转贴：How to Teach Reading With McGuffey Readers

The McGuffey Readers are a collection of books that teach reading concepts to children, including stories about morality. They were created by Rev. William Holmes McGuffey in the mid-1800s. The initial publication of the series included references to the Bible and espoused a Christian morality. Later versions include stories about morality, but do not include as many direct references to Christianity, in an attempt to make the books more universal. Many religious parents prefer to use the original version when they teach children using McGuffey Readers, but it's up to you to decide how you want to use the books.

Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions

1
Progress through the lessons in order. The McGuffey Readers have a natural progression, starting from teaching the alphabet and simple one-syllable words to including excerpts from Shakespeare. You should follow the order of the books. If your child is already reading, you can start somewhere in the middle, based on her current level.

2
Build vocabulary by using the vocabulary lists. Each lesson contains a list of vocabulary words that are included in the reading. You can create flash cards of these words to help your child study them.

3
Use the readings to instill moral and religious beliefs. Many of the readings focus on a specific moral rule, which you want to pass down to your child. Discuss these issues with your child.

4
Allow your child to read on his own. You don't have to hover over your child as he reads the material. The books can make for great individual reading as well as learning. However, you should have read the material yourself so that you can later quiz him on the reading or discuss the issues that he may have read about.

5
Follow the parent-teacher guide by Ruth Beechick. Ms. Beechick wrote a guide to go along with the books, offering suggestions for how you can expand on the reading activities to broaden the lessons. The great thing about the McGuffey Readers is that you don't have to use them only for reading---you use them for teaching life lessons as well.

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William Holmes McGuffey is an early American educator who created a series of leveled reading books for children. Scholars popularly use these books during the 19th century in teaching children how to write and read. Today, home-schooling parents have rediscovered these books, as it is a simple and effective way to teach children writing and reading skills. McGuffey’s reading books are well known to be a high quality literary work that is why more and more teachers and parents are using this method. If you want to teach your kids to read using McGuffey readers, here are some basic guidelines to help you out:

Choose your set. All you have to do is to purchase the McGuffey readers. You must decide which set of these books you are to purchase. This book has many types and has been revised to fit every need of school children. Christian families would always prefer to use the original version of these books. It was revised to help children that have different beliefs regarding their religion catch up with the book. You may get the one that suits your family values and beliefs.
Browse and read the books beforehand. Before proceeding into teaching, it is important that you know what the book contains. Study the entire book by reading them first so you already have an idea while teaching them to the children. This book is very easy in a way for teaching it. You won’t need any other references to support the ideas in the book. It has its own explanations for the teachers, which is why it can be easily used. Prepare before teaching; it will help you avoid any trouble while teaching.

Be orderly. You should follow the step-by-step lesson of the book. As you go through every chapter, the lessons’ difficulty increases. This ensures progress in learning. The first step is for reading skills. You may consider the level of ability of the child to identify which lesson to start with. It is always better to follow the right order of the lesson as it becomes more complex as the lesson continues further.
Foster interaction. In every teaching method, it is always best to have good communication and cooperation. Since the McGuffey book is made for interaction, you have to develop better communication with the children. In teaching the young children, it is important that you give a lot of time for them to learn, and you should give correction whenever needed. Allow them to read the books on their own. Talk to the children so you will know which part or lesson they are having difficulties with and help them resolve it.
Do evaluation. After every lesson, allow the children to ask questions and evaluate as well what they have learned for the day. Asking questions related to the lesson and stories are very essential parts of learning. Knowing that they can answer every question that you will throw them can give you assurance that they are accelerating in their learning process.

When you are teaching children, you must avoid any distraction around you especially if you are doing homeschooling. Keep the children focused on every lesson everyday by providing a good environment while learning. A good classroom setting with as little distraction as possible will help the fast progress of children’s learning. Good luck!