Teaching Reading - help, help, help!!!

[mellie]

I would really love some help/advice from all of you that have been there. My daughter is just finishing up PS Kindergarten, and due to the fact it uses "balanced literacy" I started teaching her reading myself at the beginning of September. We started with Jolly Phonics, and moved onto parts of OPGTR. She is able to sound out 5/6 letter words, but it is so slow and she HATES it. I think she should be blending faster, and that is our problem?? She reads like this: She sounds out by letter, and then is able to say the word e.g c-l-i-ck click, but we go through this for every word (except the sight words she learned in school.) I recently picked up Phonics Pathway, and went back to the basics - blending two letters. She does fine until the consonants change e.g fa ra mo tu, then she will have to say f-a fa r-a ra, etc to get to the right sound. She just turned 6 last week, so I am not sure if this is developmental and I am expecting too much. I can see she is already bored reading the two letter sounds, but I am unsure as to whether to move on if she has to sound out each letter before she can blend the sound? Is this just part of the process?

[Erika]

In order to help my son with blending I used the Abeka blend practice cards. The A set of cards has two letter blends. So I would pull out sa, se, si, so, and su. I would give him the blend with the short vowel sound and have him repeat it. Then I would add on more (ma, me, mi, mo, mu). Once he was saying the blends on his own, I would ask how do you think you spell mat. I would hold up the ma blend card and really sound out the ma-t. Now when he is reading I will occassionally stop him and ask, what the first two letters say. The B set of cards has three letters (eg cli). I am doing the same as I did with two letter blends with three letters now.

[Ellie]

She just turned 6 last week, so I am not sure if this is developmental and I am expecting too much. I can see she is already bored reading the two letter sounds, but I am unsure as to whether to move on if she has to sound out each letter before she can blend the sound? Is this just part of the process?

Yes, it is developmental and you are expecting too much. :001_smile:

 

If you like OPGTR, then IMHO you should drop other methods and follow OPGTR in its entirety.

[cjgrubbs]

I think you might be expecting a little too much for your 6 year old. My oldest son started 1st grade (public school) and was only reading sight words. Right after Christmas (when we was 6.5) a lightbulb clicked on and he finally "got it." We just finished our first year homeschooling 5th grade and he is a great reader, loves to read and is probably reading on a 7th-8th grade reading level.

 

My middle son is just finishing 2nd grade and is still not a super fluent reader. He will be 8 tomorrow. He struggles with some of the phonics and rules and sounding out words, so I went back to the beginning so to speak and purchased All About Spelling. We breezed through book 1 in the last 6 weeks of school and it has helped him tremondously. We will pick back up with book 2 in August. Now my oldest son would not have needed this type of phonics review.

 

My youngest just turned 5 and he knows some sight words from preschool at our church. With him I am going to use IEW's new PAL program. We have loved everything from IEW and I think we will love this too, from what I've seen in my preparing, but if we don't they offer a 100% money back guarantee if you buy directly from them so I know I can send it back if I need to. There are no time limits on that guarantee either! The program utilizes poetry, games and some worksheets along with a blended sound sight program. Check it out - you might find that it would work for your child!

[Whereneverever]

Start playing oral blending games- when there is no pressure and no words nearby.

 

Sound words out slowly and have her blend them. "What is a C A T?" Try it fast, slow, make it fun.

 

Once she can comfortably blend sounds orally, reintroduce the letters and try it again.

[KristenR]

To help my dd blend I created a Blender game. In hindsight I would have left space to put a third letter down. But in all honesty after playing the game for awhile she got the concept and didn't really have a hard time blending three.

[jenbrdsly]

I would really love some help/advice from all of you that have been there. My daughter is just finishing up PS Kindergarten, and due to the fact it uses "balanced literacy" I started teaching her reading myself at the beginning of September. We started with Jolly Phonics, and moved onto parts of OPGTR. She is able to sound out 5/6 letter words, but it is so slow and she HATES it. I think she should be blending faster, and that is our problem?? She reads like this: She sounds out by letter, and then is able to say the word e.g c-l-i-ck click, but we go through this for every word (except the sight words she learned in school.) I recently picked up Phonics Pathway, and went back to the basics - blending two letters. She does fine until the consonants change e.g fa ra mo tu, then she will have to say f-a fa r-a ra, etc to get to the right sound. She just turned 6 last week, so I am not sure if this is developmental and I am expecting too much. I can see she is already bored reading the two letter sounds, but I am unsure as to whether to move on if she has to sound out each letter before she can blend the sound? Is this just part of the process?

It sounds like you and your daughter are really working hard! I use to teacher Kindergarten and first grade, and I agree with the other posters that your daughter is right on developmentally for an exiting K.

I do have a few ideas for you. One is to check out the Leap Frog Talking Words Factory #1 and #2 from the library. They really helped my son learn to read.

Also, you could try making books with her this summer that increase her sight words. Just staple some pages together and let her draw the pictures. Eg: Becky likes to eat apples. Becky likes to eat cookies. Becky likes to eat bread. Becky is a good eater."

You could also try Bob books, and some homemade games to go with them: http://teachingmybabytoread.blog.com/2011/03/02/bob-books-boring-but-brilliant/

Finally, please don't judge "Balanced Literacy Instruction" too harshly. It's how I was trained as a teacher, and how I taught my own son to read by age three/four. A good Balanced Literacy classroom should include lots and lots of phonics, especially in "Working with Words" activites. Here's more information on the difference between Phonics, Whole Language and Balanced Literacy: http://teachingmybabytoread.blog.com/2011/03/01/phonics-whole-language-and-balanced-literacy-instruction/

Good luck to you!

[Kertie]

Sounds very familiar, except the ps part:). My daughter did the exact same thing, and WANTED to read, but was frustrated by the slowness of sounding out each and every letter and then doing the whole word. I also got Phonics Pathways and started at the 2-letter blends just like you did. What I did was tell her that she needed to "stretch" the sounds--so when she said "f-a", I'd say with her, "fffffffffffffaaaaaaaaa" to show her what I meant by "stretch" (just that she has to start the next sound right when the first one ends). I had her practice on cvc words she already knew, like cat, hat, sat, etc. It became apparent pretty quickly that it was faster for her to do it that way, and she took off. That pyramid game on page 50 was a very, very exciting thing for her!

 

While I do believe it's developmental, if she can sound out 5-6 letter words the way she's currently doing it, I don't think this has anything to do with your expectations--it's just you showing her how to make it EASIER on herself, and if you approach it from that mindset, it won't be a pressure thing. Just my .02;).

 

Good luck and have fun!

[veggiegal]

I've come to the conclusion that a huge component of learning to read is developmental. Not to say what we parents/teachers do doesn't matter--children learn best surrounded by rich language, books, and all that. But I've done the same things with my two boys, and they could not be more different. The 8 year old has been reading since he was 2/3, and reads way above grade level now--I could no more have stopped him learning to read than I could have stopped him learning to walk or talk or dress himself. He's also a 'whole-to-parts' learner, and could read whole words (sentences, paragraphs) before he'd say something like "Oh....so 'ph' says 'f' like an F". My 6 year old, in contrast, is a parts-to-wholes learner, and reading did not just 'click into place' from a baby- and toddler-hood rich in books and literacy. We're using All About Spelling as a reading program now, and it is helping immensely--but that's because he is now ready for it. Things are 'clicking' for him now in a way they weren't a year ago when I started trying to do more explicit phonics with him (via Bob books, Leap Frog videos, reading games from Peggy Kaye's book, alphabet songs, word family workbooks, books like "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 easy lessons"....oy.). It was exhausting and frustrating for both of us. So I cut back to things we enjoyed (read alouds, some games, singing silly rhymes / songs) and waited...and lo and behold something had 'clicked' for him such that learning to read is now easier. I experienced the same thing with the concept of place value, BTW--my eldest understood it immediately in MUS, the younger not at all when first introduced. Couldn't say numbers beyond 10, couldn't build numbers with base ten blocks, just didn't get it. So I waited again, about 6 months, and the second time around it 'clicked'.

[martinswife]

In order to help my son with blending I used the Abeka blend practice cards. The A set of cards has two letter blends. So I would pull out sa, se, si, so, and su. I would give him the blend with the short vowel sound and have him repeat it. Then I would add on more (ma, me, mi, mo, mu). Once he was saying the blends on his own, I would ask how do you think you spell mat. I would hold up the ma blend card and really sound out the ma-t. Now when he is reading I will occassionally stop him and ask, what the first two letters say. The B set of cards has three letters (eg cli). I am doing the same as I did with two letter blends with three letters now.

 

 

:iagree: Although, I did use the entire A Beka Phonics Program with 2 dds.

[zenjenn]

Having taught both my kids to read now, including a child who is mildly dyslexic, I really believe that secret to teaching a child read is really very simple.

 

Books, books, books, and more books. Did I mention books?

 

I do think a basic phonics program and some simple phonics books help at the VERY onset. I used Click N' Kids phonics (website), Starfall - which I let my kids do independently, and then I did invest in some simple phonics books for early oral reading (where each "book" is maybe 5-10 pages of one sentence pages for a sense of accomplishment).

 

Then, just go to the library and go crazy. Max out your library card AND theirs with fluffy little readers at their reading level, as well as some above their level that you read orally to them, and read, read, read, read. Make it fun. Make it reward. Oh, you have to be in bed at bedtime but you can stay awake and keep the light on if you're reading. (And by the way, if you suspect they are just looking at the pictures - fine. They are looking at books. The words are present, and can be linked to the pictures.) If they like being read to, read to them more than they read, treat it like you are *rewarding* them by reading to them, and then when you can, sneak in their participation (have them read a few words, here and there, while you read the rest.)

 

I agree there is a developmental issue there too, but there are books of every interest and variety for kids. Give them the exposure, don't let TV or computer time overshadow reading time, and it WILL happen barring some abnormal obstacle (and even then, sometimes still.) Variety and interest are key. Kids don't want to read out of some boring old curriculum reader. I think sometimes people expect kids to learn to read in the confines of "education", but reading isn't like that. Reading is so intrinsic to our lives that it should in large part be approached the same way learning to walk and talk is approached - as an organic part of self-motivation and daily living. (Can you imagine how much less effective it would be if kids had to learn to walk and talk largely based on receiving "lessons" in walking and talking?)

 

If permitted to read (or even just look at and/or listen to) books of interest to them, they will unwittingly start strengthening reading skills.

Edited June 14, 2011 by zenjenn

[twoxcell]

Yes, it is developmental and you are expecting too much. :001_smile:

 

 

:iagree:

I would just pick either OPGTR, or PP, and go through it for 1st grade, one-two pages at a time. It will click soon I promise. 6 was the magic number for my ds.

[NancyNellen]

Yes, it is developmental and you are expecting too much. :001_smile:

 

If you like OPGTR, then IMHO you should drop other methods and follow OPGTR in its entirety.

 

:iagree:

 

Pick something that you think is solid and stick with it. Little by little. She will get it.

[Critterfixer]

She just turned 6 last week, so I am not sure if this is developmental and I am expecting too much. I can see she is already bored reading the two letter sounds, but I am unsure as to whether to move on if she has to sound out each letter before she can blend the sound? Is this just part of the process?

 

I think so. One of my sons actually has to spell it when it is a new sound for him, and he's seven. They are just now really beginning to speed up when it comes to reading. They really enjoy playing with Starfall when they are done with their other work.

 

I also agree with reading often. When you can't read to her, or if she needs to move around more, have her listen to books while she plays with other things.

[ElizabethB]

:grouphug:

 

It just takes time, some children need a lot of repetition before it gets there. Here is a fun game to get in more repetition:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Phonics/concentrationgam.html

 

My daughter didn't need that many repetitions, but she does in math.

 

My son is 6 and finished up K this year, he's still about that slow, but he's faster than when we started at the beginning of the year. He can still spell almost as fast as he can read!! He's actually better at spelling than my daughter was at his age, and she's more verbal overall.

 

My son doesn't need much repetition in math.

[cat]

5 or 6 letters in Kindergarten? while each child is different my child wasn't reading 5 or 6 letters til 1st grade.... maybe give it a little time and stick with 3 to 4 letter words. I start with simple sight words and easy readers.

[Classically Minded]

She is able to sound out 5/6 letter words, but it is so slow and she HATES it. I think she should be blending faster, and that is our problem?? She reads like this: She sounds out by letter, and then is able to say the word e.g c-l-i-ck click, but we go through this for every word (except the sight words she learned in school.) I recently picked up Phonics Pathway, and went back to the basics - blending two letters. She does fine until the consonants change e.g fa ra mo tu, then she will have to say f-a fa r-a ra, etc to get to the right sound. She just turned 6 last week, so I am not sure if this is developmental and I am expecting too much. I can see she is already bored reading the two letter sounds, but I am unsure as to whether to move on if she has to sound out each letter before she can blend the sound? Is this just part of the process?

 

First of all, she doesn't have to like it but she does have to do it is usually how it goes with teaching reading. My daughter really dreaded phonics but now she loves reading and that is in such a short time! Stay with OPGTR, it is the best and we started it in K when my daughter had just turned 6 and finished it this past February and my dd7 is reading on a 4th grade level. It really does work, you just have to stick with it and also teach your daughter the discipline of sticking with something, even though she might not "like" it. She is perfectly normal and right on target with sounding out words - mine did it to almost the end of the OPGTR but then just took off one day and read without sounding out. Patience is what phonics took for ME lol.

 

I did a review of OPGTR on my blog if you are interested: http://www.cambridgeshireacademy.com/2011/02/ordinary-parents-guide-to-teaching.html

Edited June 19, 2011 by Classically Minded

[janainaz]

The OPGTTR has you present the digraphs together. If she is to read the word 'French', you cover up the rest of the word and present the digraph 'fr' as one sound, and so on. You need to do that with every single word that has a sound that is to be read together.

 

Another thing I have done is to STAY on lessons that challenge your child. Keep reviewing lessons that are easy so you build confidence and then work on the more challenging stuff in little bits of time. Keep revisiting certain words every day, but don't overdo it.

 

I also made a few flash cards for certain words - but I still made sure to present the word in digraph sounds.

[BearLair]

OPGTR is one of the few resources we've used as intended. We've had complete success 3 seperate times, though each child's proccess was very different.

 

The first child went through with steady progress start to finish at age 6. I guess we just both thought that was how it was supposed to work, so it did.

 

The second child went through starting at 6 with slightly slower, but still steady, progress. Half way through it all clicked and we only used the rest of the book to verify complete understanding of all phonograms. He finished at 7. This was despite his severe tracking issues, 3 years of eye therepy has drastically helped that aspect.

 

The third child went through the entire book sounding out every word as you describe. She was 6 when we started and 7 when we finished. I had no plan on how to help her overcome that past the OPGTR book. The day we closed the book for the last time was the last day she sounded out words like that. Another click in our house and it's all smooth sailing for her now.

 

My SIL (teaches reading to dyslexic adults/children) administered a reading test to the two older children a couple months after they each completed OPGTR and they both were at late 4th grade level. The youngest with the sounding it out issue was never tested but she was reading the same level of books her two older siblings had upon completion.

 

OPGTR seems an exceptional resource for teaching reading. Maybe just keep steadily going and wait for the click?