An intimidating prospect. The task of teaching a child how to read seemed like it would be difficult for someone with no experience. My older two children learned how to read at school but now that we decided to homeschool, my son would have to learn from me. Gasp!
Abeka Handbook for Reading to the rescue. Fortunately, I had a copy of the book my daughters used at school – Abeka Handbook for Reading Phonics Textbook. I went through the book with my son the way my daughters did at school. Parents had to review the book with their kids at home, so I had a pretty good feel for the book.
The method. We learned the phonic sounds and the words with those sounds. Each set of sounds was reviewed until it was learned. Then we moved to the next set of sounds. We spent about 15 minutes a day working on this.
Reading material needed. Along with the phonics he needed reading books that used words with the same phonics that he was learning. The fact that I was going through the phonics book with my son made it possible for me to know which library books used words he would know. This is an example of the benefits of homeschooling. A parent can know the curriculum. Having this knowledge, a parent can choose appropriate supplemental materials. Furthermore, an in-tune parent understands what a child is struggling with and can find solutions.
Best fit reading books. The books that coordinated well with the early part of the ABeka phonics book were the Bob Books. Once these books were mastered, he started reading the Frog and Toad books. After making his way through this series, my son was able to tackle a wide variety of elementary readers. As with my daughters, he found reading material that interested him. We made many trips to the library selecting beginner readers. I also found Emma Serl’s Primary Language Lessons a helpful addition.
The results. My son became a voracious reader. I felt so relieved that I, with no teaching experience, could teach a child to read. No one else helped. The sweet time we had together will always be a cherished memory for me. I’m saving Emma Serl’s book as a keepsake.
A summary of the resources I used:
- A Beka HandBook for Reading Phonics textbook
- Bob Books
- Frog and Toad books
- Primary Language Lessons by Emma Serl
- Assorted books from public library
Musing: a period of reflection or thought. As such this post reflects my thoughts, opinions, and experiences on the topic. The choice to home school and the methods you choose are yours to determine.