We live in a non-English speaking country and I need to be able to help my son (4 yr) learn to read English as well as the language they speak/teach at school. He speaks both languages fluently. What are the best methods to teach reading and what books should I buy (we have some Dr. Seuss, and others)?
2007-01-25 15:22:04 · 8 answers · asked by africanviolet 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Teaching
Also, will teaching him to read in English be confusing to him as he is learning to read in French in school?
2007-01-25 16:54:12 · update #1
I like Writing Road to Reading by Romona Spalding, but it is difficult to use if you are not trained in using it. But,
Saxon (makers of the Saxon Math curriculum) make a phonics curriculum that is excellent. It is both thorough in scope and easy to use. It comes with all the things you need to teach the lessons, a script to follow so you can teach it with just a little preparation, and appropriate worksheet for practice of both reading a writing.
I used the earlier mentioned 100 easy lessons book and had to teach that child over again using a more phonetic approach. The book has special symbols marking all the letters that are not in regular books. I think it actually slows down the process.
Needless to say, at 4 years old it is probably more important to read aloud to him as much as you can. Read about things that interest him and you and his friends and his dad. Keep it as fun and interesting as possible. Stop when he's tired or disinterested.
Teaching reading at 4 years old may be difficult and frustrating for both of you. Some kids read on their own at this age; others struggle and end up feeling like failures (this can make it difficult to help them learn to read for a long time.) If you have any doubt about his reading readiness, wait.
I have taught a 7 year old to read at a 3rd grade level in less than 36 hours. A four year old can take 200 or more hours to "maybe" learn the same skills. Readiness matters- it's not a race. There is really not much for these little guys to read anyway. Receptive listening vocabulary learned from good story books is probably more important than reading vocabulary controlled early reader books.
So my recommendation is wait if you can. And look up Saxon Phonics online and check it out. It's a little expensive but well worth it. You'll get a good reader and a good speller.
http://www.learningthings.com/items.asp?cc=SAXPH00&agent=yahoo
2007-01-25 16:47:11 · answer #1 · answered by Elizabeth 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not really, they are both similar languages and use the same alphabet etc. A little pronunciation and spelling might be confusing but overall it should make him a better reader. I would try to find 'older' books, because many new children's books are pretty awful - try beatrix potter or richard scary
2007-01-25 18:09:24 · answer #2 · answered by kazak 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First, you'll want to make sure that he knows letters and the most common sounds of the letters. You'll want to make sure that he can say words if you only say the sounds (for example, you say /c/ /a/ /t/ and he says cat), or the other way around, you ask him what sounds are in the word cat.
As for reading TO him, you'll want to read him as much as you can. Make sure that you pick both fiction and non-fiction titles and let him help decide what he wants you to read to him.
As for teachign him reading, I'd recommend the book "Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons". It's based on the researched-based program of Reading Mastery and is sequential, yet relatively easy to implement.
Good luck!
:)
2007-01-25 16:09:12 · answer #3 · answered by T.G. 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You're on the right track. Get some books he loves, and read them to him every day if you can.
2007-01-25 15:38:54 · answer #4 · answered by Konswayla 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
WWW.STARFALL.COM
My daughter is in Kindergarten and learning to read. Her teacher told us about this website that would really help her to get started. I love to get on this website as well. Good luck.
2007-01-25 18:23:55 · answer #5 · answered by stephaniea 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
put signs on everything...like put a sign on the door that says door in both languages or in just 1. thats what i did it also taught me very quickly i could read in kindergarten..
2007-01-25 16:18:17 · answer #6 · answered by Lani 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Any book that has a subject matter he would enjoy. Read with him not to him.
2007-01-25 15:32:30 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My 2 year old nephew learned to ready with this program. http://bit.ly/VRIAr5
2014-08-28 10:44:01 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋