Can anyone recommend online reading programmes?

[Sops]

I'm looking for an online reading program for my 4yo ds as although he is a big book lover and loves to be read to he has become reluctant to read his school reading books saying they're too boring and too hard. I am sure that he has the skills needed to make more progress if we can just tap into some motivation so I was thinking maybe something we do online would help.
I've looked at headsprout and that looks OK but very expensive. Does anyone know of any good ones? We have an ipad too so any apps for that which could be useful?

allchildrenreading Dr. Blank's work has nothing at all to do with Whole Language. I don't know why you would make that assumption. Perhaps there are alternative methods of reading instruction which you have not heard of that work extremely well? How can it hurt to keep an open mind at least until you learn about something?

allchildrenreading I will extend the same offer I made to mrz to you as well. If you are interested in finding out more about Dr. Blank's innovative methods please provide your email address and I will purchase the electronic version of her book "The Reading Remedy" and email it to you.

Cjcjc - the phonics code the teachers are talking about has approximate 600 rules. Therefore everything can be decoded using one of the 600 rules.

What I have never understood is how children are meant to learn 600 rules ( or even only the 150 common ones)

(and none of the 600 rules are 'at')

Which does not mean I don't believe in synthetic phonics. For most kids it seems a reasonable way to teach them.

there are a very few kids for whom a diff way of teaching works better and an even fewer number who can never learn. But statistically speaking synthetic phonics is a good place to start.

No cornsilk yes words can be sounded out using 'the code' assuming children remember it. yes words can be sounded out using 'the code' assuming children have been taught it. which I'm afraid isn't happening in every class.

but once taught it they don't necessarily remember it unless they get plenty of reinforcement - particularly children with SPLD. That's my observation anyway

but the reinforcement is part of the daily teaching process which again doesn't happen in every class. Use it or lose it ...

exactly

IndigoBell wrote:
'What I have never understood is how children are meant to learn 600 rules ( or even only the 150 common ones)'

Where did you get that idea from? I know that the various Orton Gillingham 'dyslexia' programmes teach a lot of 'rules', but bona-fide UK synthetic phonics programmes don't teach rules.

It's just another myth that the anti-synthetic phonics people like to circulate.

The synthetic phonics intervention programme I use (www.soundreadingsystem.co.uk) specifically states that it doesn't teach any rules.

maverick - If you don't call them 'rules' what do you call them? Facts? Patterns?

I mean stuff like

'ea' sometimes makes the ee sound as in tea
'ea' sometimes makes the ay sound as in great.

Obvioulsy they're not really rules - because rules imply there's some logic behind it that can be followed to deduce how a word is sounded out, and there certainly isn't that.

You are certainly teaching kids something. And there are certainly an awful lot of the somethings for kids to learn. I've read different estimates of between 150 to 600. But either way it's a huge amount.

And either way, even once you've learnt all the somethings you still can't necessarily tell what a word will say.

But I'm not anti synthetic phonics. I am anti the synthtetic phonics experts I know personally who aren't able to help my DD learn to read - but that's a different thread.

I do think synthetic phonics is a good way to start teaching reception children to read.

IndigoBell wrote:
'ea' sometimes makes the ee sound as in tea
'ea' sometimes makes the ay sound as in great.

This is the 4th characteristic of the code -that sometimes a spelling can indicate different sounds.

In the best synthetic phonic programmes this aspect of the code is taught in a quite straight-forward and logical manner (not as a 'rule') and students take it on in their stride.

Do read Prof. Diane McGuinness's article on the code:

A brief guide to the English Alphabet Code. www.ourrighttoread.com/englishalphabet.html

I am fascinated by the way that Dr Marion Blank takes 6 pages to tell you precisely nothing about what her teaching methods actually are. {grin]

I am also at just how many erroneous statements she manages to make about phonics teaching, which she has an obviously spectacular misunderstanding of.

I only got to $199.99 a year and stopped reading but have since ploughed on (valiantly I may add) and concluded she doesn't know what she's talking about.

Yes, and an interesting way to begin a posting career on MN, cjcjcj - advertising a site which costs $199.99 to subscribe to.

oh! [cynical smiley]

You can purchase Dr. Blank's book Reading Remedy on Amazon for under 10 pounds and it contains teaching materials that anyone can use to create the entire program on their own for use with their own child.

In fact I offered to purchase the book for a couple of the people posting on here who seemed like the kind of people who are interested in learning about something new.

Can you clarify your interest in the programme?

In addition, if you cannot afford to pay to use the Reading Kingdom software you can apply for a scholarship.
readingkingdom.com/learntoread/pricing.php
From my understanding they provide a scholarship to anyone who applies for it. They also donate the software to many non-profit organizations.

What mrz said.

mrz I am a big fan of Dr. Blank's work who has personally used the program and seen how well it works. I stumbled upon this site via a Google search and saw that someone had posted a question asking for recommendations for online reading programs. I posted a link to Dr. Blank's program. Normally I would have left it at that, but my post generated such a strong response that I felt the need to elaborate.

Can you clarify your interest in phonics international?

You must admit it's a little fishy that you make your very first posts advertising something. And you did quote extensively fron the website, but without using quotation marks, as if they were your own words.

People are bound to be suspicious, even without the fact that it's a load of hooey.

I use Phonics International in my role (SENCO and Literacy coordinator) to teach children to read and write cjcjcj

I have also recommended Jolly Phonics and a number of phonic based reading schemes and handwriting packages /tools at various times on this site but have no connection with any of these beyond the professional

Goodness, a punch up and I missed it [disappointed smiley]!

cjcjcj kindly offered to buy me Dr Blank's book maizieD

Does offering to buy someone a book count as a punch up?

depends what they do with the book when they have it