Writing Road to Reading

by Sue T.
(Alabama)

Writing Road to Reading
Phonics
2006

I, personally, LOVED this text book. Granted, I went to school to learn to teach, but I found the time and attention that Writing Road to Reading took to actually teach a parent HOW her child learns how to read very refreshing.

I read and employed Writing Road to Reading's Spalding Method after trying with little success to teach my youngest child how to read. With a little frustration at myself, I picked up this book and decided to give it a shot. I was amazed that everything in the book made perfect sense to me in that "Why didn't I think of that?" sort of way. I was also RELIEVED that employing the Spalding Method didn't require hundreds of dollars in supplies, or for me to go back to college.

Believe me when I say that after reading and understanding the goal of teaching phonics, actually teaching said phonics was E A S Y. I mean that. Once I sat down with my son and actually started doing what the book said, he was literally reading phonetical sounds within the first week and words and short sentences within the first month. As a matter of fact, we learned ALL of the phonics within 6 months and my 6 year old was reading. READING!

Writing Road to Reading is DIFFERENT than other methods for a few reasons. One reason is that in doing the Spalding Method, your child is experiencing the phonic through MOST of his/her senses. He/she will say the sound (which means they hear it), write the sound, (which means they feel it), and see the sound EACH and EVERY TIME they sit down to study it. This means that no matter what your child's learning style, the method is teaching to it. It's also different in that it doesn't teach 26 alphabet sounds. The Spalding Method teaches EVERY phonetic sound. Sounds like "GH" and "PH" and "ough" and "tion" and "ci" are treated (FINALLY) as their own phonic. You'll be impressed with how very thorough the method really is.

The only downfall of Writing Road to Reading is that 75% of the book is teaching YOU, the parent. If you're looking for a quick-fix, this isn't it. This book teaches and equips YOU to quickly, effectively and efficiently teach your child to read. If you're not willing to spend some time (2 weeks) learning before you involve your kindergartener, please find another resource because you'll be disappointed in Writing Road to Reading.