Tag Archives: phonics

The Comprehensive Phonics Handbook by Eagle’s Wings

As the mom of five young children, I am often on the hunt for resources that will get used time and time again. I need resources that are flexible enough to meet the needs of all five kids–from my gifted child to my very hands-on learner who needs lots and lots of practice. This book definitely fits the bill and is a huge asset to any homeschooling mom who is teaching phonics and reading. How It’s Laid Out The book is organized into various charts that coincide with a particular sound and spelling rule. Most charts have exceptions called “every … Continue reading →

Phonics, Whole Language, and Teaching Literacy

Warning: if you’re looking for the definitive step by step instructions on how to teach a child to read, you won’t find it here. However, if you’re at the beginning of your schooling journey, and you’re at a loss as to what to teach for reading, this might be the place for you to start. Decades ago, phonics used to be all the rage. Phonics is the systematic instruction of the sounds of the alphabet. Kids who study phonics memorize blends and learn things like “Two vowels get together and they play a game, the first vowel speaks, it says … Continue reading →

Phonemic Awareness

When I was in school, phonics was not a major emphasis. We perhaps learned a few rules but the teacher did not teach the dynamics of words. However many have now learned that teaching children to hear various sounds and see how they work together is very important. Because many parents are unfamiliar with the teaching of phonics they are confused when they see words such as phonemic awareness and phoneme segmentation. A lot have trouble pronouncing the words much less defining them. If I was not a teacher, I would have the same troubles. Phonemics awareness is the awareness … Continue reading →

Usborne Easy Words to Read Series

Usborne is a direct sales company that specializes in high quality children’s books. They not only market them, but they publish them as well, utilizing a large variety of authors who are well versed in their fields. The books I would like to tell you about today are the Easy Words to Read books, phonics readers that are designed especially for your beginning reader. Each book contains repetition of one or more letter combinations. For instance, take “Sam Sheep Can’t Sleep.” In the title, we are introduced to the theme for that book – the double e. Then on page … Continue reading →

Phonics Activities: Teaching Phonics at Home

Teaching Phonics Every homeschooling parent understands the importance of teaching your child how to read. Sometimes this task may seem overwhelming, frustrating, and may make you wonder if “homeschooling” is really all it is cracked up to be. Well, before you decide to take drastic measures, here are some tips that can help make teaching reading fun, easy, and take some of the stress off. Readiness First, it is important that you line up the skills you are teaching with your child’s readiness. Sometimes, the biggest source of frustration is from trying to teach something that your child isn’t ready … Continue reading →