You're welcome! :) I agree, this board is great!! For your 6.5 yo, that sounds perfect! With your older 14 yo, I would work him through my syllables program and do daily nonsense words and then the syllabary and Webster's Speller 2+ words, reading them all and spelling a few, when they get hard to spell stay there for spelling and move along with the reading. I would do daily nonsense words for a long time, you may need a version 4 with 100 pages! (I have 3 versions right now, V1 and V2 are 10 pages each, V3 is 20 pages.) Working on the nonsense words should help the spelling more than Webster's Speller. For him, have him watch the videos then do the nonsense word blend phonics document and nonsense word syllable division exercises, and a few daily nonsense word fluency timings. I would also do the language worksheets. See if using the charts and slowing way down for the nonsense words helps. For the 4.5 yo, just start with the syllables! I then, do a regular phonics program for the monosyllables, alternating work there with easy 2 syllable words, then toward the end, advancing toward more 2 and 3 syllable word Webster tables. I think most regular phonics programs are better for a young child than Webster for 1 syllable words. I used it with both my children just to test it out but like other things such as Phonics Pathways or the old Open Court better.

Actually, reading was historically taught through spelling with Webster's Blue Backed Speller or other Spellers. In the preface to Parker's first reader, there is a warning against allowing a student to read a word they cannot spell: Here is the link with his full introduction to the reader and a picture of the cover of the book: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Spelling/spelling1851.html I allowed my children to progress in reading past what they can spell, but found that working on spelling during phonics only helped the process, enhancing the learning and speeding the process. I also found that they could both spell words before they could blend, and that working on spelling before reading helped them learn to read those words easier.

Are you in the South? Most of the South, but Arkansas and Texas especially, seem to pronounce short e and i very closely, especially in certain words such as pen and pin. I grew up in the Seattle area and we discriminate them better, but I worked with my Southern students and a few students in other areas who just had problems with them, exaggerating the difference and showing them visually how the two sounds were made with the app/computer program "Sounds of Speech" from University of Iowa: http://soundsofspeech.uiowa.edu/index.html#english Here's Don Potter's take on the difference between i and e: "Exaggeration is the key to distinguishing short e and short i. Try beating your chest with i and you get a squeak, do it with short e and your get a roar. The i is high in the front of the mouth, e is deep in the chest or back of the throat. The e takes much more energy which explains why we so often avoid it and attempt to read words like pen as pin. Kids who learn with phonics-first get the sounds down before they start reading and therefore do not confuse them when reading, even though they may adopt the dialectical peculiarity (I hesitate to say fault.) that fails to distinguish them. When I first started teaching phonics, I was dumbfounded to learn that there was a difference in the pronunciation of “pen†and “pin.â€" (Don is in Texas, so most of his students have this problem.) The two words I usually use to model the sound differences are "exit" and "in."

The new series is all short, the longest is 13 minutes! It is geared a bit younger, too, but also good for older students. It is also more interactive, you watch a bit then read a bit, then watch a bit, then do a syllable division exercise. Later, you watch a bit, do a Greek or Latin worksheet, watch a bit, do a few Webster words, etc. There are 77 minutes of video total over 10 lessons.

I would drop assigned reading and work through it quickly, one lesson per school day, taking Fridays off if you normally do a lighter Friday. It is easy once you start! Also, even though it is review, there are 2 syllable words from the start, this document has sample words from each lesson on the 2nd page: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/Resources/SyllablesSpellSuccessOverview.pdf The videos are for the student, but since the syllables are a bit confusing at first if you've been doing normal phonics, watch the first 2 movies with the student. Also, for that age it is best to watch a few minutes and do the exercises instead of watching the whole video and then doing all the exercises. This sample schedule on the last page is for one lesson a day, it shows work time and DVD time for each lesson. The same document and shows the exercises to be done on the first page, for example, for lesson 1, you do a blend phonics unit, syllable division exercise #1, a few more blend phonics units (do the nonsense word ones), and syllable division exercise 2. http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/Resources/SyllablesSpellSuccessSchedules.pdf Movies 3 - 5 you can fold laundry while watching. Lesson 6 - 9 you will need to watch more closely but could fold laundry if you can do it mindlessly. Lesson 10 is just a what do do next video with a bit of Webster's Speller, after the previous Webster in videos 6 - 9 it should be easy to figure out on your own. (But plugs SWB's grammar and writing!! All my remedial students have needed follow on work with grammar and writing, I recommended her materials to parents and they had success with them.) You will need to print all the student files, and if he likes games, the concentration game, otherwise you can skip it. The nonsense word document and tracker (from teacher folder) are vital to improvement, and you should keep doing nonsense words daily until he can read them with good accuracy at 60 - 80 WPM. A few years older should have almost perfect accuracy with 80 - 100 WPM. The Latin and Greek bingo are optional but fun, especially if you have another child to play with. Even a young child can play if they are given help finding the words and sounding out the word roots. It is even more fun if you use skittles or chocolate chips as bingo markers. It's amazing how many word roots they learn by just saying and explaining a few words made from those roots, and I have an idiot proof document that you can use and just read the word and its definition while they play.) Video 8 releases Sep 18, video 9 Sep 25, video 10 Oct 2. But, you will be good by then and can either wait for the videos or teach from the teacher transcript if you are motivated to finish, you are at a pretty high level by then and should be comfortable with the program.

That can be hard for all of my remedial students up to grade 4!! Even the older ones take a bit of repetition to get it. I like the markings in Webster, a little hook under the c when it says s. You could also manually add a small s over the c to show it, it is easiest to separate out finding all the c's followed by e's, mark them, all the c's followed by I, mark them, all the c's followed by y, mark them, then read. Spelling rules take a certain maturity to make sense and stick.

If you use syllables, it might actually help strengthen the understanding of the sound symbol relationships. I would teach both with a syllabary and compare and contrast. It is easier to learn to read in Spanish because it is almost 100% phonetically reliable. Here are some free resources for a Spanish syllabary, the book "La Pata Pita" is also good. (Historic syllabic Spanish programs) https://infogalactic.com/info/Syllabic_phonics My syllables program is an easy way to teach the syllables in English: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/syllablesspellsu.html

Reading well, but I do a bit of spelling as part of phonics, and since I know all the rules so well, I tell them to my children during phonics practice even though they bounce off the brain of a K or young 1st grade student. For example, as much information makes it to the brain if they spell 1 word or sound out 5, so I do a bit of both. I did more spelling with my son because he preferred less words, near the end of a phonics lesson I would say, "Do you want to read 15 more words or spell 3 more to finish up?" Ironically, my daughter is the better speller and I had to do spelling longer and more frequently with my son than my daughter... (But she also learned to read easier and sooner.)

The best way to figure out how Webster works is just to work through my syllables program, it reviews phonics and spelling rules while adding in some Webster and showing how to teach it: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/syllablesspellsu.html My Webster YouTube playlist: Some other good Webster links: https://infogalactic.com/info/American_Spelling_Book http://donpotter.net/education_pages/spelling_books.html http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/webstersway.html Syllabic Phonics: https://infogalactic.com/info/Syllabic_phonics

I want my 10,000th post to be about Webster. So, any Webster's Speller or syllable questions? Also, I must spend too much time here... :)

Webster's Speller PP RS4K Singapore math FLL MCT SOTW My syllables spell success program: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/syllablesspellsu.html (I use this with my remedial students, but also use it as a quick yearly phonics review for my own children one they finish the basics.)

I agree, I would try my Syllables program. but, I would go even further, take two weeks and go through it while limiting outside reading and doing a few extra nonsense words, use both versions of my nonsense word fluency tracking, then the extra words once hit the point where you have learned all the sound patterns. Limit outside reading while working on this, read her assignments to her. Rewards is a good follow on if she still needs help. It is easier to want to read good books if you can accurately read at a high grade level.

You're welcome! I have seen samples of both spelling programs and they are both good, I would start a new thread r use the one that is easier for you to use. you might want to start a new thread asking that specific question, I am sure there are plenty of folks here who have used both!

Teach it with a white board! He can watch my online videos, then you can take the exercises and a few words to read and write them on a white board. You could also load them as a PDF file on a device for the ones that are just reading a few words, the syllable division exercises you can write on a whiteboard.

Don Potter purchased this and liked this when she was charging for the program. It is now free! Basic phonics with a few stories. http://www.candy4wayphonics.com/_about_.html And, I've posted before, but she keeps adding more every week, beginning phonics videos from Sweet Sounds of Reading: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHnIVm9OG9zIdtOtUHAtoUw And, of course, my syllables program for someone who has learned the basics, multi-syllable phonics, video 7 with the phonics of Greek just released today, the program on my website with files to print: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/syllablesspellsu.html The YouTube videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJLxBWdK_5l2xN78qeGDDB1Lr5lyP6CHO

My Syllables program! All the phonics you need to know, very quick. It includes spelling rules. You can work through the lessons in a few hours over a few days if you use the printed transcript and materials, or use the videos and do one per school day. I would do the nonsense words for sure to make sure he really knows the phonics. It teaches reading with phonics to a 12th grade level, the last few lessons are 3+ syllable words. http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/syllablesspellsu.html The last 4 videos release the next 4 Mondays, but the transcript is complete, you, could watch the first videos and then teach the last few from the transcript if you wanted to finish sooner. As reading gets easier, it makes reading books more enjoyable. That is why I like to keep teaching reading and phonics with Webster's Speller until a child can easily and fluently sound out anything. You should aim for 100% accuracy and 80 WPM on the nonsense words at that age, keep doing the nonsense word fluency drills until you get there. By the end of 5th grade, you should be at 100 WPM with 100% accuracy.

Watch through my pre-reading videos, especially the phonemic awareness and blending video. The 10 minute phonovisual video may help or may not. Here is a good thread about the difference between short I and short e: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/72641-my-phonics-reality/ Also, try the app "Sounds of Speech" by the University of Iowa. It shows videos and pictures of the different sounds being made. Seeing the difference in how they are made helps my students who struggle with sound discrimination. They used to have the videos and pictures on their website, but I think they are only on the app now. It may be on the website, it is not working for me: http://soundsofspeech.uiowa.edu/index.html#english Here is a good thread with phonemic awareness resources: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/582944-phonemic-awareness-resources/?hl=+phonemic%20+awareness%20+activities I would start with long vowel blending syllables and then long vowel words while working on this, long vowels are easier to make, hear, and blend. Then, work on easy words and syllables, am, an, on, om, mom, end, exit, un, um, up, in, it. You can work on these spelling and learning to discriminate these words while continuing on with long vowels. If he can learn er, there are a lot of 2 syllable words to learn in table 26 of webster without short vowels. (Or, ending y as e, either one or both will open up a lot of words.) Also, there are 2 good phonics programs that start with long vowels: the old Open Court and the current School Phonics. The old Open Court is free online, the blue book is the first book after learning the sounds. http://wigowsky.com/school/opencourt/opencourt.htm Here is a quick preview of the Blue Book, if it looks like it will work you can download the whole thing as a PDF. http://wigowsky.com/school/opencourt/bluebook/blue2.htm School Phonics is a bit expensive but has a lot more repetition that the old Open Court and also starts with long vowels. It is a good program. They used to sell just the student workbooks and it was more reasonable, someone who has been teaching phonics really just needs those. But, it looks like you get 10 students books, maybe, from the picture? I can't tell. The picture, yes, the description, no. So maybe you could resell some, it is really good for a student and teacher who need a lot of phonics review, it is nice to review basics in a slightly different and easier manner. https://www.teachersupplysource.com/product/81469/didax-school-phonics-tutoring-home-set-grades-1-2/

It sounds like you need to work on phonemic awareness first. Watch video 1, then 4, then 2 on my pre-reading skills YouTube playlist. Watch the blending words video with him, it is for the student and parent and shows why blending is difficult with sound waves and visual explanations. I would get Recipe for Reading manual and do it from the whiteboard and other kinestetic ideas, I'll add a link to that and my latest video about how to make phonics fun, it has a lot of ideas for adding in movement. Recipe for Reading is the cheapest OG program and has a lot of ideas for making it kinesthetic. I like just using the manual from the whiteboard or with letter tiles or cards or magnetic letters. I would also try working through my Syllables program once you do some phonemic awareness activities. I also like Recipe for Reading because it is easier to move faster or slower most OG programs, it is more of a system/program. https://www.amazon.com/Recipe-Reading-Revised-Expanded-Traub/dp/0838805051/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504930901&sr=8-1&keywords=Recipe+for+reading My dyslexia page has more about phonemic awareness: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/dyslexia.html and here is a good thread with phonemic awareness resources: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/582944-phonemic-awareness-resources/?hl=+phonemic%20+awareness%20+activities Here is my Syllables program, all free to print and use, and the videos are short (but wait until phonemic awareness is improved before doing this.) http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/syllablesspellsu.html

Here is cute hurricane news to distract you: http://www.pressherald.com/2017/09/08/harvey-and-irma-are-also-a-washington-state-couple-married-75-years/

Have you seen my Syllables program? I now have videos, and it works you through how to teach Webster's Speller. My struggling students, including those with dyslexia, have all been helped by Webster's Speller. I would work through it quickly while you are figuring out what to use, it is designed for a remedial elementary student. The fluency tracking it has may help you both see progress, it is hard when it takes a while and tracking WPM with the same type of words over a few months helps you see incremental progress. http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/syllablesspellsu.html You definitely want to keep teaching something, whether that is AAR or AAS or Barton.

Lets go learn has computer adaptive tests that give grade levels for math and LA. LA goes up to 12th grade. their basic math test goes to 7th grade, then they have tests for algebra and algebra readiness. I have some free reading grade level and reading diagnostic tests. http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/readinggradeleve.html

What are some good RAN/RAS activities? I have had students in the past who could use some, and probably will have some in the future.

If you look at brain research of good readers, they are actually processing every letter and letter team in the area of the brain that processes sounds, processing them in parallel very fast. I hear every word in my head and read between 700 and 1,000 WPM depending on the complexity of the material. I would have them work through my syllables program and do all the nonsense word fluency tracking exercises, track speed and accuracy. The nonsense words and syllables have improved my students' reading speed, including students who took my class just for spelling or vocabulary practice but were reading at grade level or above. Over learning any sounds not instantly known for sound and spelling helps. Especially, 2 letter team sounds, vowel teams and learning things like ai/ay oi/oy, native English words don't end in a y, most of the basic sounds are well known but some of the 2 letter vowel teams are not, I have a one page chart for vowel teams that you can use to drill them. The vowel chart is link 9 in the student folder, I drill in color first with key, the color no key, then black and white with color version colored. The nonsense words for tracking and a tracking worksheet are in the teacher folder, links 6 and 7. There is also a silent reading speed test in the testing section at the end to measure befor and after progress. I would not retest until they can orally read type 4 nonsense words close to 100 WPM with close to 100% accuracy or at least a month of daily nonsense word practice, whichever comes first. http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/syllablesspellsu.html ETA: I would be interested to know their current oral WPM rate of reading that type of nonsense word, you can use the extra nonsense words to check that, those are all type 4, mixed nonsense words, 20 pages worth.

I would try using my letter cards to make sounding out words a bit more fun and use the one page sheet as a reference when reading, it makes learning the sounds easier and faster once you get used to it. http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/Resources/40LChartsCombined.pdf

I have a free Greek and Latin word root bingo game on my Syllables page, you read a few words from the word list while playing, briefly explaining their origin and meaning. http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/syllablesspellsu.html We used and liked story cubes for a fun way to do short writing exercises: https://www.amazon.com/Gamewright-318-Rorys-Story-Cubes/dp/B003EIK136/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1504720444&sr=8-3&keywords=Story+cubes