Sonya – Delightful Reading question

The word notebook is meant to be used as a review aid in place of flashcards and things like that. In future lessons you will be encouraged to review previously learned words by looking through the notebook regularly. As you mentioned, the more he sees them the easier he will recognize them.

Hi alice,

Another thought for you – I haven’t yet used the Delightful Reading kit, but have been using a similar approach in teaching my daughter how to read.  I found that while it was helpful to do word building exercises, it wasn’t enough to really cement those words in her mind – nor did using flashcards or having her try to memorize them outside of a meaningful context very helpful.  What I did find helpful was just having her read a lot!  Simple little stories like Dick and Jane, the first Pathway Reader (recommended here), Dr Suess sort of books, whatever other kind of easy readers you can get your hands on.   When we came across words she didn’t know at all I would either just tell her what they were so we could keep moving, or else I would remind her of whatever “sound” it was if it was some sound or word family we had already encountered…if that makes sense.  It was this “reading together” and seeing words in context that really helped her to put the pieces together.    We usually had our ‘lesson time’ in the morning, and then I would slip something for her to read to me in during one of our reading times later in the day – we do stories after lunch and again at bedtime, so I would have her “choose something to read to me” after I had read something to her.

Hope that helps!

Jen

Yes, I tell her what the word is when we come across something she doesn’t know – but I do hold her responsible for sounds and word families we have learned in a “lesson” – I may remind her something like “ee makes the long e sound” or “that has the same sound as ____ (word she knows) if she stumbles over something – but I do encourage her to try and use what she knows to figure it out.   She’s actually learned quite a few new words by this method too, especially if she sees it later in the story and recognizes it after I’ve told her what it was the first time.  I think it is key though to make sure and pick something where she will know many of the words on her own- too many unfamiliar words will just make it frustrating.  If he was already reading from the Pathway readers though, I’m sure he’ll be fine continuing with those since those build off of the previous stories.  At any rate, that’s what we’ve found is working for us – she has to encounter the words in a meaningful context before she really “knows” them.

I know what you mean about teaching to read – this is my first child that I am teaching reading to right now and I feel a little bit like I am making it up as I go along and find what works for us!  Thankfully, though, she is learning in spite of me not really feeling much like I know what I’m doing at times!

Blessings,

Jen