]]> http://phonicskid.com/72/reading-programs/why-learn-to-read-works-reason-6/feed/ 0 http://phonicskid.com/70/phonics/guide-to-choosing-a-phonic-program/ http://phonicskid.com/70/phonics/guide-to-choosing-a-phonic-program/#comments Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:58:05 +0000 PhonicsKid http://phonicskid.com/70/phonics/guide-to-choosing-a-phonic-program/ Overall statistics now show without doubt that explicit instruction in phonics provides the essential foundation for competency in reading, writing and spelling.  What can we expect of our teachers, many of whom have never had the opportunity to discover – or experience – what explicit instruction in phonics is actually about.  How threatened might you feel if you were suddenly informed that the way you had been conducting your business or carrying out your work was now regarded as inefficient and inappropriate and should be replaced, but no-one could show you how competently to implement the alternative.  But this is the position in which many teachers find themselves. The answers are there, and meeting the challenge is both rewarding and exciting.  But pitfalls are there too!  To examine some of these, we must firstly be sure of the true meaning of phonics – not just a letter/sound relationship (b is for banana, s for snake) – this is phonetics.  Phonics is the study of the relationship between speech sounds and units and their function in words.  For example: Phonetics would teach that ‘ck’ is pronounced ‘k’.  Phonics explains that the use of the letter unit ‘ck’ as in back indicates a preceding short vowel – whereas a silent final ‘e’ indicates a long vowel as in bake.  It includes the knowledge of the function of suffixes to who parts of speech – e.g. magnet (noun) becomes magnetize (verb).  No wonder students of phonics say “This puts the pieces of the puzzle together.”   So how can we choose a phonic program when so many so-called are sprouting up in the marketplace?  The following may help: Is it linguistically sound?  We cannot be guilty of giving our students incorrect information.  One advertised program claims that u (as in use) is not a vowel because it consists of y + oo.  Check this with any speech book or dictionary.  Expediency is not an excuse for inaccuracy.  The same program did not portray i (as in ice) as u + i (dipthong). Has it stood the test of time?  Has the program been in use long enough to show successful results over a reasonable period of time and in more than one situation?  Has it been compiled by experienced people with teaching experience, the needs of students being their prime objective.  Good literacy programs include in their authorships, or have been edited by, a person or persons with an understanding of linguistics and English language structure, including aspects of speech and pronunciation. Do pictures take precedence over words?  Pictures are intended to enhance the meaning of text but you cannot read pictures!  A good phonics program can work even without pictures, and give children ownership of their own learning. Is it fully structured, does it follow a logical progression?  Does it teach ‘bed’ before ‘bread’, ‘hop’ and ‘hope’ before ‘hopping’ and ‘hoping’?  Many systems fail to structure or even grade text properly and assume that beginning reading depends on guessing from clues. Does it offer fully integrated resources?  Are the phonograms taught in the same order as in the writing and spelling.  Does it move forward, logically, step-by-step. Is the program acceptable to students of all ages?  Teenagers and adults can cope with “Dad has a map of the dam”, but are turned off by stories about lost teddy bears.  Many widely marketed phonics programs are directed at child beginner level only, they are not suitable for older students and often do not proceed to mature level language instruction. Does the program lend itself to being reinforced by other material already in use?  Specific gimmicks peculiar to a program can provide crutches which actually slow progress by requiring a student to learn a whole set of graphic clues (or symbols) only to be discarded at a later date.  This is often a publisher’s ploy to lock you into a specific program and rely on its peripheries.  A good phonics program illustrates that these cues already exist within words.  They do not need to be replicated with the use of invented symbols. Does the program generate an interest in words by reflecting their cultural connections?  Showing children where words come from really helps their overall understanding of the English language and fires a love of the language which results in better performance. Is the program limited to use with specific target groups or individuals or is it widely applicable?  A good phonics program gives accurate information in a structured way – it lends itself to a flexible approach and is therefore adaptable for use with students at any level with any learning need. Is it gimmicky and brightly coloured but lacks substance?  Children love learning and respond to ‘ownership’ of their own learning process.  They are only temporarily taken in by superficial attention grabbers.  As for students who are no longer children they find use of such material patronizing. Is it supported by a range of suitable resources?  If you wish to teach a student the features of letter ‘b’, you need the relevant information in handy form, (audio, exercises for practice and a reading scheme to correspond) without wasting time searching for suitable exercises or hunting for appropriate reading matter which may not exist!  Still the whole should allow for the creativity of the teacher/tutor. Will you enjoy teaching your students with it?  Nothing fails more spectacularly than a scheme which does not suit the teacher/tutor.  If it bores you, rest assured it will bore the students. Is it economically viable?  Is it value for money?  Vast sums are wasted on literacy schemes that don’t work.  Exercises which ask students to ‘box’ or ‘circle’ do not provide essential reinforcement; and adequate learning does not take place.  Expensive programs are often restricted to ‘at risk’ students, the degree of need being decided by the funding and leaving out many students on the fringe. Does it work?  Many programs are designed ‘in theory’.  Just because the program worked in a trial, do not assume it will work ‘in practice’ or the results translate to your situation.   This is one of the most important decisions you will ever make for your children or for your school. ]]> http://phonicskid.com/70/phonics/guide-to-choosing-a-phonic-program/feed/ 0 http://phonicskid.com/69/phonics/turkey-paint-chip-thanksgiving-activities-for-kids-toddlers-by-cullens-abcs/ http://phonicskid.com/69/phonics/turkey-paint-chip-thanksgiving-activities-for-kids-toddlers-by-cullens-abcs/#comments Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:52:47 +0000 PhonicsKid http://phonicskid.com/69/phonics/turkey-paint-chip-thanksgiving-activities-for-kids-toddlers-by-cullens-abcs/ Hithere! You can find more Thanksgiving songs and activities for preschoolers, young children and kindergarteners over at www.youtube.com The Turkey Paint Chip activity is a simple art activity with free paint chips. You can even go on a special trip with your child to get some paint chips. Art gives your child a chance to express themselves through their imagination. Art allows children to explore and understand their world through creative experiences that emphasize the process of art, not the product. When your child is creating there is no right or wrong way, only their way. (Art instruction does not have specific guidelines for children to follow like a craft.) Art allows your child to be free in their creative mind. Cullen’s Abc’s creates free preschool videos to support children’s development at home and in the classroom. Find more free preschool videos at our youtube channel!

]]> http://phonicskid.com/69/phonics/turkey-paint-chip-thanksgiving-activities-for-kids-toddlers-by-cullens-abcs/feed/ 0 http://phonicskid.com/67/phonics/i-can-read-using-phonics-miami-i-can-read-using-phonics-fl/ http://phonicskid.com/67/phonics/i-can-read-using-phonics-miami-i-can-read-using-phonics-fl/#comments Sun, 14 Mar 2010 14:59:07 +0000 PhonicsKid http://phonicskid.com/67/phonics/i-can-read-using-phonics-miami-i-can-read-using-phonics-fl/ www.bettereducationplace.com This remarkable program teaches children fun visual phonics based lessons.

]]> http://phonicskid.com/67/phonics/i-can-read-using-phonics-miami-i-can-read-using-phonics-fl/feed/ 0 http://phonicskid.com/68/first-grade/which-first-grade-level-curriculum/ http://phonicskid.com/68/first-grade/which-first-grade-level-curriculum/#comments Sun, 14 Mar 2010 09:54:15 +0000 PhonicsKid http://phonicskid.com/68/first-grade/which-first-grade-level-curriculum/ The options are overwhelming! I’m looking for a curriculum in a box for first grade level work. (I’m to scattered to be able to make sure I covered everything…plus, this is all new to me!) So, which curriculums did you guys use to cover all subjects in first grade.
On a side note: We already have Saxon Math 1, and it looks good. So, math can stand alone.
I just have the one child.

I think a similar approach is how we learn reading. When I was a kid I think the Nuns taught me synthetic phonics at school, as that was in vogue at that time. And because we didn’t have as many distractions as the kids of today, we implanted reading in our long-term memory. We did this by reading and more reading. I lived in the library and read a lot and my reading skills now are quite good. I tried a speed-reading course and because I kept at it my reading speed improved. Speed-reading came in handy when I was reading novels or fiction especially science fiction as I love reading that. With science fiction and fantasy you have to imagine what you are reading and that takes you into another realm of speed-reading. Anyway as we get older it is easier for us to read as we have had lots of practice. We have basically implanted the words in our long term memory and we can recall them instantly. I would say very similar to the girl grand chess master. She could instantly recall the many chess moves as they were implanted in her long term memory.

Also I was brought up with a pencil in one hand and to compete in the modern world I had to learn to type. Typing involves memory and with constant repetition typing just becomes second nature like reading. I can now do it without thinking but I first had to implant the different moves of my fingers over the keyboard in my long term memory. And that is where constant repetition comes inby just doing it. To start I had to force myself but over time I settled into the new typing way of not looking at the keyboard. But it did take time. These things don’t happen over night, they just happen.

Now back to reading, I will admit when I was a kid I loved reading so I was pretty close to being a bookworm. I lived in the library and I had an endless collection of books. But it all started with phonics and once I understood the code to turn the word into a sound I understood, I could read. So getting the 44 phonics sounds instilled into your child’s long-term memory is a must. But it does get complicated with the same phonic sounds having many different spellings and meanings. So it takes time but you must get all the different combinations instilled in your child’s mind. Then they must read and read to plant the phonics sounds, meanings and spellings in their long-term memory. Learning the phonics is only half the equation they must use them as they read. This second step is quite crucial so keep them reading. Get them away from the TV and computer until everything is planted in the long term memory then they can read on the computer if they like. Forget the TV if you can. Now, my daughter had incredible problems and it was only after I started stressing phonics that she slowly improved. Every time she asked me to say a word I would break the word down into syllables and phonics. Then I would read the phonic sounds backwards so she could see the different combinations of letters. Now she is okay but it took a lot of effort on my part. So if your kids are having problems get them started on phonics as early as possible and keep reading to your kids.

]]> http://phonicskid.com/65/phonics/calebs-bug-0001/feed/ 0 http://phonicskid.com/64/phonics/phonics-cheer-that-sounds-each-letter-of-the-alphabet/ http://phonicskid.com/64/phonics/phonics-cheer-that-sounds-each-letter-of-the-alphabet/#comments Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:22:33 +0000 PhonicsKid http://phonicskid.com/64/phonics/phonics-cheer-that-sounds-each-letter-of-the-alphabet/ B is “beating heart, beating heart, Ba, Ba, Ba”