Phonics

Teaching Kids Long Vowels Without Expensive Curriculum

/ RebeccaWade / Leave a comment

In a couple of earlier posts, I posted videos that explain the process of teaching children how to read. Teaching children the relationship between letters and sounds is a fairly simple process, and once they are mature enough to understand how to put letters and sounds together, they can begin to read. It is not really necessary to buy expensive curriculum in order to teach children how to read. Sometimes curriculum comes in handy and sometimes it makes things more complicated. But if you watch my videos, you will see some simple steps to follow that will help you get started.

This latest video shows you how to introduce “long” vowels to your child. The earlier videos dealt with “short” vowels, but once your child is comfortable reading words with short vowels, you can move on to long vowels. We introduce short vowels to children first because the words are shorter – usually just 3 letters – so reading is simpler for the child. 

Reading words with long vowels is just as easy once your child has mastered the short vowels. I have included a book suggestion below called Classical Phonics because it includes lists of words with long vowels, plus it has a lot of other useful information that may come in handy.

In addition, I have listed a couple of other helpful resources, including a book with stories that your child can read to you for practice with both short vowels and long vowels.

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Classical Phonics, by Cheryl Lowe

Explode the Code 3, pub. by Educators Publishing Service      These books are fantastic, allowing children to practicing reading/phonics skills as well as handwriting. They use a variety of practice activities and review.

Soft and White An illustrated reader that allows children to practice reading long-vowel words ending in silent e.

More on Reading

/ RebeccaWade / Leave a comment

In my first post on teaching reading, I provided a video to get you started with short vowel words – mainly words with three letters. 

In my next video, I will show you how you can introduce long vowels to your child. You will not want to do this until your child has had a lot of practice with short vowels and is comfortable reading sentences with short vowel words. 

I am listing some resources below that may come in handy for you and your child as you begin this adventure. They are all resources that I have used, both in a homeschool setting and in the classroom, and recommend highly.

Disclaimer: I have used all of the resources on this page and recommend them highly. I have used some of them in a homeschool setting and others in a classroom, and some in both. It is my desire to steer you towards high quality resources that will benefit you and make the task of teaching your child to read a pleasure, and that is my overarching purpose in listing these resources. However, please be advised that I do earn a small commission on any items that you purchase through the links on this page.

Classical Phonics, by Cheryl Lowe – This is an excellent resource which provides lists of words as explained in the video. (The book does not include sentences or stories.) This book is sold by Memoria Press, an excellent classical education publishing house.

Alphaphonics, by Samuel Blumenfeld – This book uses the same simple method, although it may progress a little quickly for young students. It has lists of words as well as many practice sentences. You can pick and choose which ones or how many you want to use. It is a classic, in my opinion.

Please note that as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Explode the Code is an outstanding resource which includes a number of techniques to help your child learn to read, including visual discrimination, phonological awareness, and even handwriting and spelling.

The following three books are pre-reading resources in the Explode the Code series and will help prepare your child for reading: Get Ready for The Code A, Get Set for The Code B, Go for the Code C

Please note that as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Explode the Code Books 1 and 2 are for learners who are ready to begin the reading process.

Explode the Code Book 1

Please note that as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Explode the Code Book 2

Please note that as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Beginning Readers: The following books are for beginning readers who are ready to read stories. They include stories composed mainly of short vowel words (CVC-consonant/vowel/consonant).

Fun in the Sun (sold by Memoria Press)

Scamp and Tramp (second book in the same beginning reading series, sold by Memoria Press)

In my next video, I will show you how you can introduce long vowels to your child. You will not want to do this until your child has had a lot of practice with short vowels and is comfortable reading sentences with short vowel words. Please enjoy the resources above until then!

How to Teach Reading

/ RebeccaWade / Leave a comment

Whether or not you are drawn to classical education, your child needs to know how to read. My daughter told me the other day that she thought that two of her children were not good readers because they had not received intensive phonics instruction at their school, but her third child, who did receive intensive phonics instruction, was an excellent reader. It is unnecessary for children to be handicapped with poor reading instruction, because the process of teaching reading is a simple one. Whether you homeschool your child or whether your child attends school, you can teach your child to read yourself in just a few minutes a day, thereby ensuring that your child does not fall through the cracks. To your child, it will be like a game. Many years ago, the book Why Johnny Can’t Read was released, in which the author encouraged parents to teach their child to read themselves before their child went to school, because one never knows what method of reading is being taught. (I also think that one never knows whether your child is going to be daydreaming through the reading lesson that day!)

So I decided to make a video which gives my simple method of teaching reading. Watch it below, and then take all the time you need to teach your child how to read. Turn it into a game!

See the link for the first set of Bob Books mentioned in the video. I loved them, my children, loved them, and my students loved them!

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