I have been teaching Kaden how to read. Let's just say it has been the best of times and the worst of times but overall he is doing GREAT! I have mostly been using this book.
It does work and is pretty easy to use but it is time consuming and we have worked really hard. It claims you can teach your child in 15 minutes a day. Well, when we started it took about 5 min. and then I realized it was taking like 45 - 60 min. Which is too long for both Kaden and me. So tomorrow, I am going to start doing half a lesson a day and also add in some other things. I have some leveled readers that I think will help him build fluency and I also want to work on sight words with him so reading can become easier. This book doesn't really focus on either of those things. I had hoped we would be done by the end of the school year but now since I am dragging it out I just hope we are done before school starts.
Here are a few tidbits from today.
Today's lesson introduced the chunk ar. So I was showing him words and having him practice. I wrote far. He read it then said if we put a "t" on the end it will be fart. Of course, he laughed and laughed. I had to laugh too. Part of me can't believe that "fart" was part of our reading lesson today and part of me was sooo happy because I can tell he is really getting it.
He also read the label on his car seat "Britax". He sounded it right out.
He now responds by spelling no and yes.
We have had so much fun with school time. Jack is now getting in on the action. He will do Lesson 3 tomorrow. We are taking it really slow with him. Of course, we are also working on other subjects as well. So, now I have a new excuse for my house not to be clean... Homeschooling moms amaze me. And no, I am not considering homeschooling - although the thought has crossed my mind...
2 comments:
Kelli - I too have been trying to teach Ava reading for a while now and had seen this book but purchased, "The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading". We really struggled with it. I felt like it went way to slow and that it was not very kid-friendly. I finally had an epiphany and decided to set the book aside and just use notebook paper and colored skinny markers. It has made a word of difference in Ava's interest level. I used to have to beg, bribe, or threaten in order to get her to do her reading lessons. Now, (she knew her individual letter sounds and short vowel sounds - starfall has some good songs for those) i'll pick a word family or two (or more) and we'll make a list of words that go with that. (I make her sound them out) Then, at the bottom I write a sentence using those words. When Daddy comes home, her homework is to read him her sentence. She's now been reading some first reader books and is very excited when she can sound out words.
Isn't it funny that with all of our education training, it just isn't quite the same when teaching our own kids in our own home?
Good luck! I totally understand the lessons getting sooo drawn out! I suggest mixing it up and seeing how it goes.
Kelli - that is so amazing and I can't believe you officially have a reader!!!!!
Post a Comment