Okay, a show of hands: How many of you remember the Hooked on Phonics commercial from the 90s? The one with the little red-headed kid chirping, “Hooked on Phonics worked for me!” Okay, now how many of you learned to READ using Hooked on Phonics? Do you remember sitting down with your cassettes and your tape player doing the lessons, workbook in hand? Or were you, like me, part of the older generation that grew up during the time of the dinosaurs and the 8-track tape players? (I know. I’m totally dating myself!)

I Had My Doubts

Though I was too old for Hooked on Phonics, I decided to use it with my little boy. At 5 1/2 he literally wasn’t able to sound out words at all.  I was skeptical at first because I was raised during the Whole-Language Approach toward reading and believed that the Phonetic Approach would make my kid a poor speller. (I was wrong. In 5th grade, he’s actually a terrific speller in addition to being a good reader.)

Like Mother, Like Daughter

I have to say, though, I was privileged to hear, first hand, an incredible story of Olga, a loving mother who was determined not to give up on her daughter, and a young girl who was determined not to give up on herself. For years, Olga reached out to us because she wanted others to benefit from her experiences. When we finally reached her, here is the story she shared with us:

Are you a grown-up Hooked on Phonics kid? Share your story with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

#TBTHookedonPhonics  #HookedonPhonicsWorkedforMe

By the time second grade starts, most kids are able to read on their own. Often, kids and parents stop reading together often by this point—but reading out loud to your child is still a great way to help build his skills and to have fun together.

If your child is struggling to read in second grade, take action. Talk with his teacher about your concerns, and see what school recommends. Research tells us that children should be reading confidently and fluently on their own in second grade. If that’s not happening for your child yet, don’t wait. Ask school for help and information. Consider doing extra systematic work at home, either with you or through a tutor who uses research-based methods of phonics instruction like those in Hooked on Phonics products and mobile apps.

Learning to read is a huge job and it involves several key parts. Here’s an overview of what goes into the process and what you should expect in your second grade reader.

Phonemic Awareness

• Phonemic awareness is the knowledge that spoken words can be broken apart into smaller chunks of sound. These units of sound are called phonemes.
• Here’s an example: the word bat is made of three phonemes: the sounds /b/, /a/, and /t/. When kids know that these three sounds are part of the word bat, they are showing that they have phonemic awareness.

• Your child should confidently know all letter sounds. If she doesn’t, talk with her teacher if school hasn’t contacted you already.

• Reading stories out loud with lots of rhyming words helps build phonemic awareness. Dr. Seuss books are the perfect choice! Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read is a great, comprehensive program to use with your child at home.

Phonics

• Phonics connect the knowledge of sounds (also called phonemes) to letter symbols.
• Here’s an example: The letter X looks like “X” and makes the sound “ks.”

What should my second grader know?

• Phonics should also be an area of strength for your second grader. She should be able to sound out words without a huge amount of difficulty.
• Write paragraphs with more detail. Spelling should be getting closer to correct on a more regular basis in second grade.

• If phonics is a struggle in second grade, it’s important to take action. Talk with his teacher, and consider doing structured practice at home using Hooked on Phonics products or mobile apps with you and/or a tutor.
• Encourage your child to take on more responsibility in sounding out and writing words, especially if the words they are working with follow phonics rules. (If she asks: “How do you spell bedroom’? “Well, what sound do you hear at the beginning? Good köpa priligy. Keep going.” If he gets stuck—like on how to write the “oo”—then help out.)

Fluency

• Fluency is the ability to read words smoothly, at a good pace, and with expression.
  o Here’s an example: If a character is very excited, the reader’s voice should sound excited, too. The child should not have to stop to sound out each word; the words should flow smoothly.

• Second graders should read confidently and at a good pace. They will stumble on a few words, of course, but should be able to handle most words in a second grade level story.

• Keep reading together as often as you can.
• If fluency is a struggle for your second grader, choose stories that use predictable rhyming patterns and more simple word choices.

Vocabulary

• Vocabulary is the dictionary in your child’s mind. The more word meanings your child knows, the larger her vocabulary.

• When you don’t know what a word means, or how to sound it out, you can look for clues in the pictures or the rest of the sentence to help figure it out.
• Your child can understand many more word meanings than she can use in her own speaking and writing. Keep talking about new words and their meanings.

• Encourage your child to use a broader range of words, and encourage her to express her thoughts clearly and thoroughly. (“How was school today?” “Fine.” “Tell me more. Did anything interesting happen at recess?”)
• Read to your child often. Research shows that children’s books expose kids to a much broader range of vocabulary words than they would otherwise hear in conversation.

Comprehension

• Comprehension is understanding what a story is all about.
• Here’s an example: Being able to identify the main characters in a story, talk about what they do and how they feel, and explain what happens during the beginning, middle, and end of a story are all important parts of reading comprehension.

• Retell stories he has read, including important details, the main message or lesson. These stories are more challenging and can include fables, folktales, and factual text.
• Identify the main idea of individual paragraphs within a text.
• Tell what is similar or different in two different versions of the same story. (For example, Goldilocks told by two different authors will be presented in varying ways.)

• Keep reading out loud and talking about stories together.
• Talk with your child about what you are reading. Ask probing questions that encourage your child to explain more details or reasons for their answers.
• Have fun with this process; don’t feel like you have to drill your child with questions on every page. Just have a conversation about the parts of the story you think are interesting.

First grade is usually a time when kids grow by leaps and bounds in their reading skills. It’s exciting—but it can be a little nerve-wracking when they haven’t yet put all the pieces together! Give them time, and keep reading together as much as you can.

Learning to read is a huge job and it involves several key parts. Here’s an overview of what goes into the process and how you can help your 6-to-7-year-old grow as a reader during this very important first-grade year.

Phonemic Awareness

What is it?

• Phonemic awareness is the knowledge that spoken words can be broken apart into smaller chunks of sound. These units of sound are called phonemes.
• Here’s an example: the word bat is made of three phonemes: the sounds “b,” “a,” and “t.” When kids know that these three sounds are part of the word bat, they are showing that they have phonemic awareness.

What should my first-grader know?

• Understands that words are made up of different sounds that come together, and be able to separate them (“What sounds do you hear in fan?” “fff, aaa, nnn!”)

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Reading stories out loud with lots of rhyming words helps build phonemic awareness. Beginner Books from Dr. Seuss and his friends are specifically written for first-grade readers.
• Use word play together in a fun, casual way. Play rhyming games, sing songs and speak clearly to your child when you’re introducing new words.

Phonics

What is it?

• Phonics connect the knowledge of sounds (also called phonemes) to letter symbols.
  Here’s an example: The letter X looks like “X” and makes the sound “ks.”

What should my first-grader know?

• Blend letter sounds together to form words. First-grade readers often need to take their time sounding out words—that’s how it should be!
• Write words, sentences, and short paragraphs. Spelling is probably coming along, but definitely not perfect yet. That’s okay.

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Challenge your child to take on more responsibility in sounding out and writing words, especially if the words they are working with follow phonics rules. (If she asks: “How do you spell bedroom?” “Well, what sound do you hear at the beginning? Good. Keep going.” If he gets stuck—like on how to write the “oo”—then help out.)
• As your child’s reading abilities grow, start to share the read-aloud job with them. (“You read this page out loud to me, and I’ll read the next one to you!”)
• When you’re reading to your child, use your finger to track the words as you read them. Encourage your child to do the same when she reads, especially if she’s struggling to sound out a word.
• Start your child on a phonics-based learn-to-read system for first-graders such as Hooked on Phonics First Grade Complete.

Fluency

What is it?

• Fluency is the ability to read words smoothly, at a good pace, and with expression. Here’s an example. If a character is very excited, the reader’s voice should sound excited, too. The child should not have to stop to sound out each word; the words should flow smoothly.

What should my first-grader know?

• Your child’s reading rate will probably grow a lot during the first grade year! Many children start the year not yet reading but end it with the ability to read short stories comfortably.

Vocabulary

What is it?

• Vocabulary is the dictionary in your child’s mind. The more word meanings your child knows the larger her vocabulary.

What should my first-grader know?

• When you don’t know what a word means, or how to sound it out, you can look for clues in the pictures or the rest of the sentence to help figure it out.
• Your child can understand many more word meanings than she can use in her own speaking and writing. Keep talking about new words and their meanings.

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Encourage your child to use a broader range of words, and encourage her to express her thoughts clearly and thoroughly. (“How was school today?” “Fine.” “Tell me more. What did you learn in math class today?”)
• Read to your child often. Research shows that children’s books expose kids to a much broader range of vocabulary words than they would otherwise hear in conversation.

Comprehension

What is it?

• Comprehension is understanding what a story is all about. Here’s an example. Being able to identify the main characters in a story, talk about what they do and how they feel, and explain what happens during the beginning, middle, and end of a story are all important parts of reading comprehension.

What should my first-grader know?

• Retell stories he has read himself or heard read out loud. He should include important details, the main message or lesson. He should also describe characters, setting, and the major events in the right order.
• Identify things that are the same or different between two books on
  the same topic.
• Describe the connections between different characters or events in a story.

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Keep reading out loud and talking about stories together.
• Talk with your child about what you are reading. Ask questions about the important things that are happening in a story, and help them make connections. (“It seems like these two characters feel differently about the party. What do you notice about each one? How are their feelings different?”)
• Have fun with this process; don’t feel like you have to drill your child with questions on every page. Just have a conversation about the parts of the story you think are interesting.

Sending your little one into that kindergarten classroom is a huge step—for both of you! Much of this year will be about learning how to be a student. That means how to work together in the classroom, how we act in school and in groups, and of course, how to build a strong foundation for reading. All this change can be tough on your child. Spending time reading together can help you reconnect and give you both opportunities to share your feelings and experiences during this transition. Learning to read is a huge job and it involves several key parts. Here’s an overview of what goes into the process, and how you can help your 5- to 6-year-old grow as a reader during kindergarten.

1. Hears and identifies sounds at the beginning, middle, and ends of words (“What sound do you hear at the beginning of lap?” “Llll!”) Be sure to say the sound of the letter rather than its name when talking with your child about this idea. In this example, you would say the lll sound rather than the name of the letter L.
2. Thinks of other words with the same beginning or ending sound. (“Can you think of other words that end with the zzz sound? How about fizz, buzz . . .” Then let your child brainstorm.)
3. Understands words are made up of different sounds that come together and be able to separate them. (“Man has three sounds—‘mmm, aaa, nnn.’”)
   Phonics
4. Identify all letters and their sounds. (For the vowels, it’s fine for your child to focus on one of the sounds the letter can make, such as A says “a” as in at; but you can start talking about the long vowel sounds, too. A can also say its name, “aye” as in ate.)
5. Begin to understand that letters join together to make words. (“First, I see an N. That’s nnn. And then an O… ohhh. That’s nnn… ohhh… no!”)
6. Write letters, beginning to form some words. (Don’t worry—the spelling probably won’t be solid for another year or two!)
   Fluency
7. Your child is probably putting some of the pieces into place to become a fluent reader—but is not there yet. This is completely normal for a kindergartener! Keep practicing and give it time.
   Vocabulary
8. Your child is learning new words every day.
9. Kindergarteners should be able to explain their ideas in-depth when they are speaking through detailed, complete sentences.
10. Understanding of figures of speech is just beginning. (For example, when we say, “It’s raining cats and dogs!” we don’t mean that cats and dogs are actually falling from the sky.)
    Comprehension
11. Ask and answer questions about stories that are read out loud.
12. Make predictions about a story based on the title, cover illustration, and the first few pages.
13. Begin to make connections within a book—with your help. (“People have to drink water to live. So do plants!”)
14. Understand the main idea of a story. (“Clifford felt really sad when Emily Elizabeth went to school. But he was even happier when she came home and told him what she learned!”)

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Phonemic Awareness

What is it?

Phonemic awareness is the knowledge that spoken words can be broken apart into smaller chunks of sound. These units of sound are called phonemes. Here’s an example: the word bat is made of three phonemes: the sounds /b,/ /a,/ and /t./ When kids know that these three sounds are part of the word bat, they are showing that they have phonemic awareness.

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Reading stories out loud with lots of rhyming words helps build phonemic awareness. The Bright & Early Books from Dr. Seuss and his friends are perfect introductory rhyming books for this age group.
• Play rhyming games and sing silly rhyming songs. Kids this age love a wacky twist on an old favorite. (“Twinkle, twinkle, little cat, how I wonder if you wear a hat.”)
• Talk about letter sounds and blends (“What sound do you hear at the beginning of Cheerios?’ It’s ‘ch’—the /c/ and the /h/ work together to make a ‘ch’ sound!”)

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Phonics

What is it?

Phonics connect the knowledge of sounds (also called phonemes) to letter symbols. Here’s an example: The letter X looks like “X” and makes the sound “ks.”

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Encourage your child to sound out short words that follow phonics rules.
• Keep talking about the letters and sounds you see in your everyday life together. (“See that stop sign? What letter does the word stop start with? What sound does the letter S make? How does the T work with the S?”)
• When you’re reading to your child, use your finger to track the words as you read them.
• Encourage your child to read one or two words she knows as you read out loud to her. (You might have her watch for the sight words I and me, for example, and prompt her to read them when you reach them. Robert Lopshire’s Beginner Book Put Me in the Zoo is a great way to
  help children learn to read the sight word, zoo.)
• Keep it fun and make a big deal about it when she succeeds. If she’s frustrated or is struggling, let it go for now köpa priligy.

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Fluency

What is it?

Fluency is the ability to read words smoothly, at a good pace, and with expression. Here’s an example. If a character is very excited, the reader’s voice should sound excited, too. The child should not have to stop to sound out each word; the words should flow smoothly.

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Read out loud to your child as much as possible!
• Make your voice match the feeling of the story to show your child how it sounds to read with expression. Bring your personality to your reading—it makes it more fun for both of you.
• As your child begins to read more words with more confidence, you can trade off pages as you read out loud together. This will balance her own practice with hearing you model what it sounds like to be a smooth, expressive reader.

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Vocabulary

What is it?

Vocabulary is the dictionary in your child’s mind. The more word meanings your child knows the larger her vocabulary.

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Talk with your child often and in a meaningful way. Help them learn new words about the world around them. (“You really look exhausted today! Do you know what exhausted means? It means really tired. You look exhausted and very tired today.”)
• Read to your child often. Research shows that children’s books expose kids to a much broader range of vocabulary words than they would otherwise hear in conversation. And there’s a direct link between the number of words a child goes into school knowing and how well that child does in school.
• Encourage your child to express himself clearly and completely. Ask him questions that will help him open up and explain his ideas in detail. The more he speaks, the stronger his vocabulary.

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Comprehension

What is it?

Comprehension is understanding what a story is all about. Here’s an example. Being able to identify the main characters in a story, talk about what they do and how they feel, and explain what happens during the beginning, middle, and end of a story are all important parts of reading comprehension.

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Read out loud to your child as much as possible!
• Talk with your child about what you are reading. Ask questions about the important things that are happening in a story, and help them make connections. (“Didn’t we read another story about cats last week? What do you remember from that book? I wonder if we will learn something new about cats from this one.”)
• Have fun with this process; don’t feel like you have to drill your child with questions on every page. Just have a conversation about the parts of the story you think are interesting.

Preschoolers are busy learning and growing at an incredible pace every day. You’re probably noticing big changes in your little one’s speech—kids this age often have a deeper understanding of their world than we think. Other times, they make hilarious mistakes with words and other concepts!

Learning to read is a huge job, and it involves several key parts. Here’s an overview of what goes into the process and how you can help your preschooler head to school with a firm foundation of essential reading skills.

1. Hears and identifies beginning sounds. (“What sound do you hear at the beginning of lap?” “llll!”) Be sure to say the sound of the letter rather than its name when talking with your child about this idea. In this example, you would say the lll sound rather than the name of the letter L.
2. Thinks of other words with the same beginning sound. (“Can you think of other words that start with the llll sound? How about light, leg, etc.” Then let your child brainstorm.)
3. Begins to understand that words are made up of different sounds that come together.
   Phonics
4. Each letter has its own special look and sound.
5. Recognizes many letters in print (Four-year-olds often recognize 12-15 letters.)
6. Recognizes the letters in their first name
7. Connects several letter names and their sounds. (“That’s an N! The letter N makes the nnnnn sound.”)
   Fluency
8. Because young children do not yet read independently, they are not fluent readers. Fluency comes with time and practice.
   Vocabulary
9. Young children are building their vocabulary at a very rapid pace.
10. Preschoolers should talk in sentences and be able to explain their ideas and thoughts—even though sometimes it’s a struggle.
    Comprehension
11. Ask and answer questions about stories that are read out loud.
12. Use pictures in books to understand what is happening—and use them to make a prediction about what might happen next.
13. Make connections between what happens in a book and their own lives. (“Hey, one time I woke up late, too!”)
14. Understand the important message of a story. (“Those friends really showed how much they love each other. That was so kind.”)

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Phonemic Awareness

What is it?

• Phonemic awareness is the knowledge that spoken words can be broken apart into smaller chunks of sound. These units of sound are called phonemes.
• Here’s an example: the word bat is made of three phonemes: the sounds /b/, /a,/ and /t/. When kids know that these three sounds are part of the word bat, they are showing that they have phonemic awareness.

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Reading stories out loud with lots of rhyming words helps build phonemic awareness. Dr. Seuss books are perfect for this.
• Ask your preschooler to rhyme. (“Let’s see how many words we can think of that rhyme with ball!”)
• Practice not just letter names, but also letter sounds (“What is the name of this letter?” “M!” “Great job. Do you know what sound the letter M makes?” “Mmmmm!”)

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Phonics

What is it?

• Phonics connect the knowledge of sounds (also called phonemes) to letter symbols.
• Here’s an example: The letter X looks like “X” and makes the sound ks.”

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Point out letters and talk about their sounds every once in a while you read. This is easy to do if you are reading an alphabet book but can be done with any story. Sesame Street’s The ABCs of Cookies and Dr. Seuss’s ABCs are great books for this activity.
• Talk about the letters and sounds you see in your everyday life together. (“See that stop sign? What letter does the word stop start with? What sound does the letter S make?”)
• When your child knows many letters she sees and can say their sounds, start to talk about how letters work together to build words. (“Let’s look at this word. What sound does the first letter make?” “Nnnnn.” “Great! What about the second letter?” “Ohhh.” “You got it. Let’s put them together. Nnnnn . . . ohhhh . . . those letters make the word no!”) Keep this practice casual and fun!
• Start your child on a phonics learn to read program like the one from Hooked on Phonics, download a mobile app such as the Hooked on Phonics app which includes a section called ‘The Big Reading Show’, especially for preschoolers or Hooked on Phonics Online.

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Fluency

What is it?

• Fluency is the ability to read words smoothly, at a good pace, and with expression.
• Here’s an example. If a character is very excited, the reader’s voice should sound excited, too. The child should not have to stop to sound out each word; the words should flow smoothly.

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Read out loud to your child as much as possible!
• Make your voice match the feeling of the story to show your child how it sounds to read with expression. Bring your personality to your reading—it makes it more fun for both of you.

Vocabulary

What is it?

• Vocabulary is the dictionary in your child’s mind. The more word meanings your child knows the larger her vocabulary.

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Talk with your child often and in a meaningful way. Help him learn new words about the world around him. (“Wow, look at this beautiful leaf. Did you know that leaves grow on trees and come off in the autumn? Autumn is another word for the season of fall.”)
• Read to your child often. Research shows that children’s books expose kids to a much broader range of vocabulary words than they would otherwise hear in conversation.
• Encourage your child to express himself clearly and completely. The more he speaks, the stronger his vocabulary.

Comprehension

What is it?

• Comprehension is understanding what a story is all about.
• Here’s an example. Being able to identify the main characters in a story, talk about what they do and how they feel, and explain what happens during the beginning, middle, and end of a story are all important parts of reading comprehension.

How can I help my child develop in this area?

• Read out loud to your child as much as possible!
• Talk with your child about what you are reading. Ask questions about the important things that are happening in a story, and help them make connections. (“This barn looks like the one we saw last week! Do you remember that?”)
• Have fun with this process; don’t feel like you have to drill your child with questions on every page. Just have a conversation about the parts of the story you think are interesting.

1. It doesn’t discriminate.

   Research shows that phonics instruction produces significant benefits for children of all ages, abilities, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

2. It builds phonemic awareness.

   This is the #1 predictor of a child’s early reading ability-understanding how words are made up of sounds. For example, the letter c says “c,” and the word cat is made up of the sounds /c/, /a/, and /t/, blended together make the word cat.

3. It helps with word recognition.

   Exposing children to words both in isolation and in context helps achieve effortless word recognition, also called automaticity.

4. It helps with print exposure.

   Simply put, children who have more opportunities to read (and be read to) are more likely to acquire the building blocks of reading-fast, automatic word recognition and decoding skills.

5. Every child is different.

   While some kids can read a word once and then recognize it later on, most kids need to read a word 4-8 times in a short period of time before it becomes automatic. Others may need 15-20 exposures. The phonics method offers those opportunities.

6. It provides opportunities for “just-right” reading.

   Kids need the chance to read books that are tied to their independent reading level, meaning the books can be read with 90-95% accuracy. This allows kids to be able to focus on the specific skill being taught.

7. It helps build confidence.

   With the phonics method, even young kids can fairly quickly learn to “read” a “just-right” book on their own—often for the first time. This success makes kids feel proud and gets them to start to think of themselves as readers.

8. It boosts self-esteem.

   Don’t kid yourself. Learning to read is hard. It doesn’t come naturally for everyone. Phonics gives children a tool that breaks down the process of learning to read into bite-sized, doable chunks. Kids who can feel successful through their own efforts are more likely to have higher self-esteem.

9. It helps with spelling.

   Studies show that kids who are able to break down the sounds that make up words (called decoding) are better at spelling.

10. It allows children to read for meaning.

    Research shows that giving kids to opportunities read books with a high percentage of familiar patterns (phonics) allows kids to focus on comprehending and understanding the story, instead of decoding words.

Read more about the Research Behind Hooked on Phonics.

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