Should my child repeat 1st Grade?

One out of three struggling readers has college graduate parents. 

Research is clear that children who are not in control of 1st Grade reading skills will have a very hard time catching up because new lessons never stop coming and the basic skills are not in place to help the child.

Reality is that a small set of letters and sight words must become instant; a child is going to stumble around forever without these lessons. The child cannot help himself; reading is a code that must be taught.

Whether or not you decide to repeat 1st Grade, start today:  use my search box- top left corner - put in backward b, then working memory, then how the brain learns to read.   Your child depends on you - my letter rules are not taught in school - your child needs these specific letter rules.

Download the 1st 100 sight words (my books include the 1st 300).  Take your child to a used bookstore (Goodwill, ARC, etc). Get whatever books appeal to your child. Ask your child to find and circle the 1st sight word - the. Work down the sight word list.

Tip: quit stopping to sound out words, tell your child any unknown word, have your child keep reading. Stopping breaks the short-term memory, thus all comprehension is lost.

Instead, show your child how to keep reading using the words he does know. At the end of the page, you ask questions - what is happening on the page, who did what, etc. Then go back to unknown words. Help your child figure them out or tell your child the words. Many words cannot be sounded out. In a few weeks, this method will reap great rewards.

Some parents and children do not work well together - this is common. Get my book and hire a private tutor (not a group tutor or tutor company). You want your child to be in control of skilled reading by this time next year.

I use ebay as my website. Search Instant Reading Help all my books will come up. You do not have to use my books but get a book from somewhere to give you support and structure. 

My books include my contact info, email or call for help. Best wishes, Mary Maisner