Frustrated

[Journeyman2]

Greetings and HELP (please),

(I'm not a teacher; just a very frustrated parent.)

I realize that this is a preschool forum, but my 6 year old adoptee is from Ethiopia (native language is Amharic), and has been in school 9 or 10 months and is making very little or no headway in reading. You can converse with her with no problem; we understand each other just fine. But it's the reading that's got us completely flummoxed. Specifically, she can't seem to put two sounds together to form a word. For example: Nnnnnnnn and Ohhhhhhhh, spelling 'No'. The whole concept of putting sounds together just seems beyond her. I even tried using visual aids; showing the two sounds very far apart, and gradually moving them closer and closer until they are touching; to no avail. Her 11 year old Ethiopian sister picked it up with no problem, and has been trying to help us, but still no luck.

Can anyone make a suggestion as to how we should proceed from this point? She can recognize and name most of the letters of the alphabet, as well as the individual sounds that they make. But how do we teach her to combine these sounds to form words? Your assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Anglika]

Welcome to the forums.

It must be hard for both of you!

You say she recognises most of the alphabet. Take this further, and teach her the full alphabet phonetically till she has the sounds of the alphabet firmly fixed against the shape of the letters. Make sure you teach it in the order of the alphabet as it is a tool for later.

Then take the simple combinations - an on at - and do the same. Then start to add consonants - can cat man mat.

Do you read to her at bedtime? You can make a point of pronouncing simple words clearly while pointing to each letter as you say it.

Don't worry too much; it will come to her with practice.