WE LOOK AND SEE:
If those words in the title sound familiar, it may be that you learned to read using the "Dick and Jane" series of readers in the first grade. I used that series. My grandmother gave me the three book series before I started to school.
Fortunately, my grandmother also read to me all the time, as did my mother, so I could read well before she gave me the three books.
That's a good thing because the "Dick and Jane" books were the beginning of the mass introduction of "whole language" reading curricula into public schools.
I recently bought a copy of "We Look and See." Partly it was a nostalgic purchase, but I also wanted to see for myself if this set of books were really whole language based. Unfortunately, because I didn't want them to be, they were!
In the back of "We Look and See" (Texas Edition), is a page of information for the teacher.
"To The Teacher
This is the first book in the pre-primer series of the BASIC READERS. These three pre-primers are: (1) "We Look and See," (2) "We Work and Play," and (3) "We Come and Go." This series prepares for the Basic Primer, "Fun With Dick and Jane."
In "We Work and Play" the combination of genuine story plots, interpretative pictures, and small vocabulary of highly useful words makes it possible for children to enjoy reading while they learn to read.
If "We Look and See" is not available, "We Work and Play" may be used as the initial pre-primer, since this book provides for gradual basic development of the 17 words carried over from "We Look and See" as well as the 22 new words introduced in "We Work and Play." However, all pupils will enjoy and benefit from the use of the three pre-primers in cumulative sequence. "We Work and Play" should be followed immediately by "We Come and Go," which completes the pre-primer developmental program.
The three Basic Pre-Primers and their accompanying "Teacher's Guidebook" and "Think-and-Do Book" (workbook) provide the methodology and materials for a developmental reading program at this level.
VOCABULARY LIST
The following list contains the 39 words used in "We Work and Play." Variants of known words formed by adding or dropping s are not counted as new words.
Words marked * have been introduced first in "We Look and See." They are gradually reintroduced and retaught in "We Work and Play." Only the unstarred words are new in this book if it follows the use of "We Look and See."
3. work 16. jump* 32. can 47. boats
4. Father 17. .... find 48. ....
Dick* 18. .... 33. .... 49. ....
5. Mother 19. .... 34. .... 50. ....
Jane* 20. .... 35. up* 51. ....
6. oh* 21. come* down* 52. ....
Baby* 22. go* 36. .... 53. ....
7. play away 37. .... 54. ....
8. see* 23. big 38. I 55. ....
9. look* little 39. makes 56. ....
10. Spot* 24. is something 57. ....
11. helps 25. not 40. blue 58. ....
12. run* 26. .... 41. yellow 59. ....
and* 27. the 42. red 60. ....
13. .... 28. my 43. cars 61. ....
14. funny* 29. .... 44. .... 62. ....
15. Tim* 30. .... 45. ....
Puff* 31. .... 46. ....
*********************************************************************************
There you have it: the list of words to memorize from book to book building on that memory and not teaching how to read using phonics.
Ironically I can remember the two first grade teachers that I had. They both went to my church and were friends of my mother's. I kept up with them all their lives as I loved them both. I also remember that they had handmade, charts that sat on wooden stands. The charts were lined with the big wide lines that we all utilized when we learned to print. On them were groups of letters--consonants with vowels that we were instructed about how to pronounce. That was phonics. So these teachers had probably been taught how to teach reading using phonics, and it was hard for them to get away from it--just as it is now in reverse!
We also had "flash cards" with letter combinations on them that we had to by rote say when the teacher pointed to them.
Learning the sounds of those combinations was part of learning to read.
The point here is that the best thing a parent can do to help a child learn to read is to read to them as young and as often as is possible. When a child reaches school age, the teacher should read to them, BUT the teacher should also listen to them read. If you've ever had to do this, you know how trying and painful it is! But that part of teaching reading is absolutely the most necessary part.
When your child finally learns to read, the process should reverse, and YOU should listen to him read, as often as you can.