READING!

Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.
~ Frederick Douglass ~

If you don’t have a library card then you may want to get one especially if you are new to homeschooling.  My children really look forward to going bi-weekly. I allow them to choose a required reading book and a book of their choice. I was able to go online to our county and find the list of required reading for the public school district. This is not necessarily what they have to read but it is a good guideline for me. It also helps me in part to evaluate their reading level.

As I’m sure you know, if children can read and comprehend they should be able to master and conquer all subject areas.

It’s most important that they enjoy reading. I’m always asking my children what they are reading and they are more than happy to share. I’m fortunate that all my girls enjoy reading. I started when they were young getting excited every time they read a new word, phrase, or sentence.  I actually purchased the Dick and Jane Series of Books for those of you that remember them. They were simple easy readers. Basically, the pages started out with one word, “Look!” Then, they progressed to two words, “Look Jane!” Then you would have a three-word page, four-word page, etc. So, it was easy for a child to be successful as they repeated the first word and added another. These books are still available if you can find them.

Make sure if you have a young child that you teach phonics with a vengeance.  As a retired speech therapist, you must have a strong phonetic foundation to build on for your child to read successfully! The definition of phonics according to Wikipedia is as follows:

Phonics refers to a method for teaching speakers of English to read and write that language. Phonics involves teaching how to connect the sounds of spoken English with letters or groups of letters (e.g., that the sound /k/ can be represented by c, k, ck, ch, or q spellings) and teaching them to blend the sounds of letters together to produce approximate pronunciations of unknown words.

Phonics is a widely used method of teaching to read and decode words, although it is not without controversy (see History and controversy below). Children begin learning to read using phonics usually around the age of 5. Teaching English reading using phonics requires students to learn the connections between letter patterns and the sounds they represent. Phonics instruction requires the teacher to provide students with a core body of information about phonics rules, or patterns.

Before we can connect sounds we must learn to produce them correctly. So, for those that are interested, I’ve created an audio guide for producing the alphabet sounds.  It would be helpful to have an alphabet chart available so you or your child can point to each letter as its sound is produced.

I hope this was helpful and benefits your children. Please let me know if you have questions or comments.

“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” Sir Richard Steele

The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. ~ Dr. Seuss, "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!"