| PHONICS TALK NEWSLETTER - Volume 1 - August 2001 - by Dolores G. Hiskes, DORBOOKS, Inc. |
PHONICS PATHWAYS TUTORIAL This premier issue of Phonics Talk offers specific teaching tips for Phonics Pathways and how to integrate it with other Dorbook educational products. It also relates a heartwarming account of a successful tutoring program in Palo Alto. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ PHONICS IN THE NEWS - A Tutoring Program for Disadvantaged Kids PHONICS PATHWAYS TUTORIAL INTRODUCTION BLENDING SOUNDS INTO SYLLABLES BLENDING SYLLABLES INTO WORDS BUILDING WORDS INTO SENTENCES READING MULTISYLLABLE WORDS DEVELOPING COMPREHENSION DEWEY'S WEB PICK FUTURE NEWSLETTER TOPICS ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ PHONICS IN THE NEWS: A TUTORING PROGRAM FOR DISADVANTAGED KIDS "What good is the Internet if you can't read?" asks Mary Shaw,who has worked tirelessly over the years to open doors for educationally disadvantaged kids. "The key is reading -- all else flows from that." That statement could serve as the motto for the effort Ms. Shaw and a battalion of other volunteers have launched at Belle Haven School in Menlo Park. Their program, YES Reading, offers one-on-one tutoring during and after school to children with the poorest reading skills in the K-8 school, part of the low-wealth, low-performance Ravenswood district. Read the rest at: <http://www.dorbooks.com/almanac.html> "Sometimes it's the most beautiful flowers in the garden that can take the longest to grow!" ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ PHONICS PATHWAYS TUTORIAL This tutorial is also available on-line and in PDF format. Go to: <http://www.dorbooks.com/pathwaystutorial.html> INTRODUCTION 1--Beginning Readers: 1) Read the "Getting Started" section of Phonics Pathways (page xii) for an overview of how to teach these lessons, including a suggested sample session. 2) Get a notebook to record your student's progress with these lessons--date, page, and any special comments. 3) Try to dictate a few sounds or words in each lesson before moving on, unless writing is too difficult. Writing always helps reinforce the lesson! 4) Once he begins reading short phrases and sentences (from page 38 on) he might be ready for short beginning readers that are ONLY comprised of decodable short-vowel words. 5) Write a brief summary of the lesson in the student's journal Was it easy? Difficult? Should he repeat it, or move on? etc. 2--Remedial Readers: 1) As above, but rather than begin on the first page, do a pretest to determine exactly where your student needs to begin. Just because a student is older you cannot assume he knows the short-vowel sounds, or is able to read without guessing! 2) Go to the first review page (6) in Phonics Pathways and see if he can to read all of the short-vowel sounds. If he stumbles a lot or works too hard at it, this is where you should begin. He needs to know these sounds thoroughly and automatically, just as he knows his own name. 3) If he can read these sounds, keep testing with the review pages of each section of Phonics Pathways until you find the place where he slows down and begins to struggle. That is the place to begin--or even one step sooner if he lacks confidence. 4) If he seems to read fairly well already, go back and review the spelling rules in each section. (Also see spelling index on page 225.) Spelling and reading reinforce each other! REMEMBER! Do not measure these lessons by "age" or "page." Only time spent. He might spend several days on one page or he might complete several pages in one day. Only ten minutes every day will result in real progress! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEARNING SHORT-VOWEL SOUNDS 1--Play The Short-Vowel Shuffle (page xiv) until all of these sounds are learned thoroughly. Begin playing with the "a" cards, add more cards as they are learned. (Older students can benefit from using them as flash cards.) 2--These sounds can be difficult to differentiate. If he is having trouble hearing the difference between "e" and "i," for example,try saying some of the "i" words with an "e" sound: "etch," "egloo," etc. Or tell him "we say inch, not ench." Hearing a word pronounced incorrectly can be quite helpful! 3-- Keep The Short Vowel Stick (page xiii) on the table right by the book for students as a quick-reference and reinforcement until these sounds are automatic in recall, and it is no longer needed. It is a very handy reference! 4--Youngest students will enjoy The Short-Vowel Dictionary, their very own little board book teaching all of the short-vowel sounds. Especially recommended if student is intimidated at first by such a "big book" as Phonics Pathways! 5--As soon as your student knows the short-vowel sounds (and a few consonants) begin playing the single-letter Blendit! It is an enjoyable way to increase recognition-response time after these sounds have been taught. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BLENDING SOUNDS INTO SYLLABLES 1--Remember to take a deep breath and slowly blend the sounds together (page 9). This exaggerated activity helps develop and cement the concept of blending. 2--Use The Train Game to supplement the two-letter blend section of Phonics Pathways (beginning on page 9). A hands-on manipulative will always help reinforce blending skills. 3--Refrigerator letters are excellent for this purpose as well, having the added advantage of being very kinesthetic. Name the sounds in each letter, and move them closer and closer together. When the letters click together, the sounds blend together! 4--Play the two-letter blend board game in Blendit! to increase recognition-response time. 5--If your child does not like making sounds without meaning and only wants to make real words, try saying "sa as in sat," or "fi as in fish," "a as in ant," etc. (Carrying this idea one step farther, you can try making a game out of it by asking, "How many words can YOU think of with this blend?") ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BLENDING SYLLABLES INTO WORDS 1--Practice blending sounds into words, beginning on page 28. 2--Use The Train Game to help develop this skill as well: Have a two-letter train card ("sa) to the left, and a consonant card to the right ("t"). Say the two-letter blend while you move it towards the center, then say the letter sound in the right train card while you move it towards the center. When the train cars hitch together, the sounds blend into a word! Vary the cards to make different words. 3--After he begins reading three-letter words, additional blending practice can be obtained in the corresponding top pages of Pyramid. These reading exercises always correspond to the lessons in Phonics Pathways, and are an excellent enhancement when used together. 4--Play the corresponding board game in Blendit! This will always develop the word recognition-response time of whatever lesson he is learning in an easy and enjoyable fashion. 5--Alternatively, play the corresponding Wordwatch card game. This, too, will develop his word recognition-response time, and is fun to play as well! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BUILDING WORDS INTO SENTENCES 1--Practice reading the phrases/sentences on pages 28-38. "Connected reading" is a big step and may take time to master. The readiness for learning this skill varies greatly from student to student, and has nothing to do with intelligence any more than wearing glasses does. 2--Additional practice can be found with the corresponding sections in Pyramid. Reading builds from a single word, to two words, to three words, with words added one at a time to gradually make longer sentences. (Sample on my site) This will help develop his eye tracking and increase his eye span. 3--Double-It!, a card game with small pyramids of words on each card, can also help him bridge the gap between reading single words and reading whole sentences and stories. There are four different levels of games, each of which can be played in two different ways. 4--He can now begin reading simple decodable books to develop his reading fluency. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ READING MULTISYLLABLE WORDS 1--Read the multisyllable section of Phonics Pathways on page 101, and explain to him what a multisyllable words is. 2--Write multisyllable words by syllables on The Train Game cards, then have him read them. Alternatively, dictate a word and have him write it by syllables, either on Train Game cards or paper. 3--Practice reading the multisyllable word sections of Phonics Pathways on pages 101-103, and 212-221. 4--Practice reading the back section of Pyramid (pages 58-79). Dictate each of the three syllables/words in one of the little pyramids as well--it will reinforce the concept of syllabication. 5--Make sure he is not guessing when reading more complex books--every so often dictate a multisyllable word from the story and have him write it by syllables, and then read it back to you. 6--The Long And The Short Of It is a new game that reinforces correct spelling when adding suffixes to long and short-vowel words (pages 94-95, 98-99, 168-169). It is a self-correcting test that checks for knowledge of these particular spelling rules. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DEVELOPING COMPREHENSION 1--After he begins reading sentences, once or twice in every lesson ask him to explain the sentence in his own words after he has read it. 2--After he is able to paraphrase a sentence from Phonics Pathways, have him do the same thing with a whole story in Pyramid. 3--Have him read a corresponding decodable reader with comprehension questions at the end, and answer the questions. 4--Watch for language that is too complex. Stop and define any words that he does not understand. 5--Make sure he is reading multisyllable words correctly and not just guessing at them. As Mark Twain said, "The difference between reading and almost reading is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug!" © Dolores G. Hiskes 2001 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ DEWEY'S* WEB PICK This issue Dewey's pick for surfers is Patria Press featuring wonderful stories of the childhood adventures of great American heroes and heroines. (For students past the very beginning stages of reading--not fully decodable.) <http://www.patriapress.com> (*Dewey D. System, Bookwurmus Giganticus, is the wise and earnest bookworm who guides readers through these lessons and offers words of encouragement and humor with his extensive collection of proverbs.) ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* FUTURE NEWSLETTER TOPICS Future newsletters will discuss dyslexia, comprehension problems, and other topical issues of general interest and concern. © 2002-2003 Dolores G. Hiskes
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