For on developing oral abilities and phonological awareness. Then they have the skills to more quickly and easily make sense of print when you have time to teach this. Focus on helping the child modify brain networks so that they make sense of speech sounds- the basis of our written code.

Lots of phonological awareness info here http://www.facebook.com/readaustralia

 http://youtu.be/Lxs-RazOU8U

Its impossible to do research (even though its logical to assume) to show that flashcards can prevent us (educators) from seeing the way in which their brains are processing information and to see that we need to focus on speech sound links to print. Flashcards make children focus on the whole word and not its parts. With some children it doesnt matter as their brains are 'wired' to enable them to make sense of it all whatever we put infront of them (as long as we do give them the stimulus) 

ALL recognised and respected reading scientists would tell you to START with phonological awareness and focus on oral abilities as the optimum strategy for all children from birth- BEFORE print (whole words OR phonics). This means that even if you cant access brain imaging for your child you can avoid difficulties- but this helps all brains regardless. Our focus is on prevention however- the children who are finding it very hard to understand the reading and spelling process because they are being asked to memorise words as a whole shape. How could these children who are looking at the flashcard 'plate' then read it if you change it to 'plane'. The videso show memory- not encoding or decoding which is the foundation for effective reading.   

When you teach a child to link speech sounds with sound pics there is no need to teach them to memorise whole words. And all gov reports support this. Not sure why you think teaching flashcards first would ever be a good idea. There is no research to support that at all.

I really dont want to be involved in this as I thought this thread was about phonological awareness and how using this FIRST- way before even introducing print - is the most effective way to help any brain. It seems instead that you are arguing flashcards should be taught first- there would be no recognised reading researchers - only parents or people trying to sell a product - that would ever do this.

If you do want to know more about how to prevent difficulties rather than hope your child will suceed using home grown ideas - then do join the facebook page. I could have this argument anywhere- there is a world full of parents and well meaning educators who support teaching whole words as some wort of teaching strategy.

Sight words that are high frequency tricky to decode words can be used to get children reading sentences early- eg I, was, the - so that they can quickly start reading the books in line with the sound pics they are learning (see SPELD SA etc for free downloads) So they can read sentences like 'The ant was in the pan' without having to have a picture or be told the sentence first by the parent.This is decoding- and because its also meaningful it also helps the children understand why we read. But to teach a child flashcards so they can say the words as if that is reading? It isnt. Its just memorising. For a child to read (and spell) with confidence long term they need the skills to do what you do when reading this ALOUD.

"This gallimaufry is multitudinously gargantuan, puissantly capacious sand ineffably Junoesque and in consequence of such Protean tribulations ...." Ive posted it before.

So we teach them from the beginning. Some pick this up quickly- some dont- however the ones who wont WILL if you take the approach Im talking about- which is exactly what all government inquiry reports etc recommend.

So its not something that is worth discussing- and just because your children are doing well - and you THINK you know why- doesnt mean this is actually true.  To know why they did well you needed to look at brain activity as they did things. Thats what our focus is- looking at brain activity of children whether good or poor - to see what helps their brains modify networds. You showed a link at the beginning about dyslexic children - if these had had phonological awareness training FIRST they wouldnt have these dyslexic brains. So its a no brainer that parents should start with this with their child just incase- because you cant tell which are likely to have difficulties eg dyslexia until at least 4. We start from birth.

http://www.facebook.com/readaustralia       

A spelling one:-) - even though its what I do with older students its useful for you to see the approach for spelling- as you can do that with your little ones.

Listen for speech sounds - how many - what order (phonological awareness) - draw that many lines- work out which sound pics go on the lines (phonics)- you can use the speech sound clouds for this.


Sometimes there arent that many lines after all- eg if you were to listen for how many speech sounds in 'six' there would be 4 s/i/ck/s - so when they draw the 4 lines you might then go to the 'cks' sound cloud and see x and work out that we need to remove a line s/i/x

Its all about listening for speech sounds, learning all the sound pics, but letting the children discover as much as possible.

Focus on 6 speech sounds first- and 6 sound pics (s,a,t,p,i,n)- and do lots of spelling using these- eg listen to 'pin' how many speech sounds (3 ) what are they- draw 3 lines- find the right sound pic to go on the line (use magnetic letters or laminated cards of the sound pics).

TADA ! 

http://youtu.be/fzmG-xmIgEY

Ive only just seen this - had unsubscribed from the thread as comments had been getting so personal. Ive apologised to you for thinking you were someone else- so sorry.   

The playgroups are being filmed- as well as me teaching in a Brisbane state school next term (in Prep) - so everyone will be able to see. They are $10 as subsidised by a private sponsor who is considering funding it to go Nationwide. The last ten minutes is for parents- as I help them with things to do between sessions. The filming isnt just for parents to see what I do- its for me to see and learn from. I often watch them and think 'oh no, I didnt explain that very well- must do that again with him next time' etc. Also so we have video evidence of progress - for documentaries etc.

Remember that the filming wont show 'results'- thats not the focus. The focus is on developing read and spelling brains - and you cant 'see' that. But when you watch it will make sense- and we will follow these children long term.

If you live on the Gold Coast Madabplus3 youll have perhaps seen this Gold Coast Bulletin article. The succes story for me was NOT the little girl who was encoding and decoding after 3 hours- it was the little boy. He had poor phonological awareness and his mum was able to see this by watching the clips and chatting with me. She got onboard and did lots at home too- and he will never know that he didnt have that 'reading brain'- because he got the training he needed. He wouldnt have had that at the school he attends- where there is limited phonics let alone phonological awareness.

It doesnt matter if they have a dyslexic brain etc- we can change the way the brain processes the info. The article doesnt convey why this was the success story to me- and they wanted to focus on the little girl who seemed to be steaming ahead. People like to 'see' things- but I want to develop reading and spelling brains. I can see what is happening in the brain when we scan children and see what parts fire up when the children are undertaking certain tasks. This tells us alot that we couldnt see before.

You are welcome to come with you child and be part of it - please do!! Youll see the love of children that I have- which cannot be conveyed here- and will then understand why Im so blunt. We can give children so much more- but adults have to know more. Thats not politics. 

Thank you for at least considering this approach. Incase anyone hasnt seen this its a 15 minute overview
  <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Lxs-RazOU8U&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/Lxs-RazOU8U&rel=1</a>

The 4 clips (4 parts of a video that is 47 minutes long) is on the facebook page and is ideal for parents with pre-schoolers- I explain how to use the Speech Sound Pics folder - which you can make yourself.

Em  

Chris invited me to post.

“The best early predictor of reading difficulty in kindergarten or first grade is the inability to segment words and syllables into constituent sound units (phonemic awareness)” (Lyon,1995).

"The evidence is clear, whether from research, good practice observed in schools, advice from submissions to the Inquiry, consultations, or from Committee members’ own individual experiences, that direct systematic instruction in phonics during the early years of schooling is an essential foundation for teaching children to read. Findings from the research evidence indicate that all students learn best when teachers adopt an integrated approach to reading that explicitly teaches phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary knowledge and comprehension. This approach, coupled with effective support from the child’s home, is critical to success.
 The attention of the Inquiry Committee was drawn to a dichotomy between phonics and whole-language approaches to the teaching of reading.
This dichotomy is false.
 Teachers must be able to draw on techniques most suited to the learning needs and abilities of the child. It was clear, however, that systematic phonics instruction is critical  if children are to be taught to read well, whether or not they experience reading difficulties..
(National Inquiry into the Teaching of LIteracy- Australia- also supported within the UK and USA government reports. )

Phonological awareness isnt about print- so make sure you are focusing on the speech sounds - not letter sounds.

Chris- some children can learn to read using sight words because their brains can process the information and understand the other skills needed- by hearing the sounds in words and how they link to this print. At least 35% of all children cant however- and you cant see what is happening in the brain - so most parents and teachers only realise when they are failing- or struggling when they cant memorise any more words (the brain can only retain a few thousand) . As already posted I believe it to be dangerous to spread the word that using sight words is preferable because it is for some- but not for most. Many very intelligent children with good memories can memorise these words and this masks the phonological awareness difficulties that are necessary for good reading and spelling. Phonological awareness is NOT phonics- and is the basis of reading and spelling difficulties. 
I am not speaking about one child and their 'journey'- Im speaking out for all children. They deserve the most effective ways to prevent difficulties. Dont let them fail because your child suceeded - as if this somehow means its beneficial to the majority of children. Every single government report of the last decade recommends against a 'whole language' approach and points out that systematic phonics teaching is beneficial even to good readers and spellers. ALL brain imagaing studies- actually looking at what happens in the brains of poor and good readers- support what these reports recommend. We need, as parents and educators, to be much more aware of what is happening in the brain- or likely happening- and to know how to pick up on clues about what is missing- rather than focus on print, and on whether they say a word when looking at the flashcard. There is so much more that needs to happen- and we can give children much more.   
You say your child learnt using sight words however this is very unlikely to be true. What would happen is that the child had a great memory but ALSO a brain that much more efficiently processes speech sounds and how they link to sound pics (letter combinations that represent speech sounds) He was lucky - in that the sight words didnt hinder him. Many wont be so lucky.

Also remember that reading includes meaning. 46% of Australians cant UNDERSTAND what they are reading if they can decode it- well enough to follow the directions written. It doesnt matter why- what matters is that we stop using what we think will work for our child- using another child as an example that this 'works' and instead look at rigorous evidence-based research and also what  works long term for the most children- especially those with LD.

 "Underlying this report by the Committee for the National Inquiry into the Teaching of Literacy is the conviction that effective literacy teaching, and of reading in particular, should be grounded in findings from rigorous evidence-based research. The global economic, technological and social changes underway, requiring responses from an increasingly skilled workforce, make evidence-based high-quality schooling an imperative. Nowhere is this more important than in the teaching of reading (a key element of literacy) since reading competence is foundational, not only for schoolbased learning, but also for children’s behavioural and psychosocial wellbeing, further education and training, occupational success, productive and fulfi lling participation in social and economic activity, as well as for the nation’s social and economic future."
AU Inquiy into the Teaching of Reading 2005

So its great that - despite believing your child benefited from sight words- that you are realising that phonological is a HUGE component of reading and spelling. Some 'get it' - but many dont and need direct, intentional teaching.

I have posted an hour clip about starting with phonological awareness- its broken into 4 parts. It was to accompany the shaping Reading Brains DVD  - for parents buying the Speech Sound Pics folder- or wanting to make their own. So although there are 6 sound pics to start off with - s,a,t,p,i,n - the focus is on what to do before you even introduce the phonics (print) So start with developing an awareness of the speech sounds that these can represent. If you go to the facebook page youll see all the Speech Sounds - in clouds- that represent these 6 speech sounds. So for example there are 8 ways to represent the 'sss' speech sound  and not just the letter s (8 sound pics)

Please always remember- phonological awareness is NOT developed using letters, blocks etc. Infact this can confuse them- we dont want them to look at anything- we want them to close their eyes and 'hear' (or look at mouths, think about what happens when they say or hear these speech sounds) Children dont need to have any idea of what letters are to develop this- and it should start first. Ideally Prep children (first year of school) should have at least a term on just phonemic awareness before even being introduced to letters or words- even high frequency difficult to decode (at that stage) words.
So although this is about hearing speech sounds- its not to do with hearing loss (although of course that will factor into it as they cant hear so well- but the focus is how the interpret what they hear.)

The 47 minute video has lots of ideas about what to do as well as clips of pe-school aged children doing them. They are split into 4 clips and can be seen near the top of the facebook page http://www.facebook.com/readaustralia They are below this link - just posted by a parent and teacher
http://reading.uoregon.edu/resources/bibr_pa_concepts.pdf  - that gives an overview of what phonological and phonemic awareness etc is.

Children are all so different- and much of what is different cannot be seen- as its happening in the brain. So we need to teach as if children dont have these great brains- like your child- and that will lead to them having spelling and reading ages of much higher than expected for chronological age etc..We also need to be much more aware of what we are actually teaching that is beneficial - it may not be the part of the teaching you think !

Reading scientists - neuroscientists- would say that this statement is misleading and inaccurate despite your perception of what was happening in their brains.
 "taught our three children to read with flashcards and only introduced sounds and letter names after they had learnt to read"

So just be careful as it can reinforce this idea to parents who may have children who dont have brains that can do this- without ALOT of phonological awareness training and phonics in order for them to learn to read and spell. In addition to having these brains you must have been also giving them the stimulation they needed to make sense of it all- so look not at what you think  you did, but what they processed. That would be more beneficial to others. You would no doubt have created a language rich environment even before showing flashcards - using songs, books, rhymes, talking etc. You might have pointed to words as you read so the children understood how you know what to say. All these things are changing the brain- and far more beneficial to reading and spelling- than flashcards. However parents think it must be the print that helped- and infact it usually isnt. So forget the flashcards and tell parents what you actually did- that you took for granted and perhaps didnt realise was the real reason you helped them develop their reading and spelling brains. In that way you will give parents much better tools with which to help their own children. Just shift the focus and think outside the box- remember all the things you did to develop phonological and phonemic awareness that had NOTHING to do with print. For example there is a clip of me helping develop phonological awareness while driving the car- talking about the r/oa/d etc- giving speech sounds- like I said, many children cant hear that words are made up of smaller parts- and need help.
Teaching a whole word goes against that as it again teaches them NOT to look at the smaller parts. And even though you say they dont- when fluent- that again isnt strictly true- it is just happening really fast. When you come to read a word you arent sure of your brain has to slow down and you become more aware of what it is actually doing- like if you say the following outloud- ' This gallimaufry is multitudinously gargantuan, puissantly capacious and ineffable Junoesque and in consequence of such Protean tribulations...'


Hope you find the videos helpful and thanks for inviting me to comment. If I am personally attacked again I will stop posting again. I may be getting negative karma points for 'lecturing' but does it really matter if you like the way I write or post- or that Im sharing information that can help at least 35% of all children who will never read for understanding unless taught using the very strategies I keep telling people about. I do try to back it up so you dont think its just my opinion- but bottom line - its based on what works for children who do not have 'reading' brains. You cant know that until they fail - and for many learning whole words as sight words masks that.

Em
http://youtu.be/Lxs-RazOU8U

ps the attached photo is the very reason why we created Read Australia - every child is unique- and we cannot teach as if all will learn in the same way. We MUST focus on individuals- rather than hoping all will 'fit' our education system and pay much more attention to the learning process we cant SEE.

pps I apologise to Mandabplus3 - I went back and it was not you that had posted personal insults towards me and my 'crap'. I am a member on many forums and asked to be guest speaker on many but I admit this has been an experience like no other.

I hope the above has some more useful information and that people will at least consider a focus on what is going on in the brain- not what they can see - or think they can see and is happening. We can actually SEE from brain imaging studies- see what happens when we ask children to do certain tasks- we can SEE what happens with good readers - and see from brain scans of 4 year olds which are the ones who dont have that 'reading brain' and need specific training. So yes, I am going to be to the point about it- I work with thousands in any one school district who have to fail before this training is offered. Im asking you to offer it from birth- and have told you how to do it. The rest really is up to you.

I do not want to spend hours of my time writing facts and then being criticised for my delivery. The facts are what will help your children. And I do not wish to upset anyone, so I will leave the forum completely.

 

Im not sure what you mean about an actual member? I thought I had joined?

I would never write off any parent- as already posted- parents are the best resource - as already posted. I have also not actually made any personal remarks- I have given my view of comments made about methodology - that I dont agree with- not the person. Because their intentions are nothing but good.

"However, your ignorance and insolence continue to amaze me!

NO TRUE ACADEMIC BELIEVES THAT THEY KNOW ALL!!!!!!"

When you write like that its personal. It isnt 'respectful/ willing/ receptive/ polite/ considerate to other perspectives!' at all.


Disparage everything I seem to know nothing about? I know nothing about this? So on the one hand youre telling me that I am being critical - and on the other tell me I know nothing.


"In the beginning, I just wanted you to go away, that you were preaching to the choir, we are ALL teaching a variety of methods, both whole words and phonics! IF YOU BELIEVE WE ARE ONE OR THE OTHER YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOT DONE YOUR RESEARCH!"

In the beginning I was commenting to a parent about their specific child. About effectively meeting the needs of a 2.5 year old - if we are to prevent difficulties. People disagreed- and kept commenting about whole words and phonics - and that they are teaching using a variety. As in the previous post.

Im saying that its phonological awareness that is the crucial element - to avoid difficulties- for some reason comments keep coming back that its whole language and/ or phonics- neither can meet the needs of every child - separately or together.
Can you see why I would be frustrated - its like some people are saying 'its pink' and some are saying' its orange' and some are saying 'well it could be both'- whereas all along Ive been saying I dont think its either- its purple. But to understand what Im saying the person would need to listen to what Im saying about purple? Its then their choice of whether purple could be of benefit to your child.  

But these personal attacks are uneccessary.

Parents do NOT always know whats best. Thats not a personal attack- Im being realistic. Im a parent- I couldnt possibly imagine I always know what is best for my child? (now a teenager) Not in a million years! And this is why I am constantly trying to broaden my mind and knowledge- I didnt join here just o 'preach' but to see if there was anything I could learn .
Im not just interested in academic achievement of course- I teach schools about developing emotional resillience, how to achieve an effective 'anti-bullying' campaign etc. The reason for being so passionate about preventing difficulties is because of this. A huge part of this is ensuring that they dont fail- just because they cant see into their brains to see what is actually effective.
  
I am constantly looking to schools to see if any teachers are teaching the whole class to read by 6 - as is now being seen in the UK etc. I want to see what the teacher has done- not just what but 'how'. And it gives me inspiration. For example I watched a Ruth Miskin school using a sound puppet- I now use a sound teddy with my toddlers - he only speaks in speech sounds and not words.  

I love to be inspired- its also why I watch these forums. I was intrigued by a discussion about memory from a Dad - fascinating - reading about his thoughts regarding his 6 year old. But with regards to reading (the dad wasnt talking about reading) I strongly disagree with much of what is posted - not just because of research etc - but because I was there 10 years ago. I was doing a lot of the things Im reading here, with the same intentions, thinking the same things. I know know so much more after having had to find solutions for kids called 'unteachable' - as previously commented - including delinquents. And so it is difficult to not jump in and point out that there are more effective ways and to stress how important early, effective interventions are.
Im only responding to each comment- if I disagree of course Im going to. Ive also acknowledged things that do seem great. Parents just coming together is great. I have disagreed - but I havent made things personal.  

Ask me anything about your child and Im happy to give specifics. Without this I cant give specifics.

What Ive tried to do is post videos and links- and ask people to read up on phonological awareness and treat it as the 'key'. Even if many of you do understand what this is more wont. lets be realistic- most teachers dont- although this is really changing in the UK now as its mandatory. You cant teach in primary school there now without having had training in synthetic phonics and phonological awareness. The government is paying for it all. And you will probably want to tell me that most teachers do have a solid understanding of phonological awareness and phonics (other than very basic phonics)  - perhaps the lucky ones you know - but I was a government inspector- and in AU I train schools. Ive trained thousands  - and my workshops arent 'sit back and listen' - they are interactive as I have to know their level of understanding to know where to pitch it. Its grim. But the difference in confidence of these teachers after training is why I do it- and because of the changes in schools.

So its fantastic if this forum isnt a reflection of what I know is happening out there. And before you think Im cricitcising teachers I not - these are AMAZING, dedicated, hard working teachers. But as I also said before- I could be asked to teach Chinese - it doesnt matter how amazing I am the students wont learn as well as from someone who understands Chinese. Even that teacher however is always learning - because you are constantly adapting to meet the needs of your students. If a child comes to my classroom and hasnt had breakfast they have different needs. Your children here are the lucky ones. My point is that I do have a lot to share. And I joined to do that. If youd given me specific questions about your children id have shared my experiences and offer strategies. I also invited you to watch me teaching so you can get ideas- as I watch colleagues and get ideas. it takes a brave person to put themselves out there - ripe for criticism.

Regardless of the fact that I keep being told that there are many here that do have a good understanding of phonological awareness and phonics - I havent seen that yet- and perhaps those people would benefit- even if many on this forum do know a lot. It scares me how few people know- and yet its so easy.  

When I saw the personal comments in previous message I was inclined to walk away in frustration. Just as you felt 'criticised' and wanted me to 'go away'. So perhaps the field is now level.

I cant agree with anything to do with flashcards - other than high frequency sight words- in the early years- for a specific purpose. So I wont respond to anything about that or it just gets me more and more frustrated. Because kids are reading and spelling so early with the 'Shaping Reading Brains approach they dont need flashcards as they can figure them all out. Just like you could figure out
This gallimaufry is multitudinously gargantuan, puissantly capacious and ineffably Junoesque and in consequence of such Protean tribulations and in such psychotic contravention of stereotypical consuetudinary hygiene, there exists the infinitesimal exiguity of a satisfactory resolution to this cataclysmic dilemma

It wouldve been a real strain on your brain to take them all home as flashcards to learn- instead you have the skills to not need to do that. (which is my point really)

But do ask questions about early reading and spelling (I havent seen much on here to do with spelling ?) - and if I get the strength to come back here again Ill be more than happy to help. Also if any parents have older children who are struggling with spelling etc. This is a clip of a 10 year old who was having difficulties

http://youtu.be/PfnyguVz4ns

Hes a star- most 10 year olds having these difficulties are difficult to teach- either disruptive or switched off. I so feel for them.

And yes, the facebook page is very open and friendly- but those who subscribe to it arent shooting me down all the time:-)   

They wouldnt write 'I think you have good things to say in between the crap'    - and make it personal.

And yes, I do have a publisher interested in a book for parents-Mandabplus3 - but I want to get the new footage out first, get the documentary out of the way and then get it launched. For most parents they need to see it- not read it- because this stuff is difficult to understand written down. The videos will be the most powerful and helpful.

Yes, I do see evidence (ie by reading them) that many forums are filled with parents who have been seduced and vicitmised by the general media consensus and scams. I cant even watch a YBCR informercial any more. Does this mean parents using this forum have been? No- but then again I see products sold that are based on flashcards:-) Its contradictory. But these are your children and you must do what you feel is best for them. I am generally teaching other people's children. 

Anyway if you do want to find out more about what we're doing at Read Australia™ you know where the facebook page is. We're also setting up Shaping Young Brains centres - all fully fitted out with cameras so parents can watch their children and be a part of the journey. Members of the public will also be able to watch - free of charge of course- because watching these children is the best way to get ideas, and to see how a method or program couldnt work for all- however an 'approach' can. Watch and see:-) 

If you have any questions about your child- and want ideas- youll know where to find me. Of course you dont have to use them- but Im happy to share.
 
Emma

You say most parents do the flashcard method...I disagree. I am part of several groups of mothers with children around the age of my son. 2.5. And other groups with kids older. All in all probably there are over 1500 kids of parents in these groups.
The general counsensus is in all the groups. "whole word is out" YBCR is a scam. And most parents believe reading will happen in time, so no rush.
Right now there is a lot of focus on, shapes, colors, rhyming, especially nursery rhymes, and clapping games, songs. Some of the the parents are recommending apps that focus on building words. And they are introducing letters using phonemic awareness. "what sound does the word cat start with". Mostly they are talking to their kids and improving their phonological awareness, (yes I know what it means. I use it daily to help my son's speech!)
A few parents of the younger ones are introducing letter sounds and focusing phonics. The older kids are mostly learning with a systematic phonics program.  Not a single person I know other than me has introduced sight words or is using a right brain flashcard method.

That is why i love THIS forum  it is different. I come here because there is a lot of open dialogue about differnt methods and they are all backed up by research or anecdotal evidence. . I read it all and draw my own conclusions.  Like most of the parents on this forum.

And right now I am doing what works for my son. He is a sight word reader, it what works for him for now. He feels so proud to be able to read little booklets I make. It brings him such joy. Why would I stop teaching him words and hinder him? He has a very strong phonological, phonemic and phonics background. But he is just not at the point where he can decode words. Have I broken him? I very seriously doubt it.

And thats BRILLIANT. Absolutely the parent is the best teacher of all - and what you have said is fantastic. If he has strong phonological awareness then he will have no issues- and if he does you may have been doing EXACTLY what Im talking about!!! Prevented difficulties. So when you ask him 'what new word would I have if I took the 't' out of the word stop' - how many speech sounds can you hear in 'straight' etc (4)

It also great to hear of so many who are NOT supporting flashcards as a 'method' - but if so then you are NOT the norm. But reading doesnt happen 'in time'. Far from it.

But you can do more. 'what sound does the word cat start with' is something I hear alot. By following my approach- which is alot of hearing terminology- you can make it even easier. 'when I say the word cat what is the first speech sound you can hear?'
You may find it 'nit picking' but for a child to comprehend what we are saying there are also a lot of 'layers' of things for them to understand- so our approach is as much about 'how' to teach as 'what'- to make it as easy as possible for the brain to process.

Phonological awareness isnt print- you dont use print when doing phonological awareness activities. So find lots to do that dont include any print / letters/ words at all

But great to hear that you realise YBCR is a scam. And great that you are doing so much. I applaud it.   

Reading whisperer, you just keep contradicting yourself!
First children cant learn to read using whole words, then some of them can learn to read using whatever method.
First it's only reading if they are developmentally ready and therefor understand what the word means then suddenly yes they can read a word if they can sound it out but don't know what it means. My own son didn't know what a pin was, but he can sound it out! Obviously he can't read! 
Flash cards don't teach reading but  it's reading if they memorize sight words using whole word flashcards.
Babies can't read whole words using different fonts but the baby in the video is clearly reading dads handwriting which is variable. But next sentence the can memorize word shapes.
Babies don't know what the words mean but are memorizing and action! Oh that's just baloney! Walk up to these kids and ask them to touch their toes without the word card! Of course they can.
My kids ALL had a cross pattern run at 1 year old and ran happily by 9 months, surely with all your years in childcare centers you saw kids running at that age! My kids werent the only ones doing it at that age. Yes they DO learn to run by encouraging movement when young. Just like they learn to catch a ball through practice and ride a bike through practice and crawl through tummy time!
You spend half of every post telling us we are all wrong, then the next half telling us it will work for most of our kids.
You have knowledge and skills but you obviously don't know everything. Please stick to discussing what you are good at and don't bother telling us we are wrong. Your negative Karma points are coming from your inability to provide useful information without trying to prove us wrong. You say you don't want to be here doing a whole words debate..well stop debating it and provide some more useful tips like you did last time I directly asked you to.  Plenty of parents here know the value of phonological awareness. I am afraid you have already lost the ones who dont, they gave up reading your posts long ago, because you made their efforts and intentons seem inconsequential. If you really want to get throughout o those 30% of kids who need more than whole words then just post something useful we AS PARENTS can actually use, now, today!
If you want to advertise research then post a link to it with a short intro, so we can see for ourselves.
I just think you have a lot to offer but are going about it all wrong. Your message is getting lost in the endless arguments.
For the record I gave you a positive Karma last time you posted useful info and the speech clouds link. I think other will too if you can provide something they can use, without the politics.
 

But then you keep arguing  - and it continues.... when you asked me something eg for ideas- I gave them. Im simply responding to things you write that I dont agree with - isnt that what these forums are for?

No I havent contradicted myself. Some children will learn to read whatever we do (we have to do something of course- we cant just leave them in a room with a book) and flashcards wont be detrimental. But only using flashcards couldnt teach any child.

Its reading in the technical sense of the word when it all comes together. There are various parts - comprehension only being one of them. Many children can decode words- but dont know what they are reading- some understand it far more- but take longer reading it- it depends on what parts of their brains are working effectively... So to help all children we should assume that their brains arent fired to find it easy. And give them all of the tools. On here I saw a big push for flashcards, some phonics, and very little phonological awareness. And its typical of what most parents know- they are bombarded with incorrect info - especially when someone is trying to sell a product. Yes- as I said on a video clip - those people should be shot. At least they are now under review- reading researchers finally got sick of hearing the claims that are facutally incorrect and prey on parents hearts and pockets. Those who know differently dont bother writing on these forums usually as they get criticised. Why bother.  

In my last post I again said how I use sight words- and which ones- to again point out that there is a time and place - depending on the child. Also that using high frequency words- I, the, was - can help bring meaning to the child earlier.

Yes- if you child can sound out pin and you start using these words in sentences he is reading. If he reads 'the ant sat on the pin' and he understands that the ant is sitting on a pin then this is reading. What is important here is that he gets the skills to read it himself- and you are also putting it in meaningful text- and talking about it. Very early on it all comes together. You could even put the odd word in that he cant decode - because youve been talking about a 'train' lets say? - and he doesnt yet know that 'ai' is a sound pic for the ay speech sound. But what you would do it then listen for how many speech sounds there are when he says (or you say if he cant) 'train' - there are 4 speech sounds- and then you can show him how those speech sounds are represented on paper. You are developing phonological awareness, teaching phonics and also meaning. If he looks at a book and see 'here is the train' and just memorises it is doesnt give the brain as much information.. You are limiting their brains.

Im saying that you can do more. And giving you reassons why, research, links etc- and you keep arguing about it. Have you watched the videos?

Individual children have their own capacity for development- when, how etc. My approach does help them utilise everything- I am pointing out that many are limiting children - without meaning to- because they dont understand what is going on in the brain. You dont have to like it - or agree with it- but its information that is freely available from leading neuroscientists. We know so much now, and many do want to know about it.

And I do keep posting about what you should be doing- but you keep arguing. I keep posting about what children need- phonological awareness (first and foremost) - then phonics (taught systematically and explicitly)  within a book rich environment, where oral abilities are recognised as being the most important elements of effective reading and spelling.

So now you can google phonological awareness etc- and get more info. You can also watch the videos of me actually teaching - next month.

And I keep posting research!

I am not posting about anyone being 'wrong' - Im asking everyone to look at their teaching approaches based on what we know about why so many struggle. You cant SEE these reasons. Youre taking it personally. Just review all the research and info - and take a step back and see if perhaps there is something to be learnt.
It doesnt really matter if I am 'going about it all wrong' does it? And it is very difficult to not be perceived in that way when Im saying something that goes against what you believe in. Just sit on it- watch the links I posted and read the articles- from leading neuroscientists. Sally is amazing. Shes dedicated her life to helping children who are failed because the adults who love them - or / and are teaching them- dont know better.

There is no debate about the whole language approach - or the phonics approach- we know too much now. It would be like carrying on debating that the world is round. Those 35% or so of children are the ones who will NOT read without direct instruction in phonological awareness and phonics. I am not saying that the others will learn using the whole language approach - at all. Far from it. Look at what happenned to student achievement when schools were using it! There are great elements - but far too much that can inhibit children. 

So if you want to ask me anything specific please do.  Bottom line- phonological awareness is key- its the key to unlocking the child's ability to understand phonics. And as you would find when you read that paragraph above- you rely on phonics to read anything unfamiliar- however old you are- and however proficient you are as a reader. So try to learn as much as you can about it. 

You dont have to like or approve of the way someone pushes you out of the way of a moving bus. Im trying to prevent difficulties for children by sharing info with parents- even if it doesnt make me liked by everyone. It isnt about me- its about our children. Of course we all want whats best for them- but that doesnt always mean we know what that is.

Some may be interested in phonological awareness testing tools etc- there is lots you can do to help your child develop those 'reading brain' pathways- and check on how they are doing.


http://online.edfac.unimelb.edu.au/LiteracyResearch/pub/Projects/D_Cariss.pdf

A parent once gave me a great analogy after her toddler attended my sessions for three months. 'I thought I was giving my child the key to the door to learning. Youve showed me there are actually lots of doors- and have given her lots of keys. She now has so many more opportunities to beomce an effective and confident leader'.
I thought that was wonderful.   

Flashcards (and I keep harping on about these as you keep bringing them up) might give them one key. For some it will actually make the door stiff to open- and maybe not even allow them to open it at all. Find more keys. Im simply showing you where they are.

What a cutie. But this isnt reading Baz. You can also teach her to smile as you hold up the flashcard for frown. What she is doing is looking at the shape, colour etc of the word and linking it with what you are teaching her to do or say (or both) Its really sweet - and she'll love the attention- but this isnt reading. If you write the word in another colour and use a different font she'll not know what to do- because she isnt understanding how your speech is linked to the print- shes memorising. And its lovely to watch! But do also teach her phonological awareness incase she doesnt have that 'reading brain' that finds it all easy. 

There are masses of Your Baby Can Read videos on youtube showing the same thing. Of course toddlers can memorise whole words by their shape and length - it isnt reading. But because most dont understand the brain processes they think it will help their child. For some it will- but reading and spelling is so much more than memorising words.

My point is that teaching them this way is fine for a small percentage who will learn whatever method you choose. Their brains are wired to take in the information you give them and work it out- lucky them. However there are at least 35% of all children entering Kindergarten with poor phonological awareness- including those being taught flashcards. Recognising flashcards has nothing to do with phonological awarenesss. But what happens is that you mask this. Children with poor phonological awareness can also be incredibly bright, with great memories. So learning those flashcards is easy for them. You read them a book and then point to the words and they say them. Its not reading. What happens is that you think they are doing fine- because they seem to remember the words - until they get to around the end of first grade. Thats when they cant retain so many words (the brain can only retain a few thousand by 'memory') and also cant actually spell unfamiliar words. Again, their parents or school have been sending home 'spelling words' to memorise. They do brilliantly! And then it all falls apart. Because you arent seeing whats happening in the brain. You arent seeing which parts are being used and which arent. For a child to be a good reader there are all sorts firing in the brain.

I use high frequency words that difficult to decode for a beginning reader so that we quickly get to the reading for meaning stage. However there is a difference between using a few to do this- than the whole language aporoach which asks children to learn all words in this way. So I am not saying dont use sight words at all- Im saying use them when you need to to create early sentences- eg the ant was in the tin - teaching was and the as sight words.

So dont allow what looks like reading (and isnt) - as in these clips- to mask difficulties. If you are set on asking your child to memorise whole words then at least make sure you are developing their phonological awareness and teaching the alphabetic code (phonics) - and teach high frequency words (I, the, was, there etc ) Because if you have a child who will be one of the 2 in 5 who do have poor phonological awareness- then this is what they need from birth. This is much more important to them- but dont wait until they struggle to have to then go back. Look at the previous info about struggling readers- read about it - worldwide research and info- because the problems are the same. They are based in poor phonological awareness. Why do you think so many struggle to read and spell? Even teachers have little training in phonological awareness and phonics (properly) - or understand what happens in the brains of good and poor readers. We know this from government inquiries- they do not just look at what is working- and isnt- but at the quality of teacher education- and of the teachers own literacy skills. Its a real worry. 

It is difficult to teach a child to listen to speech sounds and know how they 'work' in words- and how they relate to print- and then ignore that and look at a whole word. But if you have to, then at least do the phonological stuff too. You cant see inside your child's brain. We cant do brain imaging and see if they have a brain that will read and spell easily until around 4. But we do know how to prevent it. Im telling you how to prevent it . Videos of a child memorising flashcards isnt reading. Its wonderful that you are spending time with your child and want the best for them- but just consider if they dont have the right kind of brain to learn that way.

This is a site- I was told- about sharing info. Just consider it. Even if just to expand on what you are doing. The info I am sharing is free. I am sharing it so that more parents know how to prevent difficulties. Many assume their child wont- but teaching flashcards and focusing on print masks these difficulties- and the longer you wait the more difficult it will be to then teach it. Teaching children from birth is the best way! But you need to help them develop reading brains- help them process the information as good readers do. These are specific skills that need to be taught. And if you are lucky and have a child who will learn if you use flashcards then it will help their spelling (and also the speed in which they can process information and read text) . 

Read this aloud- not to yourself- as I asked before- and think about what you do.

This gallimaufry is multitudinously gargantuan, puissantly capacious and ineffably Junoesque and in consequence of such Protean tribulations and in such psychotic contravention of stereotypical consuetudinary hygiene, there exists the infinitesimal exiguity of a satisfactory resolution to this cataclysmic dilemma

If you did read it aloud you will see what is really happening as you are slowing down on the processes you use when reading and having to use more of the underlying processes you dont realise are happening in your brain. It should highlight what those processes are. You wont know all of the words by memory - so you go back to what reading really is. This is what we need to be teaching children from birth. How to do this. And why not teach in a way that will prevent reading and spelling difficulties?

Also note that even if you read it fairly easy did you understand it? As I said before- you need to understand what you are reading- or what will you gain from 'reading' it?
There are lots of stages and layers.



Em
ps Korrale4kq
 when you said 'started toddling' - there you go- he wasnt a baby anymore. Yes, many toddlers make a good effort at running- of course! Running at 9 months I would have to see - but youre missing the point. If your child is ready ro run he'll run- but you having wiggled his legs when 2 months wasnt the reason.
However if your child doesnt run when they could be running- because you tied his legs and held him back- who should we blame? Im asking you to untie his brain incase he doesnt have a natural reading brain. This is not based on intelligence.And constantly giving me karma points wont change how much we know know about what you cant see - whats actually happening in the brain when people are trying to encode or decode and then make sense of it.         

Not really sure why you would think that the statistics somehow shouldnt be taken very seriously- how about looking at our current students?
I think according to NAPLAN results about 20% of children arent reading to their expected level by the time they leave primary school? This has some info.
http://www.rch.org.au/emplibrary/ccch/PB13_Literacy_EarlyChildhood.pdf
Also look through NAPLAN results.
Even 1 child in 100 is too many for me though- whatever the reason.
And 46% of Australians being unable to comprehend what they are reading to be able to even follow cooking recipe is appalling to me, I dont care why. These people deserve more. We dont offer this to them- and its why we are doing what we are doing at Read Australia™. We dont just work with children! We want all of Australia to be able to read. And this approach also applies to them. Its never too late! 

You might find this useful
http://www.childrenofthecode.org/interviews/shaywitz.htm
Dr. Sally Shaywitz: We're not hardwired for written language. Many societies on earth indeed rely solely on an oral language. So whereas spoken language is instinctive and natural - you don't have to teach a baby to speak, you just expose that baby to a spoken language and that baby will learn, eventually, to speak - reading has to be taught. It's artificial, it's acquired.
 
Dr. Sally E. Shaywitz is a professor of Pediatric Neurology at Yale University. She is the author of "Overcoming Dyslexia" and has published articles in many scientific and popular journals, including Nature, Journal of the American Medical Association, Scientific American and Child. She is a member of the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences and the National Reading Panel. Additional bio info
Dr. Sally Shaywitz is a neuroscientist who is passionately dedicated to helping children and families overcome the pain and strain of reading difficulties.

I have amended the clip to try to make myself clearer. http://youtu.be/Lxs-RazOU8U

It is phonological awareness that is our starting point - I tend to say 'speech sounds' as many dont really understand what phonological awareness is, and get it confused with phonics (print).
At least 35% of children entering Kindergarten have poor phonological awareness and this is the biggest predictor of reading difficulties. This must be taught. Children who are very bright, have supportive parents who read to them every day etc are not immunue- its how their brains are 'wired'. But it can be changed. Teaching these children to memorise whole words can be detrimental to their development other than high frequency difficult to decode words in the initial stages. But in reality when you teach children the code well there are only about 55 words in the English language that cant be decoded- so there is no need to teach whole words.
If taught well there is no 'tedious sounding out' of words :-) Far from it- our approach enables children to move far more quickly to fluency and comprehension.

Phonological awareness, or phonological sensitivity, is the ability to listen to the sounds in spoken language without concentrating on the meaning of what is being said. It is an auditory skill that focuses on understanding how the sounds of spoken language can be segmented, combined, and manipulated. Since phonological awareness deals with sounds in language and does not involve print, it is important to think about how it is easiest for children to develop this sensitivity to sound. Phonological awareness progresses along a continuum and begins BEFORE children have learned a set of letter-sound correspondences. This is my point- we start with this first. Regardless of whether the actual child is able to speak yet.
 
Why is phonological awareness important?
 •Phonological awareness is the strongest predictor of success in early reading.
 •35% of the children who enter kindergarten have not naturally acquired phonological awareness and need to be taught these skills.
 •Phonological awareness allows children to play with blending, segmenting and manipulating sounds prior to having to do this with the additional knowledge required to blend, segment and manipulate letters into words in isolation or text.
 
A useful clip - especially as it emphasises understanding/ comprehension.
http://www.lindamoodbell.com/video.aspx

I am trying to bridge the gap between what parents know - and what reading researchers and educators know. For every child that you will consider a success because you used flashcards, there will be more than dont. These parents unfortunately dont speak out - they often think they arent doing it properly- or that their child isnt ready- or interested etc. The children you talk about who are apparently reading and spelling confidently would have learnt however you taught them- I am speaking out for the others.

No, babies cant read. Of course they cant. And to try to sell a product to parents using this claim is scandalous- also why the Your Baby Can Read program is under review for false advertising. We are sick of the public being told untruths. Its not harsh at all. Do you know how much money this man has made preying on parents who only want the best for their children? Yes, of course we should stimulate young minds as much as possible- but our focus should be on helping that individual child thrive- and develop- and develop their own autonomy.
Do I think anyone selling 'your baby can read, jump, run the Olympics in 2 years' would go out of business? No- parents desperately want to buy into it! If Weight watchers worked for even the majority would it be a multi-billion dollar industry? No- people would get slim and leave. It makes so much money because it doesnt work! If eating right and exercising was the answer everyone would be healthy and trim. But at least Weight watchers is based on what would work- if people stuck to it. Babies cant read. Babies cant run. Usain Bolt couldnt run when he was a baby however much someone couldve moved his legs promising glory. And when he became a star what would they say? It worked!

Our focus isnt creating mini Einsteins - its creating happy children who love to learn. Also to prevent difficulties. Difficulties that affect at least 20 - 30% of children in any class in any English speaking country. And Im sure that is your aim also?     

Babies are developmentally unable to read. Some toddlers can read- of course- but not a baby- and not the majority. Even then however we need to consider what we mean by 'reading'. To 'read' they have to understand what they are reading. If a child has never seen a mountain and you ask him to 'read' a sentence about this, the fact that he says 'mountain' when he sees the flashcard, or word in a book, doesnt mean he is 'reading'. Reading and spelling include not only phonological awareness, phonemics, phonics etc but also comprehension. And this comes with knowledge. But if he doesnt have the skills to decode and encode this knowledge wont do him any good either - as he wont be able to read the print in the first place. Chicken and egg. But nowhere do memorising flashcards come into it. They arent necessary. As youll see if you watch clips of me teaching 2 - 5 year olds next month, and also 5 and 6 year olds in school. I teach as if all are going to have those 'non reading' brains- because the others will read whatever I do.     
 
Proficient young readers are phonemically aware, understand how print represents the sounds of speech, can apply phonemics and phonics rapidly and fluently, and connect their reading to their background knowledge. Poor readers enter kindergarten lacking phonological awareness and word-reading skills. Their text reading is laborious, impeding their comprehension and robbing them of the enjoyment of learning. Frustration and loss of interest in reading follow, as do mounting weakness in vocabulary and trouble in other academic subjects. And the cycle goes on.
 
Therefore, we must intervene as early as possible in a child’s school career to avoid the reading failure that will otherwise occur. Since the causes of most early reading difficulties are similar regardless of whether a poor reader meets the aptitude/achievement-discrepancy definition of LD (learning difficulties), it makes no sense to wait for a discrepancy to reveal itself.
 
The tragic likelihood of failure, in the absence of very early intervention, is confirmed in numerous studies. Children identified as reading disabled after 2nd grade rarely catch up to their peers. Figure 2 in the following page shows the development of reading skills from the Connecticut Longitudinal Study directed by Yale University pediatrician Sally E. Shaywitz, which followed children from kindergarten through grade 12. Three groups were traced: 1) unimpaired children; 2) children defined in 3rd grade as RD due to an aptitude/achievement discrepancy; and 3) those so defined simply by low achievement. The pattern is growth from age 6 to age 12, then a near plateau from age 12 to 18. Children in the two RD groups show similar growth; neither group catches up to the skilled readers, even though half the children were pegged for special education. More than 70 percent of children identified as RD in 3rd grade remain RD in 12th grade. This longitudinal study shows that children fall behind in reading long before 3rd grade. Fortunately, other studies show that such children can be reliably identified well before 2nd grade. Researchers have found a strong relationship between phonological awareness and word recognition in kindergarten and 1st grade on the one hand and reading proficiency at the end of 4th and 5th grades on the other."
 
http://educationnext.org/early-warning-system/
 
I am simply asking you to review the actual research and not just base what you think is going to be the most useful strategies based on a handful of children. Children deserve us to take a wider view and see what is happening- even if it seems alien to us.

Research shows that phonological and phonemic awareness can be taught and learned-and that when these skills are developed, the result is that children have a much easier time learning to read and write (Adler, 2003)

So even though some children may learn to 'read' using flashcards - Id rather do the things that will help then have an easier time of it.

Im sure many on here are doing this- its just those posting who would prefer to argue the case for teaching whole word- however developing phonological awareness and then teaching phonics is free, any parent can do it, and it will meet the needs of those children- before they have it as 'remedial work' when failing.

Ultimately parents need to do what they feel is right for their children. We do know however that we can tell from brains scans, of children as young as 4, which are doing to struggle if they are not taught phonics systematically, along with phonological awareness. No amount of love, support, sharing books and memorising flashcards will help them. As a parent would you really want to take that risk, of hoping your child is one of the lucky ones who dont need that strong foundation in the early years?

Hopefully something to think about at least. Im simply asking that you dont put all your eggs in one basket- ie with flashcards - and that you at least consider that phonological awareness and phonics could be more beneficial long term. I gave some suggestions on another thread- or it could have been this one? Its so easy. Most people just dont realise how important it is. And without even realising they didnt have that 'reading brain' to begin with, they will develop it. All because their parents found out how to develop it.     


Emma Hartnell-Baker BEd Hons MA Special Educational Needs
Shaping Reading Brains- Sharing Early Literacy Interventions
http://www.facebook.com/readaustralia

Aboslutely- magnetic letters are a must have. Start with lower case only- other than when building name words.

Ideas about tackling this issue of introducing the alphabetic code seen here 

http://youtu.be/w8sXFKXg1b4 - its not on the usual channel- we are developing a new one...

You can see - in this one- clips of pre-schoolers listening for speech sounds in words, blending, and spelling etc on it- and I talk about what to focus on.

I just wrote this on another thread and it may be useful to you. Explained better in above clip!

Initially start with 6 speech sounds- understanding that it is the speech sound you are focusing on - not the letter sound
eg s,a,t,p,i,n (the clip explains this) Spend alot of time on the listening part - and speaking part (if ready) - if you have a young child and are just starting out on this. 

Even if the say the speech sound when they look at a phoneme or grapheme etc- it doesnt mean they link it to spoken words.

Create speech sound tables/ scrap books etc- and collect things that have those speech sounds in them when spoken - eg for 'sss' you could have 'Santa, scent, science coats, grass etc. The focus is the speech sound- not the letter sound (watch clip)

Get a 'Speech Sound' teddy- he only speaks in speech sounds- and you tell the child what the speech sound teddy is saying and the child has to work out the word
Your child has to tell the teddy the speech sounds in a word so he understands.

When saying things regularly use the speech sounds - as well as the whole word- again shown in the clip - with pre-schoolers (whats under the h/a/t )

Play games where you have the 6 sound pics on the wall- you say a word and they have to run to the sound pic if they hear that speech sound. So if you said psychology they would run to 's' - if you said sand' they would run to s,a and n !

Collect things with those speech sounds (and after the initial 6 you keep progressing onto more- the speech sound clouds are a great way of building these up and can be used to refer to speech sound and their corresponding sound pics when reading as well)

Ask them to hear how many speech sounds in words that are created using those speech sounds - count them on their fingers (sat - s/a/t) and then get out your white board and magnetic letters - and he or she draws that many lines- with the numbers underneath. She then listens for the speech sounds again and puts the sound pics on the right line. Then start playing with it. Suppose I take off the 's' what will the new word be? eg. use nonsense words as well.
You can make lots of words using these souns pics- tan, tin, ant, sit, pin etc
Put the magnetic letters on the fridge and ask her to spell these words- I often also have number cards with a line above- so she can do the same as on white board- the numbers help with placement and segmenting.

Start introducing speech sound clouds- just have the s, a, t, p, i and n ones to start off with. Watch clip- as to how to personalise these as the child learns more. 

Look at words and figure out the speech sound pics- so for example you might look at the work 'kick'- she listens for how many speech sounds - so you know that there must be 3 sound pics. Which are they? The first sound you hear is 'k' so underline the 'k and the second is 'i' - this leads nicely on to ck being another sound pic for the 'k' sound. The go and look at the 'k' speech sound cloud- to see all of them. (see graphic attached)

Spend time looking and words and figuring out how they relate to the speech sounds. sight - how many speech sounds? 3. She can hear s - underline it- she can hear 't' at the end- underline it- so igh must be another sound pic for the 'iy' sound. Go look at the speech sound cloud for that speech sound- there it is!   

So if learning the 'rr' speech sound and starting off with the sound pic 'r' its more logical for the child when they see other versions - or are trying to spell words with that speech sound- because of the work you are doing with the 'rrr' speech sound cloud.

You can download all for free on www.facebook.com/readaustralia - here I think ?
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.361710097224195.82649.160717717323435&type=3

You can also find links to download free readers that are based purely on those 6 sound pics. Clip also shows these.   

Hopefully a few things to be getting on with!!

Have fun with it !

Em

You want more helpful tips for your own children...hopefully this will get you started

Please watch this for ideas about developing phonological (especially phonemic awareness)

http://youtu.be/w8sXFKXg1b4 - its not on the usual channel- we are developing a new one...

You can see - in this one- clips of pre-schoolers listening for speech sounds in words, blending, and spelling etc on it- and I talk about what to focus on.

Initially start with 6 speech sounds- understanding that it is the speech sound you are focusing on - not the letter sound- and certainly not the letter name.
eg s,a,t,p,i,n (the clip explains this) Spend alot of time on the listening part - and speaking part (if ready) - if you have a young child and are just starting out on this. 

Create speech sound tables/ scrap books etc- and collect things that have those speech sounds in them when spoken - eg for 'sss' you could have 'Santa, scent, science coats, grass etc. The focus is the speech sound- not the letter sound (watch clip)

Get a 'Speech Sound' teddy- he only speaks in speech sounds- and you tell the child what the speech sound teddy is saying and the child has to work out the word
Your child has to tell the teddy the speech sounds in a word so he understands.

When saying things regularly use the speech sounds - as well as the whole word- again shown in the clip - with pre-schoolers (whats under the h/a/t )

Play games where you have the 6 sound pics on the wall- you say a word and they have to run to the sound pic if they hear that speech sound. So if you said psychology they would run to 's' - if you said sand' they would run to s,a and n !

Collect things with those speech sounds (and after the initial 6 you keep progressing onto more- the speech sound clouds are a great way of building these up and can be used to refer to speech sound and their corresponding sound pics when reading as well)

Ask them to hear how many speech sounds in words that are created using those speech sounds - count them on their fingers (sat - s/a/t) and then get out your white board and magnetic letters - and he or she draws that many lines- with the numbers underneath. She then listens for the speech sounds again and puts the sound pics on the right line. Then start playing with it. Suppose I take off the 's' what will the new word be? eg. use nonsense words as well.
You can make lots of words using these souns pics- tan, tin, ant, sit, pin etc
Put the magnetic letters on the fridge and ask her to spell these words- I often also have number cards with a line above- so she can do the same as on white board- the numbers help with placement and segmenting.

Start introducing speech sound clouds- just have the s, a, t, p, i and n ones to start off with. Watch clip- as to how to personalise these as the child learns more. 

Look at words and figure out the speech sound pics- so for example you might look at the work 'kick'- she listens for how many speech sounds - so you know that there must be 3 sound pics. Which are they? The first sound you hear is 'k' so underline the 'k and the second is 'i' - this leads nicely on to ck being another sound pic for the 'k' sound. The go and look at the 'k' speech sound cloud- to see all of them. (see graphic attached)

Spend time looking and words and figuring out how they relate to the speech sounds. sight - how many speech sounds? 3. She can hear s - underline it- she can hear 't' at the end- underline it- so igh must be another sound pic for the 'iy' sound. Go look at the speech sound cloud for that speech sound- there it is!   

So if learning the 'rr' speech sound and starting off with the sound pic 'r' its more logical for the child when they see other versions - or are trying to spell words with that speech sound- because of the work you are doing with the 'rrr' speech sound cloud.

You can download all for free on www.facebook.com/readaustralia - here I think ?
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.361710097224195.82649.160717717323435&type=3

You can also find links to download free readers that are based purely on those 6 sound pics. Clip also shows these.   

Hopefully a few things to be getting on with!!

Have fun with it !

Em

Pointing to whole words she had memorised isnt actually reading- even though it looks like it is. Her focusing on the sound pics in words is actually far more beneficial in the long run for most children - and is brilliant of her! So let her do this- and also build it up and look at the whole word - I talk about this here

http://youtu.be/w8sXFKXg1b4

Think what you do here - read it aloud! (dont cheat and read it to yourself )
You most probably went back to looking at the sound pics in words to decode it- and even if you read this aloud really quickly and easily (so have highly functioning reading skills) then you were still doing it....but faster:-)

This gallimaufry is multitudinously gargantuan, puissantly capacious sand ineffably Junoesque and in consequence of such Protean tribulations and in such psychotic contravention of stereotypical consuetudinary hygiene, there exists the infinitesimal exiguity of a satisfactory resolution to this cataclysmic dilemma.

So dont worry about her trying to work out the alphabetic code- be proud of her! :-) Its what all good readers do ....

And even if she learns the 100 high frequency words that the National Literacy Strategy promotes it might help her get through Year 1 with flying colours but she will soon begin to flag with increasingly complex reading material or more difficult spellings.

She is telling you the right way to teach her- clever thing:-) And when looking at the word 'kick' use her interest in sound picks to write the word showing the sound pics- so k/i/ck - and show her the Sound Pics clouds (download at www.facebook.com.readaustralia for free) so she can see that although she hears 2 'k' speech sounds there are 2 different sound pics for this sound - in the word- as shown in the speech sound cloud.

Em
ps when you look at the 'k' speech sound cloud - these are examples - kite, cat, duck, antique, Iraq, Christmas

Ariel, I am also assuming that your daughter is already past the begginning sounding out stage.  I also agree that deep phonological awareness is important, but assumed this was not an issue you are seeking help with.  I did understand your question as asking about attention span or getting through a lesson that you believe your daughter is capable of.  A 3 year old not maintaining focus for a short span of time on something an involved parent thinks they are capable of does not always equate to your child not actually being developmentally ready for the task at hand.  You are the parent there, who knows the situation best.

I did hear something recently that may a useful tool for what to expect regarding attention span.  You should expect 1-3 minutes per year of life in attention span, which will increase when the activity is particularly engaging.  So, on average, a 3 year old will have a 3-9 minute attention span.  I've personally seen classes of children with longer attention spans, but it's something that needs to be cultivated...with special attention paid to increase intrinsic motivation (and yes, the research I read does tend to point to rewards and punishments as being detrimental to intrinsic motivation).  I can recommend further reading to you if that is something that piques your interest.

ReadingWhisperer,  I am fearful for you.  I feel like you genuinely have a lot of valid points that could be really helpful for a lot of parents here that may go unheard.  You have given me some new ideas to integrate phonological awareness in our daily lives that I was not already doing.  I am afraid less people will hear your message because it seems to always be mixed in with a battle of some kind. And I'm sure that's frustrating for you as well.

Im not sure any of us really ever get past the sounding out stage.

Read this aloud -


This gallimaufry is multitudinously gargantuan, puissantly capacious sand ineffably Junoesque and in consequence of such Protean tribulations and in such psychotic contravention of stereotypical consuetudinary hygiene, there exists the infinitesimal exiguity of a satisfactory resolution to this cataclysmic dilemma

I get so frustrated - and sometimes my frustration with other parents or educators filters into posts to others. I often have to work with teenagers who are banned from school and would be in jail if 18 - and I know that had they had parents and educators who understood the brain (and child psychology) 'better' these children would often not be living the lives they are living. Sometimes I think knowing too much and being so consumed with social injustic is harmful for me when trying to help. So thank you for your suggestion.

I also write too much and Im sure many have other things to be doing rather than trying to wade through it- like playing with their children:-)

This may be useful- http://youtu.be/QsSUamFekwI

Within our approach - when using direct, intentional teaching - we spend no more than 1- 3 minutes per year of their life - at any one time.

Yes- I agree completely- a 3 year old not maintaining focus for a short span of time on something an involved parent thinks they are capable of does not always equate to your child not actually being developmentally ready for the task at hand. I had said that there could be many reasons. And regarding this one the issue really- for me - is 'why'. Not focusing on how to make/ encourage her to focus for longer? If that makes sense. I couldnt give an effective suggestion in this case without watching the parent and child interct.   

And yes, 'Punished by Rewards' and other similar books are great reading- I did a Dissertation for my Masters on punishments - and why teachers with a belief that corporal punishment is 'ok' - even if not actually using it (because illegal) shouldnt be teaching. Im a big believer in developing intrinsic motivation...

Again, I sincerely appreciate your feedback regarding being instrumental in stopping myself from getting my message across! Its very true.

I will try to focus on more practical ways to help parents- suggestions of activities etc- as this forum is really for parents helping their own children rather than to change society?

I apologise if I have been lecturing - 'must do better'. :-)

This might explain it more effectively - Im obviously doing a very poor job of getting the message across.

http://youtu.be/QsSUamFekwI