Teaching first grade reading is usually about beginner phonics and commonly used sight words

In the first grade children are just starting out on the road to learning reading but there is one thing you must remember. Kids forget faster than they remember, so you must keep repeating and

revising everything. This way it might stick, but be prepared to try and help it stick in the child’s mind. In first grade beginner reading the children love playing so give them something to play with but don’t expect miracles.

I like to use Montessori sandpaper letters because the kids love the feel of the sandpaper as they trace the phonic sounds.

And it helps them to remember the words and letters. Also I like Scholastic Phonics Readers mini books. They are getting out of date now but I think they are possibly the best phonics books out there. They are small enough for first graders to hold and they repeat the words and just change the sentences a little, so the kids get new words but they don’t get lost.

In first grade reading the children just learn the basic phonic sounds and they should start to learn some sight words.

Learning to read takes a lot of time and most children become fluent after the third grade, so don’t push it. Just keep repeating what your child has learnt and adding new phonics. I like the Montessori method as it can be applied to what your child is learning in school. You just make up the words and phonic sounds from the school textbook and let your child trace the sandpaper letters while saying the word or sound. It is very simple but it just takes time.

For more information about reading courses I recommend including a Montessori course see our Teach Reading page.