Whether parents are long or short-term home-educators, there is often the problem of finding suitable reading material to match the child's level, once a child has learnt the basics of reading. Schools will often colour-band their reading books to make it easier for a child to choose an appropriate book. This is not foolproof, however, and should not be relied upon. It also has the down-side of encouraging children to think they are better, or worse readers, depending how far up the banding scale they are. It may also make them think that the book levels are all there is to reading and set their aspirations too low. This, too, can be unhelpful. How do we decide a book is right?When we are home-educating we do not need to worry so much about levels. They are only necessary for schools to help them keep tabs on pupils as the teachers do not have time to handpick books for individual pupils. Here you win, as you know your child better than the teachers and you have the most concern for your child. The beauty of home-schooling is that you can go at a pace suited to your child without needing to compare him/her to ‘levels’ which are artificial. Without the pressure to meet a particular ‘level’, children are freed from the stigma of failure. What is more important is that your child is comfortable reading the books s/he reads. If a child cannot read many of the words, or understand what is being read, then the child will not enjoy reading. It will become a chore. Speed is not the aim, nor is competing. For this I am so thankful as it takes all pressure off of me the teacher. Our world is all about competition. As Christians we can side-step that. Our aim is doing all things ‘as unto the Lord’. So I would rephrase that question. What can your child read?What is your child comfortable reading? Good books, even if they were primarily written for younger children, will teach much. There is nothing wrong with an older child still enjoying books for younger children. By a good book, I mean one that demonstrates good grammar and style of literacy. This is important because as a child reads, they are not only taking in the story, but also learning grammar and writing style at the same time. These are your tools for teaching writing that many teachers neglect. They are also the means by which children learn to grapple with difficult ideas - books help to teach children to think. Do not underestimate the power of reading. What is most important is: a) that your child reads. Ten minutes times school grade per day is a good goal. Keep the reading time short to start with – ten minutes if need be - and gradually build up. Help your child to choose a book. Children will often err on the side of what we consider too easy. Be happy with that to start with and resist the temptation to say "Oh that's too young for you." Look at the text and decide if it is within your child's ability to read it. Then set a quiet time when reading can take place without distractions. This is a good discipline: it helps to build reading stamina and also children start learning that reading is expected by you. Bear in mind that it is mainly through reading that all other subjects will be learnt. Always talk about what your child has read with him/her afterwards – a bit of special mom time always goes down well! b) The quality of books that s/he reads. The modern books for children do not contain good examples of grammar or writing style. They may pass the world's standards, but in the past they would have been considered of a very poor standard. My advice is to choose reading material from pre 1960's. You can find suitable books for all ages on our reading list. The older the book the more value it will have for your child with a richer vocabulary and better grammar. There are a few exceptions to the rule, either way. Some like Michael Morpurgo, but I'm afraid I class his work as very shallow in comparison with for example G. A. Henty. Do not forget non fiction books which all count as well. You will also want to guide your child towards reading longer, more demanding books as his/her ability to sustain concentration develops. Here again, modern books fail us not only as they tend to be light reads, not requiring depth of thought. For those anxious about their child being able reach GCSE standard- be reassured. The standard is not high. If your child is used to reading demanding texts by age 16 then there will not be a problem. Remember too, that as children age, they should ideally move away from purely fictitious works which often feature increasingly immoral content, as well as encouraging a delight in entertainment to titivate the senses. Historical fiction, for example, or historical biographies are far better as these titles are based around real events, teaching history as well, though as history is not a fool proof subject, care must be taken here too. I love this bit I have found in a really ancient old UK reader. I think it could be applicable to all good reading books and have added words in brackets to that effect: ‘This reader (or book) is a handbook for developing the power of reading for comprehension and habits of study. (It) leads a child, through appropriate work at each stage, to grow in comprehension of the meaning of words, sentences, and paragraphs, with corresponding power to pick out information, to arrange facts in order of their importance, to make useful summaries of what has been read, to frame questions and to prepare answers, to arrange matter so that it may be remembered easily and quickly and in general to use printed and written material as the skillful student will use it. All this practice will bear fruit not only in his reading of literature, but more particularly in his study of textbooks in history, geography or science. By teaching him(her) reading in this broader sense we place in his (her) hands a powerful implement for gaining knowledge as apart from mere information.’ Doesn’t this just lift reading to a higher level straight away. We are not getting our children to read books to prove their prowess or otherwise in reading. Along with the writing which encourages them to further organise their thoughts and frame arguments etc... we are putting into their hands powerful learning tools to equip them for life. Believe me, even if your child never reaches higher level books, his/her work with any books of a high caliber will teach study skills for life. Many of us have seen that happen in our children. As you grow in confidence at choosing books with your child and see the results it will get easier. I know it seems a huge jump to abandon the ‘security’ of knowing what level a child is on, but that’s not true learning! Enjoy learning.
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First considerationsAlthough reading is something we as adults do without thinking about, and although learning to read should be simple in theory, it is not often that simple. However - some of the things that make it harder we bring on ourselves needlessly. In this post I hope to alert you to some of the pitfalls to be avoided and help you to decide on the best way to teach your child to read. Before you begin it does us all well to ask ourselves - 'What kind of books do I envisage my child ultimately reading as an adult?' as you will be paving the way for this whether you have though about it before hand or not. Reading for entertainment? Well - yes - it has its place, however fiction for the Christian can be a real snare (immorality) - so for us this wasn't top of the agenda: 'whatsoever things are pure' (Phil. 4:8) was our motto. We also have to be aware of the illustrations that are in the books we give our children. Are they caricatures of God's perfect creation - degrading humanity and animals? If so we steered away from them- our family motto was always 'whatsoever things are lovely' (Phil. 4:8). Yes, our lads read plenty of fiction as young children but as they have got older we have steered them towards more serious works, for example: Reading their Bibles Biographies (which they do for relaxation) Reading for study Reading professional books appertaining to the subjects they enjoy I don't believe that this has happened by accident but rather because we were led to consider physical books better than 'electronic books' - the highest quality books we could find, and because we followed the Robinson Curriculum, they were required to read for 10 minutes times their school year every day Monday to Friday. This instilled in them a love of reading and a thirst for knowledge. If you want your child to be a good reader, then:
The need for PhonicsI beleive phonics to be the best way to teach children to read (see here for why). Teach your child to read and spell with a good phonic programme and do it vigorously and thoroughly. Do not play at it, and drag it out over years. Learning to read with a good phonic programme can be done effectively in 2 years, giving your child then a lifetime to learn from good books. Spelling may take a little longer, but do not wait for it to emerge. Find a good phonic programme and use it consistently. Choosing a Good Phonic ProgrammeWhen looking for a phonic programme to use with your child you want it to be these things:
Before you start teaching it, you should get an overview of how the programme works and how best to support your child as s/he learns. This is very important - in fact - it is the KEY to helping your child learn to read. Tou must study yourself to understand what is necessary, so that you can tweak the process to help each child succeed. Two children can use the same programme, but the way each learns to read will be unique to him/her. always aim to make the programme fit the child, not the child fit the porgramme. Also bear in mind that what is suitable for one family/child may not be the best for you and your child - or even for subsequent children. Children all need phonics - but phonics can be presented in a myriad of different ways. There are many phonic programmes, of all complexities and prices. As my aim in life is to make things as simple as they can be, and as cheaply as possible, I reccomend the follwing two FREE programmes. Both work well. Phonics Programmes I recommend - cheap, but they work effectivelyI have written my own systematic synthetic phonic programme to fill what I saw as a big gap in resources: so many are time consuming, expensive, prescriptive and complicated! I wanted parents to see that phonics could indeed be made simple - hence the title! I wanted to give parents something that could be tailor fitted to each child, rather than a prescriptive method. It provides a framework from which to work and which can be adapted to suit any child. It is based on my many years of teaching children to read succesfully with phonics. It is designed to be a no fuss programme - straightforward and no frills, designed to get your child reading and spelling well in the shortest amount of time with the least amount of effort/money/resources. Free and truly simple, but very effective. Includes free extras like games, supporting worksheets/activities and phonic reading books. Phonics 4 FreeMany have found Mona McNee's Phonics 4 Free programme to be helpful - however some children need an even more sytematic approach, as mine is. I provide many FREE phonic games and resources along with 'how-to' information on my main phonics site: |
Welcome!After studying for an Early Years Specialism degree (B.Ed. Hons), and teaching in mainstream education, I home-educated my own children, after my husband and I were persuaded of the need to take responsibility for bringing up our children 'in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.' (Ephesians 6:4) We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
This costs the purchaser nothing extra. In this way I can continue to provide free resources. Thank you for your support. Looking for a read-aloud?
Here's one I heartlily reccomend for ages 10 +. Search
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The First book from Christina Eastwood - the first in a triology - only £5.99 (ages 8 to 13).
Now available in PRINT!
See here Now available in PRINT
See here Now available in PRINT
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