All About Teaching and Learning Phonics

[tamarind]

sunset_dae:

Hi Tamarind


Can u advise me how to explain:

Fax, Tax, Tab and Max to the child?

I need to go to work now, will reply you later

[tamarind]

sunset_dae:

Hi Tamarind


Can u advise me how to explain:

Fax, Tax, Tab and Max to the child?

Sorry for the late reply. I am now working in China. The government blocks http://www.kiasuparents.com, so I cannot access it at work. I don't understand why they do that, they don't want their parents to become kiasu too ?

I had to find another way to access this forum and I can only do it after work.


Fax - show an actual Fax Machine if possible, otherwise show a picture of how it works

Tab - there are many meanings, I just used this one :
a small projection from a card, paper, or folder, used as an aid in filing.
I show my boy a notebook that has tabs.


Max - this is the short form to maximum. You can just point to a kettle, it should have the word \"max\" to indicate the maximum water level. Just say the water cannot go over that line.

[pummanuel]

tamarind:

pummanuel,

Both my hubby and myself have read and enjoyed all the wonderful children's literature that my kids have read, especially the Story of Doctor Dolittle, House of Sixty Fathers, the trumpet of the swan, Gulliver's travel, etc. My hubby even thanked me for introducing these books to him He reads very widely, from Roman history to computer science, but when he was young he read only the Secret Seven series and jumped straight to Lord of the Rings. He did not know that there are so many wonderful children's books around.

I have just finished reading Momo by Michael Ende, a fantasic children's book about time. Momo is a masterpiece and I highly recommend all parents and children to read this book, especially those parents who always complain that they have no time It can be read by a child of any age, so long as she is matured enough to understand a complicated plot. For example, a child who can read and understand Charlotte's Web should enjoy this book :

http://www.amazon.com/Momo-Puffin-Books-Michael-Ende/dp/0140317538/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281072019&sr=1-1

I read that according to Michael Ende, this book is for children ages 8 - 80

Hi Tamarind

I've been very busy lately and has not been logging in, hence the late reply.

Thanks for the recommendations. I heard raving reviews on Momo from a cousin in her late 30s. I will borrow from the library and read it. I think my girl is not ready for it yet. Now besides P&J, she's reading Usborne children's books which I bought for $2/book at MPH sales. I regretted buying them as the language is not that proper but she likes the illustrations so I thought just let her choose what she wants.

When I was young, Enid Blyton was all that I know. After Enid Blyton, it was Agatha Christie and all the literature books in sec sch. As my parents were Chinese educated, we know more about 金庸, 冰心, and 鲁迅 than the English authors. Now that I'm starting my girl on reading and reading recommendations by mothers, like your hubby, I'm also impressed by the quality in children's literature, which seriously transcends all ages.

I look forward to more book recommendations in your blog. Btw, did you buy the complete set of Nardia? Which chronicle did you buy?

[pummanuel]

sean wife:

Hi Tamarind,


I search for the Winnie the Pooh book that you recommend and found several similar ones in Amazon...can you advise which is the one you recommend?

http://www.amazon.com/Winnie-Pooh-Pooh-Original-Milne/dp/0140361219/ref=pd_cp_b_3_img

http://www.amazon.com/Winnie-Pooh-Milne/dp/B00375LM0W/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282441627&sr=1-1

Thanks!

Hi sean wife and parents looking for Winnie the Pooh books

I bought Winnie the Pooh Deluxe Gift Box a few months ago when it was having a special promotion of US$33 (UP US$99). It was absolutely fabulous. It has the complete collection but divided into 5 volumes so that children can handle each book by themselves, and it comes with beautiful coloured illustrations printed on good quality paper. I thought it was one of the best purchases I made.

The current price on Amazon is too pricey (US$62) and there's no pic of the books. I found a pic at the following url. For parents who are not in a hurry and keen to buy and keep a complete set, you can wait for a lower price. This is a good choice.

http://www.amazon.com/Winnie-Pooh-Deluxe-Gift-Box/dp/0525422927/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283473710&sr=1-1

http://www.paperbackswap.com/Winnie-Pooh-Deluxe-A-Milne/book/0525422927/

[pummanuel]

tamarind:

Sorry for the late reply. I am now working in China. The government blocks http://www.kiasuparents.com, so I cannot access it at work. I don't understand why they do that, they don't want their parents to become kiasu too ?

Hi Tamarind, that's the cyber life in China. I cannot access many websites when I was living in China. But I realised there are some inconsistencies as I can access a particular website at some provinces or at a different time. Hehe...

In 2008, it was much easier as China was hosting the Olympics and to counter foreign claims on lack of media freedom, many restrictions were lifted and I could access many Singapore websites then.

[tamarind]

[quote]
Btw, did you buy the complete set of Nardia? Which chronicle did you buy?[/quote]Hi pummanuel,
My hubby bought the complete set of the chronicles of Narnia, all 7 books in one very thick book. But I found the words too small. My SIL gave us a read-aloud version of the Lion, the witch and the wardrobe that has bigger words.
[quote]I'm also impressed by the quality in children's literature, which seriously transcends all ages. [/quote]I think many parents, even those who grew up in English speaking families, probably have not read all the wonderful classics of children's literature, even though these books have been around for many years. I have heard parents comment that some children's classics may be \"dated\". Does that mean that children must read books that talk about TV, computers, iphone, etc ? The children's classics have been around for so many years for a good reason. The stories are timeless and meaningful, and children can learn the beautiful writing by authors like E.B. White, Oscar Wilde, etc. I have also heard of parents who said that their kids read voraciously, but their creative writing is still not good, because they read books like Diary of a Wimpy kid, Beast Quest, etc. If we want kids to do well in English, it is important to make sure that kids read all the great classics of children's literature.

[tamarind]

pummanuel:

tamarind:

Sorry for the late reply. I am now working in China. The government blocks http://www.kiasuparents.com, so I cannot access it at work. I don't understand why they do that, they don't want their parents to become kiasu too ?

Hi Tamarind, that's the cyber life in China. I cannot access many websites when I was living in China. But I realised there are some inconsistencies as I can access a particular website at some provinces or at a different time. Hehe...

In 2008, it was much easier as China was hosting the Olympics and to counter foreign claims on lack of media freedom, many restrictions were lifted and I could access many Singapore websites then.

Besides kiasuparents, websites like blogger, youtube, facebook, etc are also blocked. But I think they have their own Chinese versions, probably controlled by the government.

[tamarind]

pummanuel:

I heard raving reviews on Momo from a cousin in her late 30s. I will borrow from the library and read it. I think my girl is not ready for it yet. Now besides P&J, she's reading Usborne children's books which I bought for $2/book at MPH sales. I regretted buying them as the language is not that proper but she likes the illustrations so I thought just let her choose what she wants.

pummanuel,
Momo is suitable for kids at least 8 years and above, the reading level of the book is about our P4/P5 standard. Kids need to have a certain level of maturity in order to appreciate it. Before reading Momo, kids should read the Neverending Story, another fantastic book by the same author. This book is very thick, the reading level is higher than Peter and Jane level 12, but the story can be easily understood by kids as young as 5 years old. The book is highly imaginative and original. Quote from an Amazon review : \"It is one of those rare children's classics that can be read by anyone, of any age. Once you've read it, you can no longer imagine the Universe without it. \"

Kids below 6 years old should read all the books in this page :
http://tamarindphonics.blogspot.com/2010/03/picture-books-from-my-home-library.html

[sunset_dae]

Hi Tamarind


Thanks! Understood!
U now in China? yr children must have miss u so much!

[lisa9841]

hi Tamarind


Just want to say that I am very motivated after reading your postings and buds postings on phonics would like to start teaching phonics to my DD who is 3.5 years now. I have posted a similar question on Buds thread but would like to ask you the same question as well as I would love to hear your views too! You both are very inspirational and also very generous to share so much with the parents here! Thank you very much!

I have been teaching my DD to read via the flashcard (aka shichida/Glenn Doman) method to read since very young. She can recognize most of the sight words on the dolch list and is beginning to read simple story books.(3-4 lines per page kind).

But as you know, the cons of the shichida method is that kids can only recognize words that are already taught to them.When it comes to a new word that they have never seen before, they would not be able to pronounce.

For my DD, I will be starting her with the single phonics sound first as I would want to teach her the basics. But My query is: For example, I want to teach her the sound of the letter "C" ==> since she already know the word "Cat", by sight, should I still use the word "Cat"? From my understanding from your blog, the reason for choosing a word is to get the child to try and sound out these words using phonics method right? In my case, am i right to say that i should choose some "C" letter words that she has never seen before? What is your suggestion in my case? How should I proceed with her? I am also taking your suggestion and bought her the "peter and Jane" books to read.

Also, I have never formally taught her the alphabets. She knows most of them from watching DVD. Should I just do a "revision" with her first as she sometimes will get confused with certain letters, say "b and d" and "m and n"?

Lastly, do you think 3.5 years is too young to start and learn how to write letters? Her school teachers seem to think so and advise me just to let her doodle. Was just wondering what is your views on this? I am very impressed with one Mummy’s posting in the previous pages that her 3 yr old son can already write letters and would write them on her whiteboard! I know I am not supposed to be comparing but my DD cannot hold a pencil very well yet. I can’t help but feel a bit stressed and am beginning to doubt if I am doing/teaching her enough!!