Learning how to read is one of the most important things that a child will learn before the age of 10 because everything from vocabulary to spelling in all major subjects in school is linked to it. The phonics method works by teaching children to pair sounds with letters and blend them to master the art of decoding.
Phonics course for teachers trains teachers in phonics and other subjects. Through these programs, teachers learn how to introduce phonics to children through different phonological activities to ensure the literacy development of children. Phonics training for teachers unlocks a teacher’s potential to achieve greater success in the classroom. Here are some ways effective approaches to teaching phonics to children that one can learn from a phonics course for teachers.
Pay Special Attention To Comprehension
It’s okay if you are not aware of the exercises to focus on sounds and their connection to letters but every teacher can help a child to understand what is being read and express it in their way. Engage your child in stories and articles. Ask them to describe what happened in the story and what will happen next. Using the right words to express their thoughts is how a child will learn better.
Practice Makes Perfect
It might be convenient for a child to read the story multiple times after it has been explained to him/her. Going through it again after having more information and clarity on the concept can help children to focus more on the craft of writing and check which words were used to describe a particular scenario, action, or emotion. Reading aloud and practicing multiple times can make children more comfortable with speech.
Play Word Games
Playing language-based word games is a good way of teaching children phonics. Playing letter connections where each child says a letter that begins with the last letter of the previous word helps them make connections between using letters in the right way. Let children talk aloud about what they are doing currently and tell them to describe things around them.
Word Creation
The most basic of phonics is to break down words into sounds that constitute them. You can join kids in this activity and help them get the most out of it. For eg, a car is made up of three sounds i.e. ca, in the beginning, as in the middle, and are at the end. Putting these sounds together makes the word car.
Teach Children To Point And Read
In the early stages, you cannot expect kids to read as fast as we adults can even if they try their best. Teach children to read by placing a finger under each word. This will help them put together sounds of letters and attempt to read words they don’t know. Such activity makes use of the power of phonics and turns kids into readers.
Make Teaching A Daily Habit
Teach children to read beyond textbooks, homework, and school activities. Encourage them to read newspaper headlines every day. You can even tell their parents to pick out a magazine and read it along with them daily.
Encourage Children To Speak While Writing
While the majority of activities focus on reading, phonics can also be used while children are learning to write. As children begin to get the hang of words, ask them to write down a word while uttering the sounds at the same time. This uses the knowledge they have and makes them better readers.
Use A Puppet
Puppets can also be used to teach phonics to children. For eg, in listening games and simple activities using rhythm and rhyme. As you progress further, you can use them for oral blending, segmentation, and teaching sounds. Later, once children learn some sounds, puppets can assist in games helping them to read and write simple words.
Use Sandpaper Letters
Montessori sandpaper letters are an educational tool used by the Montessori method to develop and reinforce letter recognition, letter sounds, and vocabulary words. It is a unique way to introduce the alphabet to children. Children play with letters and understand better how it all works together.
National Academy’s Phonics course for teachers is a phonics program designed specifically to teach children how to read and write in an enjoyable and multi-sensory way. Children learn the sounds of the English language rather than the alphabet. What phonics does is enable children to become independent and successful readers and writers.
Through this program, teachers learn how to introduce phonics to students through different phonological activities that ensure children’s literacy development. It also unlocks a teacher’s potential to achieve greater success while teaching English to children in the classroom.
