? about reading, learning to read ...

[Momma Aimee]

we do not push formal academics, we do some and he has been in ST for almost 3 years and goes to OT -- so there has been a lot of phonics and so on -- he enjoys all that he does and asks for school most days.

DS1 just truened 5 in Nov and by school cut off dates is not Kindy age till Fall 11 ... ve plan to go at his pace; we had thought he'd not be ready for Kindy in the fall but now w e think he will be.

anyway here is the question

he knows most of his phonices (the simple stuff at least, all 26 basic letter sounds, a few blends).

He is trying to read.  it is actually cute -- the way he will try to sound out words (all on him, like at the hardware store while i am looking for somthing and he is standing by me trying to sound out the words on the products).

he can do the seperate sounds like /n/ ... /u/  ... /t/

but no matter how many times he does the 'word' or how quickly he does the sounds (that is no pasues) they do not 'become words for him'.  if i sound it out for him, then blend it into a word the light goes off in his face and he gets it --

i am wondering:

will this next step come natrually for him?  or am i missing something i should be doing?

[ocelotmom]

I imagine it will come naturally eventually. Can't say when.

I had similar problems with my DS. I used the first few lessons of Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons, and it clicked for him. He hated the book in general, but that bit really worked.

DD figured it out by watching the Leapfrog Word Factory DVD.

The book Phonics Pathways explicitly teaches blending, too. I'm trying that with both my kids right now, as both can sound out words pretty well, but nowhere near smoothly.

[howdeepistheocean]

My 5.5 yr old did exactly that, so rather than push it and frustrate him and myself I just dropped it totally. About 4-6 months later he made a short word with magnet letters and read it...just like that. He can sound out and read a lot of 3 letter words now. We are starting with The ordinary parent's guide to teaching reading, and he's really wanting to get to the interesting learning to read part. I'm glad I waited until it clicked for him...otherwise I think we would have a lot of frustrating moments.

[Googy]

Hi Aimee!  ;)

What T is struggling with is called phomenic awareness.  A child's phonemic awareness skills are actually the best predictor of his/her future reading success (much more so than phonics), so its awesome that you are so attuned to this already.  There are a lot of fun games out there to help encourage and develop a child's phonemic awareness skills:

http://www.readingresource.net/phonemicawarenessactivities.html 

http://www.aability.com/pagames.php 

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/377 

Good luck!

[Momma Aimee]

thanks.

I am not pushing, the only real phonics he has is either -- silly games (singing the ABCs, or picking out things that start wi th a sound like whi le waiting) or his speech -- 90% speech.  and I am not pushing reading, i am just "catching him trying" not that i am doing it with him.

thanks for the  links --

and for the "title" i needed of the skill he is "developing"

:0)

ps I have the book Phonics Pathways -- just got it -- need to dive in and read it

Originally Posted by Googy 

Hi Aimee!  ;)

What T is struggling with is called phomenic awareness.  A child's phonemic awareness skills are actually the best predictor of his/her future reading success (much more so than phonics), so its awesome that you are so attuned to this already.  There are a lot of fun games out there to help encourage and develop a child's phonemic awareness skills:

http://www.readingresource.net/phonemicawarenessactivities.html 

http://www.aability.com/pagames.php 

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/377 

Good luck!

[scheelimama]

I agree about "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" being good for this skill in particular.  Though we all dreaded the book after just 10 or 15 lessons and ended up putting it aside and never picking it up again.  But if nothing else, it gave me the skills to help my kids with this skill.  It may come naturally for some kids, but I just don't think that all kids develop these skills naturally.  And of course you won't know unless you wait a few years.  I'd rather start helping him, casually, when he's wanting some help.  Doing just a few of the lessons from that book might be enough to help him "get" this though.

[Momma Aimee]

I am going to request it from the Lib -- if nothing else giving ME the skills would be a great help

[dantesmama]

For my 5yo, it was definitely a developmental thing. He could do the individual sounds but just could not blend. I totally dropped it for a while, and then one day it suddenly "clicked" for him and he was easily reading cvc words. We haaaated 100 EZ Lessons, btw. We had much better luck with The Reading Lesson.

[blondeviolin]

My oldest is slowly learning to read.  She has wanted to since about 3.5, but hasn't had the awareness to blend letters properly.  We did sit down and do 100EZ lessons to teach the blending.  While I learned to read using the book and didn't mind it, she seemed to get bored with it.  She's now asking for lessons and help reading (we are past BOB books, but not much past them), so we're using the Funnix systembit that we downloaded (free in the month of January!).  I really am liking it, it has the same principles as 100EZ lessons, but the stories are better, the interface is better FOR HER, and I really like that it has a worksheet to practice handwriting a bit too.

[kittie313]

Yep its developmental like pp's said.  My oldest didn't have that skill at all for a long time.  At 4yo she learned her letter sounds and would say the individual sounds in simple words, but no matter how many times she tried a word it would NOT click for her.  Then at 5 1/2 we did 100EZ, the first 7 lessons I think, with her and it clicked.  At the same time, my second dd did the same lessons at 4/12yo and it clicked for her too.  Now I have a just turned 5yo who is doing 100EZ and she clicked the blending part a few months ago but isn't really ready to move ahead in her reading lessons so we're staying at cvc words for now, and I'm getting ready to try my 3yo dd with the first lessons of 100EZ to see if she's ready too (she knows almost all her letter names and sounds now)

[Momma Aimee]

Originally Posted by dantesmama 

For my 5yo, it was definitely a developmental thing. He could do the individual sounds but just could not blend. I totally dropped it for a while, and then one day it suddenly "clicked" for him and he was easily reading cvc words. We haaaated 100 EZ Lessons, btw. We had much better luck with The Reading Lesson.

what is 'the reading lesson' -- i have not heard of it.

Aimee

[ChinaDoll]

Originally Posted by ocelotmom 

DD figured it out by watching the Leapfrog Word Factory DVD.

that's a fun, easy way to learn it if you can buy/borrow a copy ... but not all kids are ready yet. 

[Momma Aimee]

Originally Posted by Googy 

Hi Aimee!  ;)

What T is struggling with is called phomenic awareness.  A child's phonemic awareness skills are actually the best predictor of his/her future reading success (much more so than phonics), so its awesome that you are so attuned to this already.  There are a lot of fun games out there to help encourage and develop a child's phonemic awareness skills:

http://www.readingresource.net/phonemicawarenessactivities.html 

http://www.aability.com/pagames.php 

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/377 

Good luck!

thanks again, i bookmarked all these and plan to read more

i have been looking around thugh and have not found a guideline for ages and expectations.  every child is differnt and Big is a great example of THAT but i am just wondering "generally speaking" he is behind?  at just past 5 to be where he is -- or is he on track?  see what I asking?  am i missing a "stages" or something i should be seeing?

just another woprred mom espcailly after 3 years of ST and very real concerns about his speech and so effecting him academically and not haveing a good reason why on his speech ...
 

[Googy]

Aimee, he sounds very much on track to me.  Keep in mind that many 5 year olds enter kindergarten still not knowing their letters and sounds.  I completely understand, with T's history, you wanting to make sure that's he's where he needs to be.  I know its frustrating, but there really is a HUGE developmental spread of "normal" at this age. 

[Momma Aimee]

Originally Posted by Googy 

Aimee, he sounds very much on track to me.  Keep in mind that many 5 year olds enter kindergarten still not knowing their letters and sounds.  I completely understand, with T's history, you wanting to make sure that's he's where he needs to be.  I know its frustrating, but there really is a HUGE developmental spread of "normal" at this age. 

 that does help.  I remember reading that in a 'typical first grade classroom' the typic teacher can expect to face a 6 year spread in ablity -- +/- 3 skill years of the actuall grade.  I try really hard not to push, but i do have concerns about his speech isses also effecting his academics, espcailly given no one has a reason for his speech.  Thanks for the reminder about the rage of normal.  :) 

He is going off his Speech IEP this spring, he is age apporprate, so he will be 'assessed' in April (and fail to qualify) so that ill be nice.

he is int eh PreK4/5 room one day a veek (for services) and his teacher can't group him, he is ahead of the class, so i guess i should orry less

[dantesmama]

Originally Posted by Momma Aimee 

Originally Posted by dantesmama 

For my 5yo, it was definitely a developmental thing. He could do the individual sounds but just could not blend. I totally dropped it for a while, and then one day it suddenly "clicked" for him and he was easily reading cvc words. We haaaated 100 EZ Lessons, btw. We had much better luck with The Reading Lesson.

what is 'the reading lesson' -- i have not heard of it.

Aimee

http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Lesson-Teach-Child-Lessons/dp/0913063029/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295552122&sr=8-1 

It is very simple and straightforward. The pages are clean and uncluttered, and not distracting or overwhelming for younger/wiggly kids. We are currently on lesson 17 out of 20 and DS1 is reading somewhere around a second grade level.
 

[ReadyMom]

Originally Posted by Momma Aimee 

will this next step come natrually for him? 

Yes.