What Are The Reading Problems in Elementary Education 

 

 

 

Reading problems in elementary education are very common. The top 3 reading problems are are decoding i.e. sounding out words, speed and comprehension. This article will focus on decoding and why the poplar solution of memorizing sight words doesn’t work for two out of three children. Subsequent articles will discuss speed (AKA fluency) and comprehension. 

 

The very first reading issue is to start healing the heart of the child. Most children find learning to read English difficult simply because they can’t memorize fast enough to keep up with the texts. As a result your child may feel defeated. Let them know learning to read the way it is usually taught hasn’t worked well for over 50 years.

 

Consequently, parents be warned. If you are anxious then your child will be anxious. Also if the child has failed other programs they will be reluctant to try again.  This is why Rocket Phonics does most of its teaching through games. If you want your child’s heart to heal be sure that he or she wins.  

 Now that we are reminded to keep the child ‘s heart as our first priority let’s discuss decoding. Decoding starts with the child hearing the sounds within the words (known as phonemic awareness). If he can’t hear the sounds then he can’t sound them out. This difficulty generates dyslexia if not fixed.

Rocket Phonics uses games that develop phonemic awareness and create the strongest phonics system available of any reading program. (The little girl in the picture is getting ready to play one of those games. Notice that the short a is /a/ as in apple, but long a is /ay/ as in ape. By having two different cards the child always knows how to sound out each word.) Thus, as she plays she practices she practices hearing the sounds and connecting them to a letter.

 

In fact, Yale’s Sally Shaywitz, MD showed that dyslexics could be cured by strengthening their phonemic awareness.  Therefore, the purpose of the initial games in Rocket Phonics is to cure dyslexia.  Those who don’t have this reading problem will zoom through those games with no problems. Moreover, they will memorize their phonics system as long as they win. Also, you will build their confidence. If you are concerned that your child might be dyslexic try this easy game. (Be sure to read the directions before your child sees it.

The next challenge may be blending the sounds into words. Word pronunciation is more like a smashing of sounds rather than a sequential blending. And yes, Rocket Phonics have games that reveal that to your child while he or she is having fun. I’ll discuss more reading issues in Reading Issues Part 2

 

 If your child is struggling please don’t let him or her get more frustrated. Leave a comment and I will give you a free evaluation to see if there is something we can do or just what the real problem is.