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Can anyone suggest a non-phonics learning to read scheme?

45 replies

carocaro · 09/01/2013 20:05

I don't want phonics based learning to read scheme, I would like to try out an alternative at home, thanks.

OP posts:
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Orchidskeepdying · 09/01/2013 20:08

why wouldn't you want a phonics based reading scheme?

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meditrina · 09/01/2013 20:08

Not much to choose from: try second hand sales for reading scheme books (eg Oxford Reading Tree) published between about 1960 - 1990.

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learnandsay · 09/01/2013 20:11

Dr Seuss books and Elsie H Marinarik's Little Bear books are for children to learn to read and aren't phonic reading schemes. Have you looked in your library early reading section? I'm not a great fan of phonics readers but the Usborne phonics readers Big Pig on a Dig, Mouse Moves House (and so on) I'd recommend alongside Little Bear and Dr Seuss. Not because they're phonics readers but because they're great books for children to start reading, they're very well written and they're colourful.

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mrz · 09/01/2013 20:12

Most of the older schemes are look and say so look for anything first published 25 years ago

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ihearsounds · 09/01/2013 20:17

If going to be attending school, could be confusing for child to be learning two different systems.

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Greythorne · 09/01/2013 20:20

Ladybird Peter and Jane books from the 70s

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TravelinColour · 09/01/2013 20:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Virgil · 09/01/2013 20:26

Why? They do phonics at school. It's the easiest way to teach them to read. Why would you not do it?

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cassell · 09/01/2013 20:31

Peter and Jane - you can get them on amazon, we're working our way through them and ds loves them and is picking up the words very quickly. The 'c' books have some phonics alongside the look and say method. I learnt with them as a child and was a free reader by 5. Different schemes suit different people and phonics is not the only answer.

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learnandsay · 09/01/2013 20:31

I don't know what it's like in most homes these days, but most of the parents that I know don't have phonics readers at home. They just have normal books. There's nothing wrong with normal books!

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mrz · 09/01/2013 20:33

Why should they have any reading scheme books at home (except ones sent home from school)? But the OP has specifically asked for reading scheme

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learnandsay · 09/01/2013 20:41

I know one shouldn't presume.

Having said that I'm going to presume anyway, but I presume the OP simply wants children's learning to read books which aren't phonics readers, or put another way, simple reading books which don't follow the phonics scheme that her school has. That's not an unreasonable request.

I doubt that the OP actually wants to take it upon herself to teach look and say reading. That's a task in itself. My guess is she just wants simple books to read but hasn't been quite specific enough or anticipated what kind of a controversial request asking for such a simple thing could turn out to be.

I think she just wants some different books. And why not?

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TravelinColour · 09/01/2013 20:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mrz · 09/01/2013 20:45

Most MN parents who ask for schemes are informed enough to know the difference IMHE. Personally I would never recommend buying scheme books for home

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JollyToddles · 09/01/2013 20:45

In England it seems to be all phonics. In other places this is not necessarily the case. I will be asking school what scheme they use so I don't confuse DS too much if he's interested in advance of primary school starting.

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learnandsay · 09/01/2013 20:47

Well, you have to know how to teach look and say in order to teach it. And I'm guessing that if the OP doesn't know what books such a method uses then she doesn't know how to teach it. I'm guessing that she just wants to use the books as reading books.

Walt Disney publishes a Winnie the Pooh non phonics reading scheme.

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mrz · 09/01/2013 20:54

Look and Say is self explanatory - You look at the word and say it (if you don't know it someone tells you until you remember)
The books start with the same single word on every page (so you tell the child on page 1 and hope they remember it by page 8. The the 2nd book introduces another word repeat as before. This may be accompanied by flash cards or word lists to learn by sight.

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learnandsay · 09/01/2013 20:56

No it isn't. There are several techniques associated with it, including looking at the shape of the words, learning spellings, learning rhymes, the size of the words read and in which order they're read.

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mrz · 09/01/2013 20:56

Most common Look & Say in schools are ORT & Ginn

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mumchat · 09/01/2013 21:15

Personally I would never recommend buying scheme books for home

Even when the school don't have phonics books to match their learning to read phonics reading scheme & still use and send home Ginn and ORT?

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carocaro · 09/01/2013 21:17

Thanks all, it is because there is more than one way to skin a cat, for want of a better expression! A controversial request, really? I don't think so.

I have 2 children, one is is 10 and dyslexic and phonics was not good for him, as his dyslexia is to do with processing sounds and he could not hear phonics sounds in his head (too lengthy to explain in detail) and he learned to read words as they were without sounding them out or blending sounds ie: phonics as a great % made no sense, because of the huge variations and complexities of sound. He uses mnemonics a lot as well as a whole host of other techniques and he is on course for 5's in literacy at the end of his current Y6. Mostly he knows words and learnt words by sight.

DS2 is 5 and I am wondering if he is also dyslexic as he has some, not all, of the same traits DS 1 had when he was 5. With my 10 yo we banged away at phonics, non the wiser to alternatives, and it was tough going until a fab teacher in Y2 suggested some alternatives to the phonics method. So I was wanting to try another method at home to see if it was better for him, at an earlier stage.

Children also derserve a lot more credit that you think, they don't get confused by more than one method of anything, they have rich sponge like brains that can adapt and use many ways of being taught. So some of you are saying that reading non school books at home is a bad idea and too confusing as they are not necesarily following a phonics method? Nuts!

The dogma of phonics does not have to followed without any other ways of learning to read, without fear and panic setting in that it is being 'done wrong' you can't teach someone to read in a wrong way, however, you can teach someone to read in a way that it write for them, dyslexic or not.

""Why? They do phonics at school. It's the easiest way to teach them to read. Why would you not do it? "" Because you can't shove all children through the same system and expect it to work for everyone. It is not the easiest way to learn to read for some.

This sort of explains it in a rough sense. reading is not just about being force fed phonics. (michaelrosenblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/phonics-summary-of-my-views.html)

OP posts:
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Tgger · 09/01/2013 21:19

In the ideal world every school would provide enough, good phonics readers. Alas, this seems often not to be the case, and as these are a passport into reading (would you not agree?) then surely it is a pretty good idea to buy some for home.

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Tgger · 09/01/2013 21:19

Or if not buy, borrow, beg or steal Grin.

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Tgger · 09/01/2013 21:22

Thanks for the explanation OP. What did you/school use with your older DS? I think Peter and Jane although dull works. I learnt to read using it and it's still in print I think! My Mum gave me some of my old reading books, I'll have a look for you, although I'm guessing most are out of print!

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meditrina · 09/01/2013 21:28

I think you perhaps need to ask the staff who are teaching your dyslexic DS what they recommend for him.

Most dyslexia intervention schemes are phonics based.

Don't dismiss the phonics approach because you dislike the name; it's the centuries old method for teaching reading and the one which gets the best results. I can see that additional specialism may need to be brought into the equation when tackling a specific barrier to learning, and I hope you do have a specialist familiar with your children's specific issues you can call on, rather than risk yet more confusion and delay with an inappropriate mix of methods.

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