| If you would like to help your child learn to read, but | | | | three-letter words, usually with one consonant on |
| are overwhelmed by all the educational terminology, | | | | each end and a vowel in the middle. For example: The |
| this may help. Most parents understand the concept | | | | child learns the sounds for 'a' 'b' 'c' 'd' 'p' and 't.' The |
| of phonics - the correlation of one sound to one or | | | | child is presented with the words 'at' 'bat' 'pat' 'cat.' |
| more letters. For example: the letters 'c' 'k' and 'ck' all | | | | The child makes the sound for each letter, and then |
| make the [k] sound. However, there are two types | | | | blends the sounds together to say the word. |
| of phonics: Synthetic Phonics and Analytical Phonics. | | | | Two-letter sounds and two-letter vowels are not |
| Synthetic Phonics is the concept of teaching reading | | | | taught until the child has a firm grasp of single-letter |
| by first teaching one letter corresponding to one | | | | phonemes. |
| sound, without teaching all the exceptions and | | | | Teaching Synthetic Phonics As a parent, you are |
| complications, then blending those sounds together in | | | | perfectly capable of teaching your child to read |
| words. Analytical Phonics (aka Implicit Phonics or | | | | through Synthetic Phonics. Choose five or six letters, |
| Whole Word) does the opposite. It moves from the | | | | being sure to include one vowel, and introduce them |
| whole word to the parts. This approach was widely | | | | one at a time to your child, making the sound and |
| embraced and then abandoned by the educational | | | | showing them the letter. Then write out two and |
| communities in both the U. K. and the U.S. within the | | | | three-letter words (one at a time) and ask your child |
| last twenty years. | | | | say the sound for each word. For extra help, there |
| Synthetic Phonics Now, when people refer to | | | | are websites you can find by using the search words |
| 'phonics,' they are almost always referring to | | | | 'free phonics worksheets' that you can download and |
| Synthetic Phonics. In Synthetic Phonics, a child does | | | | use. The best sites also have good, educationally |
| not have to know the name of a letter in order to | | | | sound tips and advice for activities and games. You |
| start learning the phoneme (sound) that corresponds | | | | have taught your child everything up to this point. |
| to that letter. As soon as the child knows enough | | | | You can teach reading, too. |
| letter sounds, they start blending those letters into | | | | |