I thought I would write a little encouragement for those starting out in SWR, as well as some pointers. I am not a trainer, so I'm not endoursed by the author. But these may help.
Make sure you find time to read the SWR manual (the red one). Then, put it away for a few weeks. Then, read it again. You can start teaching in between there. Not EVERYTHING in the manual must be retained by the teacher (you) before beginnning. Many things- I learned along the way. There are still many I will learn as we get to the upper levels- I just don't need to know them yet!
Once I started teaching (even though I didn't know everything about it, still) it became easy to teach, and easy for my sons to follow.
PRESCHOOL (or non-writers):
You do not begin the daily lessons in the Wise Guide until the child knows the basic (single letter) phonograms AND can write them. He does not need to write perfectly- just as long as you can tell what it is. So, for preschool-aged children OR one who cannot write letters* these are your main goals:
1.Teach all the sounds of the single letter phonograms (the flashcards with only one letter on the front.)
It can be a fun game, or just flip through and have them repeat. My 5 yo can say all these sounds- it took him just a couple months to get them all with only a couple minutes a day. For example, c says /k/ and /s/. /K/ is its first sound because it is used more frequently. But we teach both sounds so it will come naturally to recall when the child coms across a word and /s/ won't work. He can easily try the second sound, /k/, and succeed!
2.Teach how to write the single letter phonograms. Choose cursive or manuscript and go for it. I have found cursive to be the best start for us for many reasons. SWR suggests teaching clockface letters first.** Use a markerboard, chalkboard, write it in sand, or pudding, paint it on the sidewalk with a wet paintbrush, mix it up! ***
After these goals are completed by the non-writer, you are ready to teach lessons from the Wise Guide. That is another post altogether. I would be happy to answer individual questions if there are any.
*If you are starting out youngsters on SWR, I would suggest getting Britta McCall's DVD "You Can DO IT!" She has several children of many ages, and gives a peek into her home. She gives ideas on how to teach young ones with SWR.
~"Hidden Secrets to Language Success" is an instructional DVD put out by the author of the curriculum. While I do think it is helpful, I would not suggest starting out with it. It seems very overwhelming. It seems to be a good resource to keep around as you teach the Wise Guide.
~"An Introduction to SWR: A Blueprint for Language Arts Success" is more of an inspirational DVD instead of a how-to. It kind of peps you up to learn SWR. And, " Modified Teaching Reading at Home Training", is the older version of "Hidden Secrets to Language Success".
**Where do you find out which letters are "clockface","loop", "uphill", and "hump"? Answer: look on page 230 in the SWR manual; also on the back of the cover sheet that comes with the phonogram cards. Keep it handy until your child has learned to write the letters.
***Once you pick your style of handwriting, stick with it. SWR's suggest not letting your child use any other style. At first, I thought that was a bit strict- but I soon saw that my 7yo son was not advancing when he would use print on his non-SWR projects. It was a little but of a battle to make him use cursive when he was writing for fun, but it helped him pregress. Down the road, when it is mastered, he can used something else for fun times.
I hope that is helpful in some way, I plan on posting again soon to give suggestions on the next steps. Lord bless you in your SWR adventures.
Update: I found this article by Britta McColl (the woman who made the "You Can Do it!" DVD). Good article on the subject of SWR with preschoolers and other non-readers. And she is a certified SWR trainer, so she actually knows what she is saying.
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