Guest RPYates Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 My kindergartener is reading/comprehending on a 3rd+ grade level. She is usually able to sound out words she does not know. Because of this, we decided to forego a formal language arts curriculum for her (most of her other course work is on a first grade level) and just read books daily instead. I just began reading WTM the day before yesterday, and now I am wondering if we should incorporate phonics since we have never discussed phonetic rules. Is this needed at this point? Thoughts? Any input is appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 This was my dd4. We opted to go with a solid phonics-based spelling program instead. We are using All About Spelling with great success as she is a very rules-based kid:) We have just finished level 4 and will start level 5 next week. I never intended to go so far through the program at this age, but my dd really loves it and asks for it several times per week. She does seem to be a natural speller, but she loves knowing the WHY of it. And I get to make sure there are no 'gaps' from not being taught explicit phonics in reading:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 I used REWARDS with my advanced reader when he was in either K or 1st. He loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 I never did phonics rules with Calvin (beyond letter sounds) because his reading just took off. It turned out he was a natural speller too, so I didn't use a spelling programme either (we just used some lists of frequently-misspelled words). I would not worry for now; if spelling turns out to be an issue, you can address phonics then. Calvin was really surprised a few years ago when he heard me mentioning the 'magic e'. It had never occurred to him that the 'e' had any effect - it was just how that particular word was spelled. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jar7709 Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 It sometimes is an unpopular opinion, but I don't think *every* child needs phonics. My DS taught himself to read and is a natural speller. Phonics was/is a waste of time for him, time that is better spent elsewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1053 Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 We used some All About Spelling at my daughter's request, which did help cement some phonics rules. After finishing the second level, she decided she was done with spelling for now, so we shelved it. We'll go back to it in the future if she struggles with spelling, but otherwise I'm just letting it go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 My Kinder is currently reading at grade 2-3 and we only do copywork (we use ELTL). If there are spelling issues, I'll address them later. We dropped ETC because it felt like busywork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Phonics gives me the language I need to explain spelling and reading mistakes to my logically-minded, rules-oriented kiddos. I have the book "Uncovering the Logic of English" for a reference, and levels 1 and 2 of All About Spelling, plus DD likes to play with the Phonics with Phonograms app from LoE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah0000 Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 DS (age 2) also learned to read without much instruction. I have just purchased LOE phonogram cards and game book to make sure he knows all the phonograms, and I find sample words to illustrate each phonogram. I plan to use the spelling rules cards when that time comes to flesh out phonics, otherwise I don't plan to use a scripted curriculum at all. It just doesn't seem necessary for a self taught kiddo, but I do want to make sure there are no holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzanne in ABQ Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Our youngest taught herself to read at 3 1/2. I still took her through Phonics Pathways when she started writing, but we used it as a spelling primer. There were certain sounds she hadn't figured out on her own. Using PP for spelling allowed me to teach her those sounds as they came up. I like PP (and used it with my older two) because it is a simple to use and thorough. It only takes 10 minutes a day for reading, longer for spelling (depending on how well your dc writes). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 I never did phonics rules with Calvin (beyond letter sounds) because his reading just took off. It turned out he was a natural speller too, so I didn't use a spelling programme either (we just used some lists of frequently-misspelled words). I would not worry for now; if spelling turns out to be an issue, you can address phonics then. Calvin was really surprised a few years ago when he heard me mentioning the 'magic e'. It had never occurred to him that the 'e' had any effect - it was just how that particular word was spelled. L We weren't taught phonics. I learnt to use the rules without knowing what the rule was. I knew the difference between rat and rate and could apply it in other cases but I didn't know that it was the e that made the difference just that they were spelt and pronounced differently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakpak Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Contrary to a lot of other kids here, my DD(5) is NOT a natural speller. Her reading level is high (6th+?), but she spells at a 1st grade level. She just started getting into writing more in the past couple of months, so we'll see where it all goes. I've used AAS with her off and on. We afterschool, but have not been focusing on academics lately, just foreign languages & music in our free time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThoughtfulMama Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 My K'er also never learned phonics. He knows the letter sounds, but never really has to sound out a word phonetically. His teachers have finally started to get him to do some invented spelling, which he refuses to do for me because he insists on it being correct. And, honestly, I know the "rules" but I never ever read phonetically either.I also cannot spell even the simplest words if you ask me to, but I can write or type them without thinking. My spelling brain is apparently wired directly to my hands, so I'm watch my DS to see what happens as he starts writing more and more. His teacher is trying to find ways to incorporate some phonics for him, but admits that reading isn't where that is going to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 If your child is spelling well and reading unfamiliar words without a problem, phonics may not be necessary. My kids have all had a big gap in their phonics skills and reading skills with reading being much higher. We worked on phonics because it was difficult. With one child, his phonics and spelling skills caught up to his advanced reading skills and in 4th grade we quit spelling instruction. My other child still needs plenty of phonics-based spelling instruction and he is in 5th grade now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Korrale Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 My son is a high level reader but a very poor speller. In our case we fortify phonics with spelling instruction. If he were a better speller I would probably not even bother with the phonics as long as he could read high level words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ad astra Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 All my DS4 did for phonics was the Hooked on Phonics K - 2nd grade sets last summer, which did not teach phonics rules. He learns well through practicing on his own so it was perfect for him. I tried to use OPGTR after HOP but DS found it dry and could not focus. Instead, we just continued to read aloud easy readers daily and he is now reading at 2nd grade level. We're also doing All About Spelling to teach him spelling but mostly using it as a word list with no tiles, cards, etc. I dictate words, phrases and sentences in the manual and he spells them on the paper or lined dry-erase board. It's been going pretty well this way. I guess some kids don't need rule-based or teacher-intensive phonics/spelling programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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