2 Popular Methods and Techniques Used To Teach Kids How To Read

May 19th, 2009

Many of todays kids do not know how to read as well as they should. Children from the United States are now near the bottom in international tests of knowledge about science and math. The techniques that are being used to teach children to read simply do not work.

We are seeing historic lows when it comes to standardized test scores for verbal ability. It is now estimated that as many as eleven million Americans are functionally illiterate. Learning how to read sets the stage for all other learning. Reading is the gateway to all other types of knowledge. When a child cannot read they will not be able to get access to the textbooks designed to teach them about other subjects. Children who do not have proper reading skills will never be able to reach their full potential. The ability to read is central to success in so many areas of life.

There are two methods that are primarily used to teach children how to read. These are the phonics method and the whole word method. Each of these methods has its own drawbacks and benefits. The phonics method is probably the best known method of teaching children to read. Children first memorize the alphabet and the sounds made by various letters. Then students are taught to string the sounds together in order to read words. One of the disadvantages of this method is that students give up when they get bored memorizing their letters. Sometimes they are so busy sounding out a word that they don’t get the meaning of the word.

With the whole word method children are taught to recognize entire words. Rather than learning to sound words out children are taught to memorize whole words. This method was created as a way to teach deaf children to read and is still effective when children do not have the ability to sound words out. For more information on kids educational software visit MileStone Reading.