Momma4 Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 Hi, I really need some ideas of how to make OPGTR more fun. My boy is a very kinaesthetic learner - he needs to move! I've tried the white board and it was better but it just doesn't engage him. I've just purchased some magnetic letter tiles and I'm hoping to use them in the same way they're used in AAR - in an ideal world i'd love to buy AAR but we just cannot afford it. And besides, I really do believe OPGTR is a great programme - I just need ideas to make it work. I'm finding that theres not enough review also. I'm also planning to teach the phonograms like in AAR as I really do think this will benefit him He has an amazing memory but he's slow to work things out sometimes and when he finds something difficult he doesnt want to persist. He's nearly 6 by the way. Thanks in advance 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 (edited) Keep doing it little by little, preferably memorizing the lesson and keeping the book out of sight until he's good with it, then only using the book as a nice, easy review. We used Phonics Pathways instead, but it's the same idea. Sometimes when I did want to use the book, I photocopied a page and cut it so we were only looking at a little slip: much less intimidating. Meanwhile, try sidewalk chalk, a salt tray, different colored markers on the whiteboard, rubber stamps if you've got them, magnetic letters on a cookie sheet, alphabet blocks... anything that looks like play. A trick from Logic of English Foundations: put the words on index cards and lay them out, having him hop to one, read it, hop to the next, etc. Commit to a couple of minutes a day, and let him go back to it on his own if he liked it. Make sure interesting words are available around the house for "independent study"--ice cream on the grocery list, playground on the calendar, etc. Don't ask him to read them. Kids notice what's interesting. It took a lot longer than I expected to teach DS to read (probably two years before he read me a whole book and I rewarded him with his own library card), but now he enjoys it. Edited June 28, 2016 by whitehawk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 Reading Lessons Through Literature is an OG program like AAS but only costs about $15 a book in a series of four. You also have to print the phonogram cards but I printed them out at work for free with my boss's permission and laminated them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domestic_engineer Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 I made a powerpoint presentation out of a lesson. Animate their entrance and exit. have them click to advance the slide. Arrange the words in as a bulleted list with 2 columns. Make another slide with the words spaced like OPGTR. etc. Basically, I was just playing around with the different features of PPT. :P 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReadingMama1214 Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 We use the book occasionally, but I find my daughter does much better with me writing the words on a notebook and we don't do all of the sentences. I also make up my own sentences using her name. Have you tried using letter tiles? I made my own on foam board. My daughter enjoys building words with those. We also play a fun game to reinforce concepts. It's called POP. it's for silent e, but I edited the pdf to make my own cards for any new concept. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pop-a-long-vowel-silent-e-nonsense-word-game-502457 I love the program, but we do other fun things to reinforce concepts and I rarely have Dd reading out of the book. We've also done flash card hop. I would write the words lessons on flash cards and have Dd hop on them and read them. I've made board games where each word was on a lily pad and Dd has to read a word that she lands on. If you look on Pinterest for phonics games, you could easily adapt many for your lesson that day 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domestic_engineer Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 oh! Power Towers is a fun way to review whatever you want (words, in this case): Basically, the review object is placed on the bottom of a paper cup. Once you read the word/answer the math fact, then you get to keep the card ... continue until you have a whole stack. Then at the end you take those cups, build a tower, and *BAM* knock it over! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momma4 Posted June 28, 2016 Author Share Posted June 28, 2016 Phonics pathways looks like something that might visually appeal to him and I like how it teaches 'sa, so...' Etc first. I've looked at RLTL soooo many times and read the sample online but I just don't understand how to teach it once the phonograms have been memorised. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momma4 Posted June 28, 2016 Author Share Posted June 28, 2016 Oh wow! I love the idea of flash card hop and the cup stacking games. I'll definitely use those! Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrikuns Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 I'm not sure how old your son is, but we had the same problem when my son was 4.5-5 and a little older than 5. I put the book away for about 3 or 4 months, and picked back up when he officially started kindergarten at 5y8m. Then he took off flying and went from blending CVCC words to reading chapter books in about 6 weeks. We finished OPGTTR and, while he never loved the book, he was motivated to work through it and it was fast and effective. In our case, I think his reluctance was that he just wasn't as ready the first time we tried. Another program with more bells and whistles may have masked that, but I think he would have been in the same place at age 6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momma4 Posted June 28, 2016 Author Share Posted June 28, 2016 This is definitely something I've considered terrikuns so we haven't touched the book for about 4 months - he's 5.5yrs. Xx 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAM Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 What helped us... Setting a timer, so she knew there was an obvious end to the lesson, plus short lessons (5-10 minutes) Having her choose three stuffed animals to "read" the words for her. Somehow this made it way more appealing, she didn't seem to realize she was the one actually reading! Using magnetic letter tiles to spell the words on a white board for her to read, rather than using the book Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momma4 Posted June 28, 2016 Author Share Posted June 28, 2016 Great ideas Kam - especially the stuffed toy one. Thank you everyone, I knew I could count on you all. I think we'll continue to try with OPGTR incorporating all of your ideas and see how we get on. I'm going to start thigh, by getting him to memorise the phonograms and 'sa, si....' letter blends, I think this will help a lot. Xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 I typed up the practice words, using a large font and then found a simple clip-art photo on google photos to go with it. I saved those as PDF's and then we did them on the iPad in the Notability app. I let my kids highlight each word in a color of their choosing as we read it. This worked until they were past the need for extras and could just do it right out of the book. Also, there are tons of apps and things that teach the content of the first several units. If a concept was understood, then I was ok skipping it in the book, although I tried to not do this too often. I'm almost through OPGTR for the second time and well into my 3rd round and this has worked well for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReadingMama1214 Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 Have you discovered Teach Your Monster to Read app/website? My daughter LOVES it and it teaches the concepts taught in OPGTR. Best $5 app ever. Online is free 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freelylearned Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 Our library system has different early literacy resources for parents to check out including videos, games, flashcards, and boxes of the small phonics readers. A lot are at our central library and we just have to request them with our librarian. You might be able to borrow something at your library to get you through this phase. My oldest son did really well any phonics books that had about eight pages and a few words per page, like the BOB books, because they were small and manageable. Books like OPGTR and Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons were more threatening because he felt like they would never be over so he also really resisted them. Maybe you could just copy the page you are working on and just use the one sheet of paper. Maybe he'd do better if he just saw just one page with a beginning and end and not the big, thick OPGTR book. My daughter is 5 and she doesn't like Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons but she does like The Reading Lesson, even though it is big, because it is cute, she can color the pictures when she's done, and the parents section is separated from the children's section so she feels like it is written to her. I haven't tried OPGTR with her so I can't compare that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momma4 Posted June 29, 2016 Author Share Posted June 29, 2016 Thanks so much everyone for your replies. You're all right, I think he has a bad association with the book so I'll just prepare before hand. When teaching beginning 'CV' blends like 'ca, si, sa', is it best to then avoid teaching word families, for instance those with end sounds such as 'at, ed, in' ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 Have you tried letting him fiddle around with something while he is doing that? Sometimes that helps one of mine concentrate better. Also letting him bounce around in between helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momma4 Posted June 29, 2016 Author Share Posted June 29, 2016 I found this website today and it's been really helpful. http://www.phonics-literacy.com/how-to-teach-phonics.html Thought others might like it too, it has some great games on, especially good for learners who need to move like my son! Xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 (edited) You can watch my blending video for fun ideas, also he can watch my most recent "Know sight words" Youtube video, there are other ideas on my blending page on my website and beginning reading page. My phonics concentration game and the cards shown in the video are fun ways to practice. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q4KTyqpg5o I like to use relay race type games, get 2 to 3 sets of magnetic letters and out them in a tupperware or unbreakable basket or bowl, set a timer for a few minutes, run back and forth to scoop up letters and the see how many words can be built in a few minutes, on a table or a metal cookie sheet. Make full page letters or get those alphabet tile mats and jump from letter to letter to sound out the words. Edited July 1, 2016 by ElizabethB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymonster Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 This is really simple, and you've already have a tons of great ideas going up-thread, but my oldest had a terrible association with the book itself, so I just wrote words on a wipe board. I'd type out the sentences and he read them off my computer. It just gave him different colors and interfaces to look at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 I highly suggest a puppet. I stole that idea from AAR, but for a far cheaper price. Apparently puppets make everything more enjoyable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReadingMama1214 Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 Today we played shopping for words. Dd took her toy shopping cart and I handed her words on cards. She then had to read the card and go find the item and put it in her cart. It was so fun she didn't want to stop. Great way to review! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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