Learning to Read

When I post about homeschooling, I rarely have seasoned advice. I just share where we are at, what new things we're trying, our plans for the future, and whatever else comes to me. I don't usually post about where we've been because I'm trying to keep up with where we're going.

I've been focusing on Levi's education as he is my only son of 'school age.' I remember being so excited about getting started when he was Luke's age! Everything is new with Levi. I didn't want you all to think, though, that Luke is getting short-changed. Grin. Admittedly, the atmosphere in our home is quite different than it was for Levi at almost four, but that isn't a bad thing.

Luke has been exposed to so much more, and in a more relaxed manner, than Levi had been by the age of four. I let him join us when he feels like it and play when his attention wanders. What has surprised me, though, is his eagerness to 'do lessons.' He is less verbal and has less attention span for literature, but he desires a large amount of one-on-one time for projects. Apparently, lessons count as special mom-time.

Not that I am seasoned by any stretch of the imagination, but as a mom with boys at the beginning, middle, and end of the process, I thought I'd share with you how we approach learning to read. On my educational priority list, reading skills and a general love of learning are at the top.

The following instructional ideas should be used along with a great deal of reading aloud by a parent, and children should have quiet times with a selection of quality books available for them to look through (and read) on their own. Both of these help nurture a love of reading. Be sure your children see you reading on your own as well!

Around age 1:

All three of my boys have loved the picture book Museum ABC. This book satisfies both of my priorities. It is beautiful and inspiring, the boys enjoy it, and they've all learned their letters easily. One of my favorite things about the book is that each letter is very large and clearly printed on its own page.

We read this book at nap time or bed time. All 3 boys have requested it. Certainly nothing was being forced down their throats. Grin.

My best tip for reading this book (or any alphabet book) is to emphasize the letter sounds (remember to use short vowel sounds such as those used in cat, set, pig, pot, and mug). I simply say 'A says a, a, a, apple.' (Sometimes I only say the sound, particularly when the 1 year-old is rapidly turning pages.)

I Spy: An Alphabet in Art is also a great choice, as it features both upper-case and lower-case letters.

Letters learned. That's all there is to it.

Ages 2-3:

Levi learned his letter sounds after watching the Leap Frog Letter Factory DVD just a handful of times. (I didn't use the above tip with him...learned that the hard way.) Both Levi and Luke have loved this DVD. It also shows the lowercase letters but not prominently. (I wish I could find a really great children's book with both uppercase and lowercase letters. Any suggestions? ETA: I added a book selection above.)

This is a painless, fast way to learn letter sounds. Really.

The second DVD, Talking Words Factory, shows the child how to put three or four letters together to make words.

Around age 4 or later:

I started using The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading with Levi soon after he turned 4. Luke begged for lessons at 3 1/2. You could easily begin this book between the ages of three and five.

We were able to skip the first 26 lessons since the boys had already learned their letter sounds, although we spent a short amount of time making sure they could recognize the lowercase letters. Section 3, Short Vowel Words, and Section 4, Two-Consonant Blends went quickly and smoothly since the boys had already been introduced to the concepts through the Word Factory DVD.

Levi surprisingly struggled with wanting to do his reading lessons. I knew he could do it, but I think he was feeling uninspired. The sentences and stories were particularly tough for him to concentrate on even if I used a blank card to cover up the words below and my finger to cover up the words ahead. There was just too much print on each page and too little for his imagination. I ended up taking a break with him and just used sight words flash cards and beginning readers.

I highly recommend the Now I'm Reading beginning readers by Nora Gaydos. Both of my boys have been completely entertained by them and, more importantly, became happy and confident readers because of them. Unlike Dr. Seuss books or I Can Read type books (which we've used later in the game), these readers begin with three letter, short vowel words. If a child knows his letter sounds, it doesn't take much until they are able to read a whole book. That is a huge accomplishment!Bob Books are often recommended, as well. I have a hard time getting past the quirky, childish drawings, but they are great for supplementing the Nora Gaydos books (which have colorful and entertaining illustrations). They might be a great choice for a child easily distracted by pictures. In particular, I would recommend getting sets 3 and 4 to use between levels 1 and 2 of the Nora Gaydos readers.

I strongly believe in phonics instruction, but there is certainly a place for learning sight words. I bought an inexpensive set of sight words flash cards and used them with Levi, but it it simple to make your own on index cards. Write down words as you come across them in the beginning readers or find lists online like these wonderful printables. Levi loved jumping on his mini trampoline while I flashed the cards at him. They had very bold words with a red border on the cards. He didn't get distracted by all the other words on a page.

Another recommendation of mine is the show Between the Lions on PBS. It is phonics and literature based. Both boys have picked up a generous amount of reading instruction during their short television watching times. Also check your library for the show on video. I know our library carries them.

We always make it back to The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading (OPGTR) because it is a systematic and thorough instruction manual that will take a parent and child from beginning letter sounds all the way up to words at a fourth grade level. I like having this book to keep me going in the right direction and to fill in gaps and lessons that are missing from just using the beginning readers.

I've learned to be really relaxed with Luke. We actually started with letter magnets (we use these) and beginning readers when I realized he could already read simple words. We now learn the lessons in OPGTR and read the words, but he can choose whether or not he wants to do the sentences or story. He rarely reads them, but cheerfully reads his beginning readers. We go as long as his attention span allows, and I don't force it past that point. Things seem to be going much more smoothly at this stage than with Levi.

{I POSTED MORE ABOUT LEARNING TO READ AT THIS LINK HERE.}

When Levi was ready to transition to something beyond the simple beginning readers, I had a hard time finding level 1 books that I liked and other 'real' books (quality picture books, for example) were still too difficult. Here are a few that I've found that I can recommend.

Johnny Appleseed was the first level 1 reader that Levi enjoyed:

Mister Bones is perfect for the dinosaur enthusiast:
The Mighty Mississippi is one of at least six in a series of Wonders of America. They are all level 1. Titles include The Rocky Mountains, Niagara Falls, Mount Rushmore, and others.
Wind is one of a series of four books about weather.

If you buy no other level 1 reader, be sure not to miss Little Bear. It is simple, heartwarming, and timeless. There are several books in the series. These are what I would call real books.

I'll continue my recommendations beyond level 1 readers in another post.