Warning: if you’re looking for the definitive step by step instructions on how to teach a child to read, you won’t find it here. However, if you’re at the beginning of your schooling journey, and you’re at a loss as to what to teach for reading, this might be the place for you to start.
Decades ago, phonics used to be all the rage. Phonics is the systematic instruction of the sounds of the alphabet. Kids who study phonics memorize blends and learn things like “Two vowels get together and they play a game, the first vowel speaks, it says its letter name.” (Think of words like meat, boat, etc.) Then when I was in school, whole language was the thing to do. Whole language approaches reading more holistically, teaching whole words in context rather than strict phonics. It seems like now, the current trend in schools is a more balanced approach of phonics and whole language.
A trend that I find interesting among homeschooling parents is that you’ll often read this sentence: “I tried everything to get my child to read and this curriculum is the one that did it.” The assumption is, that ‘this curriculum’ whatever it may be, is the best at teaching children how to read.
So Which Curriculum Is Best?
I have used three different curriculums to teach three different children how to read. I will probably use the one I’m using now with the twins as well. . .but truth be told, I pretty much liked all of them. (You can see my reviews coming soon.) They all worked.
In fact, I suspect that whichever curriculum you use, if your child is developmentally ready to learn to read (which for some children can be as late as 9 or 10 years old), he’ll learn to read. Yes, it’s as simple as your child being ready for it.
So don’t stress over what to pick but rather review your budget (reading curriculums can be very expensive), decide what fits you the best, and go from there knowing that if you like using the curriculum, chances are very good that your child will be able to learn how to read.
Note: I will address learning issues in another blog.
Related Articles:
Even Teachers Don’t Finish the Textbook
How to Avoid the Curriculum Flip Flop
The Family Journal and Writing
The 4 Squares Method to Reading Comprehension