Phonics for great reader

[3girls4me]

Hi!

I have a kindergartner who is a great reader. She is reading aloud even better than my 3rd grader and if I had to guess, is reading at least at a 3rd or 4th grade level. She has done a few ETC workbooks, a MCP book, and other than that, just lots of reading. I heard a lecture though that SWB did and she was highly encouraging a complete, thorough phonics program. What would you suggest I use to at least review or fill in holes next year? I have to confess, I dropped the phonics ball when I saw she could read basically anything I put in front if her.

Another thing to add, I have a child who will be 4 in September. She's starting to read now. I would love to just add her in somehow.

Thanks!!

[Chris in VA]

IMO, when they are reading that well, phonics can be covered explictly by using a phonics-based spelling program. I like SWO, and I also like the Adventures in Phonics workbooks. (AiP will cover syllabication and such by book 3, but the lines are tiny.)

Or you could just go thru Phonics Pathways, starting at the part where the two-consonant endings are and seeing if she can spell the words after reading them--about page 55. 

 

FWIW, I did the same as you did--dd zoomed up several levels in the first few months of first grade, so we put PP away and just did spelling for phonics practice. We did pull in AiP's last half in second grade for review.

[Farrar]

I would just move on to spelling and do a phonics based spelling. I would not combine an advanced reader and a new learner.

[craftyerin]

Yep. I have twin Kers reading at a 3rd-4th grade level and we dropped phonics-to-read in favor of phonics-to-spell. We're using Spalding (WRTR).

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

My oldest dd was like that.  We used AAS and I had her go through OPGTR as well.

[ElizabethB]

You could use this with both!

 

Mostly spelling for your K student with a bit of phonics and mostly reading with a bit of spelling, can be oral or magnetic letters, for your 4 year old.

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/WellTaughtPhonicsStudent.html

 

They can play the game together, although your K student may not need it.

[Tanikit]

I had a similar problem - however at kindergarten level I found my DDs writing was not quite good enough for a spelling programme that moved at the pace she was ready to learn to spell and I had to work on her writing through copywork initially and add in spelling. While working on the copywork I would also point out some of the later aspects of spelling to her and when she was writing better she did remember some of these.

 

For the 4 year old I might start OPGTR (I used it from 3.5 with my eldest and will start it with my youngest later this year, though I did not use it as written - I just used the words lists - and I used them again when teaching early spelling to my then 5 year old). You could also teach the older to spell and while teaching the older the spelling bring your 3.5 year old in and teach her how to blend the word (this works especially well if you are starting with cvc words for spelling with your older child).

[Tracy]

Phonics for reading and phonics for spelling are two different things.  So I would not drop phonics altogether until you do some phonics for spelling.  If you discover she also a natural speller, then you might choose to drop phonics.  My dd9 is a natural reader but not at all a natural speller.  However, she really thrives with an explicit phonics program.  We use SWR.