Theories of Reading

The method we use to teach the phonograms is important. A child learns that the following symbol, "a", says one sound (in french, for in english it says three sounds) at the same time as he writes the letter. He does not learn the name of the letter, but rather learns the sound and its formation. He uses his auditory ability to hear the sound, uses his visual ability to see the letter, uses his vocal ability to speak the sound, and uses his kinesthetic ability to write the letter. This multi-sensory way of learning pulls everything together and gives the child a mental picture for the symbol. When the child sees the letter again, his mind searches and finds the letter and its associated sound that matches it, rather than the name of the letter. The child then has a mental picture associated with the letter and subsequently the word.

Learning the French alphabet song independently from the reading lesson does not affect the results. See Dr. Marilyn Jaguer-Adams' reviews of educational theory in her book Beginning To Read: Thinking and Learning About Print--A Summary. The French alphabet song has been recorded for you and is located on the enhanced CD. Please listen to this recording independent of the lesson time.

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note: this is part 5 of 7. Have you read part 1?

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