We are starting the journey of learning to read... concerned with reading book instruction

[kiwidreamer]

DS is two weeks into his school career, barely 4yrs old but settling well so far knocks wood Friday saw his first reading book sent home, v exciting!! However I'm a bit concerned with the 6 key words we have been instructed to help him learn 'spot these words in the reading book and in the world around them. The foundation team will check child's progress and re-new the words ever few weeks' the words this week are - I - the - to - no - go - into -

This isn't how phonics works is it???? We have a parents meeting on Wed night to explain to us how the school teaches reading so I'm being impatient I guess, does a good phonics program exclude all forms of HFW / sight learning or can the two approaches compliment each other?

Thanks mrz! The point about it being a spelling reformer's point remains The same, though.

My DS got these words to learn as his first assignment:

Biff, Chip, Kipper, Floppy, Mum, Dad

I was a bit stunned.

because ORT is a Look & Say scheme even if all those words are easily decodable.

meditrina I think that's why it is often wrong attributed to Shaw, another alternative spelling is "phoche".

I have a child with ASD who has learnt plenty of words by sight. Whilst clearly phonics is the way to go with the majority of children, will learning these few words by sight be as disastrous as is being portrayed here?

It's an unnecessary complication, and children learn better without that. The important point is not to say the words cannot be decoded, simply that they contain sounds they've not been taught yet and then tell them what they are (as that fosters their expectation that they will idc learn the whole code and read any word).

Dd got sent home with words and managed them just fine along side the phonics they were doing in class and the books sent home. Takes a few mins to learn that's all. They only send a small amount at a time and you can go over them
As many or as few times as u wish.

Genuine interest mrz - isn't the f as in enough?

My ASD son has never grasped phonics but this had huge implications for writing/spelling.
Wheresmycaffeinedrip it may only take some children a few minutes (some it takes many hours) but it isn't the best or most efficient method of learning.

No DameFAnny it isn't the /f/as in "enough" because the letters "gh" never represent the sound /f/ at the beginning of a word. "gh" at the beginning of a word always represent the had /g/ sound as in ghost or ghoul or ghetto.

just as "ti" never represent the sound /sh/ at the end of a word and "o" only represents the sound /i/ in the word "women"

Surely teachers are trained to spot those who don't get it? That's what the reading record is for and parents can put that their child is struggling to combine the two methods? :) those parents can choose not to do them and ta's and teachers can go through them at a later date with those children . ( genuine question I'm not starting a debate here :) )

Teachers aren't even trained to teach phonics Wheresmycaffeinedrip

Surely teachers are trained to spot those who don't get it? That's what the reading record is for and parents can put that their child is struggling to combine the two methods?

By then it's often too late, because you have to spend additional time picking that child's reading esteem off the floor too, and for what purpose? Why not start with the method that doesn't confuse one in five children? Because that's the problem; you can't predict which children are going to be the confused 20%.

I would suggest that children like my son will learn to read regardless but they still need intensive phonics instruction for writing and spelling and what all too often happens is parents and teachers marginalise/sideline the phonics (because this child is learning sight words and is a good reader and doesn't really need to build words to read) at the expense of spelling. I was that parent!

But surely there's never a method that suits all. Someone's alwAys gonna suffer.

That's not what the research shows - a very small percentage of children can't learn using phonics.

How is anyone suffering?

I repeatedly have a child in tears over books. Or frustrated cos she finds something to easy. Point is there are constant struggles. :( no method is ever gonna suit everyone

Why is she in tears over books?

That's me told Mrz

Don't get me started :o have posted numerous times over our repeated struggles and tears over the most MN hated books of all time. But ORT is still used in over 80% of schools and no allowances made for those who hate them. Those words she was sent home with she loved. Was most upset when she was told that until they learn the rest of the sounds there will be no point giving them out. Needless to say its been months and still no new words

So how is the 4 year old going to learn the word "I" ? without someone teaching it as a word and her remembering it? Isn't this learning by "sight" ?

ORT books are written for children to learn words by sight ... I'm not sure why a school using ORT books is trying to restrict their use with the excuse of learning phonics