All About Teaching and Learning Phonics

[laughingcat]

Hello pumpkin_pie,


If you don't mind, perhaps you can refer to below blog on the method to teaching phonics.
http://tamarindphonics.blogspot.com/

I know what you mean about keep getting different ideas and variety of books in order to teach the child phonics and start reading independently.

Initially my boy is not into Peter & Jane and hence I have great difficulty encouraging my boy to start to blend. But thank goodness I was being introduced to this particular teacher by my boy's kindy. She happens to be a speech therapist too. So it is great!

You just need to be patient and see what befits. Along the way, you need to twitch your method here and there.

[pumpkin_pie]

laughing cat,


Thanks! I have seen Tamarind’s blog and she is awesome! I am ready to start teaching my boy the 3-letter blend, but not sure if heis ready, cos he is not 100% sure of all the 26 phonetic sounds all the time yet. Its like sometimes he will forget /n/, sometimes he can remember. So far, its always abt 5 or less that he will forget. The rest he is good. So I think I will keep revising the individual sounds till he is very very good at it, then start the word blend. I just do not want to confuse him, but yet thinking if I continue revising, I worried he may be bored and I have to think of new ways to bring in the phonics teaching. Im using the letterland cards to teach currently.

[laughingcat]

Hello pumpkin_pie,


I think you can start teaching your boy 2-words blending first before you proceed to 3-words. No need 100% perfection. As you go along the blending, the phonetic sounds will be touch on as well.

When I taught my boy blending, I will never stop revising the phonetic sounds. BTW, there are more than 26 phonetic sounds. If teachers introduces 26 phonetic sounds then they are very wrong.

Sorry to say this…I don’t really encourage using Letterland. I am using the Jolly Phonics. It is much more interactives with songs and exercises and plus the method.

Why I don’t like letterland? Coz tendency the kids will not able to recognise the pure alphabets. Letterland’s alphabets come with pictures…which I do not really like. That is what I have observed on my friends’ kids and my nephews and nieces.

[pumpkin_pie]

you’re right, I can actually start on the 2-letter words!! didnt really come to my mind! tks! Oh, and aplogies, in my earlier post, I meant 26 individual alphabet phonetic sounds. That should be the starters then we can proceed to the other phonetic blends right? do u mean like <tr>, <sh> etc?


Im not familiar with any other method of phonics except letterland cos I got it via a bulk purchase online. And in fact Im also new to phonics teaching…read most of it in this forum. But yes I do agree with u that the first thing my son learns is the character, like instead of ‘r’, he will say ‘red robot’. But slowly i have to keep reinforcing "red robot is hiding behind letter __?" and slowly he picks it up. I started with letter recognition and once he mastered all A-Z then I started on the individual alphabet phonetic sounds. It was a very repetitive task as we had to do it daily; I started abt a mth ago after I stopped working and so far im pretty happy with his progress la…i mean…at least i see results. But i don’t think I will be using the full letterland materials. I only got the alphabet cards and the CD songs which are rather nice and catchy. I am reading up more abt montessori method now, but the materials seem rather expensive.

[pumpkin_pie]

Im reading through the jolly phonics website now, quite a lot of interesting things too eh. Actually why do these phonics methods have so many materials? Do we really need to get so many things just to teach phonics? And also can't we get a bit fr one method and a bit fr another method? You know actually I thought we just have to know the word blending techniques and that's enough? and perhaps some good early phonic readers and sight word readers to compliment?


I just ordered the BOB series beginning readers http://www.amazon.com/Bob-Books-Set-Beginning-Readers/dp/0439845009/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289597935&sr=8-1
and a pack of Sight Words readers http://www.amazon.com/Sight-Word-Readers-Parent-Pack/dp/0545067650/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289597995&sr=1-1
waiting for them to arrive But of course i also hope to discuss and learn more abt teaching phonics and other ways to start on independent reading.

[laughingcat]

HAHA! Coz they want to earn mummies' $


I tried Tamarind's method on montessori and Jolly Phonics. Both are good and I never look back. But I must said that my boy enjoys Jolly Phonics more and in fact he progresses alot much faster. I only get some of the Jolly Phonics materials (actually you do not need to get all only some essential ones). But I was lucky lah, as the teacher who helped me out actually gave me free supplementary material that comes with the coaching. Free music CD leh! :celebrate: The materials that she gave me are for my child to colour and work on. This helps to reinforce the phonics learning lah. :rahrah: So I was grateful lah.

As in using multiple materials.....do be careful okay. Coz the soundings are different and hence can be confusing not only to you and also your kids as well. Also can be quite tiring trying out different methods. At most only 2.

I don't know much about montessori though.....I used to think that everybody's everyday life will touch on montessori as well. Sometime I just feel that the Montessori's method is overly used. But that is my opinion lah.

To me, I will incorporate \"montessori method\" as well......all those touch, feel, sense blah blah. But as what you said, the materials are expensive and so most are what I improvise. For example, when I teach my boy \"O\", I will use Jolly Phonics method of switiching on/off switch. In montessori, I will just show him otopus, orange. Incorporating touch, feel, sense and color! hehehehehe

I did not buy the BOB series and so I can't comment much. Actually after have a look at this, you can actually get some of these online for free leh. :idea:

I did have a copy of the Sight Words readers. But you know right, they are not phonics readers but reinforcement on sight word readers.

[pumpkin_pie]

Wow, u sure are lucky! got free materials fr teacher...how nice! Is it an enrichment sch or private teacher? Such teachers who are so dedicated are a rare find these days. Most just teach and say bye after lesson is over.


Yeah, I think Montessori method is so commonly used that we indirectly apply some montessori methods here and there without even knowing it! But of cos to really go into a fully structured montessori curriculum is a different thing la..really have to read up and do lots of planning..and $ too. So i think i will only use what i feel is applicable for my boy.

How did u start teaching the sight words to your boy ah? How many sight-words should I introduce a day? How long did he take to remember the words? And did he show resistance when u are teaching these words? (cos afterall, they are very dry and no relation to phonics).

[laughingcat]

Yeah! I am damn lucky. She is an on-going consultant for MOE.....going around schools to teach phonics to teachers. Latest I was told that along with MOE, she went to Beijing together with MPs and teachers for exchange programme on school curriculum. And that was this year. Actually her full time job is more on speech therapist at a private center. Yes, she is very helpful.


If you want, I can pass you the contact. I must said that the one-to-one lesson with her helps alot in clearing my doubts.

For sight words, I taught my boy using phonics. Some can follow the phonics rule and some just cannot. I used good sight words readers as recommended by this teacher. Plus I used games as well such as \"fishing for words\" etc. So far, my boys like it alot.

Sometime you know lah.....must invest in good readers. :love:

[jollyme]

tamarind:

I would like to buy something like this :
http://www.amazon.com/Merriam-Webster-Childrens-Dictionary-DK-Publishing/dp/0756637589/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288345730&sr=8-1

Hi Tamarind,
i've sent you a private mail on Merriam Webster Dictionary.

[tamarind]

jollyme:

tamarind:

I would like to buy something like this :
http://www.amazon.com/Merriam-Webster-Childrens-Dictionary-DK-Publishing/dp/0756637589/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288345730&sr=8-1

Hi Tamarind,
i've sent you a private mail on Merriam Webster Dictionary.

jollyme,
I just replied you, thanks