Ask Heather:
These are some great questions I’ve been asked about teaching children to read!
Can my child learn to read by just watching the videos?
The learning to read curriculum is designed to be used in 3 steps. Step 1 are the Video. The videos are the instruction on how to read. Step 2 are the stories in the books. The stories are reading practice. The children are able to apply the knowledge they learned in...
What are the basic steps of teaching a child to read?
The Basic Steps to teaching your child to read are: 1. Alphabet and Letter Identification 2. Letter Sounds 3. Blending with Phonics 4. Sight Words (taught throughout the lessons) 5. Vowels and Long Vowels 6. Blends 7. Common Grammatical Exceptions and Controlled R...
What is FirstStepReading?
FirstStepReading is a step-by-step (Pre-reader through Beginning Reader) Curriculum to teach children how to read. This program is designed to teach children ages 2 plus years old, children with Learning challenges, and English Language Learners. We guide the child as...
How long are the video lessons and stories?
Although the Video Lessons and Lesson Stories vary in length, they were designed to be used with young children and are therefore kept as brief as possible. The point of the stories are to practice the lesson taught in the video and to practice reading Sight Words....
How do I teach the idea of “Uppercase” and “Lowercase” to a very young child?
I believe that Uppercase Letters and Lowercase Letters should not be referred to as big and small letters. I feel that big and small refers to the size the letter is written which is confusing to any child when they see a Lowercase Letter written larger than an...
How long are the video lessons and stories?
Although the Video Lessons and Lesson Stories vary in length, they were designed to be used with young children and are therefore kept as brief as possible. The point of the stories are to practice the lesson taught in the video and to practice reading Sight Words....
How long does it take to teach my child with your program?
Every child learns at a different rate. Some children need additional practice with each lesson and others understand each lesson and can immediately apply the new knowledge by Reading the corresponding story. The curriculum is set up with many methods of additional...
What do I do if my child refuses to Read or Learn?
Not all days are good days for your child to Read. Some days I notice that my sons are over-tired or over-active and I know that they will not concentrate well enough to Read. So on those days they Learn. I either show them an Instructional Reading Video, we work on...
Is the Curriculum appropriate for English as a Second Language Learners?
This curriculum is meant for any student who is looking for a pre-reader to beginning reader learning program. This program guides the student through the basic steps of learning to read English. The program begins with the English Alphabet, Letter Sounds, and...
I dont’ know the Letter Sounds. How do I teach the sounds to my child?
I strongly believe that the Letter Sounds are the most important step of learning to read. If a child does not fluently know his/her letter sounds, he/she cannot sound out or blend sounds. It is important for a parent to be able to help their child sound out words...
What is Phonics based reading?
Phonics based reading is teaching children to read using Letter Sounds and Letter Symbols. Letter Sounds are the sounds that Letters make. Letter Symbols are the Letter of the Alphabet. Phonics lessons teach children to break apart words into their sounds in order to...
