Reading lessons with The Beatles

Little toadroller Sam has never much liked to read. 

Why should he?  It's a mental task to grasp the concepts, and it's easier not to read.  What's the incentive for him to work on his reading? 

The other day I walked past Sam playing Beatles Rockband.  Sam love The Beatles.  Interstingly, he was doing the singing role, where the lyrics scroll across the bottom.  He knows some of the songs but it was apparent he was guessing and not reading.

Ah.

"Sam, would you like to know the real words to these songs?" 

"I guess so."

"What's your favorite Beatles song?"

"Dear Prudence."

To the internet we went and printed out the lyrics.  We started with an approach of playing a couple of lines from the song, then working through the words.  Then we'd go back and do it again.  Some frustration, but also some progress.  We spent about a half-hour on Dear Prudence.  It's one of my favorite Bealtes songs as well.  Working through the lyrics gave me a better appreciation for its poetry. Nice structure and re-use.  A theme/story which grows.  Positive:

Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play?

Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day
The sun is up, the sky is blue
It's beautiful and so are you
Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play?

Dear Prudence, open up your eyes
Dear Prudence, see the sunny skies
The wind is low the birds will sing
That you are part of everything
Dear Prudence, won't you open up your eyes?

Look around round
(Round round round, round round)
(Round round round, round round)

Look around round round
(Round round round, round round)
(Round round round, round round)

Look around*

Dear Prudence, let me see you smile
Dear Prudence, like a little child
The clouds will be a daisy chain
So let me see you smile again
Dear Prudence, won't you let me see you smile?

Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play?
Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day
The sun is up, the sky is blue
It's beautiful and so are you
Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play?


Today we tackled Here Comes the Sun, and reviewed Dear Prudence as well as Back in the U.S.S.R. 

We read lines forward and we read lines backward.  We practiced tapping the word as we read it to keep him in rhythm and synchronized, a habit which he developed in about fifteen minutes.  When we came to a word he couldn't read, we developed the habit of spelling out the word out (tapping for each letter) and then working on it phonetically.  We spelled words forward and spelled words backward.

We spent an hour and fifteen minutes on reading without frustration or tears. 

Next up?  Drive my Car.


*Sam found this part fun and funny.