Resources

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Resources

The following are just a few of the hundreds of sites on the Internet that offer reading help for parents. (If you will google the word phonics or reading, you may be introduced to a portion of the world you have never visited before!) We’ve also included some general information for you to ponder!

A. Phonics Site for Kids: Starfall https://www.starfall.com/

B. Phonics Information for Parents:

  1. The National Right to Read Foundation https://www.nrrf.org/index.html

  2. YouTube. There are countless videos on YouTube that offer instruction on how
    to teach phonics. Some are good and some are not so helpful. But with a little
    time investment, you should be able to find ones that answer your questions.

C. For Phonics Programs, select one that is systematic, sequential, and geared toward your
child’s dominant learning style. Abeka Phonics is traditional with flashcards, readers, etc. and
appeals to visual learners. Sing, Spell, Read, and Write has appeal to auditory learners. For
an overview of the most popular reading programs, please visit Cathy Duffy’s Review site.
https://cathyduffyreviews.com/phonics_reading/phonics-reading-index.htm

D. Additional Internet Resources

  1. Abeka Books. This site includes Abeka’s Sequence of Phonics Instruction for grades Pre-School through 2nd grade. Beginning with 2 and 3 year-olds, this list shows the material taught in the Abeka curriculum at each grade level. It is noted under the Language Arts heading for Phonics and Reading. Even if you don’t use the curriculum, this chart gives you a good overview of the sequence you will want to follow. https://www.abeka.com/Resources/PDFs/ScopeAndSequence.pdf

  2. Downloadable Phonics Charts, word cards, and more. https://www.boostforreaders.com/, https://www.atozphonics.com/phonicsprintables.html

  3. Lots of games, worksheets, Itsy Bitsy Books [for each letter], coloring sheets, etc. https://www.kidzone.ws/kindergarten.htm

  4. Ideas to help reluctant readers: https://specialed.about.com/od/readingliteracy/a/Reading.htm

  5. Very cool ‘alphabet wheel’ to make at home. https://www.atozphonics.com/support-files/alphabetwheel.pdf

  6. Free Printable Color Alphabet Charts https://www.mes-english.com/phonics.php

  7. Alphabet/Handwriting Comparison Chart. This chart shows the various handwriting styles that are popular today. If you are teaching your child to write, decide which style you like and go for it! If your child is in school or will be going to school soon, check with the school to see which style they are teaching. It may be less confusing to simply teach the same style as the school. https://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/cms_content?page=314397&sp=1016&e vent=1016RNF%7C1073374%7C1016

  8. The Dolch Word List. This is a list of 220 of the most common words used in the English language. It is supplemented with a second list of 95 common nouns. The words in these lists are high-frequency words and learning them will help children develop fluency much faster. Some of the words follow phonetic rules and can therefore be included in the appropriate phonics step. Other words cannot be sounded out phonetically and must be memorized [sight words]. The lists are divided into grade levels through third grade, but those who are teaching reading through phonics will want to introduce the words much sooner than third grade. https://www.k12reader.com/dolch-word-list/

  9. Tumble Books. If you go to your child’s school website, you may find a link and a password for the Tumble Book website. On the TB site, you will find stories that are illustrated and read aloud for children to follow. Be aware however, the preschool stories are not phonetically sequential and so they mix a lot of the phonetic sounds from the start [short a, long a, and special ‘a’ sounds from later phonics charts]. We do not recommend this type of beginning instruction. However, the read aloud aspects of the site are worth investigating.

E. Book Resources

  1. A Handbook for Reading published by Abeka Books. We have used this handbook as a basic ‘text’ for years. We supplement it with other materials according to the dominant learning style of the students we are working with. This book gives students a solid foundation in reading, phonics, and spelling. It is an excellent phonics resource to use for review with struggling students who may have some gaps in their phonics skills.

  2. Other Abeka Phonics Materials. You can view the grade specific materials in Abeka’s catalog at abeka.com. Although they designate materials for 4-year-old kindergarten through second grade, you can use the materials according to your child’s knowledge/developmental level rather than his or her grade level.

  3. Noah Webster’s Reading Handbook published by Christian Liberty Press. This book is similar to Abeka’s Handbook for Reading. Both books are based on Webster’s Blue-Backed Speller, which was published in 1783. This book is simpler in color and design than Abeka’s book and therefore may appeal to older students who need phonics review. This book gives students a solid foundation in reading, phonics, and spelling.

  4. The Way They Learn by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias. A book on “how to discover and teach to your child’s strengths.” It’s a great introduction to learning styles and modalities [how we learn]. In this book, learning styles are defined as Concrete Sequential, Abstract Sequential, Abstract Random, and Concrete Random. The modalities are Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic. Many teachers (ourselves included) refer to the modalities as Learning Styles themselves since they reflect our natural preferences for learning and they represent the way we best retain new material. Also, you might want to do an Internet search to find a survey you can take to identify your own preferred learning style and that of your child. There are lots of surveys out there, so you might want to take several of them if you are unsure of your own style. Then, using what you know of your child’s preferences, try to discover his or her dominant learning style and make the decision to create a home study environment that complements their style [even if it conflicts with yours! ☺].