Teaching an Adult to read

[Chickadee&Me]

My SILs partnER can't read
He worked from the time he was a child on a farm and never went to school so he has no idea how to read.
We just discovered this when we went to pick them up yesterday. He can drive but only to places he know how to get to because he can't read where to go.
Anyway, he wants to learn and SIL is willing to teach but doesn't have a clue how to start.
Any ideas? Resources? He's anout 70 years old.

[mamacat]

Would he be insulted if you used something like 100 Easy Lessons?

[Chickadee&Me]

I don't think so. He's a sweet man. Not very offend able.
I just sold my copy too

[mamacat]

I just liked it because was so user friendly and I think an adult would catch on pretty quickly

[Chickadee&Me]

Certainly worth a shot

[Victorious]

My mom used to teach adults to read in the evening. I know she had a curriculum designed for adults, but I have no idea what it was. I'll have to ask her.

[esperanza]

You could also see if there is a local adult literacy center. I know our city has a free literacy center and offers classes to adults. He may be interested in taking classes there, or they may have some resources for your SIL. So amazing to think of someone in their 70s learning to read.

[Heather R]

No signs of a learning disability, just no exposure? Something like 100 Easy Lessons or The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading should be fine. If it seems like he has difficulties with letter sounds, sequencing, etc, you may want to administer the student screening on the Barton site (free) to see if there is more going on. It is not a comprehensive evaluation, but if he fails that, it would indicate he needs further remediation.

I LOVE that he is still interested in learning, even at age 70! What a growth mindset!

[Chickadee&Me]

I think he feels too embarrassed for a literacy centre because I suggested it and it wasn't received well.
The Barton test is a good idea.

[tempus vernum]

TTRS (type touch read and spell) readandspell.com has an online program and it has a page dedicated to adult learners. It's completely independent but does cost money. Homeschool buyers coop has a HUGE discount.

This story grips me

[ValiantJoy07]

100 easy lessons is probably one of the most adult reading options, no kiddie pictures and very straightforward.

We are using progressive phonics on our kindle fire. It is completely free online curriculum you down load each lesson. I download the pdfs to my tablet so we can zoom up on words for my child with vision challenges. It had been great.

[ViolaMum]

Phonics Pathways might work well. It's got cartoon line-drawings, but is all black and white. It's available at a lot of libraries, but also fairly inexpensive.

[Ms_Dahl]

Teaching and adult to read is not much different from teaching a child to read. There needs to be a strong basis in phonics (being able to recognize the different phonemes associated with different letters/letter combinations). From there, being able to combine sounds together is what leads to reading. I strongly recommend using a system geared towards adults. It draws on topics that are relevant and most likely familiar for the adult and meets them at their maturity levels. The thing an adult has over a young child learning to read is a larger vocabulary and most likely a strong sight word base (i.e. Girls/Boys terms written on restroom doors, the word STOP on a street sign, etc). Often, adults respond better when they learn how to blend letter sounds when the words they have to learn are pertinent to their everyday lives. It serves as a good motivator and aids in learning how to read more quickly.

I spent some time working with illiterate adults and semi-literate adults who were attempting to obtain their GED. I loved working with these adults, they were the MOST receptive students I ever taught in my teaching career. It was awesome to have such willing students. Good luck!