toddler reading

My DD (will be 4 in 2 months) loves books. Her memory is quite good. If
I read her a book twice, the third time she remembers the context,
words based on the picture on every page and "reads" to her sister. She
wants to learn how to read. She asked me point-blank to teach her to
read. I started to teach her letters, the sounds they make etc.

This is our problem: On day 1: I introduced her to the very first basic
level BOB book. I made her read the book. She loved it. The second day,
I asked her to re-read the book. For the most part, she just remembered
what's on each page based on the previous day's reading and repeated
it. She didn't actually read by looking at the word. She just read by
looking at the pictures. I tried to cover the pictures and she got
upset. This is just one example. I also wrote few common words on a
piece of paper and stuck it on the wall. I showed her what each of
those mean. The next day she read about 80% of them correctly just by
looking at how the word looks, not because of the letters in each word.
I hope I'm making sense. This was 6 months ago. Even now it's the same.


I got frustrated by the way she remembers how a word "looks". I stopped
teaching her to read. I just continued reading books for her. She keeps
asking me for "sounds books" (her word for BOB books) and I feel bad
for not being able to teach her properly. She's obviously intelligent.
I just don't know how I can utilize her skill properly. I appreciate
any suggestions.

Thanks.

wrote in message
ups.com...
This is our problem: On day 1: I introduced her to the very first
basic
level BOB book. I made her read the book. She loved it. The second
day,
I asked her to re-read the book. For the most part, she just
remembered
what's on each page based on the previous day's reading and repeated
it. She didn't actually read by looking at the word. She just read
by
looking at the pictures. I tried to cover the pictures and she got
upset. This is just one example. I also wrote few common words on a
piece of paper and stuck it on the wall. I showed her what each of
those mean. The next day she read about 80% of them correctly just
by
looking at how the word looks, not because of the letters in each
word.
I hope I'm making sense. This was 6 months ago. Even now it's the
same.

This isn't a problem, it's a natural stage of reading. Let her figure
out the words in whatever way makes sense to her. If you refuse to
teach her until she can do it "right" you'll take away her pleasure in
reading.

Bizby

wrote:
My DD (will be 4 in 2 months) loves books. Her memory is quite good. If
I read her a book twice, the third time she remembers the context,
words based on the picture on every page and "reads" to her sister. She
wants to learn how to read. She asked me point-blank to teach her to
read. I started to teach her letters, the sounds they make etc.

This is our problem: On day 1: I introduced her to the very first basic
level BOB book. I made her read the book. She loved it. The second day,
I asked her to re-read the book. For the most part, she just remembered
what's on each page based on the previous day's reading and repeated
it. She didn't actually read by looking at the word. She just read by
looking at the pictures. I tried to cover the pictures and she got
upset. This is just one example. I also wrote few common words on a
piece of paper and stuck it on the wall. I showed her what each of
those mean. The next day she read about 80% of them correctly just by
looking at how the word looks, not because of the letters in each word.
I hope I'm making sense. This was 6 months ago. Even now it's the same.


I got frustrated by the way she remembers how a word "looks". I stopped
teaching her to read. I just continued reading books for her. She keeps
asking me for "sounds books" (her word for BOB books) and I feel bad
for not being able to teach her properly. She's obviously intelligent.
I just don't know how I can utilize her skill properly. I appreciate
any suggestions.

I'm not sure I understand the problem? It sounds
like you are insisting that she learn via phonics, and she's
picking things up by sight. Why can't she? Eventually she'll
learn to sound out words when it's useful to her. Why can't
she learn things the way she wants now? It's not like you're
somehow damaging her because you're allowing her to learn some
sight words at four years old. Some kids are very successful
with this reading strategy for quite some time. Follow her
lead and answer her questions. She'll be fine.

Best wishes,
Ericka

This isn't a problem, it's a natural stage of reading. Let her figure
out the words in whatever way makes sense to her. If you refuse to
teach her until she can do it "right" you'll take away her pleasure in
reading.

Bizby

OP here. Thanks for your reply.
I'm only concerned that I'm not teaching her right. She knows sounds
yet she doesn't use them.

I'm not sure I understand the problem? It sounds
like you are insisting that she learn via phonics, and she's
picking things up by sight. Why can't she? Eventually she'll
learn to sound out words when it's useful to her. Why can't
she learn things the way she wants now? It's not like you're
somehow damaging her because you're allowing her to learn some
sight words at four years old. Some kids are very successful
with this reading strategy for quite some time. Follow her
lead and answer her questions. She'll be fine.

Best wishes,
Ericka

OP here. Thanks for your reply.
I know there are lot of resources and info on how to teach using
phonics method. But how do you really teach by sight/recognition
method? Just by repetition and rhyming?
I appreciate any suggestions, links and books.

I think some kids do just go through the early stages of reading by just
knowing how a word looks, there is more than one way to learn to read. I
think my mum said I was this way to start with and I don't think it ever did
me any harm. Keep going over the same words, add in some new ones, keep
refreshing the letters and sounds, so that she still has those tools. When
she comes across a new word, go through the steps of working out what it
sounds like, but if she then remembers it the so be it, she's learnt another
word and eventually she'll grasp how to work out what a word is. The english
language has so many variations anyway, that phonics is not a strict rule as
to how things sound, there are many exceptions, I really would not worry at
all and just enjoy it, if she can read something whether it's by memory or
whatever, that deserves praise!

Anne

I am sure I learned to read by word recognition and not by phonics. I
think I partly taught myself. I also taught my sister to read the
same way - we didn't really "do" phonics in my day (I was starting
school in 1942). Even to this day I have a problem sounding out a
word. I never learned to spell - what letters were in each word -
until I learned to type and then of course I had to type each letter
separately

There are fads in teaching reading - partly due to the fact that some
people learn better one way and some learn another way. It is
perfectly OK, and even proper for her to learn partly by sight words
and partly by phonics. Whatever works for her.

" wrote:

My DD (will be 4 in 2 months) loves books. Her memory is quite good. If
I read her a book twice, the third time she remembers the context,
words based on the picture on every page and "reads" to her sister. She
wants to learn how to read. She asked me point-blank to teach her to
read. I started to teach her letters, the sounds they make etc.

This is our problem: On day 1: I introduced her to the very first basic
level BOB book. I made her read the book. She loved it. The second day,
I asked her to re-read the book. For the most part, she just remembered
what's on each page based on the previous day's reading and repeated
it. She didn't actually read by looking at the word. She just read by
looking at the pictures. I tried to cover the pictures and she got
upset. This is just one example. I also wrote few common words on a
piece of paper and stuck it on the wall. I showed her what each of
those mean. The next day she read about 80% of them correctly just by
looking at how the word looks, not because of the letters in each word.
I hope I'm making sense. This was 6 months ago. Even now it's the same.

I think maybe you should make a game of covering the pictures up,
rather than a sort of punishment.

I got frustrated by the way she remembers how a word "looks". I stopped
teaching her to read. I just continued reading books for her. She keeps
asking me for "sounds books" (her word for BOB books) and I feel bad
for not being able to teach her properly. She's obviously intelligent.
I just don't know how I can utilize her skill properly. I appreciate
any suggestions.

wrote:
My DD (will be 4 in 2 months) loves books. Her memory is quite good. If
I read her a book twice, the third time she remembers the context,
words based on the picture on every page and "reads" to her sister. She
wants to learn how to read. She asked me point-blank to teach her to
read. I started to teach her letters, the sounds they make etc.

This is our problem: On day 1: I introduced her to the very first basic
level BOB book. I made her read the book. She loved it. The second day,
I asked her to re-read the book. For the most part, she just remembered
what's on each page based on the previous day's reading and repeated
it. She didn't actually read by looking at the word. She just read by
looking at the pictures. I tried to cover the pictures and she got
upset. This is just one example. I also wrote few common words on a
piece of paper and stuck it on the wall. I showed her what each of
those mean. The next day she read about 80% of them correctly just by
looking at how the word looks, not because of the letters in each word.
I hope I'm making sense. This was 6 months ago. Even now it's the same.


I got frustrated by the way she remembers how a word "looks". I stopped
teaching her to read. I just continued reading books for her. She keeps
asking me for "sounds books" (her word for BOB books) and I feel bad
for not being able to teach her properly. She's obviously intelligent.
I just don't know how I can utilize her skill properly. I appreciate
any suggestions.

Thanks.


Like everyone says, she is learning to read - just not quite in the way
you expected It sounds like she's using the "Whole Word" method while
you want her to learn using Phonics. Both are valid methods and probably
both are needed.

Continue to give her the BOB books and let her go with it the way it
works for her. But also continue with the individual letter sounds
separately from the BOB books. Later, you can use the individual letter
sounds and put them together to form words in the BOB books.

Hi --

I'd get a set of letters, wooden or magnetic ones, or perhaps blocks,
and make sounds (not just words) out of them. Let your daughter try to
make sounds too. Make rhyming sounds. Make sad, bad, lad, rad, fad
..... and let her take away one letter and replace it with another to
discover the new sound. See if she can figure out the phonics rules on
her own. Keep making the whole experience fun, a game.

What you're doing with this methods is teaching her to DECODE, which
isn't the same as reading. But it IS a first step. Other pre-reading
skills include being able to recognize indvidual letters and say what
sounds they make, being able to rhyme (which includes playing rhyming
games where she guesses the last words in a rhymed couplet), filling in
the end of a sentence from contextual clues (ie, "I'm too hot. Let me
take off my ..." and she looks at you and fills in "jacket".) You can
also let her find words she recognizes in longer texts that she hasn't
already read.

You can help her learn sequencing (what comes first, what comes next).
Ask her if the wolf huffs and puffs first or if the house blows down
firsst, for example. You can work on which part is the beginning, which
part is the end.

Sorry if this is bit disorganized. Whatever else you do, make sure you
BOTH enjoy the process!

Have fun,
--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would
like me to reply.

wrote in message
ups.com...
My DD (will be 4 in 2 months) loves books. Her memory is quite good. If
I read her a book twice, the third time she remembers the context,
words based on the picture on every page and "reads" to her sister. She
wants to learn how to read. She asked me point-blank to teach her to
read. I started to teach her letters, the sounds they make etc.

This is our problem: On day 1: I introduced her to the very first basic
level BOB book. I made her read the book. She loved it. The second day,
I asked her to re-read the book. For the most part, she just remembered
what's on each page based on the previous day's reading and repeated
it. She didn't actually read by looking at the word. She just read by
looking at the pictures. I tried to cover the pictures and she got
upset. This is just one example. I also wrote few common words on a
piece of paper and stuck it on the wall. I showed her what each of
those mean. The next day she read about 80% of them correctly just by
looking at how the word looks, not because of the letters in each word.
I hope I'm making sense. This was 6 months ago. Even now it's the same.


I got frustrated by the way she remembers how a word "looks". I stopped
teaching her to read. I just continued reading books for her. She keeps
asking me for "sounds books" (her word for BOB books) and I feel bad
for not being able to teach her properly. She's obviously intelligent.
I just don't know how I can utilize her skill properly. I appreciate
any suggestions.

Thanks.

I don't know the anwer to this, but are there games you can get that would
help her learn the words? You might also get her computer games. (I almost
said computer games that she can plan on the computer. Gee, where else would
you play them? At the tennis court?)

These games could make learning words fun for her.

Games like leap frog might be appropriate for her.

Also, point out words to her when you are in the store (like tomato over the
tomatos), words on road signs and on menus (like broccoli, cheese, sausage
at the pizza place; you might also point out that "anchovi" means "yuck.").
(Remember to keep your eyes on the road, not the signs, as you drive and
lead the way.)

And, of course, give her positive feedback as she learns more and more
words.

She'll learn to sound out words when she is ready.

Jeff