Special Needs — Home School Support Network

Hank Osborne October 20, 2012

How to Teach Your Child to Read Part 2

Teach your kindergardener to read at a 3rd grade level before they enter 1st grade. It is not only possible it is achievable. In this episode you will get some tips on how Sherry homeschooled our kindergardener. The key is focusing on what matters.

Things mentioned in this episode:

How to Teach a Child to Read Part 1

Interview with Elizabeth (Liz) FitzGerald where we talk about her book Cursive First.

STEPS (Sequential Teaching of Explicit Phonics and Spelling) Curriculum

SWR (Spell to Write and Read) Curriculum

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Sherry Osborne October 6, 2012

How to Teach a Child to Read Part 1

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Teaching your child to read can seem like a monumental task. The authors of Spell to Write and Read (SWR) akin this task to getting a jumbo jet off the ground. Once the jet is off the ground it will use half the amount of fuel per minute to fly at 500 mph, but getting that plane off the ground is going to require that the pilot commit to burning a lot of fuel to get to that cruising altitude.

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

You need to print that verse out and repeat it to yourself every morning as you begin the journey of teaching your child to read. The goal is obtainable and the rewards are indescribable. It is possible to have your kindergarten child reading at a 2nd grade level by the end of the K5 year. You can invest 60-90 minutes per day and your child does not need to be a genius to accomplish this.

Things mentioned in this episode:

Samples of our son Riley’s progress with learning to read, spell, and write and cursive in kindergarten.

Interview with Elizabeth (Liz) FitzGerald where we talk about her book Cursive First.

STEPS (Sequential Teaching of Explicit Phonics and Spelling) Curriculum

SWR (Spell to Write and Read) Curriculum

Abeka Homeschool and Christian School Curriculum

The Wise Guide for Spelling {Amazon Affiliate Link}

Podcast Awards: Please consider nominating this podcast for the podcast awards in the Education category.

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Hank Osborne August 2, 2012

Teaching Reading and Writing with Cursive First

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Elizabeth FitzGerald author of Cursive First — Liz FitzGerald

In this podcast episode we interview Elizabeth (Liz) FitzGerald, M.S. the author of Cursive First. Liz lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her wonderful husband David and three children. She is an Endorsed Spell to Write and Read (SWR) Seminar Trainer, a credentialed Special Day Class teacher, and she holds a Master’s Degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology. Before becoming a stay-at-home Mom, Liz had ten years of experience working in the public schools. She is currently homeschooling her own children as well as serving as an Educational Consultant to other educators.

Questions answered by Liz FitzGerald in this episode:

– Would you share some of the statistics on our nation’s literacy failures?

– Why is handwriting important?

– What is the history of handwriting in our country?

– How/why the shift in our educational system for reading and handwriting?

– What are the advantages of learning cursive first?

– Why cursive when we are a society filled print from computers and printing presses?

– Is it confusing to switch from print to cursive if you have already begun?

– Can this be used with special needs where they have weak or tired hands?

– Introduction for homeschool parents on how to begin cursive. (i.e., tactile practice of strokes using a salt box, sidewalk chalk, etc.)

You can order a copy of Cursive First at SWRTraining.com

Images used with permission from SWRTraining.com