Andrew Said:

How would you teach kindergarten children to read and write in the class room using montessori materials ?

We Answered:

Are you wanting a technique to teach your child out to read...or are you a teacher in the classroom. (A side note...meaning no offense...I sure hope you aren't a Kindergarten teacher asking this question!)

I have used the guideline given in the Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons by Siegfried Engelmann. You may wish to look into it. :-)

Usually I focus on 1 or 2 letter sounds (using the guideline...common letters first) and work with tactile letters, writing the letter, and doing many an activity focused on that letter. When they know the sounds I begin introducing simple words immediately. This keeps interest...and makes them feel good about themselves that they can "read". Movable letters have been mentioned. Since I am not trained Montessori...I do not have these...but I have used magnets where we move them toward the left as we read it. I also use the arrow/dot technique brought out in to book mentioned...the child moves finger from left dot to the right dots...saying each sound. Then moving more quickly along the arrow saying it "the fast way".

I've also had great luck with the Sunshine Reader books as well as the We Both Read Series.
Good luck!

Tracey Said:

Homeschooling parents of 3-6yr olds, how did you teach your children to read?

We Answered:

Here is a list of my favorite curriculums/workbooks that I've used:
--Explode the Code, an inexpensive set of workbooks, teaching phonics from kindergarten age to about grade 3/4. I've used this one for three kids, and they enjoy it.
--Rod and Staff's preschool books are good for reading readiness and seatwork.
--Dr. Suess's ABC for letter recognition and learning sounds
--magnetic letters for playing with. Kids will naturally ask you, "What's this?" and you say, "That's T, like t-t-two." As they grow up, you can use these to build words on the fridge while you wash dishes!

My four kids are all reading now, and I've homeschooled them all. Be patient and sensitive toward your child's development, because they can learn to read only when they are ready.

This is what you need to work on first:
--following directions and sitting still (wow! that can be tough sometimes!)
--fine motor skills, starting with coloring and cutting whatever they want
--difference between numbers and letters "numbers tell how many, and letters make a sound"

Sing the ABC song, with the letter sounds, as you point to the letters. I used the back inside cover of Dr. Suess's ABC. Make sure you use short vowels and a hard c.

Regarding the age of the child, think how differently your children learned to walk. They're ready when they're ready, not when a textbook says they should be. Be alert, and seize each little, brief teaching moment as it happens. Two of my children were more aware of numbers before letters, and were well into grade 1 math before reading really took hold. The other two naturally read, almost teaching themselves. So much depends on the individual. If one child is taking longer than your friend's child, be patient. You don't want to teach him/her to hate reading. Make sure you spend lots of time on something that they're already good at.

There's so much to say on this topic. I hope this helps you.
Key words: patience, individual development, mother's intuition

Glen Said:

Which program should I use to teach my children to read?

We Answered:

I have taught my four-year-old to read. He can now read roughly 60-page early reading books from start to finish. I have found that reading development is not tough, it simply takes reinforcement and encouragement.

I have personal experience with "Your Baby Can Read", and it is worthless in my opinion. "Your Baby Can Read" is the first step to poor reading skills. It does work for getting a baby to sight-recognize a few words, but that can actually be bad for a beginning reader (since the program does not develop phonetic skills AT ALL). It is a toy for parents who want to brag about their children and nothing more. It is NOT a reading development program AT ALL.

Here are some methods I used:

· Used flash cards to work on phonetic skills, such as these:
http://www.schoolzone.com/flash-card/pho…

· Bought a few reading-oriented toys, such as "Fridge Phonics" by Leapfrog (make sure to buy the lower-case letter set, as this is important to learn before upper-case). This let him check the sounds of things on his own, and he used the letters to rearrange on the fridge to sound things out and begin to spell. You don't necessarily need this particular toy, but some letter tiles/magnets would be good to buy, at least:
http://www.amazon.com/Fridge-Words-Magne…

· Bought a bunch of early reader "stepper" books (sample follows) plus other books like Little Bear, "Go Dog Go", "Big Dog Little Dog", "In A People House", etc.
http://www.amazon.com/Hungry-Sharks-Step… (this is a level 3 one)

· Bought Kumon workbooks. They are a low-stress way to reinforce skills.

· Asked my son to spell out words by listening to the sounds.

· Used word-spotting drills when reading. When your child learns to read, or when you are reading to her, after reading a page, ask, "Where's 'the'? Can you find it anywhere else?" etc. This helps to build sight-reading skills, and helps you double-check whether the child is reading or reciting from memory (which is fine, but you want to use memory to help them sight-read in context).

· Used other drills, such as asking my son to spell certain words after reading a page. This is important and useful to reinforce constantly the difference between similar letters (d and b etc.).

· Read "with" him. This is an important skill to master-- you essentially trick the child into thinking you are reading along with him, when in fact you are lagging everything he says by a split-second. His confidence will be high when working through a tough section, and he won't realize he's doing it by himself.

· Decomposed tough words like "people" into sounding-out sequences that made sense (e.g. "p-ee-ah-ple"), and made sure to teach rules like silent "e" etc. early.

· Gave rewards for accomplishments (finishing a book for the first time, etc.).

· At the end of a tough sentence or page, had him do a "recap". This helps to build sight-reading skills.

· Encouraged my son to read words on signs while out and about, on the TV, etc.

· Developed his spoken-word vocabulary, for instance by using a new word in several different ways in rapid succession, etc. I also made sure that my son knew the correct way to pronounce each word.

Larry Said:

What's the most effective way to teach children how to read?

We Answered:

read with them and have them follow the words with you until they begin to recognize the words...let them choose the books at the library (the librarian will help you find appropriate easy readers) Eventually let her read having her point at the words as she goes. Help her when she stumbles by sounding the words out.

Laurie Said:

Who's responsibility is it to teach my children to read, Mine, or the schools?

We Answered:

I taught my kids how to read at home. Reinforced by what they were learning in school.
Your child's education is completely your responsibility. If you don't think they are getting the right or enough education at school it is up to you to do something about it. Supplement at home, meet with the principal/teacher, switch school, go to a private school.