Should not be surprised if they find themselves arriving to the wrong location.
Simple. Obvious. Yet ignored by so many. For example, Memphians vote for Democrats and are surprised by the upturn in crime. They are taken aback when they have the worst schools in Tennessee.
Many moons ago, they came up with a program called “Head Start.” I don’t have a clue if it did any good or how much. However, the idea was to help underprivileged children get a leg up on education. As far as I can figure, they don’t seem to be doing better; maybe worse.
However, I can tell you how to give your children a real head start that you will be able to see very quickly. Many say that three is too young to teach a child how to read and write. The best way to give your child a leg up in school is to prove the experts wrong. By not teaching to read early, you give up the years that a child is best able to learn.
Besides, if you teach them, it will give the both of you an excellent chance to do some serious bonding. Reading a book together will be far better than watching TV together. Consider switching every paragraph. The parent reads one, the child reads one. In the end, your child will be grateful of the time you spend with him or her. Also, they will be thankful for the skill that they will carry with them all through their life… not just for learning, but also for enjoyment. This is especially true given the quality of entertainment on TV and in the movies these days.
I am sure there are those among you that say you would rather a professional do the teaching; someone who knows how. Well, apparently they don’t know how. Have you seen the recent statistics. Most kids by the end of the third grade can’t read at second grade levels. Besides, these are minimum. I suggest that your child should be reading at least third grade level by the end of the second grade.
And so it is that it starts with memory. It is that way with most stuff. Beyond that, it’s practice. practice. It is how we learn to speak, though we don’t realize it. If we do learn the words to speak and never practice, none of us would be good at speaking either. So we speak every day, getting better with practice. Hopefully, our parents correct us from time to time when we use the wrong word in the wrong place.
I would say I could write a book about it, but it would be little more than a pamphlet. It does not take a lot to teach a child to read. It mostly takes time patience with a lot of love tossed in for good measure.
To start with, there are two methods of teaching a child how to read. Some say that phonics is the best. Others will say, no. It slows their reading down. As in many cases, they are both right. However, both methods do require a little memory and drills at the front end.
Regardless of the method, the child must learn the alphabet and the name of every letter. Per se it is not important to know but rather it is an important tool for the teacher. It is also important to understand the concepts of vowels. To be sure, it is important to know them, but more, they should learn that vowels and only the vowels are pronounced with the mouth open. The sounds that the letter “A” makes cannot be properly pronounced unless the mouth is open. The sound itself comes from way back in the throat.
Now, consider that there are 26 letters in the English language. The vowels have 2 or even 3 sounds. “A” has 3 sounds. (aim, apple and amount) Two consonants have 2 sounds, “C” and “G.” For the most part the others have but one sound. If the child memorizes these thirty-some sounds, he/she is well on the way to learning how to read by phonics.
If the child learns the sounds of 3 letters a day, we are talking less than 10 days to conquer the entire alphabet. To be sure, there are a few curves, TH, CH, SH. And then there are the silent letters. That always adds a little fun to the process, but they can be easily overcome quickly. Children pick up that kind of stuff fast. I did. I never had to be told a second time about the silent “E.”
And so it is that a child armed with phonics can pretty much sound out the majority of the words in the English language. The hitch is that sounding out words can take time. It is why so many don’t like the phonics methods. If a person only learns phonics, they will likely never get above 200 words a minute, if that.
And so it is that recognition comes into play. When you realize the number of words in the standard sized college dictionary, it makes the recognition method unsurmountable, but it’s not.
Someone did the research and found that if a person was to just memorize the 100 most modt common words used in English, a person could read about 70-75 percent of the words in a common fiction novel.
So, while the student memorizes the letters and their sounds, in a second session, he also learns to recognize the 100 most common words. 5 a day. That takes 20 days. That means, if the student really works on the phonics for ten days and the appearance of words for 20 days, a three-year-old should be able to read at least a first grade level. That is not too much to expect from a three year old. A few flash cards and an hour a day should be more than enough.
By the way, consider what those 100 words are. Most have four letters or less. (a, the, an, he, she, it. them, they, him, etc.) If you want to find out what the 100 words are, you can google them. They are listed and you can easily make 100 flash cards for them. Most kids love flash cards.
If you go 1000 most common words, if my memory serves me right, a person can read nearly 90 percent of the words in a novel. Hence, we find that the recognition method, when used in conjunction with phonics, a three-year-older can learn a lot of reading, probably in a couple of months. After that, it’s practice. I’d say 1 to 2 hours a day. If it catches on, you might not have to make them read that long. You might reach a point where they want to read more. If it gets to that point, your child will outperform almost every kid in the first grade, and perhaps the second. When kids read a lot, they start learning a lot, many times not on purpose. Many times, they will start reading for the fun of learning. That reading can help them build confidence, which might lead to better public speaking. Now wouldn’t that be a good thing?
Whenever I hear someone say something I consider worth repeating, I repeat it. Mostly, I try to credit the source but I no longer have a DVR. So, by the time I realize I should repeat it, I no longer know who to credit. I will say this. I heard it on a news article on 10 pm news, local channel 13, the FOX affiliate. The article was concerning teaching to read, a subject that very much concerns me. Near the end of the article, there was a man that said that third grade is kind of a division point. Before the third grade, the students are learning to read. After the third grade, the students more and more are reading to learn.
How accurate I thought. I knew it a long time ago but I just never thought of a way to put it as he did. Nonetheless, it points out how important reading is. Without being able to read, it is as if they have a handicap, an anchor so to speak keeping them from learning. And of course, the longer the problem continues, the more the student falls behind others, or more important, where he or she should be.
This is usually where students who have problems start becoming frustrated. If the problem is not resolved, the student will frequently throw up his hands wondering why he or she should even try. What purpose is there in giving reading assignments to 5th and 6th graders that can’t read at 3rd grade levels?
It is why it is good that Tennessee put such a priority on students learning to read. It is important, for sure to allow the kids to learn. Far more important, it is important that schools, students and parents know; so that the problem can be directly addressed. Is it that the student is just not interested or does he have a problem that he needs help with? Is it just encouragement he needs or does he need to have special instruction.
It is unfortunate, but in some cases, it is the teacher. That certainly needs to be addressed quickly because if it isn’t it will effect many more students and quickly.
allow me to add this. Saw the same article again. The man was Johnny Blount, Literacy Corps Director.
I have no earthly idea why, but I really like the Audi commercial that asks, is it really a wish list if it only has but one wish on it?
I know, not much of a reason, but I do find the question intriguing. Just how many things must be on a list in order for it to be a list. Is it a shopping list if it only has milk & bread?
I remember the year that my Christmas list consisted of just one thing, a bicycle. Well, I did get the bike, but I must admit that I got a few other things too. I think maybe of all the things I received for Christmas, that bicycle was my favorite.
I have no idea how many miles I put on that bike, but I rode it to school, to friends homes, to the store for milk and bread. Sometimes, I just rode it cause I liked riding it.
I guess I was in the 5th or 6th grade when I got it and I used it through the twelfth grade. I have no idea how many flats I fixed on it. I even had to replace a broken front fork. I guess you could say I wore it out.
Maybe, if I had the money, I might have bought the Audi. It would have certainly had a place on my Christmas list. However, I already got my wish, the Nissan. Very likely it will also be well used. Unless I start selling my books, and a bunch of them, I won’t likely buy any more cars.
Speaking of books, maybe a few of you can put a few of my books on your lists. They might not be great, but I believe you will enjoy them. Just look on my about page for a list and it really is a list. More than 35 titles. Many are parts of series.
[Now, how’s that for a segway?]
Daily prompt:
What was your favorite school subject
I assume this means beside physical education or lunch.
Actually I really liked science a lot, specifically physics. The concepts behind mechanical advantages, I found fascinating.
Invariably, of couse, I spent hours thinking of how I could build the successful perpetual motion machine. I quickly found out I was not alone. History is full of notable scientists who actually tried to build them. Unfortunately, in every case they failed due losses of energy, usually because of friction.
I guess the closest we will ever get to perpetual motion is when we put something in orbit. Even then, I don’t know as that qualifies. I think most satellites eventually fall from the sky.
I have also had an interest in electric motors and generators. I suppose it was somewhat connected with perpetual machines. I mean, we could use the motor to turn the motor and the generator could provide electricity for the motor. I suspect I was not the first to think of that.
The fact is that I should have worked much harder on English and especially reading. I should have worked very hard on polishing my writing. But then like most kids, I was just too smart for wasting time on that.
Give me the opportunity and the space and I’d love to teach reading. I think I could could teach from 6 to 25 students. If I had the chance, you’d not be able to hold me back.
I guess it would be better to teach adults but I think I could do a good job of teaching children as well.
As I can see it, I would need two hours a day for 15 days, perhaps 20. I believe I could bring them from non-reading to at least 2nd, maybe 3rd grade level.
Although I am not credentialed, I have taught electronics in the military for a total of 7 years. I guess, I could also teach basic electronics for those interested, but that would take quite a bit longer. Also, I’d need to do some prep. I have not taught anything for decades. Also, unlike reading, electronics really involves a lot of math and science.
My guess, Desoto County schools will not let me near any of their students. They could lose their accreditation. Also, they’d likely not have much faith in me or my methods.
Regardless, parents, you need to make sure your kids learn to read if you have to teach them yourself. Make sure they get plenty of practice. Those who go into junior high without being able to read are very much handicapped. Math, science, and history are all very important too. However, it all hinges on being able to learn from the printed page. It is a very important way of communicating. Those who cannot read, will be severely hindered at communications. As they grow older and go up into higher grades, it becomes all the more important.
I know. Those of you in NY, NY or LA, CA have little interest in what happens in little ol’ DeSoto County Mississippi, but you ought to.
Let me explain, please. In 1977, when I was discharged from the Marines, Highway 302 (also known as Goodman Road) was a little two-lane road that had more pot holes than any known human could count. When I moved to Desoto County, Southaven wasn’t a city; Olive Branch was a city, but barely.
Highway 302 was 2 lanes all the way from US highway 61 all the way past Olive Branch. Now it is at least 4-laned all the way from US 61 to US 72, about 34 miles. And, by the way, nary a pothole all the way.
Now why should you care, those of you in Southern California? What difference does it make to those of you on Long Island? Of what importance is it to those in the Windy City?
Well, here is the point. I tried to drive across through I-55 interchange today and I encountered gridlock. That’s right. It took me four lights in all to cross the 3 7 lane bridge in little old horn lake. We had gridlock. How can this be? When I first moved to DeSoto County, the Horn Lake population was about 5000. Now, the population is about 27 thousand. (Likely more than that, as it has grown since the census) If things keep going, I’d suspect that the city of Southaven will rival Jackson in a decade or two. If those dems keep messing thing us, up there, maybe sooner.
This is sort of odd if you look at the growth of Mississippi in general, which has been decreasing, at least for the last decade or so. Why is this? Why do we have so many traffic problems in our little towns in northern Mississippi.
Of course, I can only guess. I have no degree in such things. I have no degree at all. Yet, I have noticed a thing or two over the years. The businesses in southern Memphis are closing. They are shutting down. In some cases, they are closing their doors north of the state line and opening up offices and storefronts south of the state line.
Now how can this be? Memphis used to be a really nice place. I know. When I was in the Marines, I was stationed there, twice. I saw it as a really great place to live in 1968. Then, when I went back in 1972, I saw some deterioration. Finally, when I was discharged at Millington in 1977, I could see the beginning of the downfall.
Nowadays, people are leaving the city by the thousands, and not too many people are moving in.
While I am sure, as the scarecrow in The Wizard of OZ, we can point in many directions for the problems the city has. Mostly though, we must point to the leadership of the city. Every time they even hint at making a really dumb decision, the value of my home goes up a percent or two. By the way, it also follows that the value of homes in Memphis decrease. I am sure there are many that would like to move south but they have homes they cannot sell for reasonable prices.
Could it be…? Mind you, I am only asking the question. Could it be that the democrats really don’t know how to run a city? I mean…, in every place throughout the country, when the dems took over, the property values plummeted, and not just a little. May I remind you of Detroit where they are bulldozing homes down. Apparently, they can’t even give them away and leaving them vacant only leads to more problems.
And now, if you look around, we see it is happening with states. I understand it is difficult to find a U-Haul to rent in California or New York. You notice there are counties wanting to detach themselves from Washington and Oregon to attach themselves to Idaho. I wonder why. Do you suppose they are all trying to escape the dems? Do you think maybe they don’t like the idea of living under communist regimes? Do you think maybe they are tired of their tax dollars going to those who are too lazy to work. Mostly, mostly, I suspect they don’t like the way the dems run the schools. They would rather their kids be taught how to read and write instead of pretending to be the gender they aren’t? Do you suppose, maybe they would rather their kids be taught math rather than global weather change. Just maybe it would be better to learn history rather than the lies and the brainwashing.
Look out folks. One day they will come up with a law to keep you from moving from a dem state to a Republican state. I mean, how can they spread their vile lies when the kids keep leaving?
As my aside, safety is certainly a big factor as well. I saw the other day on local news program that Memphis restaurant owners have had just about enough. They want the city to start enforcing the law for the safety of their patrons and employees.
It is why the folks are coming south to eat. It is why the businesses are moving south. Not only is it safer but that’s sort of where the customers are going. They are simply following the crowd.
Meanwhile, the little house of mine has gone from selling at 25,000 to a value of right close to 110,000 in about 40 years. I kind of like those dems…, as long as they stay north of the state line.
For some time, I kept hearing about those Tennessee 3rd graders failing to meet third grade reading criteria would not be advanced to 4th grade. I thought little of it, though it did seem reasonable to me. The most important thing a child learn in early school is reading.
No one told me as much but I figured they would be holding back 3 to 5 percent. Then, I heard a news reporter casually say that 40 percent met the qualification.
Please! Please! Someone tell me the report was wrong or that my ears deceived me. If not, It does help me understand why Shelby County parents are trying to sneak their children into Desoto County schools.
Still, it would be far better if they fix their own schools. Somehow, I suspect that will not happen soon. I think they’re too busy teaching about going green or how bad Republicans are.
It’s about 3 by 4 by a quarter inch. There is a small monochrome LCD screen and it has a little microphone on it. You press a button on it and say into it the word you can’t spell and it displays the right spelling on the little screen.
There is but one big problem with it. To the best of my knowledge, it doesn’t exist. No one has made it yet. It has yet to be invented. Leastways, I can’t find it.
I looked to see if I can find an ap but couldn’t find any. Even if I found one, I’d prefer a separate device. I’d prefer no one looking over my shoulder, so-to-speak.
If properly configured, it would also display hyphenated words and differentiations for words with same or similar pronunciations. That way I’d know to use affect or effect.
Well, guess this one will have to just remain in the wishing part of my imagination ’cause I suspect it will not get into the design phase. I suppose the folks who design such things don’t figure there is a need of such things.
So, when I want to know how to spell some French word as soufflé, I will just need to try various combinations until I find the right one. Fortunately, I don’t have to use such words very often.
Our alphabet contains 26 letters. Learning to read would be easy if each had its own unique sound. However, all the vowels have at least 2 sounds. One of the letters has at least three sounds. Then, of course, some vowels sometimes have no sound.
The letters C and G each have two sounds, which are designated as hard and soft. The rest of the consonants have but one sound. Then again, some of them are sometimes silent… such as the K in know. I have no idea how that happened but it is just one more thing to make learning to read more difficult.
Then of course, there are the combinations. I guess that the most common combination is the th. It is so common that it is used in almost every sentence of any size.
Yet I believe reading can taught or learned quickly by combining two methods. First, there is phonics, the sounds of the letters. If a person learns the sound of three letters a day for 9 days, a person will learn the sounds of all 26 letters in a week and a half. It is not the perfect solution, but it is a giant step in the right direction.
The second method, what I call recognition, is also important. Some might think it odd, but about 100 words make up about 60 percent of our words by count. First, there are the articles, a, an and the. You will find them in almost all sentences and they are easy to learn.
Then, there are there are the pronouns (he, she, it, his hers, etc). Again, they are easy to learn and they are well peppered throughout our language. Anyone who learns these few words will be well on their way to learning.
Using these two methods, a person can easily learn the basics of reading in weeks, not months. It would certainly be less than years.
I would really like to experiment with this method and I understand there are some who can’t read. However, for that to happen, it would mean getting three things together: me, a place of reasonable comfort to serve as a classroom and, naturally, a few students. I believe I could teach about 8 to 10 at a time for a couple of hours a day. I believe I can have most in the class reading at 5th or maybe 6th grade level in a little more than a month.
It is not as if I would need to teach much in the way of vocabulary. Most of us have pretty good vocabularies by the time we reach 5 or 6. It would be a simple matter of learning to recognize the words on paper, or a screen.
I have been considering making an attempt at it. So far, I haven’t managed to get anything off the ground. I guess there are two problems. First, finding a class room. Second, finding 8 people who want to learn. The trick is that I have something of a catch 22. How do I advertise for students when they can’t read?
Then, as every knows, reading is the gateway to the world. Also, it is an important skill for learning other things. Most of us, by the time we’re 30, over half of what we have learned, we will have learned by reading. If you find a person who is intelligent, he or she will likely be well read.
Besides this and more important, it is very difficult to enslave a populace that can’t read. Finally, as a side affect, people who are well read generally can speak better. In a way, it rubs off.
bfrhodes99 