Build Sight Reading Skills

Reading is an essential life skill that challenges many parents and students. Even individuals who know how to read aren't often interested in exercising that skill. For many, reading takes too much time and effort.

Sight-reading is very beneficial. It increases reading speed and allows the reader to focus on the meaning and not the phonics of the words. Skilled readers often recognize the shape of the word without analyzing the individual letters. Building this skill in yourself and your children will make reading much faster and easier!

To encourage my children to sight read, I labelled everything in the house. I used wide strips of paper and a bold permanent marker to clearly write the names of all the large items in the house. The couch, refrigerator, door, wall, windows, bathtub, computer--everything was labelled. Visitors thought I was crazy, but the strategy is effective! It allows children to see the word and the object at the same time.

Flashcards are another easy and successful sight reading method. Make flashcards of the most commonly used words (listed below) and words that you frequently use, such as names of family members. Use a stopwatch to see how long it takes your child to recognize all the words. Set time limits and have the children compete against the stopwatch.

Another way to practice sight reading is by reading Dr. Seuss books aloud. These books are made up primarily of the most commonly used words, and they are excellent practice. Parents can improve skills by reading to their children. =D

The 100 most commonly read words are:

1. the 
2. of
3. and
4. a
5. to
6. in
7. is
8. you
9. that
10. it
11. he
12. was
13. for
14. on
15. are
16. as
17. with
18. his
19. they
20. I
21. at
22. be
23. this
24. have
25. from
26. 
    
27. or
28. one
29. had 
30. by
31. word
32. but
33. not
34. what 
35. all
36. where we 
37. when 
38. your
39. can
40. said
41. there
42. use
43. an
44. each
45. which
46. she
47. do
48. how
49. their
50. if
51. will
52. up
53. other
54. about
55. out
56. many
57. then
58. them
59. these
60. so
61. some
62. her
63. would
64. make
65. like
66. him
67. into
68. time
69. has
70. look
71. two
72. more
73. write
74. go
75. see
76. number
77. no
78. way
79. could
80. people
81. my
82. than 
83. first
84. water
85. been
86. call
87. who
88. oil
89. its
90. now
91. find
92. long
93. down
94. day
95. did 
96. get
97. come
98. made
99. may
100. part

For a list of the 1000 most commonly used words, visit http://web1.d25.k12.id.us/home/curriculum/fuw.pdf

Nurturing Natural Curiosity

The ultimate goal of all educators is to teach. Anyone who invests their time teaching wants to know that their students are going to take something away from each discussion and lesson. Homeschooling parents are no different.

However, homeschooling is a unique scenario that balances teaching and parenting. Sometimes, the busy parents in us can squash the natural curiosity right out of a child without even realizing it. After all, how many times can any person be asked “Why?” without exploding?

The most important fundamental of any educational environment must be to nurture that basic curiosity that all children possess. Children are born wanting to learn, but most children learn somewhere along the way to hate learning. Why?

Most of us have heard at least one teacher say, “There is no such thing as a stupid question.” Children must be able to believe that. Once they’ve been shamed for asking a question, they may become discouraged from asking more. Repeated shaming or negative responses can kill the desire to ask any more questions.

One of the benefits of homeschooling is not being forced to adhere to a strict curriculum. If you deviate for a day, hour or week to discuss something you hadn’t planned to cover, things are still going to be okay. Nurturing that curiosity, especially at a young age, is more important than racing through other “more important” material.  

Learning must be fun. It must be interesting. If we are going to instill a lifelong love of learning, and not just the basic knowledge needed to survive, our children must have a reason to love learning. At a young age, they naturally do. This is the perfect time to nurture and encourage that love.

Children are also more likely to retain and remember information that they wanted to know.

I have been asked hundreds of questions at inconvenient times, and I will admit that I am not perfect at putting this philosophy into practice. Nevertheless, I know that it is extremely important and I try to make answering questions a priority. If I am unable to answer immediately, I write the question down and promise to answer it later.

If your children have stopped asking questions like “Why” and “How” and seem to have lost their natural curiosity, it does not mean that all hope is lost. Reignite their curiosity by asking them questions. Trust me –there’s nothing more fun than bugging a child with persistently asking “Why” after everything they say (I’m sure it’s not because it feels like revenge or anything. =D). Ask “Why” and “How” until they reach the end of their knowledge and start guessing. Then, seize that opportunity to teach them something new.

Buying a Curriculum

Buying a curriculum isn’t for everyone. Some homeschooling parents really enjoy the ability to teach without stressing about curriculum development; other homeschoolers can feel burdened or restricted by the idea of a purchased curriculum.

There are some definite pros and cons to purchasing a curriculum. Before you decide to, consider the following:

PROS

Ready lesson plans

The curriculum makes school easy for parents, because it eases the burden of preparation. Everything that needs to be taught is laid out in the curriculum material.

Resell-able

Used curriculums can be resold, which can help mitigate the effects of the steep initial price. However, to get the best benefit from reselling, workbooks should be unused. This can lessen the convenience of the curriculum.

Reusable

Statistics show that most homeschool families have three or more children. If you are going to re-use the curriculum with another child, however, you may be unable to find another workbook when you need it. For most effectiveness, copy the workbook pages and do not write in the actual workbooks—or order additional workbooks if possible.

CONS

Expense

Purchasing a curriculum can be pricey, and can leave the family with less funds for “fun stuff” like field trips. Some families may feel obligated to continue using it, even if it doesn’t work well for the family, because of the cost involved.

Buying a used curriculum or re-selling it can help lessen the expense.

Learning & Teaching Style

Some curriculums can feel very similar to classroom school-work and lack the opportunity for curiosity that homeschooling naturally fosters. Did you choose to homeschool because your child wasn’t doing well in a classroom-style school environment? You may want to consider that before buying a curriculum. Is your student ahead or behind of the average student? You will want to consider this also, because most curriculums are designed to be at an average level.

The classroom-like qualities of a curriculum can be mitigated if the family uses the curriculum as a guideline for their work without actually adhering to each activity and assignment. However, this can lessen the cost-effectiveness of such a purchase.

Ultimately, it is important to make sure that the curriculum caters to your child’s learning style—and your teaching style.

Do you use a purchase a curriculum? Why/why not? What are your experiences?

        

Seize the Moment

Spontaneous teaching moments are often the most memorable—and memorable lessons are the very best, because they help the child retain the knowledge and information imparted. Not every teaching moment can be an adventure, but at least a few of them should be.

Also, teaching in the moment integrates learning into daily life. This helps children accept and appreciate that learning is a part of daily life. Learning is so much more than a classroom experience. Encourage your children to look for learning opportunities in their daily activities as well.

I have been ‘teaching in the moment’ since Jack started to talk. It’s the easiest method of teaching for me, since our lives are often so busy and hectic. You can probably guess that our preferred homeschooling method is eclectic, heavily leaning toward unschooling.

Teaching in the moment is easier than it sounds. As a homeschool family, parents are already very aware of what their children are learning (after all, they teach it!). Keep in mind recent lessons, and look for ways to apply them.

For example, my family and I went grocery shopping yesterday. On the way home, my oldest son (Jack) asked if we were going to drive through town or on the freeway. No doubt, he was hoping that we would go through town and conveniently pass his favorite park. I explained that the freeway was a better choice, because the groceries would be tossed around the van by the turns and sudden, frequent stops on the roads that go through town. He remembered a recent lesson on inertia, and we discussed how inertia and Newton’s Laws of Motion apply to daily activities.

There are countless ways to teach in the moment. Future posts will give specific examples on how to seize teaching opportunities at the grocery store, park, and in other unexpected places.

Unlike many other aspects of homeschooling, the benefits of spontaneous teaching are often easy to see. When children learn in a format that is fun and exciting, they are often eager to repeat the experience.

I will never forget Jack’s fourth birthday party, when he started encouraging his friends to throw his toys off of our porch so that he could demonstrate and teach them about gravity. I don’t think any of the kids listened—they were pretty happy just to throw the toys—but I knew by watching that Jack had learned something from our previous lessons.

Using everyday activities to teach also gives parents an opportunity to regularly reinforce that learning. For example, seat belts came up in our discussion about inertia on the way home yesterday. Now, when we get in the van next time, I can ask my children why seat belts are important. If they mention inertia or the Laws of Motion, I’ll know that they’ve retained that information. Every time we get in the van, they will use their seatbelt and get a little reminder about a principle that may not have seemed important when it came from a textbook.

Learning Together

Many homeschooling parents fear that their knowledge is not adequate. Perhaps they only received mediocre grades in school, or maybe they think they need a college education. This is not true.

It is true that you can’t teach what you don’t know. However, it’s never too late to learn.

My oldest son is fascinated by trains. He tries to relate everything he learns to trains. As a result, I have learned a lot about trains. When he asks me a question about how something works and I don’t know the answer, we sit together and look for answers in books and online.

Whether you want them to our not, your children know that you don’t know everything. In fact, sometimes they don’t believe you know anything at all. Why waste your time trying to pretend like you know everything when you don’t? No matter how hard you study or prepare, your children will eventually ask a question that you cannot honestly answer.

Seeing that you still have things to learn is an educational experience for our children itself. Through this, they become aware that learning is a journey and not a destination. It is impossible to know everything there is to know in one lifetime.

Don’t just teach your children – learn alongside them. Learn about the things that interest them, and teach them about the things that interest you. Never be afraid to say, “I don’t know – but let’s find out!”

I have been in college for over a year in pursuit of an education degree. I can tell you honestly that I have not learned anything in my college classes that I didn’t already learn in high school, except for the classes on childhood development and learning – which knowledge I have gained outside of the classroom by being a parent. I have not finished my degree program yet, but I am certain there is no magic class that transforms an average wannabe educator into a superior teaching machine.

However, if taking college classes will help you be a more confident homeschooling parent, I encourage you to do it! There are many correspondence and community classes available. If you are nervous about going back to school, start with just one class at a time.

Ultimately, do not let yourself give up on homeschooling because you are concerned about your own educational shortcomings. Children start small, anyway. You don’t have to know calculus to teach a young child to identify his numbers. Learning is a journey that starts with small steps. Start by teaching the things you do know, and you’ll be amazed at where the journey will take you.

Homeschooling Methods

There are a hundred (perhaps even a hundred million) ways to homeschool a child. Almost every strategy can be categorized within the three primary categories of homeschooling:

STRUCTURED (Traditional)

Structured learning is the most traditional variety, and is generally the first method people think of when they consider homeschooling. This is because structured home schools are so similar to public schools. Structured homeschooling requires the family to have a set, stable structure. School starts and ends at the same time. The curriculum is taught in a certain order, at certain points of the day. Often, structured homeschooling parents will use textbooks, teacher’s manuals and other school materials to guide their teaching. Distance learning, such as online and correspondence schools, fall into the structured homeschool category.

This method is ideal for organized parents and families that who have fairly regular daily activities and work well with schedules. Families who are beginning to homeschool after the children who have already been in public school will likely find that the similarities between structured homeschooling and public school help ease the transition to home learning.

UNSCHOOLING

Unschooling is very misunderstood (likely due to its name), but is actually a very legitimate homeschooling style. It is extremely unstructured. Curriculum and school hours are directed by the interests of the child. Unschooled children might never work from textbooks. Instead, these children are led by their natural curiosity to learn about the subjects that interest them.

Unschooling is an ideal homeschooling method for extremely young or extremely curious children. Children who generally reject the idea of school outright may find that unschooling can pique their interest for learning. It certainly doesn’t work for everyone.

ECLECTIC

Eclectic home schools combine traditional and unschooling methods. Some subjects are structured while others are unstructured. This allows children to learn the necessary skills (such as math and reading) for their age in a structured environment while exploring science and history as their own interests lead them.

AFTER-SCHOOLING

After-schooling children removes the pressure of curriculum from the parents but does not offer many of the benefits that homeschooling does. After-schooling parents send their children away to school (public, private, charter—whatever their choice) and then continues the educational process at home through homework help as well as extracurricular teaching and field trips.

This site is intended to encourage and assist homeschoolers of all types and in all circumstances. Use the method that works best for your family, and – no matter what method you choose – there will information posted here to help you be successful.

Personally, my family best benefits from using an eclectic style that leans heavily toward unschooling. I work from home and my spouse is disabled and cannot work. We have absolutely no success with schedules and all of our attempts at traditional, structured homeschooling have lasted a few days and then failed miserably.

Every family is different. Find the methods that work best for you. If one method does not work, try another. Consider trying others even when you have found one that works, because you just mind find one that works better.

—

Sources

Homeschool Learning Network. (2010). Structured Homeschooling. Retrieved March 7, 2011, from Homeschool Learning Network: http://www.hlnfamily.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1184&Itemid=166

Homeschool.com. (n.d.). “Relaxed” or “Eclectic” Homeschool. Retrieved March 7, 2011, from Homeschooling Approaches: http://www.homeschool.com/Approaches/Eclectic.asp

Unschooling.com. (n.d.). FAQ. Retrieved March 7, 2011, from Unschooling.com: http://www.unschooling.com/index.shtml