All About Teaching and Learning Phonics

[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]

[tamarind]

Most experts will tell you that you should read regularly to your child from birth. However, reading to your child is not the most effective method of teaching your child to read. You may find yourself reading until your child is 6 years old, and he/she is only able to read simple books.


I have found the most effective way is to teach the following at the same time :
1. Phonics
Start with the Leapfrog Letter Factory and Talking Words Factory DVDs. Checkout my blog about how to practice phonics at home :
http://tamarindphonics.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-to-teach-phonics.html

2. Reading out loud using the Ladybird key word series (Peter and Jane series)
According to Ladybird :
12 key words make up one quarter of those we read and write
100 key words make up half of those we read and write
About 300 key words account for three quarters of those we read and write

The Peter and Jane series let kids learn the 300 key words very quickly. Thanks to this series, both my kids (5 and 6 years old) are able to read normal-sized prints, with few pictures in between the pages, which according to the article above, is meant for 12 - 17 years old.

Parents may think that this series is old fashioned and boring. But the fact is that it is the best series for kids to learn to read, and it is especially good for kids of average abilities who need many repetitions in order to learn. Parents who have kids with very high learning ability may not need to use this series, if the parents have been reading regularly to the kids.

Read my blog for more explanations about how to use the Peter and Jane series :
http://tamarindphonics.blogspot.com/2008/12/key-words-with-ladybird.html


The fact is that any mommy can teach your child to read at home, if you use good resources. It may seem that I have spent many hours a day teaching my kids to read, but the fact is that I am a full time working mommy, and I can only afford to spend 15 minutes a day to teach each of my kids to read. I started when my boy was 3 years 3 months old, at that age he could not read a single word. By teaching him consistently everyday, using a combination of phonics and the Peter and Jane series, he is able to read Roald Dahl books before the age of 5.

I have heard comments that kids below the age of 6 should not be made to read books with a few hundred words a page, because this may cause the kids to dislike reading. This is not true. A child who reads very easily, will love to read. My 6 year old girl has been reading books of a few hundred pages since she was 5 years old. She often giggles and laughs when she reads, she is transported to a whole new world of fun.

Most people think that reading is a chore or a difficult thing to do for kids, and that by making a child read everyday, he is not enjoying his childhood. This is a misconception.

The truth is that reading wonderful books can be great fun for kids

[ksunflower]

Hi,


It is always a pleasure reading this forum as there are so many wonderful mommies here that shared great tips on teaching our children to read.

Hi tamarind,

I have followed your blog for some time and I must say I have since became a fan.... The tips you have shared selflessly in teaching phonics and reading works for my child as well. I have just started my 4.5 yr old son on P&J not too long ago and he is now starting to recognize the words and read ! Thanks to you. :celebrate: And kudos to you ! :ugogirl:

[tamarind]

ksunflower:

Hi,


It is always a pleasure reading this forum as there are so many wonderful mommies here that shared great tips on teaching our children to read.

Hi tamarind,

I have followed your blog for some time and I must say I have since became a fan.... The tips you have shared selflessly in teaching phonics and reading works for my child as well. I have just started my 4.5 yr old son on P&J not too long ago and he is now starting to recognize the words and read ! Thanks to you. :celebrate: And kudos to you ! :ugogirl:

ksunflower,
You are welcome I am very happy to know that your son is reading now I am glad that you find my blog helpful, but you are the one who has done all the hard work !

[tamarind]

For parents who have kids below the age of 2, I have created a new webpage sharing the resources which I used to teach my boy ABCs :


http://tamarindphonics.blogspot.com/2009/10/first-step-teaching-b-c.html

[all.013398in.013398one]

Hi Tamarind,

Thanks for sacrificing your time to give us such a rich resource!
I have saved your blog link as favourite liao!
Your contribution with benefit many of the mums who are at a lost
as to how to grow their's kids language ability.
I took a similar path as you, learning from scratch how to build up my
girl's language ability from 0 years old.
She is now an avid reader like me! So all the effort and time was worth it!
(Of course I hope she need not put on glasses like her mama :lol: )
Hope to learn from you and share some of my experience!
(Plan to bring my girl to library's story telling session tonight :celebrate: )

[tamarind]

all.in.one:

Hi Tamarind,

Thanks for sacrificing your time to give us such a rich resource!
I have saved your blog link as favourite liao!
Your contribution with benefit many of the mums who are at a lost
as to how to grow their's kids language ability.
I took a similar path as you, learning from scratch how to build up my
girl's language ability from 0 years old.
She is now an avid reader like me! So all the effort and time was worth it!
(Of course I hope she need not put on glasses like her mama :lol: )
Hope to learn from you and share some of my experience!
(Plan to bring my girl to library's story telling session tonight :celebrate: )

I am still learning too. Please feel free to share.

[all.013398in.013398one]

tamarind,

So for me, now is what to do to re-inforce from here on?
My girl already trained and \"certified\" ICR.
It will be quite boring to repeat the blends and diaphgram etc.. again.
Any online tools to polish her rusty mind :lol: ?

[tamarind]

all.in.one:

tamarind,

So for me, now is what to do to re-inforce from here on?
My girl already trained and \"certified\" ICR.
It will be quite boring to repeat the blends and diaphgram etc.. again.
Any online tools to polish her rusty mind :lol: ?

How old is your girl ? If she is reading everyday, she already has enough practice Though my kids can read independently, I still let them read a few pages out loud to me, from a book of my choice every day. This is my way of polishing them. At the same time, they learn many new words every day and build up their vocabulary. They are also free to read any other books silently.

I make sure that they read all the wonderful children's classics, all original and unabridged versions :
Charlotte's Web and The trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White
Three Tales of My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The enormous crocodile, The giraffe the pelly and me, The Minpins by Roald Dahl (also the BFG, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (and all other books in the Little House series)
The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

I just bought this book from amazon:
Jonathan Swift's \"Gulliver\"
http://www.amazon.com/Jonathan-Swifts-Gulliver-Swift/dp/1406301744/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257670556&sr=1-3
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31SXWEc9PJL._SL500_AA210_.jpg\">

It is adapted from the original written in 1726. It is a wonderful book of extraordinary adventure, as well as a satire on human nature. This book has excellent illustrations on every page which enable kids to understand the story easily.

All the above books are available in the National Library. There are of course many more wonderful books to read