Montessori Phonics - Introduction To Single Letter Sounds

[mypiggee]

mamii:

Hi Buds, how are you? have not been to the forum for a couple of months and so glad i manage to see your thread again. Hope you can help me with DS .


before DS started his phonics enrichment he was very good with all the 26 basic sounds (leapfrog dvd). but after started learning word building and blending i think he got confused.

he can blend the words individually but often have difficulty reading them in a sentence. But if i let him read the words individually FIRST then let him read the short sentences containing all the words he is able to do it. WHY ???

he knows the letters sounds well but when it is put into words he could not read it eg.

\"in\" he may read as \"it\"
\" fog\" he may read as \"frog\"
\"pan\" he may read as \"plan\"

basically he is a reluctant reader, though he loves me to read him stories.

he may not be focusing as well as he does not like to go through the phonics revision, he will say he is tired. you know when he looks at the words but his mind is somewhere else !

by the way how many \"word families\" are there ? is there any website where i can get the complete list of the blends ?

i am considering to stop his enrichment and teach him myself at home till he is better and continue when he is in K2.

anyone with similar experience ? thanks !

I have the same experience!My son is in K1 now...and just finished learning his letters phonics...He still cant get the essence of forming a word. So in a nutshell, he can't recognise words.
Trying to revise at least 5mins per day...which is already a challenge as he will always said he's tired or give all sorts of excuses.

He studies 3hrs class in Kindergarden and we sent him to a 2hrs montessori enrichment class too. The montessori class teacher feedback to me that she had to pronounce very CLEARLY then he's able to form a word. Till now, she's trying to get him to understand the essence of it.

Now looking into Chinese enrichment class for him too...

My MIL always asked me not to stress him but he already skipped Pre-N. I tried not to stress him but he only attended 3hrs class daily.
Enrichment is just 2hrs class for English, then 1hr45mins for Chinese if I go for Berries...
5 mins simple revision....30mins on Sat....the rest of the weekend is purely play time

[buds]

SAHM_TAN:

Hi buds,


Missed out on your Qn.

DD1\"s reading is improving and I'm seeing the gaps more clearly. I think she might be unclear about some of the word families.

But I'm not going to rush it. I will still go through each group. Since she enjoys it. So those that she knows will give her the confidence to work through those that she does not know.

No worries. You must be having a more hectic routine this year in and out of the house chauffeuring the kiddies to school with baby in tow. Good to know there's good progress and that she is enjoying learning with you. :hugs:

[buds]

Heyya viviling, you can start off with these reads.

All titles available at the library.

http://www.amazon.com/Montessori-Read-Write-Literacy-Children/dp/0609803352/ref=pd_sim_b_21

http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Montessori-Learning-Activities-Under-Fives/dp/0312018649/ref=pd_sim_b_5

http://www.amazon.com/Teaching-Montessori-Home-Pre-School-Years/dp/0452279097/ref=pd_sim_b_2

PS. Gimme some time to reply to your PM, okie? :please:

[buds]

mamii:

Hi Buds, how are you? have not been to the forum for a couple of months and so glad i manage to see your thread again. Hope you can help me with DS .

Heyya there, mamii! :imanisland: Ya, our last conversation was via PM a few months back but that was for Math, right? Niwaes, this thread will always be here or for easier access can just bookmark, if u want.

mamii:

before DS started his phonics enrichment he was very good with all the 26 basic sounds (leapfrog dvd). but after started learning word building and blending i think he got confused.

I have never believed that children can learn from watching DVDs alone. Children need that connection with concrete learning experiences to really understand concepts. DVDs are fast moving animations that may not be able to help children capture the much needed concept retention all on its own. They are embedded in the child's mind as very colourful, fun, musical adventures not directly related to actual learning of concepts. As supplements (to actual concrete learnng).. I suppose it is fine but as a sole teaching tool, nope. But that's just me.

mamii:

he can blend the words individually but often have difficulty reading them in a sentence. But if i let him read the words individually FIRST then let him read the short sentences containing all the words he is able to do it. WHY ???

I'm guessing what you're trying to say here is...
1. He can sound out single letter sounds
2. He can form/blend three-letter-phonetic words
3. He can read formed words as a whole word instead of via phonics blending
4. he can read short sentences via sight reading

Can I first double confirm if that's what you meant to say?

mamii:

he knows the letters sounds well but when it is put into words he could not read it eg.

\"in\" he may read as \"it\"
\" fog\" he may read as \"frog\"
\"pan\" he may read as \"plan\"

basically he is a reluctant reader, though he loves me to read him stories.

All children love being read to. Reading is a calming hobby and a sound one to start children as young as infants to. I'm thinking I may understand why he has problems making connections with the sound combinations... I read on first the rest of your sharings okie?

mamii:

he may not be focusing as well as he does not like to go through the phonics revision, he will say he is tired. you know when he looks at the words but his mind is somewhere else !

Bingo. You just answered your own doubts.

Children need to look at the print to relate to the sounds taught to make sense of how blending is done. Meaning to say that if he cannot focus well or disinterested during his sessions, he will continue to guess the sounds to blend or any other sound combinations, based on his knowledge of single letter sounds.

Can u share where he is attending lessons and how many children in the class? How about the class duration.. 1hr or 1.5hrs? What material does he bring home for so-called phonics revision?

mamii:

by the way how many \"word families\" are there ? is there any website where i can get the complete list of the blends ?

Many. They have different families at every stage. You can hear how they sound like at http://www.starfall.com/ webbie. Your DS' phonics teacher should be handing out the complete word lists as they move up levels. Different centres may have different lists and in which order the lists are to be covered.

mamii:

i am considering to stop his enrichment and teach him myself at home till he is better and continue when he is in K2.

If you are equipped with the knowledge to teach him and the capacity to keep him engaged with 1-to-1 guidance from you, yes! Go ahead! As it is now, he already has issues focussing in class which can be due to various factors. So you gotta be able to grab his attention to help him at home.

What do u mean when he's better? Better at focussing.. better attention span.. more mature (older).. or when he can cross that blending hurdle, before you let him resume the same course again? Children should ideally already finish reading programmes by end of K1 so they can move on to learning other P1 preparatory items like grammar.. simple writing.. journal writing.. show and tell.. and so much more! Latest can be by mid-K2 laa..

Find out how his phonics teacher addresses his lack of focus in class.
Inquire with his teacher how you can help ds with your concerns.
A good teacher can always offer alternatives or suggestions to
help children improve or accelerate. A good teacher is able
to appreciate a parent's genuine offer to be involved for
the benefit of the child / children.

There is little value in going for classes every week if no trouble-shooting is done to help children who seem to lag behind or lack understanding..

It is very good that you are quite the observant mom here! Early intervention can help prevent time wastage and also help a child retain interest long enough to finish what was started cause we can evaluate the gaps and how to address them before it's too late.

I dunno how the above info helps so u lemme know if u require further clarification, ya? :hugs:

[viviling]

hi buds,


i have the basic montessori. managed to find it after buying it for 3 yrs. meant to start for my #1 but has been very slag and now he is already 6 yrs old

thanks for the recommendations and looking forward to your pm

[buds]

Hi viviling… oh i thought it was for our younger 20 mth old?

6 years old already got to chiong ok, babe? Cos going to P1
already. I’ve replied to your PM.

[viviling]

buds,


me not going to chiong for my #1 but will let him do it along with his brothers

me wanna start for my 21 mths old (just turn 21 mths today) and my 6 mths old when he turn 18mths ,

thanks!

[buds]

Okay! :celebrate:


Enjoy the process! :love:

[enzoelize]

Hi everyone,


I am new to the forum and have been spending the past 2 days reading up on Montessori related postings. Managed to finish reading the posts from this thread.

Buds,
I am very appreciate of your sharing in the forums. Have been trying to digest them.

I have a 14mo daughter and trying to do some learning with her at home (Im a FTWM). I have been doing flash cards (though not very consistent) and will like to start on phonics. I have attended a trial phonics class and have been singing the phonics song to her. Although she cant speak yet, she can do some of the actions related to the song. I have learnt that the phonics lesson here is for 18months and up. Does that mean I should not intro phonics to her and teach her to recognise the letters and their names first?

Thank you.

[buds]

Heyya enzoelize.. yup, alphabet/letter names first!


Sounds later!