Difference between revisions of "First Reader"
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| + | [[File:Phyllis Schlafly speaking at CPAC 1988 and William Rusher.jpg|right|300px|thumb|[[Phyllis Schlafly]] speaking at CPAC in 1988]] | ||
'''First Reader''' is a book written by [[Phyllis Schlafly]] to teach children how to read using [[phonics]].<ref>https://store.phyllisschlafly.com/product/first-reader/</ref> This inexpensive textbook has been remarkably successful at teaching 4 generations of students, many of whom went on to top colleges and graduate schools. | '''First Reader''' is a book written by [[Phyllis Schlafly]] to teach children how to read using [[phonics]].<ref>https://store.phyllisschlafly.com/product/first-reader/</ref> This inexpensive textbook has been remarkably successful at teaching 4 generations of students, many of whom went on to top colleges and graduate schools. | ||
Latest revision as of 00:56, March 26, 2024
First Reader is a book written by Phyllis Schlafly to teach children how to read using phonics.[1] This inexpensive textbook has been remarkably successful at teaching 4 generations of students, many of whom went on to top colleges and graduate schools.
Its advantages include:
- large print, which makes a big helpful difference
- colors to distinguish syllables, which is an immense aid
- terrific mixture of poems, stories, and practice drills
- a sprinkling of good vocabulary learning
- colorful images early in the book to assist in learning
- themes that include some conservative and religious messages, without overdoing it
- concise: only 165 pages, which makes it very useful as a reference to repeatedly return to
After Why Johnny Can't Read (1955) shocked Americans at how liberals were failing to teach children how to read in school, particularly public school, Phyllis Schlafly embarked on a phonics-based approach and used it successfully for 60 years.
If kids fail to learn how to read -- as tens of millions fail to learn today -- then they will never be able to read the Bible.
California has the highest illiteracy in the United States, and other liberal-run regions are nearly as dismal in reading ability.[2]
Boys who grow up in an illiterate-dominant region has a life expectancy in England that is 26 years shorter than a boy who grow up in a highly literate area.[3]
Contents
Textbook
This book is 165 pages long, with colorful images and big print. Unlike other books, it is a phonics-first approach, with "sight words" taught as merely an exception to the vast majority of words t be learned phonetically.
The book does not censor religious words or images, and includes them fully. Pages are progressively more difficult, with a challenging amount of three-syllable words presented on page 154, a more challenging array of four-syllable words listed on page 162, and then the final page 165 has a few five- and six-syllable words after the student is able to read out any big word phonetically.
Words
Amid many familiar words presented in this book for first-time readers or reading improvement, a few of the words may be challenging for an average instructor to precisely define:
- furlough (fɜr-low - a temporary, unpaid leave-of-absence from a job or the military, or sometimes a suspension of imprisonment for the prisoner to go home for a bit) (p. 142)
- sop (SAHP - a conciliatory gift) (p. 9)
- pod (päd - a protective container in nature or in transportation vehicles such as planes or ships) (p. 13)
- trough (trȯf - a long and shallow container or ditch for animals to feed from, for food or water) (pp. 142-43)
