Upennmama Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 My 6.5 year old dd is not following the path her siblings did- I basically taught them all basic phonemes and they learned to read independently, with a little help here and there. She is different- she loves books, stories, and reading, but cannot read more than simple CVC type words, and there's been little progress in 3 months. I am looking for a curriculum to help her move into more complex words and sentences. I like the look of rod and staff but I am incredibly confused by the website. I think all I need is a phonics program, but I cannot figure out what to order. To get phonics, do I also need the reader's stuff? Do I need the spelling? Does it all integrate? Alternatively, is there a better program anyone could recommend? She doesn't seem to have any learning difficulties, she's perfectly bright, just sort of stuck. I thought about All About Reading. Help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 Does your library have any phonics programs you can look through? Personally, I like Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons. It's git'er'dun, but it moves a child quickly into blending. We paired it with a moveable alphabet (a magnetic red/blue one) and time to just play with the sounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 I love Rod and Staff phonics. I really recommend it. If you are looking at 1st grade, everything is all integrated. Using the 2nd edition, which is what I have: The teacher book for reading and phonics (two separate programs with separate workbooks, ) is all in one. So you could do the phonics without the reading if you want to, but you will have the TM for both in one, and that would mean not buying the reading workbooks and readers. Spelling was integrated into the phonics lessons. Nothing separate is needed. With the newer 3rd edition, I am looking at the catalog. They now have two separate teacher's manuals for the phonics and reading, making it even easier to separate them if you want. I personally did the entire 1st grade, reading, phonics, spelling included, and Bible readers and extra worksheets with both of mine. Then in 2nd grade when they begin separating all of the subjects out: English textbook phonics program spelling workbook reading program and workbooks, I dropped the reading program and did more WTM style reading, but continued with the 2nd grade phonics. It is really really good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 (edited) My 6.5 year old dd is not following the path her siblings did- I basically taught them all basic phonemes and they learned to read independently, with a little help here and there. She is different- she loves books, stories, and reading, but cannot read more than simple CVC type words, and there's been little progress in 3 months. I am looking for a curriculum to help her move into more complex words and sentences. I like the look of rod and staff but I am incredibly confused by the website. I think all I need is a phonics program, but I cannot figure out what to order. To get phonics, do I also need the reader's stuff? Do I need the spelling? Does it all integrate? Alternatively, is there a better program anyone could recommend? She doesn't seem to have any learning difficulties, she's perfectly bright, just sort of stuck. I thought about All About Reading. Help! The website is not Rod and Staff's. You might be better off to get a catalog and curriculum samples from the publisher. (606) 522-4348. ETA: There are a number of excellent phonics methods I'd recommend over R&S (although I like R&S overall). My first recommendation is Spalding, which teaches children to read by teaching them to spell, while also teaching penmanship, capitalization and punctuation, and simple writing. All you need is the manual (Writing Road to Reading) and a set of phonogram cards, and you're good to go forever. Edited November 21, 2017 by Ellie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barnwife Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 Well, I am the type to try free and cheap things first. We start with oral blending skills. When they have that down we move into Webster's Speller for syllables. That leads to them wanting to read stories, so we switch to Progressive Phonics (free online). One child has easily moved into easy reader type things from there. Another needed/needs more phonics work and so is using OPGTR. If that didn't work, I'd try Phonic Pathways. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Upennmama Posted November 21, 2017 Author Share Posted November 21, 2017 Thank you all! I love hearing the recommendations. I do think I have a copy of OPGTTR but it intimidated me. I will give it another look and try some cheaper options before diving into something more expensive and complex. Any other ideas in the meantime? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homemommy83 Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 (edited) My favorite gentle phonics program is The Reading Lesson because all required reading is built in. I would follow it with a complete phonics program like Phonics Pathways or Alphaphonics (both are equally magnificent-but don't include readers-kwim). Edited November 21, 2017 by homemommy83 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barnwife Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 Thank you all! I love hearing the recommendations. I do think I have a copy of OPGTTR but it intimidated me. I will give it another look and try some cheaper options before diving into something more expensive and complex. Any other ideas in the meantime? Don't let it intimidate you! I admit that I hated it the first time I saw it. I wondered why anyone needs scripted lessons to teach the most common sounds for each letter. And so I put it away. That's how we ended up with Webster's and then Progressive Phonics. Had one of mine not needed more phonics instruction, I'd never have pulled it back out. But I did. And lo and behold, the lessons after the alphabet is taught are just perfect for where of mine is. Don't be afraid to start not as lesson one if your child doesn't need that! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 It sounds like your older ones learned easily and may have colored your thinking. It's not all that unusual for 6 year-olds to be sounding out 3-letter words after 3 months of practice. That's not to say you don't need something different, but more an encouragement to not be in a hurry to "rush ahead" and get to longer words and sentences that she may or may not be ready for. Lay a solid foundation first. She'll get there. You might like these articles: Helping Kids Sound Out Words, and 10 Tips for Reaching Your Struggling Learner. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoo Keeper Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 If she just needs more practice to gain fluency, some freebies I like are: Word Mastery and/or Blend Phonics Don Potter's site (which the above links are from) has loads of phonics resources to look through--here's more stuff to go with Blend Phonics... Reading and writing from both of these was good practice for my kids. I would also dictate words phrases for them to spell orally or write. One of mine needed insane amounts of practice before things came easily. Alpha Phonics is now also free online...here's the workbook. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Upennmama Posted November 22, 2017 Author Share Posted November 22, 2017 Yes, thank you, this does encourage me. My other 6 year old is in school (long story) and he is surging ahead, and the teachers are so focused on them reading long paragraphs, and it seems like every kid in the class is doing that. My other kids read fluently between 3.5-5.5, so she seems late, but when I step back and think more calmly, I realize that she's not really behind for 6. Thanks for the reminder! It sounds like your older ones learned easily and may have colored your thinking. It's not all that unusual for 6 year-olds to be sounding out 3-letter words after 3 months of practice. That's not to say you don't need something different, but more an encouragement to not be in a hurry to "rush ahead" and get to longer words and sentences that she may or may not be ready for. Lay a solid foundation first. She'll get there. You might like these articles: Helping Kids Sound Out Words, and 10 Tips for Reaching Your Struggling Learner. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 (edited) Why blending is hard: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/blendingwords.html I would try the I See Sam books and the Blend Phonics lessons and stories, both good phonics programs that use stories that don't promote guessing. http://www.donpotter.net/pdf/blend_phonics_stories.pdf http://marriottmd.com/sam/ You could also try the old Open Court, long vowels first, easier to blend, good stories. You start with the sounds and then the blue book, then the gold book. http://wigowsky.com/school/opencourt/opencourt.htm Also, she is a bit on the young side for it, but you could try the first 7 or 8 lessons of my Syllables program: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/syllablesspellsu.html Edited November 22, 2017 by ElizabethB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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