Has any pre-K teacher tried to teach to the kids of illiterate parents some very basic sight words, letter?

Question

tracing using sandpaper letters, and teaching simple words (cat, mat) to small (3) groups of pre-K students during naptime, after a full day of normal pre-K activities? This would be enrichment only and enjoyable for the kids at all times. Of course there would be some selection, obviously some kids just wouldn't benefit, but others would. What do you think the research says about doing something like this?

Answer 1

I taught in a very poor area in Africa - we started making a word wall with pictures and words - the children loved it.  We started with nouns, then verbs, articles etc.  The children labelled things in the classroom and wrote words on theor drawings.  The children went on to make sentences.

I think enthusiasm is the key to success and you have plenty of it.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Forget the research.  I have taught several little ones to read, two of my own at ages 18 mos. and 2.  I got my inspiration almost 30 years ago from a book called, I think, "You Can Teach Your Baby to Read"  But it may just be, "Teach Your Baby to Read."  The author, I think, was Glenn Dolman.  It was a long time ago.  And, of course, I wasn't illiterate.  But the whole idea was to make it fun.  I didn't follow his ideas very strictly, either.  I just put words on cards and got my child to read them.  In fact, with the first, he "read" his first word at 9 months.  His first word was "ball" and he would repeat it for me any time I said, "say ball."  So then, I wrote the word on a card, and got him to say ball when I held up the card.  Then I went nuts and squealed and said he was a clever baby and so he would say ball every time I held up the card.  When he learned to say "Mama" a few days later, I put the word "Mama on a card and held it up.  In minutes, he could distinguish between the two, and I would cheer him on.  By 18 months, he had a 60-word speaking and reading vocabulary.  Everyone thought it was amazing.  Then I got pregnant with the next one, was really busy, we moved, etc.  I didn't get around to seriously teaching him again until he was 3.  And it was easy.  Then, the next year, when he was 4 and his sister was 2, I taught her to read.  They are 29 and 27 now, and are both avid readers.  Get the book.  Make it fun.  And don't start with boring, words like bat, sat, hat.  Do words that grab their attention.  I've been a reading teacher for over 30 years.  I have discovered something amazing.  If you teach a child to read in that window of time before they analyze things, just like language, they learn it easily and figure out the phonics for themselves.   I f you wait until the ripe old age of 5 or 6, then they usually need phonics instruction, and methods to  make it work.  I don't know if this is true in all languages, but in English, where we have over a dozen different spellings for the sound of oo, as in boot, once children are old enough to analyze, and try to figure things out, it is harder to teach, but there is that window of time, when they can put it all together.  You could make an amazing difference in these children's lives if you taught them now.  I hope you do it.

Answer 3

sure

Answer 4

That book is called "How To Teach Your Baby To Read" by Glenn Doman. It is wonderful, and still available. It worked like a charm with my two-year-old.

You should be aware that kids of illiterate parents are just like other kids. All kids can benefit from this kind of teaching. I have taught many students of illiterate parents, and I have found them to be intelligent and very motivated to help their children learn to read. One way they can do this is if you send home picture books and have the parents tell the story to the child based on what is happening in the pictures. This pre-reading activity is very valuable even if it happens in another language than English. It helps the child develop concepts and vocabulary, and excitement about books.