How school teaches it now

How school teaches it: Children stretch each sound and blend them together — /c/ /a/ /t/ → “cat”. Sounds first, then the whole word.

Try at home: Run your finger under the word and stretch the sounds together with your child — don’t rush to the whole word.

Not this: Not “guess the word from the picture” — that skips the decoding that makes a strong reader.

How school teaches it: A number is shown breaking into parts — 7 = 5 + 2 — as a “number bond” diagram, BEFORE the + and − symbols.

Try at home: Split a small handful of raisins into two groups and say the bond: “7 is 5 and 2.”

Not this: Not “memorize the fact” first — the parts come before the symbols now.

How school teaches it: Concrete → Representational → Abstract: first REAL objects, then a DRAWING of them, then the NUMBERS. Each step before the next.

Try at home: Count real things, then draw them, then write the number — in that order.

Not this: Not “straight to the worksheet” — the objects and drawing come first.

How school teaches it: A silent “magic e” at the end makes the vowel say its NAME — cap → cape, hop → hope.

Try at home: Cover the e and read it short (cap); uncover it and read it long (cape).

Not this: Not “sound out the e” — the e is silent; it changes the vowel.

How school teaches it: sh, ch, th, wh are DIGRAPHS — two letters that make ONE new sound, taught as a single unit.

Try at home: Go on a “sh hunt” around the house — ship, shell, brush.

Not this: Not “s… h…” as two separate sounds — it’s one sound: “sh”.

How school teaches it: A ten-frame (a 2×5 grid) shows how close a number is to ten — the foundation of place value.

Try at home: An egg carton with 2 cups cut off makes a ten-frame — fill it with buttons.

Not this: Not just rote counting — the frame shows the “make ten” structure.