All About Teaching and Learning Phonics

[Charmaine_chong]

Hi Tamarind,


Wow, Is awesome!

May i check with you words blending with letter "L" ? L says "O" in Leapfrog.

When come to words, eg: lap, lag, how do i sound them out?

Should i say "O"- ap" or "Le"- ap"? If i say O-ap, seems doesn’t blend.

Appreciate your guidance.

[tamarind]

Hi Charmaine,

Thanks for your compliments

L actually is not \"O\" in Leapfrog, it is actually sounds like \"uLLL\". There is an \"L\" sound at the end which may not be very clear in video.
Click on the following webpage, it is exactly the same as leapfrog. Try to listen to eat a few times.
http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/letter-l/load.htm?f

Try to read the word \"LOT\", drag out the beginning part, you find that you are saying \"uLLL\" - \"OT\". Not \"ler\" - \"OT\". That's why \"L\" is not taught as \"ler\", it should be \"uLLL\".



Also read this comment about the Leapfrog Letter Factory :
http://www.amazon.com/review/R1AV62IULFTHNI/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R1AV62IULFTHNI
The letter sounds for L and R are not \"completely wrong.\" They are actually completely right. I am a first grade teacher and it is a common mistake for parents to teach their children that L says \"Luh\" and R says \"Ruh.\" \"ul\"isten to yourself when you say a word beginning with L. Listen well. ul-isten. See? Now try it the way you think it should be. Luh. Luh-isten. It doesn't flow that way. L is not supposed to be taught with the extra vowel sound behind it. It teaches children to chop their words up. Learning it correctly... \"ulll\" teaches them how to continually flow through the word without chopping it up. Same thing with the R. Listen to yourself saying a word that begins with R. Try \"Read\". \"er\"ead or \"ruh\"ead.

[MadMum]

tamarind:

Dear all,

I would like to share the little stories written by my daughter, now 6 years old :

http://tamarindphonics.blogspot.com/2009/02/written-by-chloe.html

I actually have not spent time teaching her how to write. I only make sure that she knows phonics very well, and that she reads consistently everyday. She has been reading many of the wonderful children's classics, like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Little House on the Prairie, etc.

A child who reads very well, naturally knows how to write.

:salute:
I'm so impressed. She writes and draws so well. Congratulations. You must be really proud of her. How did you teach her to write ? My daughter's 5 and a half, and she can barely read !

[tamarind]

MadMum:

tamarind:

Dear all,

I would like to share the little stories written by my daughter, now 6 years old :

http://tamarindphonics.blogspot.com/2009/02/written-by-chloe.html

I actually have not spent time teaching her how to write. I only make sure that she knows phonics very well, and that she reads consistently everyday. She has been reading many of the wonderful children's classics, like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Little House on the Prairie, etc.

A child who reads very well, naturally knows how to write.

:salute:
I'm so impressed. She writes and draws so well. Congratulations. You must be really proud of her. How did you teach her to write ? My daughter's 5 and a half, and she can barely read !

Thanks for your compliments

My efforts are only concentrated on teaching her phonics, and reading using the Ladybird Peter and Jane series. She spells most of the words using phonics techniques, and some words from memory. Since she has been reading consistently everyday, she knows the high frequency words very well. After she finished reading the Peter and Jane series book 12a and 12b, I let her read a wide variety of books. I make sure that she reads at least a few pages (about 200 words a page) everyday, even during school holidays.

I almost never ask her to practice writing. And I don't have time to teach her to write stories. I guess because I strictly limit the amount of TV she watches, so when she has nothing to do, she thinks of stories to write and draw. I only discover her stories after I return home from work. I guess since she has read so much, when she wants to express an idea, she naturally knows how to write the words.

I believe that parents should concentrate their efforts in teaching a child to read very well first.

[sleepy]

tamarind:

Dear all,

I would like to share the little stories written by my daughter, now 6 years old :

http://tamarindphonics.blogspot.com/2009/02/written-by-chloe.html

I actually have not spent time teaching her how to write. I only make sure that she knows phonics very well, and that she reads consistently everyday. She has been reading many of the wonderful children's classics, like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Little House on the Prairie, etc.

A child who reads very well, naturally knows how to write.

Your dd is amazing !!!

Mine is an avid reader but no output in terms of writing. Painstakingly teaching her how to compose stories. Tough

[tamarind]

[quote]Your dd is amazing !!!


Mine is an avid reader but no output in terms of writing. Painstakingly teaching her how to compose stories. Tough[/quote]sleepy,
Thanks

What kind of books are your girl reading ? I am sure that as she reads even more, she will be able to write well.

[sleepy]

tamarind:

[quote]Your dd is amazing !!!


Mine is an avid reader but no output in terms of writing. Painstakingly teaching her how to compose stories. Tough

sleepy,
Thanks

What kind of books are your girl reading ? I am sure that as she reads even more, she will be able to write well.[/quote]She likes Roald Dahl. Besides playing with her sister, she spends all her free time reading. She's a bookworm. However, I've never seen her write anything on her own initiative like your girl. I'm so impressed

[pea]

Hi Tamarind,


Wow

I was admiring your girl's drawings - really creative and lovely. Did she learn to draw herself too?

My boy doesn't like art and craft at all. When asked to colour, just scribble over the whole page and beyond! Onto the table! :!:

Same with painting. His classmates are drawing beautiful buses and trains and his picture is an abstract art - blotches of paint! :oops:

[tamarind]

Hi pea,

Thanks Yes she has learned to draw on her own. Actually she draws more than she writes. She loves to draw.

Hi sleepy,
Roald Dahl's books are very good, very imaginative and unconventional. Perhaps you can encourage her to write at least a few sentences everyday, about what she has done, or what she has been thinking. Creative writing can also be about real life experiences Just change the names will do

[tamarind]

I would like this share some parts of a good article from The Malaysian Women's Weekly :

[quote]
Get your little one to love books!

What kind of books are suitable for our children, and at what age ?

Although every child's reading capabilities may differ, there are certain standard guidelines that you can follow when choosing books for them. Here's a rough guide :

Birth to six years old
Big and bold prints, with a combination of cartoons and photographs. Words and stories should be simple so that children can relate to the story easily.

Seven to 10 years old
Average sized prints, with a good selection of pictures. Stories may have underlying messages such as moral values, filial piety or being conscientious.

12 to 17 years old
Normal-sized prints, with few pictures in between the pages. \"By now children should be reading by themselves, so provide them a good selection of fiction and non-fiction books to widen their general knowledge\", advises Jenny Stachan (Head Teacher at the Lorna Whiston Study Centre).


POINTS TO REMEMBER
If children see you reading often, they'll want to do the same.
Most of the time, children dislike reading because they cannot understand what they're reading. For them to enjoy a book, they must be able to comprehend the story.

Choose a wide variety of books to avoid boredom.
Show an interest in what your child is reading by asking about the story or which parts they liked most.

Use a special reward system
For older children, allow them to watch a favourite TV programme or have an extra hour of play, provided that they have read for at least 15 minutes. This way, everyone gets to reap the rewards !


YOU MUST TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE EARLY YEARS TO SOW THE SEEDS OF INTEREST IN READING, AS IT WILL TAKE MORE WORK IF YOU MISS THAT WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY.
[/quote]