how do you teach reading?

[justLisa]

I'm kind of stumped. This sounds horrible but I don't know how to get DD from sounding out letters/reading simple sentences to become more fluent. Is it just lots of practice? DS just started reading at about 5.5, it was almost weird. I remember just sounding things out with him, teaching basic phonics rules, but we did not do much in the way of a curriculum. I didn't even own one text book/curriculum book then LOL. Clearly DD needs more instruction/practice than he did but I'm not sure what to do next. She does not really like BOB books or that kind of thing as they are very dry and boring.

 

She is able, just not interested in what I have. We read together often and she will read simple sentences or things on the computer. She has ETC but is tiring of it and I don't really think she is getting much out of it.

 

Is there something somewhat independent that I can have her do? Such as a computer program? WE are not crazy about reading eggs.

 

I was looking at OPGTTR but she already has the basics and I'm not sure I want to buy it before viewing and I cannot find a copy to look at.

[JMDRAD]

I successfully taught my oldest to read using OPGTTR. I'm currently using it with my second dd. The lessons are a breeze right now (on lesson 46) but they build momentum and before you know, you have a kid that can read. (Well, okay, I realize that's not the case with all kids but it's worked great for us). I have some I Can Read It books on the shelf that she likes to pick up and sound out words. But other than that guide I don't do anything. It doesn't feel like much on a daily basis but I've seen great results over the last few weeks.

 

I don't know if that was any help. But I just thought I'd throw out my experience with OPGTTR.

[micheller1]

We also use OPGTTR for our "curriculum". My ds also uses Reading Eggs on a regular basis and I keep tons of rookie readers, hello readers, bob books etc on hand for him to read anytime, all the time. I read to him every night and he reads to me every night. In the beginning he just read the words he knew (a, the, him, we, etc) and it helped build his confidence.

 

We used this for a long time. http://www.progressivephonics.com/ He really loved it but once he started to do "real" school at home, we switched to OPGTTR and Reading Eggs. It gave him a really good foundation. We could have stuck with it, but for some reason, I didn't. I don't know why.

[Matryoshka]

I used Reading Reflex for all 3 of my kids. It also teaches you how to teach reading. Best $16 I spent on homeschooling.

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

Starfall.com

 

I heard about it on here, and it really helped blending click for my oldest. Now ds#2 is playing it (with some help.)

[Kuovonne]

If you're just looking to build fluency, I think that repeat readings are very useful. Once my kids could decode on about a 2nd grade level, I had them do repeat readings from the McGuffey readers. We have always done short lessons (sometimes less than 5 minutes), so it doesn't take much of my time. Progress is gradual, but really builds over time.

 

Have you seen starfall.com? It can be independent.

[KarenNC]

We did ETC, Bob Books and some additions that are sometimes frowned upon on the boards ;), but it really seemed to take a combination of techniques to help my daughter achieve her goal of reading. Dick and Jane really helped with fluency and confidence. We also did Dolch sight word flashcards to help make things a little less dry than the Bob books (note that I also taught the words on these when they came up in the phonics curriculum, I just didn't make her wait until then for words like "mother," "said," etc---we didn't do guessing or word shapes). I would make up and write out stories for her with words she knew (along with things like our pets' names, friends' names, etc) and let her illustrate the pages she could read. Our library also has tons of leveled readers, so we mixed things up that way as well.

[Testimony]

I third the starfall website. That is a fun one.

 

I have no curriculum to recommend cause the one I used was bad. I wanted to say that a major key to a child learning to read is you reading to them. Also, have the child memorize things and recite what they have learned.

You can have them memorize lots of things at a young age such as:

1. Poems

2. Passages of scripture

3. Speechs

4. capitals

5. Presidents

 

The list could go on. Phonics is just one aspect of teaching a child to read. I think that if a child does all of the aspects, they will become a better reader.

[justLisa]

Thanks for the suggestions, I will definitely use all of them. Starfall is something I completely forgot about! I just purchased OPGTTR as I'm sure it will be of good use at least for a while. I think I am looking for one magic thing that will work, and needed a reminder that a variety of sources is better and more interesting. It's tough with a 2nd grader who needs my attention for most things AND DD who is kinder age. They both perform above the grade level but I feel spread so thin lately.

 

She also loves math and spelling and there is some reading there too. I don't know why I'm worried abuot it as she is 5.5 and I think on track for her age? I don't think DS was an early reader either, but somewhere around 5.5 he just took off and seemed like he could read almost anything. We do read a ton together also.

[aprilsblessings]

It sounds like you have gotten some answers but I thought I would let you know what is going on with my 5.5 year old.

 

Before we started I had to look up what the word phonics meant:tongue_smilie:, yes really. I researched like crazy and ended up with oodles of phonics curriculums. After trying a few I just had my kids start sounding out CVC words. (They had learned their letter sounds through The Letter Factory DVD.) I thought why do we need to go over the same vowels with each individual consonant - boring and slow! Isn't the point to be reading??

 

Well..... I understand a little more that the consonant vowel process does have a point. It helps them to read the word faster (for lack of a better way to say it). They don't have to sound out each individual sound. Now I am using Phonics Pathways and telling myself to trust the process.

 

All that to be said I would suggest working with the blends of sa, se, si, so, su, etc. go through each letter. Then add in sh, ch, th, etc. You can also keep the reading practice going but the drill/review of the individual groups will help to make the reading go better as well.

[mama2em29]

Can someone clarify what OPGTTR is? I tried googling it, but I was unable to figure it out. :confused: Thank you!

[Ritsumei]

OPGTR = The Ordinary Parents' Guide to Teaching Reading.

 

We use it, but in a modified sort of way, since both my son and I would go NUTS trying to use it as directed. I also bought Happy Phonics and we play games. I turn the words he's supposed to read in the book into word lists and we either use them in a HP game or a file folder game. In fact, he up and made a new folder game the other day, so now we have a new one. You could totally do it without buying HP, though they've got some clever games in there that he's really enjoyed, and they emphasize some different things that I wouldn't have though up on my own. I love the combo. I've blogged about teaching phonics, including some of the games we play.

[zenjenn]

We used Starfall, ClicknKids, and the library.

 

And by the library, I don't mean "Oh, we checked out a few books". I'm talking 20-30 books at a time. I'm talking going to the library once or twice a week at a minimum.

 

Read, read, read, read, and read. Orally, independently, listening to read-alouds while they followed along. All of the above. Until my kids could fluently read, just reading in all these forms took up the majority of our days. Bedtime was "Oh, you have to be in bed at 8 pm, but if you want to stay up late, you can on the condition that you are looking at books/reading."

 

With this strategy my dyslexic daughter was reading fairly fluently by the end of 1st grade, and my accelerated daughter was reading fluently about two months into Kindergarten. (As in, reading simple chapter books independently.)

 

And by the way, we still do this, only I've carved out more time for formal subjects, and I have times where I am selective about topical reading material, but they still check out a metric ton of whatever they want. It is amazing what they learn, even from reading random fiction.

Edited November 16, 2011 by zenjenn

[jennynd]

When my younger one started reading sentence. I start have her read me one sentence and then I read one when we read simple book like frog/toad, little bear. Then 2 sentence a time, and then one page at a time.

[kalphs]

I'm kind of stumped. This sounds horrible but I don't know how to get DD from sounding out letters/reading simple sentences to become more fluent. Is it just lots of practice? DS just started reading at about 5.5, it was almost weird. I remember just sounding things out with him, teaching basic phonics rules, but we did not do much in the way of a curriculum. I didn't even own one text book/curriculum book then LOL. Clearly DD needs more instruction/practice than he did but I'm not sure what to do next. She does not really like BOB books or that kind of thing as they are very dry and boring.

 

She is able, just not interested in what I have. We read together often and she will read simple sentences or things on the computer. She has ETC but is tiring of it and I don't really think she is getting much out of it.

 

Is there something somewhat independent that I can have her do? Such as a computer program? WE are not crazy about reading eggs.

 

I was looking at OPGTTR but she already has the basics and I'm not sure I want to buy it before viewing and I cannot find a copy to look at.

 

This is how Dh and I taught Dd to read...

Pre K Years

How to Teach Your Baby to Read by Glen Doman

Alpha Phonics by Samuel Blumfeld

Dr. Seuss books and Dick and Jane readers

 

Elementary Years

Color Phonics by Alpha Omega Publishing

Complete Book of Phonics

Plaid Phonics by Modern Curriculum Press

Starfall Phonics

Using picture books, Dick and Jane Readers, modern classic children's books (Such as Beverly Cleary's Ramona series) and classic literature as readers.

When OPGTTR was published I did peruse it to make sure we hadn't missed anything.

:)

[coffeefreak]

We bounced around because of the boredom factor.

 

I switched off between:

A Beka's Handbook for Reading

Webster's Blue Book (CLP)

Phonics Pathways

Bob Books

 

And lots of basic phonics workbooks.

 

I read out loud to her every day, and I would have her read works that I knew she knew.

 

OH! And I also FORBADE her sister from reading to her. I discovered she was highly unmotivated at 5 to learn to read because she didn't need to! Incidentally, she did the same thing with learning to walk :lol:

 

Once she was an emerging reader (could sound out simple 3-4 letter words with little help), I went to the library every week and checked out 5-10 books in the easy reader section. There are literally THOUSANDS of easy reader books out there. We would work together, and then, when she could read the book to her father, we would put a star on a chart. Once she had 10 stars, she got a prize. After a while, I made her pick out 3 books to work on and her reading took off.

 

HTH!

Dorinda