Tag: letters

WHEN

“When should he begin? Whenever his box of letters begins to interest him.” (Mason, vol. 1)

Charlotte Mason describes the Pre-Reading Lesson as occurring five times a week. Also, each lesson lasts about ten minutes.

You can begin pre-reading activities when a child begins to be aware of letters. A typical age of a child may be anywhere from two to six years old when you begin pre-reading.

WHY

Reading is important. It is also required to teach reading in the state of Texas. I vividly remember books playing a vital role in my education. They shaped me to be the person I am today. Living Books Library defines characteristics of a Living Book as: full of ideas, virtuous, inspiring, narrative, generational and imaginative.

“It is better that children should receive a few vital ideas that their souls may grow…” (Mason, vol. 1)

Some of my happiest times with my children are sharing good books with them. Therefore, I look forward to the day when my children discover the joy of reading for themselves.

HOW

“A tray of sand is useful at this stage.” (Mason, vol. 1)

Charlotte Mason says a child can first learn the sounds of letters and then recognize the upper case and lower case letters. Additionally, the child should practice “air writing” the letters or drawing them in a tray of sand.

“There is no occasion to hurry the child: let him learn one form at a time, and know it so well that he can pick out the d’s, say, big and little, in a page of large print.” (Mason, vol. 1)

Here are some suggested activities to introduce the concept of reading to children.

STEPS TO PRE-READING

• First, playfully teach your child the sounds for each letter of the alphabet.
• He should be familiar with upper case letters first, and then lower case letters.
• Teach all consonant sounds and at least the short vowel sounds.
• While your child is learning sounds, he should take a mental picture of the letter.
• Then, your child can trace the letter in the air.
• Finally, take any word and stretch out the sound of the first letter. Amy Tuttle from Discover Reading, writes to think of Dori’s whale language in Finding Nemo. One example here could be: “Can you find the /S/ for Sssssnake?” using your box of letters.
• An alternate pre-reading learning game is to have him search for the letter sound /d/ on a magazine page. You could ask your child to point out the letters, or sometimes circle them.

IDEAS FOR A PRE-READING LESSON

PART 1

1. Introduce the letters and sounds one per day or several per day if your child can master them. Review all letters until the child knows each letter/sound combination.
2. When a child can recognize the letter by sight and sound, and can draw the letter in the air, the letter is learned, and he can put it in a letter box.
3. This could happen in one week’s time, or last over several weeks, depending on your child. I love how Amy Tuttle reminds us to enjoy the process, because he only learns to read once.

PART 2

• Once a child is confident with all letter sounds, begin with short words that are as interesting as possible. Use simple consonants and short vowel sounds to introduce blending. Pick letters that will make words he knows.
• He should place a letter before “at” for example, to make b-at, c-at, h-at. Repeat the sounds slowly, and let him discover the word.
• Ask him to see the letters in his mind, with his eyes closed. Then, trace the letters in the air.
• When he can do all of these steps, Mama writes the word on a chalkboard (or the child can if he is writing already).
• Next, ask him to dictate the words that you learned for the lesson, and write them down in a notebook.
• Finally, the next day, review the words from his notebook, and begin with new word blends.
• Repeat with all short sound vowels before moving onto long vowel sound word blends. Example: “ate” to make h-ate, l-ate, m-ate, and r-ate.

Ms. Mason says,

“This is not reading, but it is preapring the ground for reading; words will no longer (be) unfamiliar, perplexing objects, when the child meets them in a line of print.” (Mason, vol. 1)

Also,

“Require him to pronounce he words the makes with such finish and distinctness that he can himself hear and count the sounds in a give word.” (Mason, vol. 1)

One final quote:

“Accustom him from the first to shut his eyes and spell the word he has made.” (Mason, vol. 1)

FAVORITE RESOURCES

Finally, I have come across some outstanding resources in learning about a Charlotte Mason education. I’m so happy to share them with you! Some of these are sources I return to daily because I’m preparing to teach my children. Additionally, I list specific resources for a Charlotte Mason Pre-Reading Lesson.

GENERAL CHARLOTTE MASON RESOURCES

• A Charlotte Mason Soiree Educator Courses (free and amazing!)
• A Charlotte Mason Soiree Facebook Support/Discussion Group
• Charlotte Mason’s Home Education Volume 1
• Volume 2 Charlotte Mason’s Parents and Children
• Charlotte Mason’s School Education Volume 3
• A Delectable Education Scheduling Cards
• Another Delectable Education Curriculum Templates

CHARLOTTE MASON PRE-READING LESSON RESOURCES

• A Delectable Education Podcast on Reading
• This podcast on Language Acquisition was also helpful
• 25 Reading Questions Answered Free on A Delectable Education
• Wooden Moveable Alphabet
• Inexpensive wooden letters
• Discover Reading by Amy Tuttle
• A good Alphabet Book
• Or this, recommended Alphabet Book
• Another Alphabet Book
• One of my favorite Alphabet Books
• Charlotte Mason’s Home Education Volume 1 pg. 199-239

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