Hit a blockade--need phonics or motivation suggestions

[Ravin]

DD made steady progress for a while in 100EZ Lessons. When she started getting frustrated and bored with that, I switched over to HOP, in which we've been mostly reading the readers for review of what she's already learned.

 

Except now she doesn't seem to want to do either one. Every reading lesson attempt is accompanied by tears and resistance. The slightest effort at ANYTHING lately sends her into a fit.

 

Consequently, I've eased off on reading lessons and we frankly aren't getting anywhere.

 

Part of this, I realize, is a discipline issue, but with K wrapping up, we're behind where I expected to be on reading. Beyond telling her that she is going to have to do half the reading for the Summer Reading Program at the library (the other half being me reading to her), is there anything I can do to rev her interest? Any alternative curricula or supplements need to be inexpensive--I bought 100EZ Lessons secondhand, and HOP we check out of the library. I'm still trying to scrape together $$ for a math curriculum for fall, more phonics materials aren't really in the budget.

[PollyOR]

My kids have gone through reading plateaus....just like losing weight ;). I usually shelved the formal reading lessons for a couple of months.

[muffinmom]

I agree. My ds was somewhat resistant, so we slowed down our pace, and even stopped for a while. We just picked it up a little later and by then the interest was there and it was pretty easy to move forward. Looks like your daughter is still plenty young. One day it just seems to click with them and then they are ready.

[Whereneverever]

What about Tanglewood's Really Reading? It's short and that might appeal to her.

[Lovedtodeath]

I am having trouble discerning if the problem is phonics or reading.

 

My DD has always been way ahead grade level at reading (phonics), but hasn't enjoyed it or done hardly any of it until about a month ago. She will turn 7 this summer. One thing that helps her is if we read a book together and I just give her every other page to read to me. She loved the books here http://tanglewoodeducation.com/bksrd.htm

[ElizabethB]

I would do some games for a while, I have suggestions for games with magnetic letters on my teaching a beginner page, also a link to my free "phonics concentration game:"

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/newstudents.html

 

You could try Blend Phonics or Webster's Speller from a white board. Both are free from Don Potter. I explain how to use Webster's Speller in the link below, and here's the Blend Phonics link:

 

http://donpotter.net/education_pages/blend_phonics.html

 

The white board helps at that age. I also did short lessons, no more than 10 minutes a time. We got a lot accomplished in that time.

[Lovedtodeath]

If you need something more for phonics: The Accelerated Acheivement Demo Disk ($3 at hstreasures.com) got DD to 3rd grade reading level. It is all playing games. HTH

[DawnL]

Have you tried any of the books by Peggy Kaye? They are books of games for learning. She has learning games for math, reading, writing, etc. I just ordered 2 on Amazon.com, and will see if I can manage another 1 or 2 next payday. (We are on a tight budget, and I'm trying to make everything myself.)

 

My ds is 5, and will be officially in Kindergarten, at home, next year. If I had known I was going to homeschool him, I would have started last fall on a Kindergarten curriculum.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Games-Reading-Playful-Ways-Child/dp/0394721497/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

 

It's the reading book I ordered, as my ds is very kinesthetic, and if he can learn something without realizing he is learning, he is one happy kid.

 

I found she has a website the other day, too, that has a few of her games listed.

 

http://www.peggykaye.com/target.php?ct=welcome

 

 

I am new to this site. I LOVE how active it is!!

 

DawnL

[Ravin]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

 

I think we're going to take a step back and just go with where she's at until after Summer Reading Program, and focus on reading together and enjoying books for a while. We're officially starting 1st grade after Midsummer's, I think, so I'll try some new things then, including the Concentration Game, and some of the downloads at Don Potter's site. I"ll take another look at Tanglewood's reading program, too, I think I have it printed out around here somewhere and I'd forgotten about it.

 

Doing work up on the chalk board or white board will likely be a hit with her; I've already started playing Hangman with her and she asks to play it often.

[skaterbabs]

You can let her watch "Between the Lions" on PBS, too. My DD loves it, and the entire series from concept to practice is about getting gets "wild about reading" and uses a phonics approach to teaching that skill.

[Lovedtodeath]

Oh, and be sure to put closed captioning on the TV. That really helped Emily along. (It was suggested in Jim Trelease's book.)

[Ravin]

DD doesn't like Between the Lions, which is a shame because it's one I actually find entertaining. She does like Wordgirl some, and that one with the "superheroes" (one's a fairy princess, etc.) who help characters read and change words in stories to fix problems.

 

I've noticed she's been improving her drawing lately...drawing characters and whole scenes, much more than the stick figures she was doing a few weeks ago. So maybe she's busy making a breakthrough there and that's why she hasn't wanted to work on reading.

[HeatherLynn]

You can let her watch "Between the Lions" on PBS, too. My DD loves it, and the entire series from concept to practice is about getting gets "wild about reading" and uses a phonics approach to teaching that skill.

 

I have the curriculum guide to that show. I will actually be selling it cheap in a few days if anyone is interested. :D

[skaterbabs]

I have the curriculum guide to that show. I will actually be selling it cheap in a few days if anyone is interested. :D

 

 

Our county library has a copy and I nearly squealed out loud when I saw it. Read it in just a couple of hours from cover to cover. :lol:

[TengoFive]

2 of the 3 I've taught to read have plateaued. Once I let go and let them process it for a little bit, they ended up having a light bulb moment and took off reading independently with no more need for phonics work. My third never had a plateau and I don't know if that's due to the kid or due to the curriculum change (from 100EZ Lessons to OPG).

So, I think you're right in letting it go for the summer. Sometimes even though they know the rules, its too hard for them to keep thinking about the rules with every single letter they read. It will click though eventually, and then it gets easy. Now, the trick is patience. It took my oldest about 6 months of no reading lessons for it to solidify in her mind. She went from being a non-reader to reading a 600 page book overnight. My 2nd took longer, almost 2 years. I finally started to push him a little when he was 7 and I knew it was laziness, not inability. So, take heart. This is common and will pass.

 

I have a theory about early learning. I've noticed that I can push, and push, and push and the kid will finally get something. Or I can present the material once and forget about it and then they get it on their own in about the same amount of time they would have if I pushed them. It's helped me to be much more relaxed in the early years of learning. I spend a lot of time working with them in the pre-k and k years, but I follow their lead. When something is torture for them, we skip it. I want them to develop a love of learning not dread it. I learned that lesson very well with my first. I pushed her too hard in the K year and have been paying for it every since!

[Tabrett]

My k'er has been doing PP's. About 3 months ago she started to cry and whine when I started taking out the book. So.... I use the book as a reference for ME. I look at what she will be learning next and present it with games (Happy Phonics), or ETC workbooks. I also write the "word lists" on index card for my child to read. I use them like flash cards, but the purpose if for my dc to sound them out not say them for speed. It has been working much better! Look at what you dc is to learn, put the phonics book away, and present it in a creative way!