(I taught two of my children to read using a packaged phonics curriculum. They didn't begin to gain fluency until ages 6 and 8. This isn't to say that the curriculum was to blame. After all, every child is an individual and will learn at their own pace. I only mention this to show that a child can learn to read just as well without spending money on a purchased program.)
Getting Started: Don't Teach the Alphabet
It was a good question. Why was I teaching them? After all, we don't read the letters. We read their sounds. I went home and replaced the phonics cards with a laminated placemat with the alphabet printed across it in a variety of colors. This placemat was all my children needed to begin reading.
How To Teach the Letter Sounds: Keep It Positive
Here is how a lesson might look. The child sits in front of me as I hold up the mat. As I point to the first letter, I tell the child its sound. It is important when doing this that you are careful to say the sound EXACTLY as it would be sounded out in a word so that blending will come easier later. (For instance, if a child learns that the letter c says "cuh," then they will pronounce the word cat as "cuhat".)The child repeats the sounds as I say them. After three or four new letters, we start at the beginning again. I point to the letter and the child tells me its sound. If they don't remember, I say the sound and move on to the next one. We do this a few times, or until the child loses interest.
Sometimes I will draw on the placemat or use my hands to give a memory clue to help the child remember the letter. The whole lesson is treated as if it were a game to see what the child can remember. Sometimes I award a small prize for each sound remembered, such as a penny or a chocolate chip.
If you teach your child the phonics sounds without showing them what the sounds are used for, they will quickly lose interest. So, it is important to allow your child to begin sounding out words as soon as they have learned enough sounds to make a word with. If your child knows the sounds for the letters "a", "c", and "t", show them the word "cat" and help them sound it out. Even if you do most of the "actual work", praise them and tell them, "Good job! You're reading!" When the child can tell me the sounds of all twenty-six letters, we start reading sentences.
My oldest always seemed to get stuck on the "f", so I started holding my bent finger up to look like an "f" and saying "Ffff, finger." After a few times, I could simply hold up my finger, and he would remember the sound.
This worked so well that I came up with a whole alphabet of pictures shaped like letters: a-apple, b-ball and bat, c-cake with a piece missing, . . .o-olive, . . s-snake, . . . w-wave. I later discovered that the Waldorf schools also use this method. If you don't want to make up your own, you can find picture alphabets like these in the Curious George alphabet book and the Harold and The Purple Crayon alphabet book. It really helps kids to have something concrete to bring the letter shape and sound together.
Because every child is different, it sometimes takes a little experimentation to find what will work for one particular child. After teaching his older brothers and sisters to read, child #8 should have been easy. But none of my old methods worked for this boy. Finally, I came up with this simple project, and within an hour he had all the sounds memorized. First, I cut some colored index cards in half, wrote the letters on them, and glue them onto cardstock. Then I helped my son make up some silly stories as we pointed to the different letters. As he recited his stories, my verbal son was able to remember which letter stood for which sound.
When They Won't Sit Still
My oldest daughter learned to read while sitting at her own desk. My middle daughter preferred to practice her reading while alternating between sitting, crouching, and standing next to me on the couch. Although this drove me crazy, it didn't seem to affect her ability to learn. In fact, she actually picked things up much faster than her older sister did. Each child has their own learning style and the key to success is to do what works for each of them as an individual.
Give Your Child A Sense of Accomplishment
Now that your child knows all twenty-six letter sounds, they can begin reading simple stories. (We really enjoyed the Bob Books phonics readers.) Because your child has been learning the letters in order, this step will require a transition as they learn to recognize the letter shapes in a different context.Point to each letter and give the child a second to name the sound before giving them a clue. You could show them the letter on their alphabet mat, do a finger sign, or suggest a word that starts with the same sound. If they are still stuck, simply tell them the sound and move on. Don't make a big deal about it or force the child to come up with the answer.
The important thing is that the child sees how the sounds he has been learning can be put together to make words. With practice, your child will eventually remember all the letters; but if their first experience with reading is one of frustration, then reading will become something to be dreaded.
Most phonics readers I have seen have at least a few "sight words" that don't follow the rules. When you come to one of these words, just read it for the child, telling them, "This word uses different rules, and we'll learn about it later." Or you can write your own stories which only contain words your child can read.
At first, some children will have trouble blending the sounds of the individual letters into a word they can recognize. For my children, it seemed to be easier for the younger ones who had an opportunity to listen as the older ones learned to read.
Let your child listen as you blend sounds together. Do two letter blends and point to the letters so they see what you are doing. sssttt, st, ffflll, fl, etc. After a while, let them try reading some of the blends you did. Make it fun and help as needed.
When you read stories to your child, stop occasionally and point to an easy word. (This works especially well with stories they have memorized, because you can stop at a place where they know what comes next.) "Sound out" the word as you point to each letter. Then let them "guess" the word you read. Or read in "slow motion" so they can hear the sounds that make up the words.
Another trick I've used with my children is to have them sound out the word in their head (actually, they usually interpret this as whispering), then say it aloud. Just keep practicing and eventually it will click.
Diagraphs, Diphthongs, and R-Controlled Vowels
When the child is comfortable with what has already been learned, I start teaching them some of the special phonics sounds. I use homemade flashcards to drill these. The sound is typed on one side of the card and a word using the sound is on the back side. These cards are laminated for durability and so that they will slide apart to make turning easier.I introduce these sounds a few at a time, adding more every couple of days or so, as the child becomes familiar with them. This is done in the same way that the alphabet sounds were taught. I hold up a card, say the sound, and have the child repeat it. After a few new cards have been added, we go back to the beginning. I point to the letters and the child says the sound. If they can't answer or answer wrong, I will tell them the sound and a word it is used in (on the back of the card). "It's _____ as in _________."
We go through them several times. Then, if the child still seems interested, I make some words with the new sounds and help them to read them.
The next day, we will review the same sounds, shuffling the cards each time we go through them. If one sound seems to be especially difficult for a child to remember, I may have them read a list of words containing that sound or go through the list pointing to the sound as they say it out loud.
Long Vowels: Introducing the Letter Names
When the child knows the whole stack of flashcards, they are ready to learn about vowels. These are also taught using flashcards. I explain to the child that all letters have both a name and a sound. We have been learning the sounds, but now we are going to learn a few of the letters' names.Most of the letters in the alphabet are consonants. But there are also five special letters called vowels. You can't make words without vowels. When two vowels are together in a word, they act differently than when they are alone. Sometimes they make some of the special sounds we have been learning. But most of the time, when two vowels are in the same word the first one says its name and the second one is quiet. So, if we are going to learn to read words with two vowels, we need to know their names.
We drill these flashcards just like the others, taking time to practice their new skills as we go along. Sometimes the child will get confused at this point and give the long sound to all vowels or forget to give a vowel the long sound when they should. As always, don't make a big deal of it. Just point out that there is only one vowel or that there are two vowels. If the child can't correct the mistake on their own, give them the answer and move on. With practice, they will begin to see the difference on their own.
Practice Makes Perfect
By this point, my children all took off on their own. They read an amazing quantity of books and seemed to pick up on the rest of the phonics rules through trial and error. If your child is still having trouble, encourage them to practice their reading by providing plenty of books that catch their interest. Also, take time to listen to them read aloud on a regular basis so you can help them with any problem areas that are revealed.I hope you enjoy this adventure as much as I have!
