What can I do? My child child is not making progress in reading?More and more parents are finding their child in this situation. You are far from alone. The teaching of reading has been made so complicated, so that you can be made to feel helpless, unless you have hundreds of pounds (literally) to get your child assessed and help obtained. Sadly, even then, your child may only receive a label with little or no help to actually solve the problem. Help is at hand. I have taught hundreds of children to read over the course of over 30 years - of all ages and abilities. I know that it does not need to be complicated. For many children, they only need more structure to their learning than has been given to them at school - plus a programme that can go at their pace, not one set by a classteacher/school/governmnet department/etc.. On my FREE reading programme, Reading Made Simple, I show you how easy it can be to help your child I do not mean that it will not involve much patience, or learning on your part - learning how your child learns, how best to teach in a way that encourages rather then discourages, and so on, but one that lays out a simple programme that you can use to go at your child's pace and that gives you a simple lesson outline that you can follow each day, for just a few minutes before or after school as as part of your home-school lessons. FREE Reading books for reading interventionAs well as our FREE decodable reading books for children who are just starting out, or who have a special need, I also have a series of books for older children who may need to go back and revisit the early stages to build reading accuracy and fluency. These books were written for my older pupils, some of whom had started secondary school before they cam to me for help. Assess what your child can doBefore we find help for your child, the first thing to do is to assess where the problem has arisen. I do this through a simple testing activity that even you can do. When you know where your child has come unstuck, then you can work to rebuild and strengthen the 'wall'. See learning to read as building a house. First a child must learn the initial sounds - the sounds that each letter of the alphabet stand for. Then they must learn to put those sounds together to make words: c-a-t: cat! Once this skill is mastered, they must be able to blend four sounds - word with a consonant blend, like s-w-i-m. These stages form the foundation for reading and it here, in the foundations that I usually find 'cracks' or even 'holes' in the wall that are causing a child to fail to make reading progress. This post will tell you more. A little daily structured help may be all that your child needs. And you can become the expert - and saver £££££'s! Other may need a little more digging and help is provided here. Decodable reading books for reading interventionI have a growing series of decodable reading books for reading intervention.
What is special about these reading intervention books?In my work with older reading 'delayed' children I find a commons symptom, once the intial foudnations have been checked thoroughly, to ensure for example that a child knows the initial sounds and how to blend them to make words. GUESSING has most often become the child's main strategy. This becomes obvious when you find a child confusing words that look very similar, e.g. tip and trip. These books deliberately include these words multiple times to force the child to think about the whole word, not just a part. In short, these books have been written as I have helped REAL children - not by an academic with a literacy degree, but no real working knowledge of how children learn. CVC Words
Consonant blendsBasic common sounds with 2 or 3 letters togetherThe following books have been written to match Level 2 of Reading Made Simple. If these are too hard for your child - do not fear, simply do Level 1 instead, and find a complete set of reading books for you to use with your child.
Keep moving through the Reading Made Simple programme and your child will make progress. Purchase the bundle for a low price: click belowAt last, just what you have been looking for! A professionally written set of totally FREE, levelled phonic reading books, for parents to use to help their child to learn to read! Written by phonic specialists, these books take children from the earliest stages of decoding to reading fluency. Simple to useThese books have been written for Reading Made Simple, where FREE, easy to follow instructions are provided to help you to teach your child to read - simply!
Built in successUnlike many phonic reading books, these books build in success as they only use decodable words for which the child has already been taught the phonic sound and a few sight words which are gradually introduced. These sounds and sight words are then revised again and again as reading book follows reading book. Constant revision and repetition of words helps children to relax knowing their are no nasty surprises. Cheap to printThese books print n black and white just as well as colour making them budget friendly compared with $5 a book new, or $1 in a thrift/charity shop. SAVE, SAVE, SAVE and still give your child the best reading instruction. What these phonic decodable books DO NOT contain
We have endeavoured to create little stories, with a touch of humour where we can, which will set children up for serious, thinking reading later on. We do not believe that the gift of reading is purely to entertain, but as a means of learning about the world around us. Therefore, they are not 'silly', or fantastical, as we want children to live in the real world as thinking people, not a virtual one where their minds can be easily controlled. The Reading BooksThese book bundles are all available for FREE from my store on Teach Simple, where I get a small royalty every time someone downloads them, so enabling me to provide more FREE resources for all to use. If you see other paid products in my Teach Simple store that you would like, please pop over to my TPT store where you can purchase them without subscription. Initial Sounds 'reading books'These are the first books in our series of decodable reading books. They are intended to be used while a child is learning the initial sounds.The process of learning to read begins with learning the sound that each letter of the alphabet stands for when it is at the beginning of a word. We call these beginning or initial sounds. We help children to lean these through s simple daily programme. You can find out about it here. CVC decodable reading booksThe next set in the series is a set of 16 CVC levelled phonic reading books, taking children from their earlies attempts to blend the simplest words such as c-a-t, to reading simple sentences made up of such words, and the sight words: a, is, the of. The characters are introduced throughout the series - farmer Tom, his animals, the dog and cat, and son and daughter, Sam and Pam. Children love these books because they can read them. Starting with the first book where the child simply reads 'a cat', to the last book where they read of Jiff making a mess, children feel their skills developing. The set is accompanied by a set of five workbooks which help to consolidate learning. Instructions for teaching this stage can be found here. Consonant Blends reading booksOnce the child can blend three sounds, we teach them to blend four. Instructions for doing this can be found here. Once again, these books have matching workbooks to help learners to progress as quickly as possible. Common Sounds Level 1 Set 1The next stage is to learn some new sounds, made when two or three letters join together. In the red level series we teach the sounds: ck; oo; ee; sh; ch; th; ng; ing; ar; and or. The children feel secure as the stories carry on telling more of the adventures of the characters they have come to love added to which they meet familiar words, already met in the the pervious two levels. This means that reading fluency can start to develop. If you need help teaching these sounds, we tell you a simple method for doing so here. There are more books in the series, although not yet packaged into bundles and you can find them here. Silent 'E' Words level 1 Set 2Next in the Reading Made Simple reading scheme, we learn the silent 'e' rule and learn to decode words like: cake, time, smoke and tube. If you have a struggling reader we have you covered too. Find out more here.
What are initial sounds?
Look at these words. The first letter is the initial sound. When you say each word, your mouth, teeth and tongue move into position to make the initial sound.
cat man danger house zebra light
We don't stop to think about it as it happens instinctively. Learning to read through phonics means becoming aware of the sounds that make words.
In order to learn to read and spell with phonics, a child first needs to learn the sounds for which the letters of the alphabet stand for and which can be heard at the beginning of words - the initial sounds. Having learnt to read with phonics, children will eventually be able to read many words that they have never seen before, by themselves. Teaching by phonics is a powerful method! It creates readers. No wonder it has not been liked by many progressives through the years! Take care when teaching initial sounds
It is very important that care is taken to teach this stage well, as it is the foundation for the development of all future reading and spelling.
Three things are necessary when teaching a child the initial sounds:
If any of these three are neglected, or only partially taught, then the child will not make progress. Despite this seeming very simple, many teachers and parents go wrong at this point. Many children fail to learn the sounds that each letter stand for sufficiently well to be able to recall them instantly. Others learn the sounds the letters stand for, but do not hear them at the beginning of words. These children can then appear to be in need of catch up work - when the truth is they were not taught properly to start with. First, make sure that you yourself know the initial sounds.How to teach initial sounds
Progress is quickest when the above three aspects are taught hand in hand together.
As a sound is learnt the child can be taught to apply his/her knowledge to find things that begin with that sound. If the child is also taught to write the letter, this further reinforces his/her knowledge and helps to develop spelling skills as well. It is best is, once you have decided that your child is ready to start learning to read, to keep the momentum going by teaching one new sound a day, five days a week. Follow this simple procedure. You will need:
You can also use our video (below) which provides pictures for each letter of the alphabet and is phonetically correct. Pause the video on a sound. You can use it to say the alphabet rhyme each day too (see below).
1. Introduce the new sound on a flashcard, or in an alphabet book. Tell your child:
This is the letter '_' and it makes the sound '_'.
2. Then look and see how many things on the 'a' page begin with that sound (or if using flashcards, how many things you can think of between you beginning with that sound).
To begin with you will have to help – if not tell - your child which words begin with the given sound. Emphasise the first sound as you say a word.
Here is an apple. Apple begins with ă' (sound not name). ' a..a.....a...apple. ' 'Here is an arrow, a..a...arrow'. 'What can you see that starts with 'a'?' a...a.............. See if the pupil can fill in the blank with a word beginning with the sound 'a'. If the pupil says another word, not starting with 'a', say: 'Yes, I can see a house too, but listen...hhhhhouse. Does 'hhhouse start with 'aaaaa'? No it doesn't. Listen, aaaaapple, aaanchor. Here's a word. (Point to another picture starting with 'a'). What's this? Child: 'ant' Teacher: 'Yes!' aaant starts with 'a'. Some children will sit for a while happy to look, others will be eager to go! Either way, keep the session short. We don't expect pupils to grasp this in one lesson. What must happen is that the pupil starts to learn that this symbol stands for the sound 'a' and some words begin with that sound. Watch for signs that the child is beginning to hear the intial sound for him/herself. Optional: Jolly Phonics assigns an action to the sound which many children find helpful. You don't need to use the same actions as Jolly Phonics to do this; simply find a word that is meaningful to your student that can be mimed and make the action along with saying the alphabet sounds. My class used to mime eating an apple, or making an ant crawl up their arms. They would pretend to bounce a ball for 'b', drive a car for 'c' and so on. If you wish to use the Jolly Phonics actions you can find them free here.
PLUS - every day say the alphabet rhyme
Practice the sounds already taught by saying the Alphabet Rhyme before you teach the new sound. Go through the flashcards of the initial sounds taught and say the alphabet rhyme, stopping at the letter that was last taught, ready to learn a new one. So: Day 2: Show the 'a' flashcard: Together say: Ay says 'a'. And then learn about the sound 'b'. Day 3: Show the 'a' flashcard and together say: Ay says 'a'. Show the 'b' flashcard and say together: Bee says 'b' - and then learn about the sound 'c'. Day 4: As before: Ay says 'a', Bee says 'b', See says 'c' - and then learn about the sound 'd'. And so on, adding a new card each day until you are saying it all the way to 'z'! This repetition is vital to the success of the programme. Continue to recite the Alphabet Rhyme in this way while the knowledge is cemented and until you are sure the pupil can give you the correct letter for any sound you make, or tell you which sound each letter stands for.
Then:
1. Throughout the day keep emphasising ‘AY says 'a'. Encourage the pupil to finish the sentence: ’AY says…?’ Say it for the pupil if s/he can’t remember. Encourage your child to look for things around the house that start with each day’s sound. It is a good idea if you can be constantly emphasising the first sound of words at suitable moments. Here are some ideas: ‘Where is your bbball? ‘Are you playing with your dddoll?’ 'Time for bbbbed!' 'Where is your ccccup?' 2. When you see words around and about, point to the first letter of the word (if it says the right sound, e.g not 'c' for 'circle') and say (for example) : 'Look, 't' for tomato.' This will help to train the child's ear to hear initial sounds.
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Assessment is the key
a) the child is beginning to learn which letter stands for which sound
b) the child is hearing sounds at the beginning of words
Then do whatever is necessary to help the child grasp the bits s/he is having trouble with. There is a useful video here explaining how to help children who have trouble hearing initial sounds of words.
For example, if it is a particular sound, then focus on that sound. Paint it, draw it in the sand, pin it up around the house/classroom and make frequent reference to it. Use your imagination and think what will help THIS child to get this point.
**Do not try to teach the child to blend cvc words until you are sure s/he is hearing the initial sounds of words.** Otherwise you will risk confusing the child and stalling progress.
Go at the child's pace, not the pace of a 'curriculum'.
www.readingmadesimple.weebly.com
Our programme can be tailor fitted to any child. You are in control of how fast or slow you go and how you teach. We give guidance, but remember - when teaching phonics you need to fit the programme to the child, not the child to the programme.
Find a way of helping the child to reach the goals.
We help you to do just that - succeeding where others fail.
When I checked, the child had not been taught to apply her knowledge. She knew the sounds, but did not know how to hear the first sound in a word. It seemed that she was doing well - until she was asked to put the sounds together and it was a meaningless task for her.
What sound does this word start with. Listen carefully, I'll say it slowly: ___________.
mouse zip cotton goat lamp nail van
button yellow desk hair mop star wash
leg ant egg ink on tick
horse banana finger job plate up
For some children it might just mean that you need to spend more time making sure that they actually understand that these are sounds we use when we speak and that they are at the beginning of words. You can use ourgames to help you.
Tell your pupil that when we speak we use sounds. Words are sounds put together to make words. Each word is made up of sounds put together. First we need to learn to hear the first sound in a word.
Video to help children struggling to hear initial sounds
What do children need to know before learning to read?
Things your child does not need in order to begin reading
- A huge vocabulary - vocabulary can be taught as the child starts to read.
- To be able to speak well - many children learn to read alongside speech therapy - my own son included (age 4 plus). The child must be able to repeat back a word you say, in a way that you can recognise. As long as the child understands what you say - that is the main thing. Learning to read will begin by saying individual sounds. The sounds are then built into words.
- To be able to hold a pencil
Other things to do to help children enjoy reading
Read lots of books yourself and to your child
Make reading a plesaurable acitvity that you both enjoy. Read often to your child. Find books that promote good moral values in children and are beautiful to look at and listen to. Avoid the crude and ugly titles that seem to proliferate in libraries and book stores - many of which are linked to TV programmes. There are plenty of lovely books that you can enjoy with your child.
Build a library for your children in your hown home
Encourage your child to play
No-one is ever too old to learn, but we can stifle the love of learning.
Our modern technological world does just that. But it does not need to be this way! Parents hold the key to unlock a world of adventure and knowledge for their children.
Play needn’t be expensive. Some of the simplest toys give maximum play potential. An old cardboard box can become many things – a ship, a dolls house, a cooker, etc…children will more than happily ‘pretend’. In fact – don’t buy lots of plastic for them – as that too will stop them using their imagination. The more ‘pretend’ the better. Avoid toys (and books) linked to Media - Star Wars, Peppa Pig etc. as these are marketing ploys and restrict children's imagination to what they have seen on the screen. Rather buy/make dolls and dolls houses, Playmobil (wonderful for real world play), wooden train sets, vehicles, puzzles... all the old fashioned toys that have stood the test of time.
Obviously, as we have already seen, learning to read means recognising shapes of letters. Therefore, shape matching activites and puzzles are good toys to develop readiness for reading in very young babies.
Talk to your children
If a child is to understand what s/he is reading, then the words that are read must be meaningful. Phonics is powerful. Children will be able to sound out and read many words - even words they do not understand. In order for the child to then make good progress in reading in the early years, the child must have been introduced to a wide vocaulary, or progress will be stunted as the child will not be able to enjoy reading. Every activity has its own vocabulary.
The advice here is to take an active interest in your child and enjoy doing things together. Hopefully you will talk with your children as you enjoy time together.
Bake, go to the park, scoot, bike, swim, go for lots of muddy puddle walks in the woods/park (dress in waterproofs - I loved these - and there won’t be so many dirty clothes to wash) - boys especially need lots of time outdoors with space - but girls love and need it too ... running, jumping, seeing what their bodies can do now, testing themselves, giving themselves challenges. These are all very important for growing up.
Use your eyes, point things out. Don’t be afraid to be ignorant, just look and talk and question. What’s this? Why that? Look things up on the internet when you get home if you have no other reference books.
See our nature website for ideas as to how to introduce your young child to the natural world.
Develop concentration skills
I know it is very tempting to have the television on all the time for background noise, or to stick the young ones in front of the DVD while you cook tea and use media as a baby-sitter - I've done it myself - but do try and limit how often you do it. Try and turn the televeision off for most of the time.
When you do allow a DVD, put on one that you know your children can sit and watch through (i.e. not too long so that the children lose concentration and wander off). If possible, sit and watch it with your children so you can talk about what's happening. Your aim is to teach them that they sit and watch what is in front of them - not just learn to ignore it - or they will have a hard job learning how to sit and listen to a teacher. Keep the sessions short - then switch it off at the end.
The role of Technology in the teaching of reading
Learning to read is not easy. It requires the utmost concentration and many hours of practice to become a good reader. Many apps teach reading with jingly tunes. Reading real books does not come with jingly entertaining tunes! So if you teach children to read with jingly tunes, then reading books will be very tame by comparison! Be careful what you train your child's brain to like as it will be very difficult to train him/her off it later and you might regret what you have done when s/he doesn't want to learn. Technology can have a good place in our lives but we all need self control to keep it in it's place. Model that to your child.
In addition to this, all true learning must take place from books. The internet is great, but it is not a source or reliable information. In days gone by it took a lot of money to publish material, and although not so good things were published, on the whole they were of a more noble quality. Books that said untrue things by and large did not sell and so there was no profit to be made from them. By contrast, anyone can publish anything on the internet - and make a profit, and you need a degreee in every subject to be able to discern fact from opinion and discern what is true and what is not. Error abounds in these days when right is wrong and wrong is right. Therefore, aim that your child will learn to read from real books and the best way of doing this is to teach your child to read using physical books.
There is another reason to limit the use of technology when educating your children, be it teaching them to read or leaning maths, and that is that pictures flicking across a screen take no effort to watch and no brain power to think about. When the child is then expected to sit and learn, learning is hard work and children would prefer not to have to think - as it is hard work! Train your child to learn to think early on!
Conclusion
Why I like word mats
How much better it is when teachers point out the spelling patterns in the new vocabulary!
I will use every opportunity to point out the sounds in new words that the children have already learnt (or are perhaps struggling with, for a bit of extra practice!
In the old days, before computers made printing in colour so easy, I had to resort to writing the words on the blackboard, drawing little pictures beside them so that I was not constantly being asked 'What's that word Miss?", or "Which word says -----?".
But now I can give each couple of children or so a Spring Word mat each and writing becomes so much easier, freeing me to be able to give more support where it is needed.
Three benefits of phonetically coded word mats
1) The children learn to spell new words quicker when they recognise the sounds they have already been taught in words they have not used before.
2) The spelling patterns they have already been taught are reinforced as they use the word mat.
3) The children are delighted to see that that many of the 'new' words, are words that they can sound out for themselves - when the sounds are highlighted for them! This is a tremendous confidence booster!
Word mats for teachers, class room assistants and parents
Great for classroom assistants to use
Having the words phonitically coded helps classroom assistants to key into the phonic structure of the words as they help the children. However - a warning - it is never advisable to give the weaker children to a classroom assistant. These children need the teacher's skill to help them - and the teacher needs to know exactly how the child copes with the activity in order to identify strengths and weaknesses to plan further work.. This is information that can only be gained by watching as the child completes the activity.
Great for parents
Parents can help to support their child by giving more practice of ideas that the children have already been taught in class. Word mats can be laminated and make meal times fun, or be displayed where the child will see it regularly.
Ask questions with the Spring Word Mat
Here are some activities to use the mat for;
1. Point to the ------.
2. Show me where it says -----.
3. What are baby frogs called?
4. What are frog's eggs called?
5. Where do bird's lay their eggs?
6. What are baby birds called?
7. What are baby sheep called?
Download by clicking on the image.
Welcome
Hello, I'm Lilibette, qualified teacher (B.Ed Hons). I have taught phonics in mainstream education, followed by have home-educated my two sons to 18, and am now a private tutor.
Reading Made Simple (a completely free systematic phonic reading programme) and Sound-it-out are the results!
I aim to bring advice and resources aimed at enabling parents and teachers to EASILY teach phonics effectively. That is: to help children become life-long readers, forming a bedrock on which all further education can be built. My mother helps to draw the pictures and between us we have many years experience of teaching KS1, special needs and ESL. We hope you enjoy browsing our site!
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