Learning to read by phonics helps children learn to read better and faster. Since there are only 43 English letter combinations, most children can sound out words quickly and easily. Students who learn to read phonetically are better spellers. There is no need to memorize hundreds of words because most words can simply be sounded out. Since diagnostic tests can easily be administered, children can be taught those skills that they have missed along the way without any need to start over. Children can easily be tested on their knowledge and see how much they are learning helping to promote a love of learning and helping to build self-esteem, according to research performed by Gwen Fulwiler and Professor Patrick Groff from San Diego University.
Not all phonics programs are created equally. According to National Reading Panel under the auspices of the National Institute of Health good phonics programs not only teach the individual sounds but also teach children how to put those sounds together to form words.
Instruction is explicit as children often do not learn from embedded instruction. A great phonics program gives students plenty of practice breaking complex ideas down into smaller pieces. The program should teach phonemic awareness, knowledge of the complete phonetic code, directional teaching, blending and attention to detail.
If you are an early childhood teacher or a parent, you can help young children learn to read. You will need to choose the right resource for your situation. Here are 20 choices that you will want to consider.
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons uses special marks for 44 different phonetic sounds. For example, blended letters are joined while long vowels have a line above them. This program is best for children who have never been introduced to reading as other children may become confused. The book contains reading stories and word lists allowing children to practice. After about 80 lessons, the book then begins to withdraw the special marks. Teachers and parents need to follow a careful script. The last few pages of the book contain lists of books that children might enjoy reading along with additional teaching ideas for teachers and parents.
Parents and teachers who are working with children functioning on many different levels may find The Writing Road to Reading a great program as it contains instructions from beginning reading to sixth grade. There are no student books and only one teacher manual. Students are taught many more rules than with most systems. They then write each rule down in a spiral notebook. Phonograms are learned through saying, writing and reading in their notebooks. This program requires a lot of work on the leader’s part. The program seems to work well for students who have had problems with other methods that present more generalized rules.
Parents and teachers can easily build their own curriculum by using the ideas in Teach a Child to Read with Children’s Books. This book shows parents and teachers how to take the child’s natural curiosity and use it to teach a child to read. The program recommends that teachers and parents regularly read great children’s books to kids. The authors suggest magnetic alphabets to teach children to spell phonetically. As children begin to read basic words, then their vocabulary is slowly built up. Many experts find that this is the most natural way for children to learn to read.
The program At Last! A Reading Method for Every Child uses a combination of phonics and sight words. It teaches a decoding program teaching children to deal with exceptions in the most simple phonic rules. The program first introduces children to consonants that say their names which the program calls the good guys. It then introduces children to silent consonants that they call tough guys. Children are then taught short and long vowels before they are introduced to 25 sight phonograms. Many of the activities in this program must be created by the parent or teacher. Many are not suitable for the student learning alone.
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