Two Main Methods and Techniques Used To Teach Our Kids How To Read
Many children today to 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 math and science knowledge. Often the methods used for teaching children to read simply do not work.
We are seeing historic lows when it comes to standardized test scores for verbal ability. Almost eleven millions Americans can be classified as functionally illiterate. Reading is a basic skill needed for all other types of learning. This is why educational reading software is so populare. 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 everything else. If a child does not have good reading skills they 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 main methods used in this country to teach children how to read. These two methods are phonics and whole word. There are pros and cons to each of these methods. 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. Students are then taught how to put the various sounds together to read whole words. One of the disadvantages of this method is that students sometimes get bored learning their letters and give up. Sometimes they are so intent on sounding out the word that they do not get the meaning of the word.
When using the whole word method children are instructed to memorize and recognize whole words. Instead of learning to recognize the sounds of letters children learn to memorize words and then recognize them. This instructional method was first used with deaf children and still works well with children who cannot sound out words. For more information on kids educational software visit MileStone Reading.