Phonics - A Key to Learning to Read

Phonics is a necessary part of every good, modern method of teaching a child to read. It is the key to word mastery, and word mastery is one of the first essentials in learning to read. A knowledge of the sounds of letters, and of the effect of the position of the letter upon its sound, is an essential means of mastering the mechanics of reading, and of enabling children to become independent readers.

A knowledge of phonics not only gives power to pronounce new words, but it trains the ear, develops clear articulation and correct enunciation, and aids in spelling. Later, when diacritical marks are introduced, it aids in the use of the dictionary. The habit of attacking and pronouncing words of entirely new form, develops self-confidence in the child, and the pleasure he experiences in mastering difficulties without help, constantly leads to new effort.

The little foreigner, greatly handicapped where reading is taught by the word and sentence methods only, begins on an equal basis with his American neighbor, when the "Alphabet by sound" is taught.

In recent years only has the subject of phonics found a place on the daily school program; and there is perhaps, no other subject on the primary program so vaguely outlined in the average teacher's mind and therefore taught with so little system and definite purpose.

The present need is a systematic and comprehensive but simple method of phonics teaching thruout the primary grades, that will enable any teacher, using any good text in reading, to successfully teach the phonetic facts, carefully grading the difficulties by easy and consecutive steps thus preparing the pupils for independent effort in thot getting, and opening for him the door to the literary treasures of the ages.

Save 20% NOW with Hooked on Phonics! Enter 'SAVE20' at checkout click here

Ways to Better Grades

Every Parent wants their children to succeed in school and in life. Is your child on track for a successful school year? If not, don’t panic – there’s still time to stage a 4th quarter comeback. Your job is to provide coaching, encouragement, and some discipline.

Schoolwork can easily turn into a boring and unwelcome chore. Especially when your child doesn’t see any relevance or connection to his or her perception of the real world. Try to tune in to your child’s emotional signals and use their likes and areas of interest to your advantage. Avoid letdowns by breaking up the rest of the school year into easily manageable, short-term goals. Use these short term goals to reach or hopefully even exceed your year-end goals. Show your child the value of schoolwork. Teach them how the skills they learn in school apply to their hobbies or career interests, and help your child to recognize opportunity within adversity.

Encourage Build good work habits by scheduling study time in 30-minute blocks with a 10-minute break every half hour. Staying on top of daily workloads will help your child avoid the stress of last minute cramming. Make sure your child has a designated work area that’s free of distractions such as television and cell phones.

Work with your child’s teachers and prioritize daily assignments. If materials have a way of getting lost, invest a couple hours developing a system for filing and organizing class work. If you’re like me you might have a hard time dragging your child away from the TV or their favorite video game. You’ll do yourself and your child a big favor if you encourage a healthy balance between schoolwork and playing video games or hanging out on Facebook.

Maybe if we share an excitement for learning with our beloved little ones they will develop a life-long love of reading and learning! There are many ways to better grades - encourage your children to study and play hard!