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THE CARDEN READING METHOD Listening, speaking, reading, spelling, and writing! These are interrelated components of the language arts and the Carden Reading Method. The CARDEN METHOD®is a true, total language arts curriculum. It equips young students to include all these essential elements of language among their first achievements. The person who listens attentively, speaks clearly, reads accurately, and writes successfully has a social security which no one can remove. The Five Channels of Learning to Read
Phonics and Word Structure
Your children’s vocabulary has been acquired through thinking while listening and speaking. That vocabulary is part of their personal mental image of life. Great joy and satisfaction come when they are led to discover that sounds may be written as letters and words. Carden phonics presents the beauty and melody of English. For example, it takes into consideration the differences between staccato and legato sounds of English consonants. Contrast the staccato of g with the legato of m. By itself, the sound of g is short, abrupt. To sustain the sound, add uh, pronounced lightly. This enables the youngster to glide easily into the next sound. It avoids any disconnect between this consonant and the next sound in the word. So we say the sound of g is guh. This helps the youngster sound out words with g, such as gate, gas, begin, giggle, piglet, big, and league. M, on the other hand, has a sustained sound. It is not short, abrupt. The sound of m is the one the youngster has been using: mmm, as in, “Mmm, this is good.” It is the sound of m in words like moon, drum, ham, swimmer, thimble, and lamb. So what about that b after the m of lamb? Students take delight in finding out what that b is doing for the lamb! Carden word structure synthesizes with phonics. Consider three examples.
Students use their Carden techniques of phonics and word structure to recognize words when they are reading, to build words when they are spelling, to pronounce words when they are speaking, and to write words when they are listening. Mastery of language arts enables students to convey their personal mental images to others with ease. Children are aware of the power that language imparts to them. They develop the self-respect that yields legitimate self-esteem. The ability to sound out words is but a beginning. There are four more necessary channels in learning to read. Without them, a person has limits to gaining knowledge and understanding when reading. Comprehension Comprehension relies on
These abilities enable the student to progress in the next two channels of learning to read — word grouping and identifying the key word. However, the student does not achieve the complete ability to read until he or she can
With these abilities, especially acquired in composing a title and recall of events in sequence, a student will genuinely read and think. Word Grouping
From the beginning, children experience ideas that come from groups of words. They learn to read thoughts rhythmically. They learn how words form groups that answer fundamental comprehension questions, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why. For them, rhythmic reading is as natural as rhythmic speech. Word grouping is the second channel of learning to read. Word grouping begins with the first story in the Carden primers. The young student reads, “Pete paints a boat.” (Flesh-Kincaid grade level is .8) That sentence is not made up of a series of words with short sounds. The legato of the long vowel sounds provides the natural rhythm of spoken English. To have begun with short vowel sounds would produce sentences with a staccato effect that works against the concept of rhythmic reading, as in Dot had a big red jug. Students use their understanding of Carden phonics and word structure to sound out a word they do not know. The Carden primer has no picture of Pete or a boat. Readers see Pete in their own minds. The Pete they see has immediate relevance to themselves and their lives. Socioeconomic and other differences among people are absent. Each reader can give his or her own description of Pete. The boat is in their mental image, too. One may see a rowboat and another a sailboat. A picture would have destroyed their mental image. They would have been focusing upon an artist’s mental image of the text. Students may enjoy drawing their own picture in vivid colors to illustrate the story. They are interpreting text. The words of the sentence answer questions for comprehension. Who paints a boat? What does Pete do? What does Pete paint? The reader reads the who, pauses briefly, and groups the doing and the what together (paints the boat). Because they group words with understanding, Carden readers avoid
Reading that simple sentence well is preparation for the intricacies of language that follow. If grammar were to be taught as an end in itself, then the road to interpreting text would not have been adequately prepared for the traffic it must bear. Students need an understanding of grammar that works for them in sentence analysis. Grouping the words that answer the who and the doing questions breaks the natural rhythm of English speech. The ability to analyze the sentence accurately is a key factor of successful interpretation of text. Identifying the verb of the simple sentence enables students to ask the right comprehension questions. This is a simple beginning, and it is a very good one in view of what is coming. As sentences become more complicated, word grouping becomes more difficult. Sentences will not just have a few words. They will have phrases and clauses, and these will involve a number of comprehension questions. The who may become hard to find. Think about how the sentence above could increase in difficulty. Here are some possibilities. The numeral inside parentheses tells the Flesh-Kincaid grade level.
Correct word grouping enables the ideas of the sentence to easily enter the mind. Carden students are not afraid of grammar. They know how to use it as a tool of comprehension. In school, at home, and elsewhere, they use it when reading, writing, and speaking. Identifying the Key Word
What is the key word? It is the important word that reveals the main idea of the sentence. It embodies the meaning of the sentence. Identifying the key word is the third channel of learning to read. It may be
It may be more than one word, as in
How can you find the key word of a sentence? Look for it! The key word is what you see in your mental image. Example 1: Pete paints a boat. This sentence is by itself, so it is alone in the context provided by the writer. Upon what does the sentence focus? The reader begins with Pete, observes that he paints, and sees what Pete paints. The key word is boat. The reader emphasizes the key word: Pete | paints a boat. Why did the writer say Pete paints a boat? To tell the reader what Pete paints. The reader sees that Pete paints a boat. Example 2: Pete sold Bill the boat that he had painted. The reader begins with Pete, observes that he did something [sold], learns the name of the person to whom he sold something [Bill], and the thing that he sold to Bill [the boat that he had painted]. The key word is Bill. The reader emphasizes the key word: Pete | sold Bill | the boat that he had painted. Why did the author write Pete sold Bill the boat that he had painted? To tell the reader to whom Pete had sold the boat. Composing a Title
What is the title? It is the main idea of the sentence. It embodies the meaning of the sentence. Composing a title is the fourth channel of learning to read. To compose a title, classify the key word with a noun of classification. Express the remainder of the sentence in relationship to the key word. The key word may be any part of speech, but the title begins with a noun that classifies the key word. Consider these key words and titles.
It may be more than one word, as in
Is there only one correct title possible for a sentence? Vocabulary may limit the reader’s ability to compose a title based upon the classification of a key word. Consider one of the previous sentences: Ann is a doctor. Students may give a number of correct titles.
If the sentence were Ann is a doctor in the play, more than one title is possible.
Students discuss the possibilities. They evaluate how accurately a noun classifies the key word. They justify their choices. Choosing key words and composing titles are abilities acquired by students as they learn to think as they read. They learn to interpret text for themselves. If their ability to interpret is measured by means of a multiple choice test, they are responding to someone else’s interpretation. Understanding sentences leads to understanding of paragraphs, which leads to understanding of the chapter, which in turn leads to understanding the book. Recall of Events in Sequence
Consider an example. Students read The Mole (Grade 2): The mole is small. It hides all the time. It is gray. People say the mole is bad. They say it is bad because it makes holes in the grass. Frank likes the mole. He has a small mole. He likes to watch it. It is smart. It can hide away. Have you seen a mole? When asked what these sentences are about, they respond with a paraphrase in their own words. They might express the content of the story in this way: The story is about a mole. It begins by telling us that the gray mole hides all the time. People say it is bad because it makes holes in the grass. Frank likes his mole and watches it. He thinks it is smart because of the way it can hide away. The story ends by asking the reader if he or she has seen a mole. When asked what these sentences are about, they may respond in their own words. They express the content of the story as a paraphrase. The Student Are the Carden requirements difficult for children? No. The plan is mature, but the procedures of the lessons follow the student’s interest and maturity. The youngster is channeled into this type of thinking without strain or effort. The Teacher Are Carden teaching techniques difficult for teachers? No. A teacher is merely required to apply them carefully. Teachers lend enthusiasm and conviction to their teaching. They make the lessons their own, and keep them current and vital. |
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