I am a BIG fan of phonics. It sets a solid foundation for a love of reading. As a substitute teacher and tutor, most students who struggled with reading had not been taught a basic grasp of phonics. My own husband went to a elementary school which did not teach phonics. It has affected his ability to spell his entire life.
Reading Bear, a project of WatchKnowLearn.org, is the first free program online to teach beginning readers vocabulary and concepts while systematically introducing all the main phonetic patterns of written English, all using innovative rich media. Currently there are 14 presentations, but they furiously working to increase the number to about 50.
By the end, well over 1,200 items of vocabulary will be given the Reading Bear treatment.
How does it work? In each presentation—playable either as a video or as an interactive slide show—one or a few related “phonics rules” are presented. Presentations are available in seven different versions. In the fullest version, we sound out a word slowly and quickly, then blend it slowly, and finally (after an optional prompt) blend it quickly. As sounds are pronounced, the corresponding letters are highlighted. Then we display a picture illustrating the word, show a sentence (with the individual sounds again highlighted, karaoke style), and finally show a video illustrating the sentence. Presentations typically give this treatment to around 25 words, though some have more and some have less. The result is a thorough yet painless introduction to phonics principles, while at the same time teaching vocabulary.
Watch this video for even more explanation
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