Helping Your Homeschooler Learn to Read

Beware Expert's Advice

If there is one area that causes concern for even the most experienced parent, it's helping our kids learn to read. And with good reason: We are told reading is an area best left to the experts, who advise us about what age our children should begin, what method to use, and how long it should take. We're told tests and reports are vital to the learning process. The trouble is, most of this advice is simply not true.

The Right Age to Read
By kindergarten, most schooled children are working their way through "reading readiness" programs and are expected to know and understand basic concepts of reading. But is this really the best age to start reading?

It's not, according to Louise Bates Ames, director of research at the Gesell Institute of Child Development and author of more than 15 books on childhood development and behavior. In A Developmental Approach to Reading Problems, Ames states that "a delay in reading instruction would be a preventative measure in avoiding nearly all reading failure." This view is shared by Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore, considered by many to be the grandparents of the modern homeschool movement. In Better Late Than Early and School Can Wait, the Moores present well-researched arguments that children aren't physiologically ready for formal reading activities until the age of 8 or 10. Waiting helps children develop maturity and logic skills and prevents frustration and discouragement.

A Combination of Methods
Another misconception that confuses all parents, not just homeschoolers, is that one teaching method should be used. For years controversy flared in the schools about "whole language" vs. "phonics." Results from whole language programs fell short of expectations. Straight phonics is more effective, but involves books and worksheets many kids find boring. Smart parents are discovering that incorporating both methods based on their child's individual learning style works best.

Tests and Reports
Finally, there's the idea that reading tests and written book reports are a necessary part of the reading process. In Teach Your Own, John Holt tells the story of two fellow teachers who decided to "stop asking the children questions about their reading, stop grading them, stop tracking them, and just let them read." Holt notes, "The students very soon read much better, even those who had been very poor readers." Reading becomes a chore when your child knows that as soon as he completes the passage (or page or book) he will be drilled and tested and scored. The joy of being swept away in the pages of a book is lost.

What You Can Do
Read to your children every day. The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease is a classic. Trelease explains how reading aloud stimulates your child's imagination and leads to the desire to read independently.
Take time to read yourself. A child learns by watching his parents. If your child sees you making reading a regular part of your life, chances are he will do the same. If you sit in front of the TV for hours, don't be surprised when your child wants to do it, too.
Don't start the learning process too early and don't push if they aren't ready. There should be no tears or reluctance. Allowed to learn at their own pace, homeschooled children often don't begin to read until 8 or 9 years old. Mary Griffith, author of The Homeschooling Handbook, says that late reading (even as late as 12) is not much of a handicap to homeschoolers. "Because schools rely so heavily on text-based instruction, we tend to forget there are other ways to acquire knowledge" Griffith writes. "The late reader frequently blossoms suddenly into a capable and independent reader and the late-reading homeschooler remains an eager and interested learner."
Where Do I Begin?
For those who want a direct, step-by-step approach on how to teach your child to read, Reading Reflex: The Foolproof Phono-Graphix Method for Teaching Your Child to Read, by Carmen and Geoffrey McGuinness, is one of the best reading books on the market today. Another highly recommended book is Let's Read, A Linguistic Approach by Leonard Bloomfield and Clarence Barnhart.

But don't feel you have to follow a reading manual to be successful. Reading is a process that unfolds slowly in some children, quickly in others. What worked for your friend's child might be wrong for your son or daughter. The trick is to discover what method is best for your child. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Follow These Steps
One: Sounding Out
Learning the alphabet, and the sounds each letter represents, is the foundation of reading. The next step is for your child to learn simple words that can be mastered easily. I wrote the names of items in our house on index cards, then pinned or taped the card to that object. It became a game to name all the objects. When these words were memorized, the cards were removed and made into silly sentences. (The chair sat on the cat.) Because we're on the road a lot, my girls' first reading words were the names of gas stations (Shell was an easy starter), then stores, then road signs. As we drove, we'd work on word-sounds in silly rhymes and variations of alphabet games.

Phonics workbooks are helpful at this point, but don't overdo it. Along with studying the letter sounds and blends, we made flashcards of reading words that my daughter stumbled on and reviewed them frequently. I'm not a fan of flashcards and used them with a light hand, but she didn't mind and they were really effective.

Two: Finding Great Beginner Books
Two wonderful books for your beginning readers are: Ready...Set...Read! and the sequel Ready...Set...Read And Laugh! by Joanna Cole and Stephanie Calmenson. These colorfully illustrated collections feature authors Arnold Lobel (Frog and Toad), Peggy Parish (Amelia Bedelia), Marice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are), and Robert Lewis Stevenson (A Sea-Side Poem), just to name a few. These books are responsible for carrying my daughters from the conceptual stage of reading to the "I got it!" stage.

Be sure to provide a variety of easy-to-read books on whatever subject your child shows an interest. Soccer? Space Travel? Animals? Clouds? Make sure your child learns that books are a source of pleasure and knowledge. When my girls were learning to read, we had wicker baskets in every room filled with age-appropriate books from the library. Putting the books back in the baskets each night was a small price to pay as I watched their reading skills grow. Not sure what books are best? Great Books for Girls

and Great Books for Boys by Kathy Odean make choosing books a snap.
Three: Chapter Books and Magazines
Once my daughters could handle the easy readers, they were now ready for chapter books. A librarian suggested The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner as a good starter series. My daughter loved these books about four resourceful children and their adventures. Another good chapter book series is The Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne. The American Girl series (different authors) provides an exciting introduction to history. And who could resist the Nate the Great books by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, great mystery books about a boy detective and his dog Sludge.

Magazines can be a good source of reading material. My daughter eagerly awaited the monthly arrival of Highlights, Ladybug, National Geographic World, and, from the National Wildlife Federation, Ranger Rick ( Your Big Backyard is the version for younger kids). She felt very grown up getting her own magazines and we'd read each one as soon as it arrived. I chose these particular magazines because they contain no advertisements, and are exceptionally well-written (especially Ladybug, ages two to six, and later Spider, ages six to nine).

Additional Resources
Don't forget that your computer is a great resource for encouraging your young readers. FamilyEducation.com has games, printouts and teaching tools to help spark your kids' interest in reading. You might want to look at Reading and Writing Skill-Builders.

Problems?
Suppose you've waited until your child is older and read to her daily, but she's still not reading. What then? For those homeschoolers who suspect there may be serious reading or comprehension problems, I recommend a consultation with a reading specialist. Homeschooling families are often able to have their child tested for free through the public-school system. One friend found her child's reading specialist listed in the phone book. Your child will be tested and you'll receive recommendations on how to correct any problems. 

Contact Reading Specialist: Jill Sousa - ardenreading@gmail.com

Article originally published by Familyeducation.com, May 15th, 2019

Teaching Kindergarten Reading

By: www K12reader.com

Beginning reading instruction is an essential part of the kindergarten classroom. Though some students enter school with some basic reading skills, this is a prime period in the children’s development to build the foundation for reading. Kindergarten teachers and parents should focus on all three of the pillars of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics and reading comprehension.  This article discusses all of these, with an emphasis on kindergarten reading comprehension.

Multiple Methods of Instruction

Just as every child looks different each has his or her own way of learning to read. Though there are many ways to teach a child to read there is not one single kindergarten reading comprehension checklist that works best for every child. Plus reading is not a simple activity. In fact it is one of the most complex cognitive activities that a human being can perform. Therefore it is incumbent upon those working with kindergarteners to use multiple methods of reading instruction. Different children will need different types and levels of support. Even individual children will need to have instruction varied as they reach particular reading milestones. It is important to know each child well and to use strategies that fit her individual learning style(s), interests and needs.

Phonemic Awareness

Phonemic awareness is one of the building blocks of a strong foundation for reading development. A phoneme is a sound unit in language. For example, say the word “apple” aloud. You use three distinct sound “chunks” to pronounce this word—“a”, “puh” and “l”. Each of these is a phoneme. Phonemic awareness is not only an understanding that these sound units exist, but also the recognition that they make up words. We are able to read unfamiliar words because we use our knowledge of phonemes to sound out the word. Very young readers do not know to do this. Therefore they must be taught phonemes. In order to help children transition between saying and reading phonemes, kindergarten teachers and parents should instruct children by connecting letters and phonemes. They should present written letters and teach the child the different ways that the letter is pronounced. Through this sort of instruction kindergarteners become aware not only of the different sounds in the English language, but also they begin to understand that specific letters represent specific sounds.

Phonics

In addition to phonemic awareness, kindergarteners must be taught phonics. Phonics involves the ability to link sounds to letters and to use these to construct words. While it is helpful for children to be aware of particular phonemes and their letter representations, this knowledge is not enough for them to be able read. They need to be able to put letters and phonemes together to create words.

Phonics is best taught systematically. Parents and teachers of kindergarteners should begin by helping children sound out individual letters and then blending these letters into a word. For instance, if a child is learning to read the word bat the adult working with her should first help her figure out what sound each letter makes—“buh” a” “t”. Then she should be encouraged to link these sounds together to make the word. Often young children have many words in their verbal vocabularies that they have not learned to read. When they are assisted in sounding out and blending the sounds together to create the word, they quickly identify the word and are able to make a connection between the oral and print version of it.

Once children have become comfortable sounding out individual letters, they should be taught to read letters in “chunks”. This is where instruction in sound units like “th” and “st” comes in. Also, they should be encouraged to use entire words that they already know to help them read a new word. For example, a child may know how to read the word “car”. When he comes to the word “scar” his teacher should point out that “car” is a part of this word and that he can use it to help him figure out how to pronounce this new word.

Reading Comprehension

Because reading comprehension cannot occur unless a child can identify the sounds making up each word, it is essential that kindergarteners have at least a basic foundation in phonemic awareness and phonics before they can be instructed in reading comprehension. Once they have this basic understanding they can begin working on comprehending what they are reading.

Kindergarten reading comprehension instruction begins on an individual word basis. Children should be taught to read basic high frequency words. Of all of the words in children’s stories, there are approximately 220 that make up 50 to 75% of the content. For this reason, these words are the best ones to focus on in kindergarten instruction. Both E.W. Dolch and Edward Fry have created lists of the most frequently used words in children’s texts. These lists are excellent resources for kindergarten parents and teachers to select vocabulary to instruct their children in. Pictures are an excellent tool for helping children transition between the spoken and written versions of a word. When the print word “ball” is presented under a photograph of a ball the child is able to make a connection between the two.

Kindergarten reading comprehension is also taught using repetitive reading. While it may seem that having a child read the same story over and over would deter her reading development it actually aids it. Repetitive reading allows a child to process a text multiple times. Often the first time she reads it she is focusing on decoding words rather than putting them together to make meaning. Once she has mastered the words she can move more fluently through the story and can begin making meaning. Kindergarten parents and teachers are encouraged to have children read texts aloud multiple times. This allows them to see where the child needs support in understanding words, phrases or sentences. Also, they can ask guiding questions to help children build the skills that they will eventually use independently when they read.

Modeling Good Reading

One of the most powerful tools for helping kindergartners learn to read is for parents and teachers to read themselves. Young children should not only see the adults they love reading they should also read with them. Reading storybooks aloud to kindergarteners helps build their vocabularies, appreciation and interest in reading and background knowledge. They also see the ways a “seasoned” reader uses strategies to make meaning. Reading a book aloud to a young child always benefits him.

First Grade Reading

By: Learning First Alliance

When it comes to reading, the nine months of first grade are arguably the most important in a student's schooling.

It is during first grade that most children define themselves as good or poor readers. Unfortunately, it is also in first grade where common instructional practices are arguably most inconsistent with the research findings. This gap is reflected in the basal programs most commonly used in first-grade classrooms. The National Academy of Sciences report found that the more neglected instructional components of basal series are among those whose importance is most strongly supported by the research.

In this discussion, there are again certain caveats to keep in mind:

There is no replacing passionate teachers who are keenly aware of how their students are learning; research will never be able to tell teachers exactly what to do for a given child on a given day. What research can tell teachers, and what teachers are hungry to know, is what the evidence shows will work most often with most children and what will help specific groups of children.

To integrate research-based instructional practices into their daily work, teachers need the following:

Training in alphabetic basics

To read, children must know how to blend isolated sounds into words; to write, they must know how to break words into their component sounds. First-grade students who don't yet know their letters and sounds will need special catch-up instruction. In addition to such phonemic awareness, beginning readers must know their letters and have a basic understanding of how the letters of words, going from left to right, represent their sounds. First-grade classrooms must be designed to ensure that all children have a firm grasp of these basics before formal reading and spelling instruction begins.

A proper balance between phonics and meaning in their instruction

In recent years, most educators have come to advocate a balanced approach to early reading instruction, promising attention to basic skills and exposure to rich literature. However, classroom practices of teachers, schools, and districts using balanced approaches vary widely.

Some teachers teach a little phonics on the side, perhaps using special materials for this purpose, while they primarily use basal reading programs that do not follow a strong sequence of phonics instruction. Others teach phonics in context, which means stopping from time to time during reading or writing instruction to point out, for example, a short a or an application of the silent e rule. These instructional strategies work with some children but are not consistent with evidence about how to help children, especially those who are most at risk, learn to read most effectively.

The National Academy of Sciences study, Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children, recommends first-grade instruction that provides explicit instruction and practice with sound structures that lead to familiarity with spelling-sound conventions and their use in identifying printed words. The bottom line is that all children have to learn to sound out words rather than relying on context and pictures as their primary strategies to determine meaning.

Does this mean that every child needs phonics instruction? Research shows that all proficient readers rely on deep and ready knowledge of spelling-sound correspondence while reading, whether this knowledge was specifically taught or simply inferred by students. Conversely, failure to learn to use spelling/sound correspondences to read and spell words is shown to be the most frequent and debilitating cause of reading difficulty. No one questions that many children do learn to read without any direct classroom instruction in phonics. But many children, especially children from homes that are not language rich or who potentially have learning disabilities, do need more systematic instruction in word-attack strategies.

Well-sequenced phonics instruction early in first grade has been shown to reduce the incidence of reading difficulty even as it accelerates the growth of the class as a whole. Given this, it is probably best to start all children, most especially in high-poverty areas, with explicit phonics instruction. Such an approach does require continually monitoring children's progress both to allow those who are progressing quickly to move ahead before they become bored and to ensure that those who are having difficulties get the assistance they need.

Strong reading materials

Early in first grade, a child's reading materials should feature a high proportion of new words that use the letter-sound relationships they have been taught. It makes no sense to teach decoding strategies and then have children read materials in which these strategies won't work. While research does not specify the exact percentage of words children should be able to recognize or sound out, it is clear that most children will learn to read more effectively with books in which this percentage is high.

On this point, the National Academy of Sciences report recommends that students should read well-written and engaging texts that include words that children can decipher to give them the chance to apply their emerging skills. It further recommends that children practice reading independently with texts slightly below their frustration level and receive assistance with slightly more difficult texts.

If the books children read only give them rare opportunities to sound out words that are new to them, they are unlikely to use sounding out as a consistent strategy. A study comparing the achievement of two groups of average-ability first-graders being taught phonics explicitly provides evidence of this. The group of children who used texts with a high proportion of words they could sound out learned to read much better than the group who had texts in which they could rarely apply the phonics they were being taught.

None of this should be read to mean that children should be reading meaningless or boring material. There is no need to return to Dan can fan the man. It's as important that children find joy and meaning in reading as it is that they develop the skills they need. Reading pleasure should always be as much a focus as reading skill. Research shows that the children who learn to read most effectively are the children who read the most and are most highly motivated to read.

The texts children read need to be as interesting and meaningful as possible. Still, at the very early stages, this is difficult. It isn't possible to write gripping fiction with only five letter sounds. But a meaningful context can be created by embedding decodable text in stories that provide other supports to build meaning and pleasure. For example, some early first-grade texts use pictures to represent words that students cannot yet decode. Others include a teacher text on each page, read by the teacher, parent, or other reader, which tells part of the story. The students then read their portion, which uses words containing the spelling-sound relationships they know. Between the two types of texts, a meaningful and interesting story can be told.

Strategies for teaching comprehension

Learning to read is not a linear process. Students do not need to learn to decode before they can learn to comprehend. Both skills should be taught at the same time from the earliest stages of reading instruction. Comprehension strategies can be taught using material that is read to children, as well as using material the children read themselves.

Before reading, teachers can establish the purpose for the reading, review vocabulary, activate background knowledge, and encourage children to predict what the story will be about. During reading, teachers can direct children's attention to difficult or subtle dimensions of the text, point out difficult words and ideas, and ask children to identify problems and solutions. After reading, children may be asked to retell or summarize stories, to create graphic organizers (such as webs, cause-and-effect charts, or outlines), to put pictures of story events in order, and so on. Children can be taught specific metacognitive strategies, such as asking themselves on a regular basis whether what they are reading makes sense or whether there is a one-to-one match between the words they read and the words on the page.

Writing programs

Creative and expository writing instruction should begin in kindergarten and continue during first grade and beyond. Writing, in addition to being valuable in its own right, gives children opportunities to use their new reading competence. Research shows invented spelling to be a powerful means of leading students to internalize phonemic awareness and the alphabetic principle. Still, while research shows that using invented spelling is not in conflict with teaching correct spelling, the National Academy of Sciences report does recommend that conventionally correct spelling be developed through focused instruction and practice at the same time students use invented spelling. The Academy report further recommends that primary grade children should be expected to spell previously studied words and spelling patterns correctly in final writing products.

Smaller class size

Class size makes a difference in early reading performance. Studies comparing class sizes of approximately 15 to those of around 25 in the early elementary grades reveal that class size has a significant impact on reading achievement, especially if teachers are also using more effective instructional strategies. Reductions of this magnitude are expensive, of course, if used all day. An alternative is to reduce class size just during the time set aside for reading, either by providing additional reading teachers during reading periods or by having certified teachers who have other functions most of the day (e.g., tutors, librarians, or special education teachers) teach a reading class during a common reading period.

Curriculum-based assessment

In first grade and beyond, regular curriculum-based assessments are needed to guide decisions about such things as grouping, the pace of instruction, and individual needs for assistance (such as tutoring). The purpose of curriculum-based assessment is to determine how children are doing in the particular curriculum being used in the classroom or school, not to indicate how children are doing on national norms. In first grade, assessments should focus on all of the major components of early reading: decoding of phonetically regular words, recognition of sight words, comprehension, writing, and so on.

Informal assessments can be conducted every day. Anything children do in class gives information to the teacher that can be used to adjust instruction for individuals or for the entire class. Regular schoolwide assessments based on students' current reading groups can be given every six to 10 weeks. These might combine material read to children, material to which children respond on their own, and material the child reads to the teacher individually. These school assessments should be aligned as much as possible with any district or state assessments students will have to take.

Effective grouping strategies

Children enter first grade at very different points in their reading development. Some already read, while others lack even the most basic knowledge of letters and sounds. Recognizing this, schools have long used a variety of methods to group children for instruction appropriate to their needs. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The most common method is to divide children within their own class into three or more reading groups, which take turns working with the teacher. The main problem with this strategy is that it requires follow-up time activities children can do on their own while the teacher is working with another group. Studies of follow-up time find that, all too often, it translates to busywork. Follow-up time spent in partner reading, writing, working with a well-trained paraprofessional, or other activities closely linked to instructional objectives may be beneficial; but teachers must carefully review workbook, computer, or other activities to be sure they are productive.

Another strategy is grouping within the same grade. For example, during reading time there might be a high, middle, and low second-grade group. The problem with this type of grouping is that it creates a low group with few positive models.

Alternatively, children in all grades can be grouped in reading according to their reading level and without regard to age. A second-grade-level reading class might include some first-graders, many second-graders, and a few third-graders. An advantage of this approach is that it mostly eliminates the low group problem, and gives each teacher one reading group. The risk is that some older children will be embarrassed by being grouped with children from a lower grade level. Classroom management and organization for reading instruction are areas that deserve further research and attention.

Tutoring support

Most children can learn to read by the end of first grade with good-quality reading instruction alone. In every school, however, there are children who need more assistance. Small-group remedial methods, such as those typical of Title I or special education resource room programs, have not generally been found to be effective in increasing the achievement of these children. One-to-one tutoring, closely aligned with classroom instruction, has been effective for struggling first-graders. While it is often best to have certified teachers working with children with the most serious difficulties, well-trained paraprofessionals can develop a valuable expertise for working with these children. Trained volunteers who are placed in well-structured, well-supervised programs also can be a valuable resource.

Home reading

Children should be spending more time on reading than is available at school. They should read at home on a regular basis, usually 20 to 30 minutes each evening. Parents can be asked to send in signed forms indicating that children have done their home reading. Many teachers ask that children read aloud with their parents, siblings, or others in first grade and then read silently thereafter. The books the children read should be of interest to them and should match their reading proficiency.

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