What Do You Really Need With Sing Spell Read and Write

When we talk about phonics, the first affair nosotros need to emphasize is keeping things in perspective.  One of my favorite sayings goes like this:  "The fear of the LORD is the start of wisdom—not phonics."  (Mary Schoalfield.)

Keeping things in perspective: Phonics (especially before the first grade) are NOT the be-all end-all to homeschooling.  Don't over-emphasize phonics!  Don't make phonics the focus of your homeschool!  Don't overlook other of import learning in favor of phonics!  And DON'T feel like a failure if your kid isn't reading earlier Kindergarten (or by the end of first grade…or at the stop of second course…or even later on!  Some children don't master reading until age 8-10.)   Instead of stressing and then much over teaching reading, we should call back to balance the need to teach our children to read (along with our other academic goals) with the needs of the whole child.  We also need to be sure we keep showtime things start, remembering our most of import goals–building Relationships.   Nosotros should exist nigh focused on:

 ~Educational activity our children near the Lord, and helping them                develop a personal relationship with Him.

~ Growing strong relationships betwixt family unit members, particularly parent/child and child/siblings.

~Helping our children develop Godly grapheme traits and good/helpful habits.

       Learning to read is very, very important.  Just remember that readiness  is truly primal to reading/academic success AND to maintaining a beloved of learning.  Nosotros need to respect the God-given timetable within our children, and let them retain their dear of learning by being very careful not to push.

      That being said, hither's how we teach our children to read–using Sing, Spell, Read, and Write.

Why I similar Sing, Spell, Read and Write— I take used Sing, Spell, Read and Write to teach all four of our children to read–with bang-up success (well-my youngest are all the same "in progress.")   Hither are the reasons I like it:

• Information technology is multi-sensory, using games and music to teach phonics (bells and whistles!)
• It tackles words from left to right, the way we attack the words when nosotros  read.  Many curriculums concentrate on educational activity the sounds that come at the finish of words (_at, _in, _ate.)   This doesn't brand sense to me, since we read the beginning sounds showtime, and then add the endings. Sing, Spell, Read and Write teaches the beginning blends first (the easiest outset, such as ba, be, bi, bo, bu, and subsequently, harder blends such as tra, tre, tri, tro, tru etc–tr, sl, sm, sn, scr….you go the idea.)  You can however teach the word families (most kids pick upward on them, anyway–) just I personally, I believe that information technology makes more sense to outset at the left side of the word.
• The order of the lessons is logical and systematic.
• It includes readers that reinforce the words children are learning.
• Information technology does Not include very many sight words; information technology DOES teach the words that are "dominion-breakers."  (I prefer to concentrate on a phonetic approach, instead of memorizing hundreds of sight words the way the public school kids do.)

This is how we used Sing, Spell, Read and Write— When our children start Kindergarten (historic period five or 6–no sooner), we buy the First-Course Kit (I thought the preschool kit was a full waste of time…nothing but a bunch of "worksheets", which are inappropriate for young children.  I didn't think the Kindergarten set was necessary, either.) The Beginning grade kit comes with two books: Off We Get , and Raceway . We used the Off We Go book (almost exclusively) for Kindergarten.   We used it to "cement" the messages and sounds, and to make an alphabet volume. ( Off We Become contains no blending.)

      We completed almost one letter of the alphabet a calendar week (sometimes more, sometimes less),  leaving the last x weeks or and so of Kindergarten to begin the songs and games from the commencement of the Raceway book.  If I believed the children were ready, nosotros would commencement blending letters to brand words (nosotros spent a long time on this footstep–beginning blending–singing the "Ferris Wheel" and playing the blending games–"Blend-o" and "Choice a Audio from the Merry-go-round".)

      Back to the Off We Go volume:  For each letter of the alphabet in that location is a coloring page, a cutting and paste page, a dot to dot folio (alphabet guild dot to dot), and a page of handwriting (we normally did only one row or two rows of writing do.) My kids liked the cut and paste pages best (which film goes with the letter?–Which doesn't belong?) Later they were washed with the pages, we glued two of them into a 12 X 12 scrapbook. Effectually the edges, we glued pictures that I gleaned from onetime magazines and old moving-picture show books from Goodwill. This turned it into their "alphabet volume." (Note:  If you but want to purchase the Off Nosotros Go volume , you lot can find it on Amazon very inexpensively.

We also added some of their favorite fine art to their books (the final pages)— especially self-portraits fatigued at the commencement and end of the year (to prove how the children had matured.)

       You could even plow a scrapbook into a sort of "schoolhouse journal", recording your favorite activities and art experiences.  Here is ane of our rare, cutting-and-paste-for-a-set-result blazon of craft:

      Back to phonics:  Nosotros use the Raceway book for commencement and 2d form–sometimes through 3rd. By the time the children consummate it, they accept the tools they need to sound out anything.

     Nearly the "teacher's edition"– We don't follow the long, detailed lesson plans. Nosotros don't spend the amount of TIME the teacher's edition recommends, either (we keep the lessons down to 10-xv minutes max for first course…less for kindergarten…it's all-time to leave them wanting more than, versus overwhelming them.)

      We don't follow the lesson plans as written.  We just sing the songs, play the games, and then read the words once the sounds/rules are mastered.   When we are beginning starting the Raceway book, all we'll be doing is playing games and singing songs. Gradually, equally more "steps" (sets of words) are mastered, nosotros'll add reading new words, writing them, spelling them, reading the phonic story books aloud, etc.

     Nosotros let ourselves feel free to skip any pages that nosotros consider to be "busy work" (things I know they've mastered).  Some of my children take used Explode the Code (which mostly goes in the same gild every bit SSRW) to supplement/practice spelling, handwriting, etc as needed. If the kids ever "get stuck", we just play the games and sing the songs until they "get" it (children often seem to larn in spurts.)   Once they offset to read, nosotros requite lots of exercise reading aloud via the simplest books.  This gives them a chance to feel successful, and to learn to read fluently and with expression.
Nearly spelling– Virtually of my children reached a indicate at some fourth dimension or some other when their ability to master spelling the words didn't friction match their ability to learn to read the words.  When that happened, we'd let them go alee with their reading, while continuing to practice their at spelling at the level they needed to—even if they were several steps "behind" in spelling (SSRW suggests children should be able to read, write, and spell each of the words before moving on to the next step.)  By allowing the children to move forth, they can progress and experience success with their reading while simultaneously continuing to practice their spelling.  Later on, perhaps even the next twelvemonth, we would go dorsum and review all the spelling words, making certain they were mastered.

A final word about phonics and readiness– Many families try phonics programme after phonics programme, to no avail.  They become more and more than frustrated with the programs and their children.  They often come to believe a common myth most curriculum:  The myth that "if nosotros could only find merely the right curriculum, then my children would learn to read" (or acquire their math facts, or become interested in history, etc.)  Some might start to think that maybe their teaching is at fault; others might start to believe that there could be something wrong with their children.  But and so, low and behold, once the third or quaternary expensive curriculum bundle has been purchased and tried, all of a sudden something "clicks" and the child starts to read!  Some children fifty-fifty seem to teach themselves. The truth of the matter is uncomplicated.  In all likelihood, it wasn't the "curriculum'due south mistake" at all.  It was a elementary thing of readiness. Trying plan after program, however frustrating and expensive it was, allowed enough time to laissez passer for the child to mature and develop readiness.

     In my experience, reading is very much a "developmental" chore, but like learning to walk or learning to swim.  Earlier children develop readiness for these new skills, it is useless to try to teach them.  They balk; they fight yous; they become frustrated or even afraid.  Most certainly, all the joy is driven out of the task (nosotros sure don't want to take the joy out of learning or reading!)  But one time they are ready to learn, you can barely hold them back.  Reading is very much like that.  Don't make the fault of starting as well soon.  It will only frustrate you and your child.  It volition have the joy out of learning.  If your children are struggling or resistant, just set bated phonics for awhile, then endeavor again subsequently.  Let readiness accept a chance to develop before you spend money on another phonics program.

     If this happens in your family, remember that children who learn to read afterwards learn more quickly and easily than younger children practice.  Then why spend YEARS teaching letter recognition and phonics (starting in preschool, equally many parents do) when you could teach it in only a few weeks or months when your children are older?

     It's something to think nearly, anyway.

A note nigh curriculum reviews:  Call back that I don't receive any coin for my reviews.  Also remember that my personal curriculum choices might not work for you or your family.  If you are looking for a back-to-basics phonics programme with no bells or whistles, there are numerous programs that might work for you…you might start by investigating Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

© 2010 Susan Lemons all rights reserved.

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Source: https://susanlemons.wordpress.com/2010/08/04/teaching-children-to-readhow-we-use-sing-spell-read-and-write/

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