Logic of English Foundations Overwhelm

[homeschoolwarrior]

Has anyone gone through being totally overwhelmed by LOE?  I have three boys in it.  We are in Foundations A, B, and D.  Is there another similar program that somehow reinforces things better or something?  We are all getting lost in all of the rules.  My oldest in D has a crazy memory, and even he is getting overwhelmed.  I thought learning ALL THE THINGS for english was a good idea, but now I am questioning that.  Any thoughts?  

 

Thanks.  :/

[Ellie]

Spalding. One manual, Writing Road to Reading; one set of phonogram cards. You start at the beginning with all the children; children 8 and older will keep spelling notebooks and whatnot.

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

My DS flew through A/B, so no advice there but we found Book C to be pretty brutal. Huge jump in expectations from A/B & so much information! We took a month off in the middle of C, and again after completing it, to solely work on fluency. Book D has been going much more smoothly!

 

I would say the big thing with LOE is to not get caught up in mastery. The point of Foundations is reading fluently. If your kids can read a phonogram in words, don't fret if they struggle to come up with them (or even recognize them) out of context on demand. The spelling is only intended as an introduction. Essentials will solidify spelling.

[kristinainar]

My daughter did A and B her Kindergarten year and I purchased C and D for first grade (this year). I decided last minute to have her review A and B instead of starting C in August as she was struggling somewhat and not really enjoying reading. The review helped tremendously. Everything started to “click†and she’s reading great now (I do still help her with spelling). We just started C, so I’m not sure how it’s going to go (although so far so good), but we may review it at the beginning of second grade before going into D. We’ve just had to take it pretty slow!

[happynurse]

My son is in Kindergarten. We did A and some of B in pre-K, then finished B this school year just before Thanksgiving. We took December off to just read and practice fluency. We started on C in January and we're slogging through. He doesn't want to do it, and frankly neither do I. It's a great program, but so far C is boring and tedious compared to A and B. 

 

Anyway, in A and B we did some of the games and such, but I found that with working with a child one-on-one, all of the games weren't necessary. And some of them required jumping, yelling, etc. and I did phonics while younger kids napped, so that was a no-go. I tell my son the spelling rules, but honestly he doesn't remember them at all. My point is this, if you just hit the highlights (phonograms, handwriting, spelling, and the workbook) you are still going to get a lot out of the program in levels A and B. I can't speak to level D, as we haven't made it that far yet. Level C has been enough of a drag for us that I am not sure D is in our future. Love A and B though. 

[Heathermomster]

We stopped using LOE after 1 month into level D because DD could already read all the level D readers with zero mistakes. She could pick up and read anything she wanted by then. When I tested her, she was reading 150 wpm with no mistakes. That was beginning 2nd grade.

 

We worked slowly though levels A-C. If DD struggled with a word in the word lists, she marked the words with pencil using LOE rules and would practice reading them daily until the words were mastered. I ditched LOE spelling and never moved forward with the LOE program until she was confident. She practiced fluency daily using Pathway, Treadwell, and grade appropriate BJU Readers.

 

I always premarked any difficult words with pencil during fluency practice so that there was no guessing. My DD consumes audio books and started reading purposely for pleasure in 2nd grade.

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

I can't speak to level D, as we haven't made it that far yet. Level C has been enough of a drag for us that I am not sure D is in our future.

D has been GREAT! It's completely different from A-C. The focus is on grammar & spelling. The reading included is easier, to focus on fluency & comprehension.

 

I understand the temptation to jump ship following C, but I'd strongly recommend taking a break, then coming back to d.