Teach A Child To Read!

There are rules for these sounds. They are not only the phonics rules for reading, they are (of course) the rules for spelling - yes, one in the same. Is it any wonder that our students can?t read OR spell?!

Many children who learn the long vowel rules before vowel blends have a tendency to consider blends as ?rule breakers? or exceptions, and guess more frequently than children taught blends first.

Students frequently learn that c says the k sound and sometimes the s sound without knowing when and why. Any sound change that occurs with a vowel is a secondary sound, and should be taught as such. The c has the ?k? sound as in cat - period, no argument, end of discussion. The ONLY time the c sounds like an s is when it precedes specific vowels.

Our approach follows the rules and natural patterns of our language.

The order we have developed is structured to remove as much confusion as possible. So many times we have heard children complain that, as soon as they learn a rule, they learn about exceptions to those rules. Proper order can eliminate some of the confusion in the beginning, making it much easier for new readers.

We teach the special blends first as the proper phonetic families they are, then teach the more general case as additional rules.

It is very important to introduce the letters and sounds in the proper order. Even if your child has some phonics, or is reading, it is a good idea to review the basic sounds and blends.

The following list serves to help you determine the proper beginning sounds. Each word has been chosen so that, when enunciated properly, you can hear the sound of the letter being demonstrated.

We teach children the names of each letter of the alphabet and the sound it makes before moving on to the next sound. There are three goals when teaching children the letters and their sounds: They learn to recognize the letter, say its name and articulate its sound. Simple flash cards work best, preferably single letters on a white background, since pretty pictures and fancy patterns are distracting. You want the child to look at the letter, not the picture on the card.

This simple game will help your child learn to use letters properly:

Introduce the letter, have the child trace the letter with a finger, then repeat the name for you. Then give the child the sound the letter makes, and have them repeat that.

Continue introducing letters until they have learned three or four of them. Take up the cards, mix them up, and have your child "find" the letter you ask for.

Take the cards up and mix them again. This time, give the sound and have your student find the letter that makes that sound.

This simple little learning game will help your child learn to recognize the letter, it's basic sound and it's name. Continue through the alphabet until your student can find, name and speak each of the 26 letters in any order. Take your time, introducing only as many letters as your child can handle. When they start getting confused or forgetting previous letters, quit. The next time you take out the cards, review what has been learned so far. Add new letters a few at a time until your student is perfectly comfortable with all of them.

This can take anywhere from a week to a month, depending on the age and ability of the student.

At this point, your student is ready to start reading!

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