TheApple

Okay, so I am currently an assistant teacher working at an elementary school under supervision of my high school. It's a career prep/work program. That is not the point, however. :)

I sit through phonics lessons, observing how the teacher teaches, and what she teaches, and when it comes to phonics and reading I keep wondering, "Is this really an effective way to teach them how to read?" With phonics it's all coding and the only thing I can remember from first grade is the breve/macron and the boxing of suffix 's'. They teach sounds, but what happens when most of what the kids learn are words that do not follow any sort of coding "language?" I cannot ever remember connecting coding or any phonics concept to the actual reading of books. I have searched high and low on the internet for an alternative to teaching saxon phonics(i.e. the Phonics Dance, Letterland, Words Their Way, etc) and cannot find a program that satisfies me from a student perspective. Forget about the teacher's perspective: what we're supposed to be doing is encouraging student learning. Besides, even learning how to teach is making me almost snooze.

My other issue deals with reading: we seem to be reading to 1st graders from books with small words and very minimalist story lines. We can we not read to them from age-appropriate chapter books. Their level of understand surely exceeds their reading capabilities, or am I just completely off?

Any input or advice you have would be helpful. I'm required to teach at least one lesson a six weeks, and I really want to find an interesting way of teaching the same old boring phonics.

Thanks lots!

Learning the relationship between letters and the sounds associated with them is not reading in any sense, but it is an essential element in learning to be fluent an flexible in language. Letter-sound associations, when used skillfully, can be manipulated to produce visual puns and other humorous types of wordplay. Of course, kindergatden is a long way from that.

In answer to your second question, yes, the students' listening comprehension and higher-order thinking skills are most likely far more developed than their reading ability, so you should be using read-aloud material that has rhyme, compound words, and more developed story lines. I teach sixth grade, but I make a point of going down to read to the students in the kindergarden classes as often as I can. They enjoy it, and I am always astounded at their ability to think about what they are hearing, infer meaning, alter perspective and otherwise digest what I am reading. I wish my sixth graders were as talented.

As a child I was not taught phonics.  It was not until I learned the sounds, as an adult,  that any of my speed reading courses helped me .  So I am a perfect example of how phonics is of great value.

However, I do understand your apprehension about what you saw.  I work with kids who are having trouble learning to read, and was trained by psychologists on how to work with kids and their education.  Studies show young children learn best while at play.  So a very effective reading curriculum game I use is Ring Around the Phonics.  Taking children after the holidays that are expected to fail, I can use this program, and most end up passing because it is  curriculum disguised as a game.  They love it, and it makes my job easier and more fun.  The link is at:  (I cannot seem to get the link to work.  But if you type the www. and then read-phonics.com into your browser it should get you there) 

Note:  The largest group I have been able to use it with at one time is eight, and it does take envolvement of a teacher, aid or volunteer.