[homesheart]

Hi,
I am one of the new Homeschool bloggers (Kathy is the other one Hi Kathy!)
My first articles will be about teaching phonics. I love teaching children to read, and in my past 13 years as a homeschooling parent, I find that is my greatest and most rewarding joy.
How have others here found teaching phonics? Have you found it to be simple or difficult? Also, are there any curriculums that you have found particularly useful?
I am interested in your opinions!
Thanks,
Charisse

[wishbonedawn]

Since we're unschooling I never followed any real method. We did the occasional (oh let's say a couple of pages every few months ) workbork type stuff but mostly there's was no special approach to phonics. We just fill the house with books and read a lot.

One website though that my daughter has a lot of fun on is www.starfall.com. And it seems to have helped her quite a bit.

[Merrymom4]

Hi Charisse,
When my oldest child was born I was so nervous about teaching her how to read. I couldn't comprehend how to do it. One friend said, just read to her, a lot. I did that and at around four she started wanting to know what sounds the letters made, so I taught her, using the sing, spell read and write letter sounds song. Pretty soon she was putting the sounds together and reading words. She practically taught herself to read! I wanted my husband to let me buy a language arts curriculum for kindergarten and he asked, "Why? Whatever you are doing is working fine." So, I did buy a few Explode the Code workbooks and we just kept reading. Now she is in first grade and she is an amazing reader. Everybody compliments me on what a good job I have done and all I can say is, "But, I didn't do anything." I guess this is what Ruth Beechick would call natural teaching. I am the kind of person who is much more comfortable following a curriculum, but in this case, not following one seems to have served us well.
Chrissy

[scrapbookguru]

Welcome Charisse,
I don't homeschool anymore, but I do "work" at home with both of my children (a second grader and a fifth grader). My son get's bored easily in school because by the end of third grade I had him at a fifth grade level (and now being in 5th grade - it's boring as he coins it)

I did not have my children in Kindergarten and First Grade at home with me, they were still in school. So I was not the one "teaching" the phonics, etc. However, my son was facing the challenge of sounding out a word to spell it. (Not read it) We haven't quite figured out what's up with him. In fact, he reads at a 10th grade level this year with full comprehension, HOWEVER he is a horendous speller. We knew something was weird when I was sitting in front of the TV One night and he asked me where Mesopotamia is (he was in 3rd grade). I looked at the screen and sure enough at the bottom of the screen was the word. Yet, ask him to spell something simple at that time like house and we would spend it hows. We began working at a Kindergarten level with phonics back then and it helped tremendously. So not only has his reading improved FAR beyond his years, but he can now spell much better. (still struggles).

Interestingly enough, the teacher gives him multiple choice spelling test. She spells the word incorrectly three times with the fourth one being correct. He doesn't have to study because when he visually see's the word he knows if it's correct. However, ask him to spell the word and he can't do it.

We still occasionally use phonics in games we play as a family just to reinforce it in him (we act like it's for my 2nd grader). It has helped a lot but we had to turn it into a game or it wasn't cool to be learning 2nd grade things - especially when your 2nd grade sister is above you in spelling. Poor kid.

Anyway, I am looking forward to your posts on phonics since we still use them.

[homesheart]

Hi Wishbone,
Yes Starfall is an awesome site, it has lots of great resources, interactive activites, and printables- all free.


Hi Christina,
You mentioned some great resources. Do you use any of Ruth Beechick's Learning Language Arts series? You found the "secret" way to teach reading! Congratulations for you, I have had two "natural readers" and four who have needed a little help, lol. I have two more to go so far, so I will see what works best for them. I never used Sing Spell Read and Write, but have heard wonderful things about it. I almost used it, about 12 years ago, when I was also checking out Ramalda Spalding's the Writing Road to Reading...
I ended up with a wonderful reading program from "Christian Light Education" which was Mennonite (which I am not) but was an awesome program. It used rhymes verses songs, and every year, I would reinforce the rhymes with the next child...it became a staple around the house..lol..With the older kids chiming in...
It was a great program and I loved it...the best part was that I had to take a course before teaching it, which they provided, and it really empowered me with confidence to begin the phonics journey, yet I don't think everyone needs to go that route, but it was great for me.


Hi Nicole,

it sounds to me as though your son expects words to be spelled as they sound..lol..can't blame him. Sounds like he will just need lots of practice, writing and rewriting the words until he gets them memorized. Some things that can help is to go over the words that are spelled similarly (phonics rules..etc..) then work on sight words and their unusual spellings. Many public schools will do this in the early grades (adding a sight word to the list) that has been effective with many of my children.


For instance...you can make a list (this is an early readers list in my example)
bat
cat
that
fat
there


List 2
sight
night
light
might
fight
were

Does your son know the spelling of all of the Dolch words?
If not,
I can get a list to you...
Thanks,
Charisse