Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

About the Author Siegfried Engelmann is a professor of education at the University of Oregon, and has written many books on teaching, including Give Your Child a Superior Mind.  He is the originator of Direct Instruction, the most successful approach to teaching, and he has developed more than fifty Direct Instruction programs.www.zigsite.com Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter 1LESSON 1TASK 1 SOUNDS INTRODUCTION1. (Point to m)I'm going to touch under this sound and say the sound. (Touch first ball of arrow. Move quickly to second ball. Hold two seconds.) mmmmmm. (Release point.)2. Your turn to say the sound when I touch under it. (Touch first ball.)Get ready. (Move quickly to second ball. Hold.) "mmmmmm."(To correct child saying a wrong sound or not responding:) The sound is mmmmmm. (Repeat step 2.)3. (Touch first ball.)Again. Get ready. (Move quickly to second ball. Hold.) "mmmmmm." (Repeat three more times.)4. (Point to s.)I'm going to touch under this sound and say the sound. (Touch first ball of arrow. Move quickly to second ball. Hold.) ssssss. (Release point.)5. Your turn to say the sound when I touch under it. (Touch first ball.)Get ready. (Move quickly to second ball. Hold.) "ssssss."(To correct child saying a wrong sound or not responding:) The sound is ssssss. (Repeat step 5.)6. (Touch first ball.)Again. Get ready. (Move quickly to second ball. Hold.) "ssssss." (Repeat three more times.)TASK 2 SAY IT FAST1. Let's play say-it-fast. My turn: motor (pause) boat. (Pause.) Say it fast. motorboat.2. Your turn. Wait until I tell you to say it fast. motor (pause) boat. (Pause.) Say it fast. "motorboat." (Repeat step 2 until firm.)(To correct child saying word slowly -- for example, "motor [pause] boat":) You didn't say it fast. Here's saying it fast: motorboat. Say that. "motorboat." Now let's do that part again. (Repeat step 2.)3. New word. Listen: ice (pause) cream. (Pause.) Say it fast. "icecream."4. New word. Listen: sis (pause) ter. (Pause.) Say it fast. "sister."5. New word. Listen: ham (pause) burger. (Pause.) Say it fast. "hamburger."6. New word. Listen: mmmeee. (Pause.)Say it fast. "me."7. New word. Listen: iiifff. (Pause.)Say it fast. "if."8. (Repeat any words child had trouble with.)TASK 3 SAY THE SOUNDS1. I'm going to say some words slowly, without stopping. Then you'll say them with me.2. First I'll say am slowly. Listen: aaammm. Now I'll say me slowly. Listen: mmmeee. Now I'll say in slowly. Listen: iiinnn. Now I'll say she slowly. Listen: shshsheee.3. Now it's your turn to say the words slowly with me. Take a deep breath and we'Il say aaammm. Get ready. "aaammm."(To correct if child stops between sounds -- for example, "aaa [pause] mmm":) Don't stop. Listen. (Don't pause between sounds a and m as you say aaammm.) Take a deep breath and we'll say aaammm. Get ready. "aaammm." (Repeat until child responds with you.)4. Now we'll say iiinnn. Get ready. "iiinnn." Now we'll say ooonnn. Get ready. "ooonnn."5. Your turn to say words slowly by yourself. Say aaammm. Get ready. "aaammm." Say iiifff. Get ready. "iiifff." Say mmmeee. Get ready. "mmmeee." Good saying the words slowly.TASK 4 SOUNDS REVIEW1. Let's do the sounds again. See if you remember them. (Touch first ball for m,) Get ready. (Quickly move to second ball. Hold.) "mmmmmm."2. (Touch first ball for s.) Get ready. (Quickly move to second ball. Hold.) "ssssss."TASK 5 SAY IT FAST1. Let's play say-it-fast again. Listen: motor (pause) cycle. Say it fast. "motorcycle."2. mmmeee. (Pause.) Say it fast. "me." iiifff. (Pause.) Say it fast. "if." shshsheee. (Pause.) Say it fast. "she."TASK 6 SOUNDS WRITING(Note: Refer to each symbol by its sound, not by its letter name. Make horizontal rules on paper or a chalkboard about two inches apart. Separate writing spaces by spaces about one inch apart. Optionally, divide writing spaces in half with a dotted line:-----.)1. See chart on page 24 for steps in writing m and s.) You're going to write the sounds that I write. You're going to write a sound on each line. I'll show you how to make each sound. Then you'll write each sound. Here's the first sound you're going to write.2. Here's how you make mmm. Watch. (Make m at the beginning of first line. Start with a vertical line:Then add the humps:(Point to m.) What sound? "mmm." First you're going to trace the mmm that I made. Then you're going to make more of them on the line.3. (Help child trace sound two or three times. Child is then to make three to five m's on top line. Help child if necessary. For each acceptable letter child makes, say:) Good writing mmm.4. Here's how to make sss. Watch. (Make s at beginning of second line. Point to s.) What sound? "sss."5. First you're going to trace the sss that I made. Then you're going to make more of them on the line. (Help child trace sound two or three times. Child is then to make three to five s's on second line. Help child if necessary. For each acceptable letter child makes, say:) Good writing sss.LESSON 2TASK 1 SOUNDS REVIEW1. (Point to m.) I'm going to touch under this sound and say the sound. (Touch first ball of arrow. Move quickly to second ball. Hold two seconds.) mmmmmm. (Release point.)2. Your turn to say the sound when I touch under it. (Touch first ball.) Get ready. (Move quickly to second ball. Hold.) "mmmmmm."(To correct child saying a wrong sound or not responding:) The sound is mmmmmm. (Repeat step 2.)3. (Touch first ball.) Again. Get ready. (Move quickly to second ball. Hold.) "mmmmmm." (Repeat three more times.)Copyright © 1983 by Siegfried Engelmann