios to read & respond to, & she couldn't remember the beginning of it by the end. Her mind would wander.

 

I don't think she's used HP yet--just looked thr it & felt overwhelmed. She's suggested that maybe I could just explain *that* to her, & maybe that would be fine...I don't know anything about HP, but I know that hs'ers here aren't raving about it, lol, so that makes me suspicious. :001_smile:

[Aubrey]

Two thoughts.

 

One, she needs something scripted and easy to follow.

 

Two, her dc may have inherited her dyslexia which could make things a little more than difficult.

 

Lastly, how well can SHE read? If she can barely read herself, I don't see how she is going to be able to teach her children.

 

I haven't worked w/ her yet, but this is a concern, from what she's said.

[Melinda in VT]

I really like How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

 

I used it with my twins and am now using it with my youngest. It is scripted. It's a single book. Very much a do-the-next-thing.

 

That said, there are instructions for the adult that she would need to be able to read.

[i.love.lucy]

Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading. Written by Jessie Wise. It's great I've heard.

 

I agree that if she has internet access I'd just spend some time with the kids initially using starfall.com. Can she get the LeapFrog DVDs? Her kids are pretty young and I'd just go slow.

 

What do I know, I am just about to teach my first kid to read! I am just going slow with phonics and making sure to keep it light and fun.

[Mom-ninja.]

I really like How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

 

 

 

A lot of people use this book and like it. However, this book is NOT for people at risk for dyslexia.

 

ABeCeDarian is great for dyslexics. It was what finally worked with my ds. The Ordinary Parents Guide is also good, but for dyslexia I recommend ABeCeDarian as an affordable program for dyslexics.

[BikeBookBread]

Phonics Pathways has been great for us -- 100EZ didn't work for either girl, although I've discovered that LLL isn't quite ready yet for formal reading lessons.

 

PP is as casual or as scripted as you want it to be. It has lots of games that are easy and legal to create at home right from the book (especially with a scanner, computer and printer, but she could hand-write them on paper if she didn't have a scanner/printer).

[Aubrey]

She does have internet access, so I'll look at the sites y'all have recommended with her & see if she thinks they'll work.

 

My primary concern is that she finds something that *she* can use, not just that her kids can learn w/.

 

Her oldest does not know his alphabet yet, & obviously the youngers are behind that. When I mentioned starting w/ that, she asked me *how* to teach the alphabet. A sincere & humble question, but that might give you a guage of where she is, panic-wise. Plus a mom who's telling her she'll never be able to do it.

 

I'm wondering if it might be a good idea to do some kind of adult reading program w/ her while she's working on the alphabet w/ her dc, & them move on to a kids' reading program....hmmm....

[jeswa]

Another free website is www.progressivephonics.com.

 

Jes

[juelle]

My 3- and 5-yr olds are loving http://www.readingeggs.com There's a free trial period, then I think I paid $75 for 6 months for both of them. It teaches mouse control, then letters and sounds, blends, and so on. It does have an Australian accent, which some could find confusing.

I tried teaching my oldest ds to read starting when he was 3, and it was NOT good. He ended up learning in ps, wasn't fluent until age 7 or so, and didn't really like to read 'til he was 9+. It was easier with each subsequent. I was able to back off and let them enjoy it. They really do need to be ready.

Your friend may have the opportunity of a lifetime, learning to read along with her kids. One thrill of hs'ing for me is learning new things as my kids go along.

[LizzyBee]

A lot of people use this book and like it. However, this book is NOT for people at risk for dyslexia.

 

 

 

100EZL is a modification of the Distar method. It's the first program we tried that was actually effective for my dyslexic dd. It moves very slowly, teaches one sound at a time, does not teach similar sounds in close succession, includes phonemic awareness exercises (the biggest weakness for most dyslexics), and the method for teaching blending is very effective. That said, if her kids do have dyslexia, 100EZL might be a good starting point, but she'll need a good program to follow it. We are using Barton Reading and Spelling.

[rafgaf4]

I used Hooked on Phonics to teach two of my sons to read. This worked very well for us. They are both reading and comprehending on a high level. The one downside to this program is that there is little to no instruction or scripts for the parent to follow. I would recommend Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading because it is completely scripted. You can literally pick it up and use it. The greatest benefit is that it can be used for all the children without having to buy any additional books. This is great if money is tight.

[LizzyBee]

She does have internet access, so I'll look at the sites y'all have recommended with her & see if she thinks they'll work.

 

My primary concern is that she finds something that *she* can use, not just that her kids can learn w/.

 

Her oldest does not know his alphabet yet, & obviously the youngers are behind that. When I mentioned starting w/ that, she asked me *how* to teach the alphabet. A sincere & humble question, but that might give you a guage of where she is, panic-wise. Plus a mom who's telling her she'll never be able to do it.

 

I'm wondering if it might be a good idea to do some kind of adult reading program w/ her while she's working on the alphabet w/ her dc, & them move on to a kids' reading program....hmmm....

 

Oh my. Do you all have an adult literacy program in your area where she might be able to get tutoring during the time of day that her husband can be home with the kids? Or she could try using ElizabethB's free phonics lessons for herself before trying to teach her kids to read.

[Spy Car]

Have her get (or buy her) the Leapfrog DVDs (Letter Factory, Talking Word Factory I and Talking Word Factory II).

 

These are "cartoons", but highly educational ones from which both she and the children will learn a great deal (painlessly).

 

Bill

Edited March 30, 2010 by Spy Car

[Aubrey]

Oh my. Do you all have an adult literacy program in your area where she might be able to get tutoring during the time of day that her husband can be home with the kids? Or she could try using ElizabethB's free phonics lessons for herself before trying to teach her kids to read.

 

Oh, gosh. I forgot to mention she's single. Very full plate, very tight budget. I'm not sure about the adult literacy, but...well, I really ought to be able to help her.

 

My background is w/ international students & upper level native speakers, so the basic literacy...shouldn't be outside my realm of...ability or education...but intimidates me anyway.

 

I taught my two older kids to read w/out a problem, too, but...I didn't want to assume that the program that worked in my situation would work in hers.

 

I haven't looked at ElizabethB's phonics lessons yet--I'll head over there. :001_smile:

[Aubrey]

Have her get (or buy her) the Leapfrog DVDs (Talking Letter Factory, Talking Word Factory I and Talking Word Factory II).

 

These are "cartoons", but highly educational ones from which both she and the children will learn a great deal (painlessly).

 

Bill

 

I'll suggest this to her; I bet the library has some of these. Thanks, Bill. :001_smile:

[Amy in KS]

How about Word Mastery? It's free and very basic.

 

 

http://donpotter.net/PDF/Word%20Mastery%20-%20Typed.pdf

[FO4UR]

:iagree: with Bill. First and fast, get her the Leapfrog DVD's in hand. My library carries them. That will go a LONG way, esp getting letter sounds down and teaching how to blend into words. After exhausting those DVD's, I would move to a simple scripted program.

 

Can you spend some time each week teaching her the next few lessons to teach her dc? It will essentially be tutoring her in the process, in itty-bitty steps she reviews by teaching it to her dc. This may or may not work, but at least you will be able to see how things play out and hopefully advise her along the way.

 

I'm rooting for her!!! What a tough spot!

[ElizabethB]

The last class I taught in Arkansas, we used Moms as volunteers, they were able to teach the material that had just been taught to them to their children, and most of them were taught with whole word methods, we worked through all the things on my how to tutor page. They also watched my lessons with their children on their own.

 

It's really not rocket science with a good program! (Especially with Leapfrog and my Phonics Lessons to help her understand the basics.)

 

Don also has mp3s for Through the Phonics Barrier that she might find helpful.

 

http://www.donpotter.net/Phonics_mp3.htm

[Aubrey]

I haven't met w/ my friend yet, but in talking to her further...she's very anti-phonics. (Why she bought Hooked on Phonics, then, bewilders me.) Anyway, she says that's how she was taught, & it didn't work.

 

Ummm...I'm not sure what to do w/ that. In day-to-day conversation, I'd generally smile, nod, & avoid that topic in the future. (She's a very...*opinionated* person, loudly so, if that makes sense.)

 

But...I'm really not sure how to help someone learn to read if they don't want to use phonics. And I don't know how to say so politely. :001_huh:

[Impish]

"I'm sorry, but the only way I know how to successfully teach reading is by using phonics."

[ElizabethB]

I haven't met w/ my friend yet, but in talking to her further...she's very anti-phonics. (Why she bought Hooked on Phonics, then, bewilders me.) Anyway, she says that's how she was taught, & it didn't work.

 

Ummm...I'm not sure what to do w/ that. In day-to-day conversation, I'd generally smile, nod, & avoid that topic in the future. (She's a very...*opinionated* person, loudly so, if that makes sense.)

 

But...I'm really not sure how to help someone learn to read if they don't want to use phonics. And I don't know how to say so politely. :001_huh:

 

Well, you could teach her how to use Webster's Speller and tell her that it is based on syllables and spelling and not mention the whole phonics thing but just teach it! Tell her that it was used in the 1700's and was a very successful method, that people didn't need readers when they used it, they progressed directly from the Speller to the KJV Bible.

 

You can confuse her with edu-speak and tell her that each word and syllable needs to learn to be letter spelled and phoneme spelled (blending ala phonics disguised in edu-speak as spelling.)

 

Later when she and her children have learned to read you can admit that phoneme spelling is actually phonics!

 

You could also try to explain that the phonics she was taught wasn't really phonics but fake phonics combined with sight words and was analytic phonics vs. synthetic phonics with rules, but that might not work, it has a low success rate in my experience.

Edited April 12, 2010 by ElizabethB

[Aubrey]

Well, you could teach her how to use Webster's Speller and tell her that it is based on syllables and spelling and not mention the whole phonics thing but just teach it! Tell her that it was used in the 1700's and was a very successful method, that people didn't need readers when they used it, they progressed directly from the Speller to the KJV Bible.

 

You can confuse her with edu-speak and tell her that each word and syllable needs to learn to be letter spelled and phoneme spelled (blending ala phonics disguised in edu-speak as spelling.)

 

Later when she and her children have learned to read you can admit that phoneme spelling is actually phonics!

 

You could also try to explain that the phonics she was taught wasn't really phonics but fake phonics combined with sight words and was analytic phonics vs. synthetic phonics with rules, but that might not work, it has a low success rate in my experience.

 

Oh, that's funny. I don't know why it didn't occur to me not to *label* what we do. (That's my usual mode of rebellion, lol.) I guess I was just so dumb-struck over her fierce opposition to phonics that I lost brain power for a bit. :lol:

 

Whew. I don't have to sit around hoping she won't call any more. ;)

 

We've picked a time & a place, so I'm not sure why it hasn't happened--she's got health issues, though, & we've got 9 dc between us, so I'm sure there's a good reason.

[Terabith]

First, have her kids (and her) watch the Leap Frog dvds approximately a million times. Have em watch Between the Lions.

 

Then I suggest she start with the six year old and ABeCeDarian and the I See Sam books. It's very incremental and scripted. Then, after completing level A, I would work through Headsprout with the child before going on to level B. There's the possibility the kids have inherited the dyslexia, so you want something very systematic and scripted to start with, and those would both be easy programs for someone who struggles themselves.

Edited April 12, 2010 by Terabith

[Spy Car]

First, have her kids (and her) watch the Leap Frog dvds approximately a million times.

 

 

:iagree:

 

What part of: Have the woman watch cartoons with her children, are you not understanding? :lol:

 

And (at least the Letter Factory, but preferably all 3) should be hers to own outright, and not library copies, as it's hard to watch library copies a million times.

 

And the DVDs are cheap. If memory serves we spent $7 each,

 

You could call it "The Cartoon Road to Reading." :D

 

Bill (deadly serious)

[Aubrey]

:iagree:

 

What part of: Have the woman watch cartoons with her children, are you not understanding? :lol:

 

And (at least the Letter Factory, but preferably all 3) should be hers to own outright, and not library copies, as it's hard to watch library copies a million times.

 

And the DVDs are cheap. If memory serves we spent $7 each,

 

You could call it "The Cartoon Road to Reading." :D

 

Bill (deadly serious)

 

I did tell her about the videos. I mentioned the library, hoping that would seem less intimidating. I have no idea if she's followed thr--she looked kind-of fuzzy about it.

 

Sounds like my littles might need Leap Frog, though. I'm all for the cartoon road to reading! And cartoons are a great way to get school done w/ the bigs--if I felt less guilty about it (Leap Frog)...that would be great.

[Spy Car]

 

Sounds like my littles might need Leap Frog, though. I'm all for the cartoon road to reading! And cartoons are a great way to get school done w/ the bigs--if I felt less guilty about it (Leap Frog)...that would be great.

 

Have you seen these?

 

I'm mortified every time I recommend a CARTOON to teach young children anything, much less how to read/phonics, but these little videos are simply brilliant!

 

Bill

[ElizabethB]

Have you seen these?

 

I'm mortified every time I recommend a CARTOON to teach young children anything, much less how to read/phonics, but these little videos are simply brilliant!

 

Bill

 

:iagree:

 

We don't even have a TV, but I'm a big fan. I love teaching phonics, but I don't love saying the basic sounds the 1,000 times you need to say them, better a talking frog than me. Plus, it makes the children really excited and interested about sounds and letters, my children were seeing letters everywhere--in sticks, in sidewalk cracks, in the scrollwork on our fence, and pointing out the "letters" and their sounds. (We watch DVDs on the computer.)