How many phonemes are in the word “queen”?

Solution 1:

Phonemically, the consonant cluster at the start of queen is usually analysed as two successive phonemes, a stop and a glide (or semivowel), so as /kw/ not as the labialized /kʷ/.

Phonetically it may in fact be [kʰʷ]in some speakers, but this is not a phonemic distinction, only an allophone.

That means the phonemes of queen are /kwin/. Compare twin /twɪn/ in which we again have four not three phonemes.

Solution 2:

My son went to a Montessori school from pre-school through 2nd grade. They worked on phonemes -- they were required to say their names as phonemes, so my son was d/e/v/i/n. While I think a certain amount of phonemics can be used, it's also an extremely limited way to teach reading. The best approach is a combination of both approaches, phonics and whole language. Here's an article that explains it: http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr029.shtml.

At the same time as you are using phonics in a playful manner, you should be reading to your child, as many authentic texts as you can, perhaps sounding out the occasional word. That will be the most effective way to teach your child to read.