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1)
Dear Amy, Could you recommend a phonics program for an almost
4 year old who is a very quick learner, wants to learn to
read? Thank you.
Hello,
Thanks for your email. Here are my thoughts:
Some
reading specialists would disagree with me but this is what I
think... For the most part, phonics programs are incredibly
similar. In fact, my staff and I frequently joke with each
other, "Phonics is phonics." With that said, the
biggest differences, in my opinion, are mainly cosmetic. I
think Frontline Phonics is good for extremely young kids
because it has little songs and phrases that are fun and
oriented toward young children. However, most phonics programs
are very expensive and some are hard to follow. I would
suggest finding one that fits your budget, and that you think
you can teach then let that be your guide. Here are some more
phonics pointers: "Phonemic awareness" is the
processing ability that readers use to distinguish one sound
from another. This means that "Phonemic awareness"
is the processing ability necessary to learn how to sound out
words. (phonics) This processing ability has been studied by
many scientists and most agree that it fully develops in a
child by the age of 6. (Some studies say five; some say six
and a few say seven.) That means that a child younger than 5
may not have the ability to "catch-on" to phonics.
But not necessarily, phonemic awareness develops early in some
kids. In other words, don't be disappointed (or worried) if
your child doesn't pick up on phonics or doesn't like working
with phonics. The practice can't hurt! :)
Happy
Reading!
Amy
Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com
2)
Dear Amy,
I
am looking for a phonics program to teach to my 4 year old
son. I have found a list of phonics programs recommended by
the National Right to Read Foundation (http://www.nrrf.org/testimonials.html),
but I am curious if there are any other organizations the can
provide independent evaluations of the various phonics
programs available on the market. Most phonics programs do not
have such evaluations available. Rather, they simply list
testimonials from satisfied customers, which is less
convincing. Thank you for any suggestions you might have on
resources for selecting the best phonics program.
Hello,
Thanks for your email. Here are my thoughts about phonics
programs:
Unfortunately,
most phonics programs that I have seen are remarkably similar.
The biggest differences I see are the order in which they
teach the sounds, or the speed at which they introduce reading
in context. (There are cosmetic differences too, like one
program might sing the sounds, one might have hand signals
that go with certain sounds etc) The thing that I try to keep
in mind is this: Reading is made up of three main skills and
phonics is only one of them. A reader must 1) Sound out words
(phonics) 2) Memorize words that can not be sounded out (these
words are often called "sight words" and make up
about 30% of words) and 3) Use contextual clues to determine
the meaning of what you read as you read it. In my opinion,
the best reading programs concentrate on all three of these
areas (there aren't many of them). If you are going to use a
phonics program with your son, I suggest supplementing it with
sight words and contextual reading practice. Don't let any of
this stuff discourage you, approx 70% of kids learn to read no
matter what reading program is administered. As far as phonics
programs go, I have heard that Frontline Phonics is a good
choice for younger kids, give it a look. Let me know if I can
answer any other questions,
Amy
Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com
3)
Dear Amy, I am home schooling my 2 daughters (aged 4 and
51/2). i am looking for a good reading program. What can you
suggest? Thank you for your help.
Hello,
Thanks for your email. I have recently heard good things about
"Frontline Phonics." From what I can see, it is a
good choice for young beginning readers. In my opinion, a
phonics program is a good place to start but I would suggest
including some sight word memorization, spelling and a bit of
contextual reading practice to any phonics program. Reading is
made up of three basic skills, 1) the ability to sound out
words, 2) the ability to memorize words, and 3) the ability to
use contextual clues. Phonics programs sometimes only
concentrate on the first thing. Let me know if I can help you
with any other questions!
Happy
Reading!
Amy
Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com
4)
Ms. Pedigo,
I have heard about a reading program that would teach a three
year old how to read within three weeks. While I am unfamiliar
with the program (and can't recall the name), is it really a
goal to have a three year old read? I had always felt children
should read when they were ready to learn. What is your
opinion? While my two year old has a passion for books (he
even sleeps with them at night!) he seems to be more then just
a year from reading! And that commercial makes me think I need
to change my strategy on his reading goals. Thanks.
Hello,
Thanks
for your email. "Is 3 years old too young to read?"
Well, I think that there can be a huge difference between
three-year-old kids, and a huge difference between a child who
just turned 3 and who just turned 4. Even though teaching kids
to read is my life's passion, I would not personally teach my
three year old how to read, I just don't see the reason to do
so. The way I look at it, reading is made up of three distinct
areas 1) The ability to sound out words 2) The ability to
memorize whole words that cannot be sounded out and 3) the
ability to use contextual and syntactical clues to read
sentences and words correctly. And on top of all that,
comprehending what you read as you read it. That is a big job
for a three year old. Some people would argue with me, I just
got an email from a parent of a 19 month of who says her son
loves books so she thinks he might be ready to learn how to
read. She referred me to something called "infant
learning" that claims that they teach babies to read.
After investigating their program, I realize that they just
show words like "clap" on videos over and over with
people clapping in the background. Eventually, if a baby
watches the video enough, a baby will begin to clap when they
see the word on the screen. They recommend watching the videos
every day. I am not sure I see the value in that. On the other
side of the coin, I recently got some other emails about
something called "Delayed Reading." This is where
you don't teach your child to read until the age of 7.
I
myself have never been a great fan of super early reading
instruction; I just don't see the urgency to get kids to read
ASAP. I usually think about what a wonderful and wise speech
pathologist that I used to work with said to me: "A child
who is ready to learn to read will show an interest in sounds.
Don't ask the child to say the sound or to repeat after you.
Say some sounds yourself and when the child is ready, he or
she will start repeating after you." That really stuck
with me over the years. So, yes I agree with your ideal of
waiting until the child is ready.
The
program you heard about is called "Frontline
Phonics." You can read more about it on the
www.Homeschool.com website. I definitely think waiting until
the child is ready is a good idea for reading. I wouldn't fret
unless your child gets to be a mid 6 year old and still avoids
tasks that involve learning to read. I think you are already
on the right track. Let me know if I can help you with any
other concerns.
Thanks!
Amy
Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com
5)
Hello Amy, I heard about a reading program for four year olds.
I have a four year old that I would like to home school, so
when she starts public school she could be ahead. I have an
eight year old that has reading difficulties and thought if I
could start my younger one sooner it would benefit all of us.
Thank You for you time and any information you can pass along
to me.
Hello,
Thanks for your email. Here are my thoughts:
1)
Should you begin teaching your 4 year old to read? Well, there
are several schools of thought regarding when to teach
children how to read. I got an email recently from the mother
of a 19 month old by who said her son loved books so much she
wanted to begin teaching him to read. On the very same day I
got an email from someone asking me about "delayed
reading," a program that does not teach kids to read
until age seven. My own preferences are somewhere in the
middle. I certainly don't recommend teaching babies to read,
but it is probably not necessary to wait until the age of 7.
This is what was a wonderful and wise speech pathologist that
I used to work with said to me: "A child who is ready to
learn to read will show an interest in sounds. Don't ask the
child to say the sound or to repeat after you. Say the sounds
yourself and when the child is ready, he or she will start
repeating after you." That really stuck with me over the
years. Learning to say the sounds in isolation should be
fairly easy for the child who is ready to learn. Phonemic
awareness is the processing ability that allows us to learn
how to sound out words. Most scientists say that this develops
by age 5, some say 6 or 7. If you decide that she is ready to
learn to read, what programs should you use? Well, Frontline
Phonics has been very highly rated, you might like that.
"Total Reading" is also used by a lot of
homeschoolers. When choosing a program, remember that any good
reading instruction should include these three things: 1)
Learn to sound out words, 2) Learn to memorize words that
cannot be sounded out, and 3) Learn to use contextual cues
when reading.
2)
"I have an eight year old that has reading difficulties
and thought if I could start my younger one sooner it would
benefit all of us." Unfortunately, if your 8 year old has
a reading problem and your 4 year old has the same kind of
problem, learning to read at 4 probably won't be any easier
than it will be at 8. However, if your 4 year old does have a
reading problem identifying it and getting help ASAP is a
great idea. If you do decide to teach her to read now,
approach things slowly and don't pressure her. If she is
having a hard time, don't start worrying until she is 5 or 6.
Chances are she will be just fine!
Happy
Reading!
Amy
Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com
6)
Hi Amy, My daughter is 5 years old and just starts
kindergarten this year. Is it too early to teach her to read?
If not, could you recommend some materials?
Thanks.
Hello,
Thanks for your email. I apologize for not returning your
email sooner, this last week has been crazy. Here are my
thoughts:
There
are several schools of thought regarding when to teach
children how to read. I got an email recently from the mother
of a 19 month old by who said her son loved books so much she
wanted to begin teaching him. On the very same day I got an
email from someone asking me about "delayed
reading," a program that does not teach kids to read
until age seven. My own preferences are somewhere in the
middle. I certainly don't recommend teaching babies to read,
but it is probably not necessary to wait until the age of 7.
This is what was a wonderful and wise speech pathologist that
I used to work with said to me: "A child who is ready to
learn to read will show an interest in sounds. Don't ask the
child to say the sound or to repeat after you. Say the sounds
yourself and when the child is ready, he or she will start
repeating after you." That really stuck with me over the
years. Learning to say the sounds in isolation should be
fairly easy for the child who is ready to learn. Phonemic
awareness is the processing ability that allows us to learn
how to sound out words. Most scientists say that this develops
by age 5, some say 6 or 7. If you decide that she is ready to
learn to read, what programs should you use? Well, Frontline
Phonics has been very highly rated by www.homeschool.com, you
might like that. "Total Reading" is also used by a
lot of homeschoolers. When choosing a program, remember that
any good reading instruction should include these three
things: 1) Learn to sound out words, 2) Learn to memorize
words that cannot be sounded out, and 3) Learn to use
contextual cues when reading. I hope this is helpful to you.
Let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks!
Amy
Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com
7)
Dear Ms. Pedigo,
My daughter will be 5 on Sept. 22 so could not start
Kindergarten this year (cut off was Sept. 1). She is very
advanced socially, emotionally and intellectually. She spoke
over 100 words at 1 year of age; has always spoken very
clearly and articulately. She has always LOVED reading books.
She constantly asks how to say or spell words. She is reading
simple Dr. Seuss books, understands phonics, single letter
sounds, letter blends, does simple math, understands basic
o'clock and thirty when it comes to telling time. I would like
your opinion on the following: We plan to send her to a
private christian school next year. This year, because of the
cut off date, she is in the Pre-K or "4's" class. I
purchased the Alpha Omega Kindergarten Homeschool Pak and I
have started teaching this to her. Our hope is that we can
have her start in first grade next year since I've
homeschooled the Kinder portion. I haven't yet spoken to the
school she will attend next year but since it is private they
will test her and we will go from there. I would never do this
unless she was emotionally and socially ready..which she is.
What is your opinion/recommendation on this whole scenario?
Thank you so much.
Hello,
Thanks
for your email. I apologize that it has taken me so long to
email back to you. Here are my thoughts:
1)
It sounds like your daughter is already way ahead of the game!
She will certainly do well, no matter what grade she begins at
next year. If you are going to teach your daughter to read at
home before she goes to school, I recommend you find out what
reading instruction methodologies they use at her school.
Reading programs can differ dramatically and you may want to
follow their lead so as not to confuse your daughter when she
starts school. That way if she goes to K or 1st, the things
you have taught her will be very helpful.
2)
Should she go to 1st grade? I specialize in reading so I am
not an expert on school readiness but I will tell you what I
have experienced in the past. I once taught vacation-bible
school for two summers in a row. The first year I taught the
kids who were on their way to first grade. The second year I
taught the kids who were on their way to Kindergarten. There
was a huge difference. It wasn't so much socially or
emotionally but the kids going into first grade were just more
adept at handling themselves in a classroom-oriented
situation. The pre-K kids had a hard time sitting in chairs
for an extended period of time and a hard time being quiet for
a long time etc. In my opinion, Kindergarten is less about
kids learning content than it is about easing into school.
Kindergarteners do some play activities and some academic
activities; by 1st grade they are better able to handle a full
day of academic oriented tasks. Even if I thought my daughter
was ready for the kind of content taught in a first grade
classroom, I would not let her miss Kindergarten. But of
course it is up to you. Talk to your school, I am sure they
will know better than me about what will work with their
program.
3)
I think teaching her some reading this year before she goes to
school is a good idea. However, studies say that
"phonemic awareness," the processing ability
necessary to sound out words, doesn't fully develop until the
age of 6 or 7. So if your daughter seems to have a hard time
with some parts of reading, don't worry she will probably be
fine. When I worked in a Kindergarten classroom, we had pre-K
kids come in for half-day visits in the springtime to see what
it was like. Perhaps that would be a good idea for your
daughter.
Let
me know if I can answer any more questions that you have.
Happy
Reading!
Amy
Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com
8)
Greetings Amy: Thank you for the information you have on your
website. I do, however, have a question that you answered in
part in the 'frequently asked questions.' My wife and I have a
four-year-old boy that loves to be read to. He will sit for
over an hour, asking for another book to be read as each book
is finished. I am thankful that he (and his two year old
sister) likes to be read to. The problem I am having is
knowing where to go from here. He likes to work with letters
and sounds, and has learned some. We never push him to read or
practice letters and sounds. He asks to be read to, and then
we end up working on letters and sounds while we are reading.
While he doesn't seem to be an exceptionally bright child, he
does like to be read to and work with letters. Where can we go
from here?
We have thought of getting one of the phonics programs that
are available, like Hooked on Phonics or FrontLine phonics,
but we are not sure that that us the best thing to start with.
What do you think we should do? I don't like the idea of just
reading to him when he is showing an interest in learning
more. We probably read to him a total of 1 1/2 hours a day. He
would have us read more, but we don't. Should we? Thank you
very much for your concern and the time that you sacrifice to
help parents teach their own children.
Hello,
Thanks
for your email. Here are my thoughts:
1)"He
likes to work with letters and sounds, and has learned some.
We never push him to read or practice letters and sounds. He
asks to be read to, and then we end up working on letters and
sounds while we are reading. While he doesn't seem to be an
exceptionally bright child, he does like to be read to and
work with letters. Where can we go from here?"
Reading
to him is great, an interest in oral and written language is
always a good sign. It sounds like you have been on the right
track already. Some people confuse an interest in being read
to with reading readiness. Reading readiness would be
indicated by some of the other things you mentioned, like his
interest in letters and sounds.
I
have never been a great fan of super early reading
instruction, however encouraging his existing interest can't
be a bad thing. This is what was a wonderful and wise speech
pathologist that I used to work with said to me: "A child
who is ready to begin learning to read will show an interest
in sounds. Don't ask the child to say the sound or to repeat
after you. Say the sounds yourself and when the child is
ready, he or she will start repeating after you." That
really stuck with me over the years. Sometimes when I am with
my gaggle of nieces and nephews, I will just start saying
specific consonant or vowel sounds as we are playing with
blocks or legos. They usually don't say anything or they say
something different. After a while, if they repeat after me,
then we say sounds to each other over and over. There are
about 42 sounds in English, some linguists and speech
pathologists dispute that number by one or two. Saying sounds
in isolation may be very easy for your son, or not. The
ability to distinguish single sounds within words is called
"phonemic awareness", this is what ultimately allows
children to "sound-out" words. Some scientists say
this processing ability does not fully develop in a child
until the age of 6 or 7, so you may find that saying distinct
sounds in isolation may not be a simple task for your son. I
think you should begin by saying the consonant sounds with
your son. If he finds these really easy, you can move on to
the vowels. Go slow and only practice for a few minutes at a
time. If you decide to do this, it is important for you to
remember to say each sound IN ISOLATION. In all my years
teaching teachers to teach reading, (say that ten times fast!)
I had a very hard time trying to get teachers to say each of
the consonants in isolation. Some of them would say PUH for
/p/ and TUH for /t/. You can understand why people do this,
consonants were never meant to be pronounced in isolation.
Since every syllable has a vowel sound, we automatically add a
vowel where there isn't one. These are the consonant sounds we
use in English, there are others that have snuck into our
language that are from foreign derivatives. Remember these are
sounds, not letters. Some sounds use different letters. Like
the sound /k/ as in "kite", is the same sound in
"cut" and "school." I don't recommend
teaching your son to write or read letters quite yet but just
learning to say each of the sounds will be a great foundation.
Saying them in isolation can be harder than you remember.
After he has learned to say all the sounds after you, you can
start saying words that use that sound. You can say things
like /m/ and then say "map" or "make."
2)"We
have thought of getting one of the phonics programs that are
available, like Hooked on Phonics or FrontLine phonics, but we
are not sure that that us the best thing to start with. What
do you think we should do?"
If
you find that your son has an easy time learning to say the
sounds in isolation, then perhaps formal reading instruction
is in order. Are you planning to homeschool your son? If you
are not, then perhaps you would want to hold off on
instruction for him because you don't know what kind of
reading instruction he is going to get in school. You might
start teaching him one way and then the school would start
teaching him another way and it could get confusing for him.
However, if you are planning to homeschool, starting out with
a solid phonics program would be a good idea, if you are
confident that he can say the sounds in isolation with out
difficulty. Frontline Phonics has received very good reviews,
I have never seen it in practice but it looks good. However, I
always remind people that reading instruction should not be
solely phonics. The best reading programs involve instruction
for the three skill areas of reading: 1) sounding out words
(phonics) 2) whole word memorization and 3) contextual cues.
All of us need to know how to sound out words but we also need
to have a large selection of words memorized. And last but
certainly not least, we all need to understand what we are
reading as we are reading it. So, with that, I recommend
supplementing any phonics based program with some sight word
memorization as well as guided reading instruction.
3)"We
probably read to him a total of 1 1/2 hours a day. He would
have us read more, but we don't. Should we?"
Your
son enjoys being read to and that is a good thing. However,
being read to is a form of entertainment. Most kids enjoy
being read to just as much as just being told a story or
listening to a story on a CD. Entertainment like this in the
form of oral language is certainly healthier than something
that "does the thinking for you" like TV or video
games. Never the less, it is entertainment and you should only
do whatever fits into your schedule. Don't feel guilty that
you don't have time to read to him as much as he would like
you to. I suggest setting aside a specific time each day for
reading and sticking to it. (Like 30 minutes before bed or 30
minutes each day after lunch etc.) If your son likes reading
that much, you might find it fun to read him a longer book
that would be read over several sessions instead of reading
lots of short books. You guys can talk about how the story is
going and discuss what you think is going to happen next in
the story etc. Your 2 year old might not be as keen on that...
I
hope this all helps you. Feel free to email me more questions.
It sounds like reading is going to be a strength for your son!
Happy
Reading!
Amy
Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com
9)
My child is 4 years old and doesn't seem very interested in
books. Does that mean he won't be a good reader? Should I have
him assessed?
Your
son is too young to be assessed with a reading assessment. He
is also too young for anyone to determine if he will be a good
reader. (Some professionals disagree with me but I have seen
too many young children forced into reading too young. A
wonderful and wise speech pathologist that I used to work with
said that a child who is ready to begin learning to read will
show an interest in letters and sounds. "Don't ask the
child to say the sound or to repeat after you. Say the sounds
yourself and when the child is ready, he or she will start
repeating after you.") However, a child with an aversion
to books, especially the child who doesn't like being read to
may have some reading and or learning difficulties in the
future, or not. At four years old, it's just too early to
tell. Reading to your child is your best bet for now. Reading
aloud to your children is important on many levels. The
conversations we have in our every day lives are just not as
sophisticated as the language used in some books. Reading
aloud to your child may by the only way for your child to be
exposed to more advanced language. In addition, by your own
enjoyment of reading you are modeling good reading habits for
your child. You should monitor your son for the next year and
pay close attention to how well he learns his letters and
sounds in Kindergarten. Chances are, he will be fine.
Amy
Pedigo
apedigo@letsgolearn.com
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