first birthday

Happy Birthday! We love you!
Tonya

problems with phonic programs (part two)

Here is the second problem I wanted to address: (quoting from Wanda Sanseri)


2. Pokey Phonics - phonics instruction should be first and fast. Some systems take years to introduce the key components to the language. Unnecessarily delaying this vital instruction will force children to invent their own inadequate and unreliable systems.

Fragmenting key information into bits and pieces which are introduced separately over time makes retrieval hard. Instead of teaching only short vowel sounds or long vowel sounds, it is easier for a student to file together in one place of her mind all the common sounds a phonogram can make. At student who learns only the short vowel sound of O will experience frustration trying to read words like OPEN or DO. A person who knows from the beginning that the letter O has three possible sounds will not be discouraged that the first sound did not work. She has two other choices on the tip of her tongue to try.

The same concept applies to multi-letter phonograms. CH can make three different sounds. In many programs these sounds are taught separately over a period of years. Students in first grade may have a list of words using CH to say /ch/ as in child. In second or third grade they may have a list of words using CH to say /k/ as in chord. In fourth grade they may have a long list of words using CH to spell /sh/ as in chef. The three distinct sounds are rarely presented together in an uncluttered way.


On a side note:
If you are looking for ways to introduce phonics to your toddler or preschooler, here is an article with some great suggestions.

Happy reading! Teach them while they are young!

Tonya

problems with phonic programs

The article I posted previously talked about these differences so I will only draw attention to a few. To read the whole article, click here.

I am quoting from the article, which was written by Wanda Sanseri:



1. Problem One: Whole Word Instruction (sight words would fall in this category)
"English needs to be taught by component parts rather than by a whole-word approach...

The first step in teaching any language is to isolate the most basic components used to make up that language. In English we have 500,000 words. Trying to learn each word one at a time will restrict the student... How many ways do we have to spell the basic sounds of English? (70) We call the letter or letters that represent the sounds of English, phonograms.

The next step is to learn the rules that govern the use of these symbols. How many rules do we have in English? (28) With a working knowledge of the 70 phonogram plus 28 spelling rules(our 98 cards), we can phonetically explain 99% of the most commonly used words in the language and at least 87% of all the words in our dictionary. Does it sound unbelievable that the language with the most voluminous vocabulary can be reduced to 98 key components? It seems more incredible that such valuable information has been kept as a secret from the people in high places."


Here is another article to show how Spell to Write and Read compares with other programs. I really encourage you to read it. It is important to learn what's available and the differences between them - it's for your child's benefit!

Tonya

what phonics program should I use?

We all want our children to be good spellers and readers. What program or system should we use? I know there are many options out there but next week we are going to explore the one that we use. It's called Spell to Write and Read (not to be confused with the program called Sing, Spell, Write and Read). It's commonly referred to as SWR. It's written and developed by Wanda Sanseri.

The program is completely opposite of what I was taught as a child. There are no sight words to memorize. Really? Nearly every program on the market uses sight words. What makes SWR different than other programs? Why do I think it is far superior to all the rest? Join in next week!

Just a note to spark your interest. Lots of phonics programs use this rule:
"When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking." Do you know how consistent that rule is? 27% Not even 50%!! So my question is this, "Why are programs still teaching it?"

Here's a great article to introduce the Spell to Write and Read program. Happy Reading!

Tonya

it's the simple things

does God hate Haiti?

An excellent article written by Albert Mohler. Here's an excerpt:

Why did no earthquake shake Nazi Germany? Why did no tsunami swallow up the killing fields of Cambodia? Why did Hurricane Katrina destroy far more evangelical churches than casinos? Why do so many murderous dictators live to old age while many missionaries die young?

Does God hate Haiti? God hates sin, and will punish both individual sinners and nations. But that means that every individual and every nation will be found guilty when measured by the standard of God's perfect righteousness. God does hate sin, but if God merely hated Haiti, there would be no missionaries there; there would be no aid streaming to the nation; there would be no rescue efforts -- there would be no hope.

You can read the whole article here.

Tonya

cast your cares

This excerpt is from a children's cd produced by Seeds of Worship. You can find more information here.

Tonya

how our table looks

Here is what you will find our table looking like during the week. It's quite interesting! Grazzin works on school, Mia does her little projects on the end next to Grazzin, and Kaci brings whatever she can find to the table and plays on the opposite end.



Quite often Kaci will just run around and play while we do school. She loves her little pink computer. It hasn't been acting right the past couple of weeks and I have had to work on it a little (every time Kaci watches intently) The other day I had to charge the batteries. It was too cute to see Kaci try to turn it on and when it wouldn't work, she marched over to the drawer, got the screwdriver, and proceeded to fix it herself!



Being a mom is one of the greatest joys in the world!
Tonya

more puppy love

Grazzin loves our little puppy. He usually takes care of her first thing in the morning and can't wait until his first break during school so he can play with her. Kaci tries to be brave and hold her but she's terrified!




On another note, Mia lost her first tooth yesterday. She has been trying to get it to fall out for the past month and was so excited when it finally happened. She asked me, "Do you think I still look cute since I have a missing tooth?" Of course!



Did you know that Crayola makes washable window markers now? In a pack of multiple colors? I was thrilled when I found them at Wal-Mart tonight. Now Mia and Kaci can draw on the patio glass. (They always want to use the dry erase board and that marker will not come out .. we've had a few stubborn marks on the wall and clothes) Our patio also has the white grid between the glass so I am planning to have Mia practice writing her letters and use the grid for her base line. Perfect!! Thanks, Crayola!

Tonya

amazing science fact

We learned this week that a fly leaves more bacteria when it lands on a piece of bread than if a hundred cockroaches were climbing all over it.




Interesting. I think I am going to buy another fly swatter.

Tonya

infertility

Here is an excellent article for those dealing with infertility. What hope can be found through God's Word?

Jason Kovacs has received permission from CCEF to post the article The Bible and the Pain of Infertility by Kimberly Monroe and Philip Monroe.

Tonya

puzzles

We have puzzles spread all over the table. Mia loves them. It's a perfect project during the cold weather while I am doing school with Grazzin.

I would love to hear about other fun table ideas she could do during school!

Tonya

our puppy has a name

It's official! Our puppy's name is Sage. She never gets put down during the day. One of the kids are always holding her. She's spoiled rotten and somehow Mom has been given all of the clean up duty? We will have to work on that.

death is not dying

Please take some time this week to listen to this testimony of God's grace given by Rachel Barkey. She spoke to group of women in the midst of terminal cancer in March 2009. Rachel died this past summer.

Here is the link to watch the video. It is about 55 minutes long. You can also access the audio on the same page and listen to it on your drive to work or as you are washing the dishes.

I am so thankful for her faith in our Savior who is mighty to save! Please continue to pray for her husband and children.

Tonya

worth the wait

We were finally able to pick up the last Christmas present this evening. To say that the kids were excited would be an understatement!



Taking name suggestions! It's a little girl.

Tonya