07/31/2024
Let's talk learning to read!!
I taught 4th grade for 6 years and then 2nd for 2 years, so I never really knew how kids learned to read, but focused on reading comprehension.
I've been homeschooling now for 2 years, since my son was 5 and would have started kinder--hes about to be in 2nd grade. Teaching to him to read has been a struggle, to say the least. Part of the issue I do believe has to do with audio processing difficulties he has-- he spent 2 years in speech.
I scoured over all "the science of reading" and the one thing that kept coming up was explicit and systemic phonics.
This means that students are taught the letter-sound relationships through modeling, guided practice and independent practice in a sequence that is organized.
When it came to homeschooling, I went ahead and used a curriculum for phonics called "Explode The Code". This has been around for decades and has helped many kids to learn to read-- in fact my husband learned to read with this curriculum over 25 years ago! I love that it has writing and breaking sounds apart along with silly stories!!
Another curriculum that I love that is a lot newer is "Treasure Hunt Reading". This curriculum has videos that students watch that teaches the letter sound, how to form your mouth when making the sound, and uses kinesthetic movements to practice forming the letters. This curriculum has been my son favorite so far because he is on a treasure hunt and will earn keys on different journeys.
I think both of these curriculums have helped him to finally "click" with reading skills! It's so fun once kids finally start reading!!