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Teach kid to read English in non-English speaking country



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amother
Violet


 

Post Sun, Jul 30 2017, 12:26 am
We live in Israel and speak English at home, and she speaks English fluently (for a bilingual child, anyway). My daughter is going into Gan Chova (it's the gan they go to a year before first grade) and is displaying strong signs of reading readiness and a strong interest in learning to read and write. Where we live, they don't teach English in school until 3rd grade, despite the fact that at least 10% of the families here are English speaking. I'd like to start teaching my daughter to read in English now, but have no idea where to begin. I also work, so I can't spend hours with her on this every day, but I can spend a little time each day, and/or maybe longer stretches once a week or so. There's also no pressure for this to take as little or as long as it will take.

For those of you who live in non-English speaking countries and have taught your children to read English, any tips/resources/etc. you can recommend? Thanks!
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shabbatiscoming




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 30 2017, 12:33 am
Im also in Israel. Are there maybe english chugim? My child took an english chug for two years so that she could begin to learn english before the 3rd grade (I believe most places start english here in the 3rd grade).
You say there are many english speaking families in your area, check it out, there very well might be english chugim to learn english.
If not, check the web. There are so many different methods of teaching english.
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Aylat




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 30 2017, 2:42 am
I taught the alphabet and then joining letters together with a mixture of YouTube videos and free worksheets I downloaded and printed. Pretty informal. I'll try and come back later and post links.

My philosophy - a kid who wants to read will learn. Read books in English together - my kids that age love Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl. Also have a lot of simpler level books around the house with great illustrations and easier language. Also illustrated comic stories like Tintin. Eventually my kids just took off reading.
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amother
Mauve


 

Post Sun, Jul 30 2017, 2:44 am
Why not just use the same methods employed by parents in English speaking world - or parents who are teaching their children their native language.

The most obvious is start reading to your child English picture books and use the same techniques you would use for native language. I.e. you point to the words and the child begins to associate words with what you are reading etc. Most children will then start filling in the word by memory at first and then in some part of the brain make the connection between what they are seeing and hearing in terms of the letters and what they signify.

Obvious choices would be books like Cat in the Hat or other Seuss books which are especially rich in simple language and are classic "reading" primers but really any children's book that interests your child is natural fit for this purpose. This doesn't require any expertise on your part in terms of reading theory but for a bright verbal child will often be all that is necessary. Since there aren't the obvious "English" cues that a child would encounter in an English world such as pointing out familiar objects with their names over and over again as a natural part, doing such a thing intentionally would also be helpful in terms of priming the brain for verbally.

Many children don't ever have to be taught to read but just pick up reading skills. My mother was a NYC elementary school teacher but didn't want to "teach" her children to read for some reason. We all entered school reading fluently just because we were read to. I have a hazy memory of reading some of the early education primers that she had lying around the house - I.e. of the d!ck and Jane type that were being used but she didn't sit down with us to attempt to go through the lesson plans - they were just books I started reading in the same way I started reading the other children's books that were around the house.

When I first saw The Miracle Worker (the famous play about Helen Keller and her teacher Annie Sullivan), I do remember identifying with the moment Helen makes the connection between water being poured on her hands and the movements/sign language Sullivan is doing in her palm. Obviously in Helen's case, since she was deaf and blind, the connection to verbosity was more profound but I also connected with the feeling I had that there was a moment when I crossed a threshold and recognized words printed on the page with sounds and objects and was launched into the reading world.
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Aylat




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 30 2017, 2:46 am
Also write things in English for them. Notes, shopping list, chores that need to be done. I sketch illustrations next to the words (I am a terrible artist). It's okay that they can't read it at first, they guess using the pictures and first letters of the words or whatever. You help them spell it out. Make your home a language rich environment.
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salt




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 30 2017, 9:59 pm
I'm in Israel.

I usually like to wait till the child has mastered Hebrew reading fluently - so I have started teaching my kids English in 2nd grade. In school they start in 4th grade.

With most of my kids I taught the basics (abc) myself, and then had a private teacher once a week, with me doing practice in between.

There are websites - 'starfall.com' or 'reading eggspress' - I have been recommended both of those, although never actually used them.
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shabbatiscoming




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jul 31 2017, 6:19 am
salt wrote:
I'm in Israel.

I usually like to wait till the child has mastered Hebrew reading fluently - so I have started teaching my kids English in 2nd grade. In school they start in 4th grade.

With most of my kids I taught the basics (abc) myself, and then had a private teacher once a week, with me doing practice in between.

There are websites - 'starfall.com' or 'reading eggspress' - I have been recommended both of those, although never actually used them.
Interesting. I thought english was taught all over (or wherever it was taught) from 3rd grade. I didnt realize it started in different grades in different places.
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Iymnok




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jul 31 2017, 6:27 am
shabbatiscoming wrote:
Interesting. I thought english was taught all over (or wherever it was taught) from 3rd grade. I didnt realize it started in different grades in different places.

Third grade girls here.
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