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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

How do we teach precious DS1 to read?

80 replies

BirdFromDaNorf · 23/07/2011 14:13

I know on some level I am being PFB about this but he was 4 in Feb 2011, and just isn't interested in learning letters or putting them together. He loves us reading books to him, and with him, and he joins in, but isn't interested in learning to read. He's writing his name, under duress and would rather do colouring. So many other people that we know in his class for reception can already do some basic reading, so any tips / advice gratefully received...

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

namechange100 · 24/07/2011 10:26

maizieD learnig high frequency words and being able to recognise and say them is reading. Some words are not decodable and need to be learnt this way eg the word 'to' so YES it is PART of reading

I suggested this as it is repetition and practice, but phonics - learning the letter sounds and using them to decode to read (sounding out) can be taught using different schemes, which is why I didnt suggest this or didnt do it myself.

CecilyP · 24/07/2011 12:56

You say he would rather do colouring, and you are worried? I am sure his new teacher would love to have a little boy who can use a pencil properly and can sit quietly and concentrate on colouring.

You do not have to teach him to read. In 6 weeks time he will be going to a place specifically dedicated to that purpose. In the meantime, just enjoy the rest of the summer holidays.

tabulahrasa · 24/07/2011 13:06

neither of mine could read when they started school (and they were over 5 when they started) they knew their names, and a few random letters that they'd asked about.

They're 11 and 15, read well above their age and read for enjoyment at home.

If he's not interested, don't push him - you want him to enjoy it and he's only little, it makes no odds later on as long as he's being read to and knows it's a good thing.

exoticfruits · 24/07/2011 13:29

If he isn't interested then he isn't ready. Carry on reading books to him and enjoying them together. It isn't a race.

exoticfruits · 24/07/2011 13:30

At 10yrs no one will know or care if he learned early or not and he won't be a 'better' reader because he was early.

mrz · 24/07/2011 13:44

namechange100 all words are decodable once you know the code. If they weren't decodable we wouldn't be able to use the code to write them
Children who have been taught whole words with flash cards often appear to be reading faster but then come unstuck when they encounter new words.

mrz · 24/07/2011 13:45

OP he has plenty of time for now just enjoy books and stories together.

Pagwatch · 24/07/2011 13:51

Dd is at an academic/selective school.
We were called together and asked by the school to PROMISE that we would not try to teach our dcs to read.
They have more problems undoing dented confidence and bad habits from crap teaching at home than they do helping non readers.

Make sure he can go to the loo and change at pe. Far more useful

The only reason for pushing a child who is showing no natural inclination is to feel better about parenting. Which should make it an instant no no.

RandomMess · 24/07/2011 13:52

In all honesty if he's not interested then don't do anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I didn't do anything with mine at home, school taught them to read and then once they'd started we listened to them read at home. Cut out any confusion about what they were being taught.

They didn't learn to read until they were around 5.5-6 but they are all complete book worms now.

Nagini · 24/07/2011 14:03

Mine goes through phases, sometimes very interested, then months where he only wants his lego. I don't push when he doesn't want to, but help him when he does.

We've got the jolly phonics board books, and DS loves looking at them, tracing the letters with his finger doing the actions and talking about the pictures. HERE

He can now sound out some CVC words and is interested in reading words in his book, and out and about.

I was more worried about making sure he could wipe his own bum though, TBH

FreakoidOrganisoid · 24/07/2011 14:07

DD wasn't reading at all when she started reception but once she started there was no stopping her and she finished reception as the highest reader by a long way. IMO if they are ready and they are interested then they will learn.

SquishyCinnamonSwirls · 24/07/2011 14:07

Stop stressing and comparing him to other children. He'll learn at his own pace in his own way and nothing you can do will change that.

Jolly phonics is a great place to start however, and you can easily find colouring in sheets on the net that he can colour and you can loosely discuss as a starting point. They also have fun actions and songs for them to learn which makes it enjoyable.

maizieD · 24/07/2011 22:01

maizieD learnig high frequency words and being able to recognise and say them is reading. Some words are not decodable and need to be learnt this way eg the word 'to' so YES it is PART of reading

namechange, I see mrz has answered this already. There is no need to teach whole words by flash card when a child is to be given good systematic phonics teaching.

DeWe · 25/07/2011 11:38

mrz, I'm interested what the code is that will teach a child words like "said" and "was" etc. I've always been told they need to learn to recognise them.

namechange100 · 25/07/2011 11:59

Mrs and maizieD some words are not decodeable, FGS! Children will be taught certain words using whole words on flash cards or whatever, they are called sight words and some are called 'trickey words'. Most schools use a combination of both.

Decodable text examples:

· The cat hid on top of the big rock.

· Deb had eggs and ham with us.

· The pup will jump in the pond with the big dog.

In contrast, The following sentences are NOT decodable by beginners:

· The cougar escaped by climbing behind the large boulder.

· Darlene delighted in devouring the delicious doughnuts.

· The playful Labrador puppy leaped right into the water with the other dogs.

AND even if you learnt all your words through repetition, you would still be able to read at the end of it, so to say this is not learning to read is still incorrect, it would be more accurate to say, this is not an effective way to learn to read all words.

namechange100 · 25/07/2011 12:01

Value of sight rading explained here:

www.k12reader.com/sight-word-teaching-strategies/

mrz · 25/07/2011 12:03

the letter "a" following /w/ (written either w or wh or more obscurely s"qu") usually represents the sound /o/ not /a/ as in what, want, wasp, squawk, wander, waddle, wash ...was (the sound w often changes the sounds of the letters following think word, work, world)

The "ai" pattern represents three different sounds. The ai represents the short /a/ sound in plaid, and the long /ay/ sound in aim, and also the short /e/ sound as in the word said, again....

namechange100 · 25/07/2011 12:16

mrz arguably you have to ask which is quicker to teach a 4/5 year old a flash card or that rule.

mrz · 25/07/2011 12:26

www.improve-education.org/id58.html

shortcomings of sight words explained here

DeWe · 25/07/2011 12:28

To be honest (as someone who read most of Lord of the Rings before I "got" phonics) I think it actually makes it more complicated that way. I'm trying to think of other (simple) words using the sound "ai" as e and am not getting very far. I take your explanation over the wa/wha sound, I hadn't really thought of it like that.

It seems easier to me for children to learn a few words by sight (obviously as adults we read the majority by sight anyway) than cover every sound possible for every combination of letters. In languages with fewer exceptions though it's probably easier.

Ormirian · 25/07/2011 12:33

Please don't worry. He will get there. He doesn't want to do it yet so please don't make an issue of it. Ignore the other children in his cohort - they are irrelevant. If he's still not reading at the end of Yr6, then you can worry

namechange100 · 25/07/2011 12:33

There are 38 non-decodable words.

I am not saying this is THE way to teach reading, just that it has a place. I posted in response to the OP in that flashcards are something a parent can do easily without messing it up, whereas phonics is more involved and there are different strategies so is more likely to give a child incorrect or bad habits if taught differently to the school.

As I have previously stated a combination of both is normally used, and there is a body of research and evidence online that support the teaching of sight words. IME my DS has made very good progress through reception being taught using both methods.

Ormirian · 25/07/2011 12:35

It did help me when DS2 started school to go to the phonics workshop the school organised. It helped to ensure that I was following the same rules as they school was. Mind you it didn't mean that DS read anytime soon he was in Yr 2 before he was anything like fluent. But in Yr 3 he came out with the highest reading age in his class so he has caught up.

mrz · 25/07/2011 12:39

but there aren't 38 non-decodable words in the whole English language and children shouldn't be taught that there are!

namechange100 · 25/07/2011 12:42

mrz that link in response i find irrelevant as it pits phonics against sight words, and this is not my argument one or the other. I have said from the beginning that a combination of both is normally used so I dont understand what point you are making.

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