All About Teaching and Learning Phonics

[starz]

tamarind:

starz,
There is no need to wait until book 10a in order to read other books. You should start to let your child read other books now. Just choose books that have the same number of words as level 4a will do.

My kids have never attended any English enrichment class, except for my girl who attended Montessori phonics for 11 months, a few years ago. I cannot comment on any enrichment classes.

My P1 girl is doing very well in composition and comprehension, no enrichment classes needed, and no assessment books at all. All I have done is to let her read as many good story books as possible

Hi Tamarind,

any recommendations on other books besides P&J? btw at her age, how many pages shld they read now? cos at times she also lost focus. thanks.

[tamarind]

starz:

Hi Tamarind,


any recommendations on other books besides P&J? btw at her age, how many pages shld they read now? cos at times she also lost focus. thanks.

starz,
When my girl was 3 years 8 months old, she was not reading any books yet ! Not even book 1a of the Peter and Jane series. I only started to teach her phonics at that age.

Your girl is doing very well reading book 4a at this age. If she can read 1 or 2 pages out loud from this book, it is very good already. There is about 50 words a page.

You can just bring her to the library, and let her choose any picture book that she likes.

Dr Seuss books are excellent :
http://tamarindphonics.blogspot.com/2008/12/books-for-beginning-reader.html

[tamarind]

[quote]Since now my child is still at PJ series level 4a. Wondering wat is e rough time frame to reach book 10 to 11a so that we can process other books?

My child is 3yrs 8 mths now. [/quote]starz,
Please also read this page :

http://tamarindphonics.blogspot.com/2008/12/key-words-with-ladybird.html

Scroll down and find the table for the Ladybird series.

Key Words books 3 to 4 are intended for kids age 5 to 6 years. So your girl is already very advanced.

Key Words books 10 to 12 are for kids age 8+.

Both my kids finished reading books 11 and 12 before they turned 5 years old, because they like reading Peter and Jane, and they insist that they want to continue reading.

For other kids, if they can read up to books 5 or 6, they are already very well prepared for P1. You should start to let your girl read a wide variety of books now.

[starz]

Hi Tamarind,


Thanks for your advise.

[tamarind]

Before the age of 3, most kids will not sit still to listen to mommy read to them. It is not much use for mommy to keep reading books to them, because they don't understand what mommy is reading anyway. If mommy just keep reading on and on, and don't even allow kids to touch the books, then kids may end up thinking that books are so boring.


Before the age of 3, I actually did not read to my kids very often. Instead, I bought books that my kids can play with. So they associate books with fun. Take a look at this new page in my blog :

http://tamarindphonics.blogspot.com/2009/09/wonderful-books-for-kids-from-birth-to.html

[Happybirdks]

tamarind:

sunset_dae:

Hi Tamarind


I just start to teach my boy how to link the 3 letters together after he had c leap frog factory phonics. He is very familiar with all the letter sounds.

In yr blog u mention, to teach alphabet A lst as in\" AP, AT AND AN\"
I taught him to read out, however im not very sure as in if i show him a card with the word C A P, shld i teach him to read out the alphabet individually, or to teach him to read out C and AP (READ AP TOGETHER).
Pls advise

Thanks!

Hi sunset_dae,

You can first teach \"A-P\" = \"AP\". Sound out A and P separately, then join them and say \"AP\". Teach this a few times to let your boy understand the technique. Then when you teach \"CAP\", teach him to read \"C\" first, then just \"AP\", don't need to separate A and P. This is the same as method used in Montessori and the Leapfrog DVDs.

I usually teach 2 to 3 groups at the same time, for example, \"AN, \"\"AT\" and \"AP\". Then I let my boy arrange the 3 letter word cards in the correct groups, as shown in my blog :
http://tamarindphonics.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-to-teach-phonics.html

Note that in my word cards, the first letter is in red, the second and third letters are in black, this is to help kids separate the word into parts.

Also note that the cards are used for this matching/grouping game, not as flash cards.

Hi Tamarind

My boy understands the sound for 'AP', 'AT', 'AN' etc, but when I introduce the full word as 'CAT' or 'PAN', he is unable to pronounce it as a whole word, instead saying 'C-AT', or 'P-AN' (ke-at, pe-an)!

What to do????

[tamarind]

Happybirdks,

He probably just needs more practice. How old is he ?

It is actually good that he can see CAT as C-AT, he is breaking up the word himself. Just keep repeating C-AT, CAT to him. After many practices it will sink in.

[Happybirdks]

He is coming to 5.


In my panic haste, I put him up with J&E, then realise that I can teach a big part of the course using your method. It's only the advance level where they start teaching ending sounds like 'lk' or more complicated blends like 'oat' or 'eur' etc that I get blur :idea:

But I also read in one of your comments here that it is not necessary to learn to that extent. I will just let the centre do the job now, while I reinforce. Once he can get it, I will probably DIY.

[phankao]

tamarind:

[b]Before the age of 3, most kids will not sit still to listen to mommy read to them. It is not much use for mommy to keep reading books to them, because they don't understand what mommy is reading anyway. If mommy just keep reading on and on, and don't even allow kids to touch the books, then kids may end up thinking that books are so boring.

This is quite a generalisation, isn't it??? My now 16yo loved me reading to her from very young (yeah, baby), and my now 19mo loved sitting attentively having me read book after book after book from the time he was newborn.

[buds]

tamarind:

Before the age of 3, most kids will not sit still to listen to mommy read to them. It is not much use for mommy to keep reading books to them, because they don't understand what mommy is reading anyway. If mommy just keep reading on and on, and don't even allow kids to touch the books, then kids may end up thinking that books are so boring.

Never assume children's minds are empty vessels regardless of their age.
That they do not understand things. Children are smarter than we think.
Especially children of our generation.

Stimulation of any kind, benefits children from as young as babies and i
do know of some who begin reading when the children are still in the
mothers' wombs. Like phankao, i'm another mom who still read to
my girls till today as and when they feel like having one at anytime of the
day when i'm not busy or doing anything important. I would think most
mommies and daddies are pretty hands on with children these days and
are more interactive with story telling and with choices of books for story
telling. I do agree pop up books and activity/interactive board books are
popular with younger children. However, there are children who also know
how to enjoy books with just a lot of pictures and bigger fonts. I did not
ask for my girls to point when i read or when they read. Since i do that
when i read to them, they sorta just automatically picked up the habit as
well. When they could read faster and more independently, the pointing
stopped to enable them to enjoy pleasure reading at their own pace.
They would tell me about their read when they're done. We do have follow
up activities in relevance to the story sometimes using mind mapping, crafts
and sometimes even book reviews. It helps that their school also does the
same.

The children have to submit book reviews on a monthly basis. There is also
show and tell where children get to bring their favourite book to school and
share with their friends why they like a certain book. It is normal for young
children not to understand that many words at a time but it is still useful to
keep reading to them regularly as it is through more exposure to books that
helps children comprehend or make out what the words in the books
eventually mean. Reading with animated voices and actions also excite
children into listening to stories no matter how boring the book might be.

Just my sharings.. :please: