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ESL forum >
Ask for help > Teaching a non-reader child
Teaching a non-reader child
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AlegCat
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Teaching a non-reader child
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Hi everyone...
I �m trying to teach english as a second language for a non-reader kid of 4 years old. 
I �ve already presented him colours and numbers, but I don �t know how to teach new stuff or what do I have to teach him at that age, given the fact that he cannot still recognize letters or simple words, as he is begining in that field
Can you help me, please?
Angela
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23 Feb 2014
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tanja442
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Hi Angela,
I am teaching kindergartenkids who cannot read, too. So my worksheets are very simple. We start with farm animals, colours, numbers, body parts, clothes, family members... You can prepare easy worksheets e.g. with farm animals - how many animals can you see in the picture, which animals can you see, play bingo, memory, fruit salad or teach with songs. With clothes - take a cupboard and some clothes and ask which clothes do you put in a winter wardrobe. Or put them in a washing machine, etc....
On youtube you will find lots of lovely songs to learn colours, numbers, etc... Have a look at my worksheets or at other users wss. There you can find a lot of useful ones. Have a nice Sunday, Tanja
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23 Feb 2014
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izulia
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I taught 3-4 year olds for 1,5years and created my class site. Have a look at the selection of songs and youtube videos in categories. You might also find useful the links that we used for different school subjects. Plenty of ideas for teaching reading and doing other projects with lots of photos. For reading we followed the Jolly Phonics programme. If you google it, you �ll find plenty of information online. let me know if you need the jolly phonics songs for each letter sound. Good luck! )) |
23 Feb 2014
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littlebee
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If the child does not know letters and sounds, then you must teach them
Use the whole words you have already taught orally as a route into learning them.
Find a key word from those you have taught to teach the written symbol for that initial sound. Practise by saying words the child knows and getting them to write down the first letter of that word.
You can also play �sound � bingo. Write some letters on a bingo card.
Say the sound and get the child to cross out that letter. You can then progress to saying words.
Teach the short vowels after the consonants, and choose a key word that starts with the vowel.
Move on to 3 letter words, so when you say them the child writes down the first letter, or the vowel in the middle, or the end letter, if it is a clear pronounced one ( ie not as the e the word toe)
Gradually the child will write down 3 letter words for you, and even read unfamiliar ones. With this basic phonic knowledge, the child will learn to read and write longer words, using phonic, visual and semantic knowledge
Hope that helps
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23 Feb 2014
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douglas
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It �s more of a mindset than anything else-- the Navajo language isn�t written but for centuries the language has been passed-on and learned without writing. Just pretend writing doesn�t exist, now start talking to the child.
At that age I know many people have had a lot of success with doing different activities (e.g. baking cookies) with the children and using English as they do it: "Okay now we need to add the flour and two eggs, can you please get me two eggs."
Just my two-cents worth,
Douglas |
24 Feb 2014
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cheezels
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Hi,
This is only my opinion.... but even native speakers do not start learning to read so early in such a formal way! (Even if you are 4 years old in England you will very very slowly start learning the alphabet - usually a letter a week! And it will be covered in different ways every day during that week!) So for a child who is learning English as a second language this task is really strange.....
Can your child/student read already in their own language? If not, why start in English?
I now live in Sweden but teach children from 3 - 16 years mother tongue English. This means that one or both parents speak English at home. Generally the students have a good understanding of spoken English even if they are mixing up Swedish and English at 3-4 years old when they speak.
My 3-4 year olds do not learn to read- they learn to communicate through guided activities. Songs, stories, hands on activities. When they are 5 - and only if they can communicate well enough do we start (again game based) activities around sounds of the alphabet- leading into initial sounds, CVC words etc.
My view is this- if a child cannot communicate or does not have a good solid vocabulary to build from- how can they learn to read? The words will be meaningless. They might be able to read the word CAT, but if they don �t know what a cat is - what is the point? For example I have had in my previous teaching life in London- students from China who could read anything from any book- but had no actual clue what any of the words actually meant.
At such a young age, understanding and communication is key before any reading or writing!
So the first question that comes to me is why? Is it something you want to do, or have your parents or school requested it? Seems really age inappropriate for me and I have been a teacher for 17 years now.
Just my two kronor worth :-)
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24 Feb 2014
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