A Couple of Methods and Techniques Used To Teach Kids How To Read
Many children are not being taught the skills they need to read well. American children now rank near the bottom when it comes to math and science knowledge. The techniques that are being used to teach children to read these days are simply not effective.
We are seeing historic lows when it comes to standardized test scores for verbal ability. It is thought that as many as 11 million Americans can be classified as functionally illiterate. Reading is a basic skill needed for all other types of learning. This is why it is imperative our children learn to read at an early age. Reading is the gateway to all other types of knowledge. When a child cannot read they will not be able to get access to the textbooks about all the other subjects. Children who do not have proper reading skills will never be able to reach their full potential. The ability to read is central to success in so many areas of life.
There are two main methods used in this country to teach children how to read. These two methods are phonics and whole word. Each of these methods has its own drawbacks and benefits. Phonics is the most well known method for teaching people how to read. With the phonics method children learn the sounds associated with each letter of the alphabet. Students are then instructed on how to put the sounds together to make words. One of the disadvantages of this method is that students often get bored while memorizing their letters and sounds and simply give up. Additionally they may get so caught up in sounding out a word that they lose its meaning.
Using the whole word method children learn to memorize and recognize whole words while reading. Instead of sounding words out children learn to memorize words and then recognize them. This method was first introduced to teach deaf children how to read and can be very effective for those with problems sounding out words. For more information on childrens learn to read software visit MileStone Reading.
