According to Dr. Sam Lamerson, “58% of the U.S. adult population never reads another book after high school.”
Why is this?
The main reason is public schools complicate the process. Too much new theory and not enough phonics. Children aren’t taught to read by sounding out words. So they don’t really learn to read. So they graduate and stop reading books. Sad.
One “expert” said we need alternatives to phonics because “English Writing Is Multidialectal.” Huh? Email me if you want the link.
Phonics works so let’s “just do it” and everyone can read happily ever after.
If only it was so easy. Teaching phonics is not a slam dunk process for homeschooling parents. Children are different and parents are different. One phonics program might be fantastic for many families. But not yours.
Our family tried 3 different phonics programs before we found one which worked for us.
I purchased “Hooked On Phonics” which was heavily advertised on the radio. This was better suited to older children and adults who needed to learn to read.
Then we heard about the Spaulding method also known as the writing road to reading. This approach was too academic and dry for us.
Finally we discovered Sing, Spell, Read, and Write which fit our family perfectly. To this day our girls love to sing and love to read.
All of these programs can be found on Amazon and all have raving fans and detractors. 5 star reviews and 1 star reviews.
The moral of the story is don’t be surprised if the first phonics program you try doesn’t work for you. Hopefully you can get your money back and try something else.
Ron Paul’s Curriculum has a phonics program. You can listen to my interview with the phonics instructor Barbara Pickard here:
https://www.ronpaulhomeschooling.com/phonics-barbara-pickard/
The Ron Paul Curriculum comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee on everything. Yet phonics is a special case so we go even further. You can try out the first 40 lessons free before joining the Ron Paul Curriculum. Watch the videos and complete the worksheets with your child.
Ready to give it a try? Jump to the 40 free phonics lessons here:
https://www.ronpaulhomeschooling.com/phonics40
Always learning,
Richard Emmons
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