Using Computer Programs to Teach Children to Read

How to Use Computers to Teach Children to Learn to Read
By C Michael Levy

During the past 20-30 years, computers became omnipresent within most traditional school classrooms. Yet, even as school districts dedicated an increasing amount of their technology resources to installing classroom computers, educators were often at a loss about how to use this new technology to teach. Teachers already had books, visual aids, and tactile materials specially designed to teach students all they needed to know about just about everything. Of what use was this new computer-based technology that promised to help teach an enlarging curriculum to kids who already had everything they needed to learn?

The reality is that computers have opened a whole new world to students, both at home and in the classroom. When the personal computer was merely a word-processing gadget, there were scattered opportunities to teach students limited reading and writing skills, but no real offering of any exciting new ways to teach subjects including social studies, science, and, above all, reading.

With the explosion of the personal computer into an advanced world of enhanced graphics and increasingly complex programs, the computer became more than a black screen with white words and a blinking cursor. Computers became true interactive tools for educators to use to stimulate the imaginations of their students. And, as computer software developers forayed into more than word processing and financial programs, games turned into age-specific programs, and age-specific programs morphed into educational opportunities.

One complaint voiced by many parents as computer software matured from adaptations of video game into real educational offerings, was that their children were spending excessive time in front of the computer. After all, there is little to smile about when a child trades his Nintendo for computer pinball or her Atari for a Barbie creativity program. But, most experts agree that computer software developers really stepped up to the plate when designing programs that not only presented children with real learning opportunities, but that appealed to a wide variety of interests at the same time. Now, many parents are actually pleased when their children want to use the computer.

Computer Software that Can Teach Children to Learn to Read

Relatively early on in the learning software game, developers worked to present learners with basic computer programs that focused heavily on A,B,C's and 1,2,3's. Early programs presented even preschool learners with simple reading programs based on traditional reading materials such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Cinderella, and the Dr. Seuss books. Later programs learned to focus on specific reading skills.

Today's computer software programs incorporate reading into a variety of learning media and subject area content. Just as educators have traditionally used different subject areas to help teach reading and vice versa, computer software has grown to the point where programs present children of all ages with multi-pronged combinations of reading activities across subject areas in order to facilitate and enhance learning. Just as computer games began to adapt play to the users' skill level some years ago, so too do sophisticated modern reading programs adjust to the needs and capabilities of the individual student. These new "learning" programs are so engrossing that students often tend to view them as "games." Now, even well-thought out computer games can be excellent supplemental learning opportunities for moderate and established readers.

Careful software purchasing decisions by parents, along with flexibly allocating computer time devoted to instruction vs entertainment can help sustain their children's interest and enthusiasm for both kinds of program at a high level.

Michael Levy is a well-known teacher and university researcher who has published more than 250 articles about learning. His latest project is Reading Buddy 2.0, software for teaching children to learn to read basic English using the innovative syllabics methodology. Michael invites traditional and home school teachers to explore this new method. Claim your free copy of Reading Buddy 2.0

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10 Tips for Homeschooling First Grade

#1 The first grade is the doorway to the child's entire education. It must be a positive experience because it will affect the rest of his life. If he learns to love school in the first grade, he will enjoy in the rest of his school years.

#2 Your decision to homeschool you first grader is a great responsibility. Don't panic. Don't stress out. Yes, this is an important time in the life of your child, and you may not feel prepared or capable. Relax. Have fun. Your child will learn every thing he needs if YOU enjoy school.

#3 Make your first grader the #1 most important member of the family. Let him feel that first grade is very important. You can show it in small, simple ways. For example, let him sit beside you when you read, even if he is not the youngest child. Let him have special school crayons or pencil for use only when doing school work.

#4 Don't let the preschoolers do the first grade workbooks. They see older children doing it and it looks so fun. Make it a special part of first grade, that only those special first graders get to do. Then when your preschooler gets to first grade, it will be new and exciting.

#4 Play learning games like word games and letter games. Include lots of pre-school activities. But at the same time, don't let play distract form studies. Keep a good balance between work and play. Think of it as a balance. Work is on one side, play on the other. If the work side gets too heavy, the child may end up disliking school, get grumpy about doing his work, makes your job of teaching harder, and learn almost nothing. On the other hand if the play side of the balance gets too heavy, the child learns no study skills which will be a disadvantage when he gets in higher grades.

#5 It is important to teach the child to finish his school work in a timely manner.You need to expect work from him, and he needs to know that it is expected of him. Work is in fact a frame of mind. So using this balance of play and work, make his work pleasant so that it seems more like play.

#6 Focus on reading. Reading is the base that the child will build his entire education on. If he learns only this one skill in first grade, he will be prepared for the rest of his school years. Center your first grade curriculum around your reading program. Of course the other subjects are important, but phonics, writing, spelling, and language can all be incorporated into the reading program. History can be taught during story time which is important to any reading program.

#7 Math is also very important. Choose a good math course that will continue on and build through each grade.

#8 Don't forget art. Drawing, coloring, and cutting all improve eye-hand coordination which in turn will help delve lope reading and writing skills.

#9 Keep a fast pace. First graders don't have a real long attention span. Alternate between math and reading throughout the day so that the child doesn't get tired of doing one subject.

#10 The first year of school will take more of your time than any other year. If the proper foundation is laid in the first grade, the child can almost take himself through his lessons the rest of his school years.

Gardening for Summer School - The Small Space Solution

Since gardening is a great way to continue your child's education through the summer months, I've included gardening in my homeschool schedule. When you homeschool you don't get a summer break. The children are always doing something and if it's not something useful and good, well, it won't be good. In my previous blog, I outlined some of the ways gardening can be a great hands-one learning experience for homeschoolers, or children home for summer break. The problem is not every one lives in the country with wide open gardening spaces. In fact, many people live in apartments with no gardening plot at all. So I've searched around and found a solution.

With window boxes, everyone can enjoy a summer garden. Help your child plant some seeds and see his delight at caring for them and watching them grow. What better education can a child get?

Gardening Can Change the Way Your Child Looks at Education

By Lily Ann

Spring is here. As summer approaches and school time is getting close to the end, many children are getting restless and tired of school. They are looking forward to a great summer vacation. How can parents encourage their children to continue their studies?

Gardening is a very effective way to continue your child's education. Children can use skills learned in school to research plants, how they grow, what care they need, which plants will do good in your zone, how people use plants (food, landscaping, etc.), and why plants are important to life. They will get real life experience of how food is produced. You may not realize it, but if you live in a city your child may think that food just comes from the grocery store. You can help your child get a real education outside of the text book.

Involve your child in every step from planning to harvesting. It will give him a practical application of every subject that he is taught in school. Gardening is a science. Together research different plants and gardening techniques. Read seed packets, gardening books, planting guides, and seed catalogs. Write about what you have learned. Use spelling skills to spell words correctly. Use mapping skills and math to plan out the garden plot. Provide hands-on experience of preparing the soil and planting and caring for the plants. Finally, reap the rewards with the harvest.

First, make a list of plants that would interest both of you and choose ones you will plant. Look at other gardens, in gardening books and catalogs. Read about each plant to see which ones will do good in your area. This is important because you want you child to have a successful experience. Be careful when ordering from catalogs. For example, if you live in in Washington State and you order an Orange Tree that grows wonderfully well in California you won't get good results. If you live in the desert, you're not going to grow a tropical plant. For the best results, go to a local nursery.

Using your child's math skills measure your garden space. Research each plant to see how tall and wide each one grows. Use your child's writing skills to record this information. Be sure he uses his spelling skills. Rule out any plants that are not going to fit. The child will then use mapping skills to draw a map of the garden and where each plant will grow. Let him use his artistic abilities to create a garden landscape.

If you live in an apartment with no available garden spot, use pots on the deck. You may even consider indoor gardening. Read about shade loving plants and different ways of indoor and container gardening. The child can still use mapping and math skills to plan out where each pot will sit. When choosing potting soil, let the child read labels and instructions. He can use reasoning skills to decide which soil is best. Comparing prices and calculating the total cost will use his math skills.

Next, prepare the soil and plant. Let the child learn the value of work. He works his mind to study soil preparation, ph balance, and mulching. He works his body to physically turn the soil, spread fertilizer, and put the seeds in the ground. Again, he uses math skills to plant each seed and plant at the correct depth and spacing. Can you begin to see how all the skills he is learning at school come together with real meaning?

The child learns responsibility when he cares for his garden every day. He will see the results of neglect if he neglects his duty of watering, weeding, and feeding his garden. He will continue to use reading, writing, and arithmetic to figure out how much water the garden needs, when to feed the plants, and how to give each plant the correct amount of nutrients.

Finally, the child will reap the reward of the harvest. He will enjoy delicious home-grown vegetables or a spectacular display of blooms (or both). Best of all, he will have used reading, writing, math, science, spelling, phonics, dictionary skills, and many other skills. He will be more prepared for the next year of school because he hasn't forgotten his lessons over the long summer.

Plant a garden this year and watch your child grow.

Visit The Garden Guide for more information and gardening books.

10 Simple Teaching Techniques Will Make Your Child an Excellant Reader.

When I began homeschooling my first child, I wondered "How does a teacher with thirty plus students teach them all to read?" I was struggling to teach one child. Now with a few years of experience and some successes behind me, I'll share some of my most effective teaching techniques.
1 - Steady progress not instant mastery. Each day build on what the child has learned the day before. Every improvement no matter how small is a step in the right direction. If the child is learning something every day, you are succeeding. You are getting closer to your goal with each baby step.
2 - Set your child up for success. On purpose put him in situations where he will win. Set short-term easy-to-reach goals for him.
3 - Let him know you are excited about his reading goal. Praise him for every step in the right direction.
4 - Have story time every day. Read to your child. A child that is read to has a greater ability to put the words together into a meaningful story. Choose books with no pictures and encourage the child to build his own pictures in his mind.
5 - Choose reading material that is at the child's interest level rather than just his reading level. He needs to be able to relate to the story from his own real life experiences.
6 - Write words the children say. Suppose your child had an exciting day and he wants to tell you all about it. Grab a pencil and write down word for word what he says. Ask him questions to get more information. Write down exactly what he says. Then read it back to him. Let him read it to a friend. This kind of activity will help him transfer the written word into something meaningful.
7 - Label things around the house. Put labels on the table, chair, desk, floor, and ceiling. Anything that has a name can be labeled. Get creative. Use descriptive labels like big blue chair, Kris's room, dull brown carpet, pretty rose tea kettle, etc. Let the child use his imagination to come up with exciting labels.
8 - Teach at odd times. While making dinner, read the recipe out loud. Point our letters and words on signs while driving. Show him articles in the news paper. Read him the mail. Just about anything you are doing, you can include the child.
9 - See, Hear, Say, Write. Choose a reading program that uses this method. See the word. Hear the word. Say the word. Write the word. If your program does not include this, it can easily be added in. Just write the word on a paper. Tell the child what it says. Have him repeat it to you and then copy it onto his own paper.
10 - Read it to him, read it with him, child reads alone. Read the story or book to the child before you ever try to get him to read it alone. For the child who is just beginning to read, or an older one who is struggling, this is a very affective method. True, he may read some from memory, but it helps him to remember the words when he sees them in other places. After you have read the story, read it with the child. Take turns. You read a sentence then the child reads the next sentence. Finally, the child reads the story alone.

Reading Begins With Real Life Experiences

If a child learns to read well, he will be able to succeed in any other subject. It works the other way too. If he learns from experiences, he can understand what he reads. Reading does not only consist of putting sounds together to make words; but also putting words together to make sentences, and and sentences together to make a story. If he doesn't have a clue what a word or group of words means, the story won't make sense to him. The beginnings of a good reader is in real life experiences

A word only means something if the child has something real in his mind to connect it to. For example "apple." Your eyes read the word and you mind tells you the rest. You know what an apple feels like, what it tastes like, what color it is. You know it grows on a tree. You know what the price for it is at the store. You know Great-grandmother cannot eat one because she doesn't have any teeth. Baby brother likes to throw it around. Mother doesn't like him to because it bruises it and makes it soggy and yucky. There are many things that the word "apple" triggers in your mind because you have had real experiences to tie it to. If you'd never seen an apple, the word would mean nothing.

Toddlers are busy for a reason. They are learning how everything feels, looks, tastes, smells, and sounds. All this information is stored in their little brains. The more real life experiences with real things they get, the better they will understand the concept of reading when they reach school age. Interact with your child. Show him things. Tell him about them. Encourage him to use words to tell you about things. A child needs to be able to use words verbally before he will be able to read and write.

The simplest thing to you, a mature adult with years of experience, could be a great exciting discovery to a young child. Even a six-year-old going into first grade will come up with great discoveries that are every day occurrence's to you. Share the excitement with him. This is where your child's reading skills begin.

When a child learns to read, he learns to picture in his mind what the words mean. If he reads "The fox ran into the hollow log" he sees in his mind the picture the story tells. What if he's never seen a fox. Maybe he doesn't know what a hollow log is. Encourage you child to ask questions about the things he reads. Answer his questions. Show him as many real life experiences as you can. Go to the zoo. Take a nature walk. Find a fox, a hollow log. Let him see, hear, feel, smell, and listen to the fox and the log. Make the story have meaning then he will learn that those black letters on the white page are really more than just black and white letters. They mean something.

Read to your child. Every one says it. You can even read it on the cereal box. Read to your child. Children love books with pictures, because they can look at the picture to know what the story means. Read stories and books without pictures, and encourage your child to make up the pictures in his mind. When he has this background of being read to and making pictures out of the words, when he learns to read, he will already know how to convert the words into something meaningful.

Write down words that your child says. For instance, Johnny's tooth fell out. He wants to tell Grandmother all about it. Have him dictate a letter to her. Write down exactly what he says and then read it back to him. Watch how pleased he will be with the letter that he "wrote" to Grandmother. This kind of an activity will help the child see that written words mean the same as spoken words and get him used to seeing written words before he even enters school.

Give your child real life experiences and start him on the way to reading.

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