Tell me why you like/hate Phonics Pathways

[Neesy]

I am considering using this...very literally...as written... with the following:

 

Pyramid reading exercises

Games - Blend it, Treasure Hunt, Echo, Short Vowel Shuffle, etc.  Also with "Roadblock" game...from "How to Get Your Child Off of the Refrigerator..."

Making the Dewey bookmark

only 10-15 min. lessons

Stay on same lesson 'til mastery (automatic recall)

The 7 step plan for vowel sounds (as outlined in the guide pg. XVII)

Using a joke book. 

 

Plan to use it with Rhythm Handwriting - Cursive and the tactile cursive cards along with it.

 

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS, please? :bigear:

 

 

[73349]

Depending on the age of the child, you might need to start with only 5-minute lessons.

 

DS likes Dewey, but he went through a phase (when only 5) when looking at the whole page of a PP lesson was too much for him. He thought he couldn't do it. I wound up photocopying pages and cutting them in halves/thirds/fourths/fifths and only letting him see one strip at a time. He also thought the Roadblock game was too hard.

 

Now that he's matured more, that's unnecessary. But with PP, you do need to be able to copy things anyway to do the bug game and some other activities in there.

 

I think it's a good book overall. We have moved on to Logic of English Foundations as our main program, but I still use PP (and RP) some of the time.

 

Good luck!

[sewingmama]

What I like about it is that you can tailor it to fit the child. My kids picked up reading very quickly so we didn't need to do all the games etc. Those are just for kids who need extra practice really.

 

I just started using it again with DS2 and he already blends well so I skipped the section of blending sounds and moved straight to the three letter words. He is doing well at those too so we might not do the whole section before skipping to the next.

 

I would be careful of refusing to move on until the child can do it perfectly...it can lead to boredom and refusal to use the program from some children. If your kid can do the page about 80% right then move on. There is a ton of practice and review built in so they will get better as they go through.

 

Currently I let my DS choose how much he wants to do....I don't require a page at a time unless he asks for it...which he doesn't usually. Learning to read can be tiring when they first start out so a little bit at a time every day is good. 5 mins is a good place to start for beginners...15 would be way too long... especially if they struggle or are new to it.

 

My DD was overwhelmed by all the words on the page so with her I wrote the words one at a time on the whiteboard until she was more confident.

 

My DS1 taught himself to read... so I skipped about half the book to get to his correct teaching level.

 

You might not need to use the whole book either. I think for both my older kids we stopped about three quarters of the way through as they were reading independently by then.

[ScoutTN]

I really like it. Simple and not expensive. I like the big print. I like sitting in the sofa with my kids, teaching them to read. I used it for Dd, who was reading Little House books after four months of reading instruction, at age 5. We didn't finish the book because she didn't need it. She never even noticed Dewey. She just wanted to read!

 

Ds is on p. 138 and we have used Reading Pathways also. He is 7 and currently reading Magic Tree House books. He has needed the extras. He likes Dewey and always read the little words of wisdom. We have used it together with Bob books and some other phonics controlled readers.

 

I have not done any written work with either child from PP. I don't believe that reading instruction should be tied to physical writing skills.

[MiMi 4under3]

I really like it. Simple and not expensive. I like the big print. I like sitting in the sofa with my kids, teaching them to read

 

This ^^

 

 

I liked it because it's open-and-go, straightforward, and super easy to implement.

[desertflower]

Everything all pp said plus very thorough and no sight words.

[Chris in VA]

Loved it--but didn't use it as you intend to. Way more simple here. Added Bob books, homemade stories, and some fun stuff.

Worked!

[Neesy]

Thanks, everyone!  This would be for remediation for one of our boys...I guess that's what you call it?  He is 11, but has been diagnosed ID and ADD (w/out the hyper part).:-)  He finished 100 Easy Lessons and is still really struggling to read.  Our older 3 kiddos went through 100 EL and just continued on with Pathway readers and library books.  Our 11 yr. old despises the pathway readers (never had THAT happen either! lol).  Our youngest is also ID and is 9.  He just finished up with Get Ready for the Code books.  He is starting ABC the KEY and loves it.  

 

I was also considering LOE and the Foundation books.  Talked with the author, who recommended starting both boys in that and maybe going through it a couple lessons a day.  I'm really, really torn on what to do!  Plus, LOE is SO expensive.  I also looked at All About Reading (& Spelling).  I AM planning on doing LOE's handwriting (cursive) along with the phonics sounds, regardless of which program I use. 

 

Thanks again, Ladies!  Appreciate you sharing!

[Stellalarella]

I have used PP with 4 kiddos because it is 

 

1) Pick up and Go

2) Big Print

3) Effective

4) Doesn't have pictures that  make the kiddos guess on words.  For example, when the dc would read a BOB Book, they would invariably look to the pictures to tell them what the words were instead of investing their energy into decoding--and decoding was the skill I wanted them to learn.  

5) Was at the library for me to pre-read before buying

5) Only cost us about $20 

 

PP is a good way to go.  

[...................]

Well, I used it as a review after 2 years of intensive phonics with my son and he is to this day, pretty good at remembering all his phonemes and sounding them out.

 

With my daughter, I used it as a more intensive teaching tool, in first grade, not just an overview.  Her reading took off exponentially. But, I wasn't having her do the writing, and i wasn't necessarily reviewing it through her 2nd grade year.  Her phonics has always suffered. 

 

I think there's a reason why intensive phonics with a hands on component, spread out over the course of 3 years, is more effective in long term gains, than just a few years, or just doing it orally.  So, my only advice would be to combine it with a systematic phonics workbook that includes review, and to use the book over the course of 3 years, reviewing the entire book as necessary, with the hands on component (whether writing, letter tiles, or games...)

[Targhee]

Like it. Here's why: simple, one volume, engaging but not gimmicky, cheap, effective

 

We start O-G based spelling after PP and once through handwriting (we did AAS but now use LOE Essentials). Working well for us.

[ScoutTN]

We too follow it with phonics based spelling. AAS has reviewed and cemented many of the things my dc learned in PP. This has been more important with dd, who learned to read quickly and breezed through PP.