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Phonics
BeginningReading.com is a phonics reading program. Many of the materials are free!
Although the information presented here is aimed primarily at classroom teachers, it can be easily adapted to a tutoring or homeschooling situation.
Learning to read is a complex process which happens in response to many experiences and learning opportunities. Kids are ready to begin reading at various ages depending on their emotional maturity, experience with oral language and experience with books and other printed materials.
PART 1: ALPHABET LETTERS AND SOUNDS
Successful systematic reading instruction requires teaching letter names and sounds. Each letter of the alphabet is introduced in association with a picture of something which begins with that letter:
The following associations are used in this program:
Aa-apple, Bb-butterfly, Cc-cat, Dd-duck, Ee-elephant, Ff-fish, Gg-ghost, Hh-house, Ii-igloo, Jj-jar, Kk-kite, Ll-lion, Mm-mitten, Nn-net, Oo-octopus, Pp-pig, Qq-quilt, Rr-rainbow, Ss-sun, Tt-tent, Uu-umbrella, Vv-valentine, Ww-watermelon, Xx-x-ray, Yy-yarn and Zz-zebra.Before introducing a new letter, cut out a large piece of bulletin board or chart paper in the shape associated with that letter, for example, a red cutout of an apple for the letter Aa. Print the letter inside the shape as you introduce the letter. To liven things up, have a hand puppet excitedly introduce the new letter to the class. Have Alpha Friend (the puppet) ask the kids what the name of the letter is and what sound it makes. After the kids recite the name of the letter and the sound it makes (in rhythm), have Alpha Friend ask if anyone's name starts with the letter. Andrew and Annie stand up and Alpha Friend congratulates them and shakes their hands. Names are the first words printed on the letter charts! As you print, talk about how names are important and need to start with a capital letter. Always use lower case letters unless a capital is necessary.
After you print names, have Alpha Friend ask for volunteers to raise their hands if they know any other words that start with the letter. Print words that start with the letter onto the chart and spell them aloud as you print. If a child has an incorrect response, have Alpha Friend say, "not quite, but good try!" After the chart fills with about ten words or so, Alpha Friend can get sleepy and settle down for a nap while you move on to the next activity.
The next step is to use the letter Aa worksheets from Alphabet Set1, Alphabet Set 2, Alphabet Set 3 and Alphabet Set 4. These are available by clicking here
Free Worksheets. They can be used in any order as long as you have displayed the letter, discussed the sound of the letter and demonstrated how to print the letter correctly. The alphabet worksheets provide practice for the students in recognizing the letter, identifying words which start with the letter and printing the letter.There are also flashcards for each letter of the alphabet available in the free worksheets section of this website. These flashcards look really cute if you color them or have the kids color them. One way to use these is to pass them out and have the kids hold them down until they hear you say a word that starts with the letter on the flashcard. Kids love to hold up the flashcard when they hear the correct beginning sound.
Go through at least ten or more words to provide a good practice! This activity can work with a whole class or in a small group where it is easier to monitor responses. Another activity kids enjoy is the alphabet line! Each student is handed a flashcard for a different letter of the alphabet. When you give the signal, all kids come to the front of the room and stand in a line facing the class and form the alphabet line by finding and standing in the correct place (depending on the letter or letters they are holding). This takes practice so you may want to start with a section of the alphabet at a time until the kids get the hang of it. Once they do, they'll enjoy the activity! Copies of the flashcards can be sent home individually or saved at school to form a complete alphabet set.When you finish teaching individual letters of the alphabet, use the Alphabet 5 worksheets available in
Free Worksheets. These worksheets require the student to decide which letter a picture starts with from a choice of three letters.
PART 2: WORD FORMATION
Beginning reading is thrilling but also challenging. The transition from learning isolated sounds to blending sounds into words is a difficult but rewarding one.
Beginning readers need lots of opportunities to manipulate letters and form them into words. Word formation worksheets which will help with this skill are available in
Free Worksheets.It is important to use word formation worksheets 1-8 before progressing to worksheets 9-13. Forming words is easy with the beginning sounds f, l, m, n, r, s, v, w and z because their sounds can be sustained . That makes them blend into the vowel smoothly. Since the vowel sounds in the middle can all be sustained, any ending consonant can be used. Some students will need more practice forming words than others.
One way you can practice word formation is by having the kids form a word you say. Than ask for volunteers to form the same word in front of the class in a pocket chart or by printing it on the board. Or you could have the kids form a word and then ask them how you could change it into another word by changing just one letter. Or you can ask individual kids to think of a word to form from the letters he or she has. Remember that an incorrect response can provide a learning opportunity if you praise the child for his or her effort and help him or her adjust the response!
You will also need to introduce the child to the concept of sight words. Sight words might also be called "T.L.C.s" (tricky little critters) because they are words that don't "sound out". The only T.L.C. used in the set of BeginningReading.com books is the word the. The word out is the only word that contains more than one vowel and is hard for beginning readers to sound out. To learn more about sight words in general, click on
Fry Words
PART 3: DECODABLE BOOKS
The decodable books are written for kids who have learned alphabet letters and sounds, know how to read 3 letter (short vowel in the middle) words and are ready for their very first experience with reading stories. These books can be purchased as a bound set
Book Preview, or as reproducible blackline masters Blackline Masters. These books were carefully written with reading mastery in mind.Most kids are good at guessing words in the context of a well-illustrated story. This can be a good thing when they're looking at books which they aren't quite ready to decode. Memorizing text through use of repetition can also help kids figure out what the words might say. Getting kids to look at individual words and "track" from left to right with their eyes and precisely "sound out" is more difficult. Kids often "read" by saying what they think the words say without really knowing what words actually appear where and on which page!!! This effort should be encouraged, but it is not a substitute for decoding. Decoding requires cracking the code by putting individual sounds together from left to right and reading the word as a whole unit.
Each book starts with a word list
Book Preview. The use of the word list is essential in helping kids master decoding skills. The words are not in any predictable order so the child will have to use phonics skills to decode the words. Most of the words appear more than once in the list. A child should be able to read the words on the word list in one minute or less to be ready to read the book.After the child masters the word list, he or she gets to read the book ! The book becomes the reward for all of the other hard work. Resist the temptation to help the child read the words. Let him or her struggle a little, if necessary, to figure out the words. Listen to the child read the book out loud as many times as possible. Encourage others to listen to the child read . Let the child know how excited everyone is about reading!
After the child finishes reading each book, he or she should read the comprehension questions at the end of the book
Book Preview and answer them. A parent or teacher needs to be certain that the child knows how to distinguish between the words yes and no so that the child can point to or circle the correct answer.Have fun and enjoy the adventure of beginning reading!
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