Someone reassure me about what we're doing for reading. . . please!

[Kidlit]

My kindergartener is almost finished with the blends section of OPGTTR (around lesson 50? I don't have the book in front of me). She is doing very well with it, at least as far as I'm concerned. (She is my oldest child and the first child I've taught to read.) However, she cries or whines vociferously just about every time we "do" reading. I've determined that she doesn't like the busy, busy pages (busy with words, not pictures), so I usually write her words and sentences on a white board. Once she gets started, she has very little trouble with even the new stuff. She seems to really get it. She can read some of the Bob books and a few of the Nora Gaydos books fairly easily, but even then, she usually doesn't want to.

 

So what should I do? Should I look for another curriculum that she likes more, or should I just soldier on? I CAN soldier on, but I don't want this to be more painful/difficult/hard for her than necessary.

[StartingOver]

We use magnets, the white board, our Melissa and Doug wooden letters, our wooden blocks, chalk board, & write on the driveway. We have Sonlights K readers, HOP readers K -2nd, and tons of Dr. Suess.

 

I try to change things up all the time. My son doesn't care to do the work of OPGTR, but I think it is necessary. He will read anything with a dinosaur on it hehehe. He will read what he loves, Little House, Dr. Suess, Peter Rabbit, and others. But will not read out of the OPGTR book at all.

 

The time that they are using any phonics program is relatively small when you look at the big picture. I say just soldier on ! Then find something she is interested in, and don't read it to her LOL

[sarawatsonim]

Sorry, I can't help you with this one.:001_smile: But feel reassured with the fact that I am in the exact same boat. When I pull out OPGTR with my dd5 I immediately see the wall go up. A 5-10 minute lesson turns into 30-45 minutes of mutual torture. It makes me want to cry sometimes because I know she can do it. She runs around the house trying to spell and sound words out, but when it comes to phonics time she hates it. I need something (or another program) that will perk her interest and keep her engaged. I am going to keep my eye on this thread if you don't mind. I want to see if anyone has any suggestions for you. We are on lesson 62 and I swear her attitude about it gets worse by the day. :glare:

[StartingOver]

Sorry, I can't help you with this one.:001_smile: But feel reassured with the fact that I am in the exact same boat. When I pull out OPGTR with my dd5 I immediately see the wall go up. A 5-10 minute lesson turns into 30-45 minutes of mutual torture. It makes me want to cry sometimes because I know she can do it. She runs around the house trying to spell and sound words out, but when it comes to phonics time she hates it. I need something (or another program) that will perk her interest and keep her engaged. I am going to keep my eye on this thread if you don't mind. I want to see if anyone has any suggestions for you. We are on lesson 62 and I swear her attitude about it gets worse by the day. :glare:

 

Good luck with finding exciting. In 21 years of homeschooling, OPGTR is the best I have come across. I have notice too the resistance when I pull the book out. So I just don't. I play out his lesson for reading each day while he is watching Super Why.

 

The only text book he likes around here is math LOL Singapore KB and Saxon ( because he gets to play with the manipulatives ).

[FairProspects]

Well, we are behind you, around lesson 33/34, so maybe we haven't hit the wall with it yet, but as ds generally only tolerates reading (at best, complete meltdown at worst) here is what is working for us. Some of these may be common sense, but they seem to make a difference for my 5 y. o.

 

1. We do reading early, soon after breakfast when blood-sugar/protein levels are good.

 

2. Reading follows assigned read-aloud time (and I let them fiddle with legos or quiet toys while listening - although I have also been known to allow jumping on the trampoline so long as it is relatively quiet) so he has gotten playtime and wigglies out while listening/preparing for school day.

 

3. I only use the white board, he never sees the book.

 

4. We do writing in a sitting or standing position depending on preference (can you tell I have an active boy :D?).

 

5. I use the AAS magnetic tiles to have ds spell the initial section words as much as possible. If it is hands-on, there is more buy-in.

 

6. I split up the lesson into 2 or 3 days if I think it is too much for him. Not everyone may be comfortable with going this slowly, but I would rather have a successful lesson with fewer words/sentences than push through to tears & a meltdown.

 

These are just how I have adapted to our reading struggles. Your mileage may vary :).

[Kidlit]

I actually dabbled a little in another curriculum (Rocket Phonics), but I ultimately went back to OPG because it is (seems?) much more thorough. At least I am learning all the rules! :tongue_smilie:

 

I like the idea of using the AAS tiles. I'll have to pull those out.

 

I, too, am splitting the lessons up, mainly because she just digs in her heels after a few little sections and I know it's pointless to force her to go further. It's slow (but sure) progress.

 

Thanks for the responses! Keep 'em coming! It helps to know I'm not alone!

[pageta]

We struggled with OPTGR. Finally I just put it away because it was such torture! We were also having trouble with reading in general. I backed off and let him do reading for just 5 minutes - whichever book he wanted to read and he got to say when we were done. There were times when it literally took a week to get through a single Dr. Seuss reader. Now he can fly through one in one sitting with my correcting only a handful of words. But there were words that he would struggle with that I knew he would be able to sound out had we kept on with OPTGR. I really do love OPTGR because it is so thorough.

 

So today, after a 3 month hiatus, I got it back out. We had stalled around lesson 90, and I went back to lesson 84 or so. I didn't make him do the sentences - just the words. He flew through it. Seriously. It was very easy. At the same time I think it served it's purpose because the point was made that a certain combination of letters makes a certain sound. I've seen him retain information like this and put it to use before.

 

My theory is that they hit a wall when they are still learning to read and OPTGR just overwhelms them. Obviously backing off and doing very short reading lessons and giving him more of the reigns worked for us. I remember doing phonics in the fourth grade, when I already knew very well how to read. So I'm thinking perhaps phonics is a good reinforcement for how things are, not just a way to learn how to read. The Dr. Seuss series of readers is where ds really found his groove. Hop on Pop, namely, which I think worked because of the rhyming. Then we just built from there. Today he read Henry and Mudge like it was easy as pie - a week ago he would have sworn he couldn't read that book because there were too many words on each page.

 

I really do think they can get overwhelmed and it's important to keep it simple. The BOB books worked well for us. They really do struggle for a while. Three months ago reading was very painful. But he's finally put it together and can read most of the words in the readers we have while learning new ones at the same time. Now that we've gotten past that hump, I really think we'll finish OPTGR (even though I almost sold it in exasperation!).

 

So hang in there. Put it aside for a while if you need to. Come back to it later and try again. It really is a good book.

[Laurel]

As long as you don't mind writing the words and sentences on a white board, I would keep using OPG.

 

We had the same problem with the book text (print too small and the page too cluttered with writing) for a while at the beginning, so I did the same thing as you, and wrote on the white board. (I also bought some dry erase sentence strips from the teacher supply store that I used for a while. That allowed me to prepare for the day's lesson in advance so she wasn't waiting for me to write the sentence before she could read it.) I didn't actually have to use the white board for long, because soon she was able to follow along in the book. I love OPG, but I don't think the layout/page design is ideal for young eyes/beginning readers.

[Mom-ninja.]

I pulled out letter tiles, and that helps. Ds does whine a bit when it lesson time, but oh well. I remind myself of JW's words that not every thing has to be fun. Phonics is not fun. It just needs to be done.

[VA6336]

I'm so glad to read that I'm not the only one out there facing this problem. We don't use OPGTR, but Phonics Pathways. For months this fall my daughter would throw a fit whenever I pulled it out. After letting it sit gathering dust for a month and just using letter magnets occasionally and letting her read Bob books, a friend told me she writes from OPGTR on the white board and voila! It worked for us, too! We spent a few weeks working solely on the board and I was able to bring out the PP book without a fight. After those few weeks of board work, she's been fine reading out of the book. One of the things we do is that she has a blank piece of paper to cover the words she's not looking at and that helps keep her focused and with visual tracking. And I try to remember at least once a week to let her read from the white board as a break from the book.

 

Good luck!!

[nd293]

We were using 100 Easy Lessons, and it was much the same. We just stopped using a book and started reading - when we came to a new phonogram, we addressed it. The trick was finding a book she was really interested in reading (and it wasn't a "first reader type, either, just a Barbie book she really wanted). I think at that stage she knew the individual letter sounds, th, ch, sh and the "magic e" as we called it. We managed fine with those and some patience on my part (always in short supply!).

 

We also played around with the Explode the Code books.

 

Dd is now 9, and reads and spells very well for her age, so not "teaching" phonics all the way through certainly hasn't harmed her. (Note that we did use a phonics approach, we just didn't teach phonics as something separate from the actual act of reading).

[IsabelC]

I think (from my limited experience - we have just finished section 8) the the OPG is not that much fun for kids for the same reasons that it's good for their learning - it teaches the guts of reading thoroughly, but doesn't jazz it up with unnecessary gimmicks. Things that have helped overcome my ds's resistance are:

*We alternate a few days of OPGTR with Fitzroy Readers, and I tell him what I'm planning. Eg, we have these 4 pages to do, and once you've learnt blah and blah, we'll go onto the next Reader.

*We also mix it up from time to time with flashcards, whiteboard, etc so that whenever he is finding it too difficult we consolidate by doing other reading at the same level for a bit before moving on to the next thing.

*Because I don't follow the script, I give him some small choices over how to cover the lessons. Eg, if there is a list of words, he can read the list forwards or backwards, or he might decide to read the little story first.

*We don't always cover a whole lesson in one sitting. I have found that some lessons are easily completed in one go, whereas others we need to do over two days.

*I'm not a fan of pushing through extreme resistance. A little bit of a whinge I'll ignore and keep going, but if he's in a total meltdown he's not going to be learning anything, so if that happens I'll just do a token few minutes (so he knows he can't get out of reading by having a tantrum ;)) and put it away until later.

*If he needs something reinforcing but isn't willing to go over it, I have been known to tackle it deviously under the pretense of explaining the concept to his younger sisters!

*Occasionally, we go back and read something that is really simple for him, so that he can easily perceive how much he has improved.

*Another idea which I haven't used but would consider, would be letting your child put a little sticker on each lesson when she has mastered it, so there is concrete evidence of her progress.

Edited December 9, 2009 by Hotdrink

[Kidlit]

Thanks for all the great responses and ideas! It DOES help to know her reaction is not unusual. :tongue_smilie: I'm ready now to tackle the next lesson! :D

[kmacnchs]

I have a Q - does she like reading Bob books and does she like being read to? If so, I would continue doing what you are doing. When something is really challenging, kids/we get frustrated sometimes... but challenging is good! It makes us grow and learn! This happened with my dd1 during certain times of OPG and I did 2 things - 1. I did one page instead of one lesson so she would be challenged but not too frustrated and 2. I made it a rule that she needed to have a happy heart when doing school - no crying, whinning, etc. and I followed through with that. If she doesn't like books in general, that's a different story (prob. not anything to do with OPG) but that's not what it sounds like...good luck! :)

[Ottakee]

Check out the I See Sam books from http://www.3rsplus.com or http://www.iseesam.com You can get the first 2 sets from http://www.teacherweb.com/CA/PomeloDriveElementary/Mrssakamoto/printap2.stm as well.

 

They are simple, very well structured phonics readers (but do use the ee (long sound) right away). These are great as there is no busy work, no work books, etc.---just read the books in order and they learn to read.

 

They can also be used with other phonics programs but stand alone very well.

[Momling]

My experience with my own kids is a bit different. They learned to read at 4 and 5 with no difficulty or crying. They thrived with super easy-readers (Bob books, etc...), starfall, between the lions. I added in a bit of an old EPS "primary phonics" workbook I had around the house. And they took off quickly...

 

My philosophy has been that kids will learn things if presented with accessible material at a time that is developmentally appropriate. So I think that learning to read (or learning any skill) has a lot less to do with getting them through a specific textbook than it does with simply providing interesting text - at a level they can be successful at decoding - at a time when they are ready to do it.

 

I would feel uncomfortable continuing a young child in a program that caused tears. Learning to read is so cool and there are so many different ways to get there. If what you're doing is not engaging your child, I'd back off and reconsider.

[Whereneverever]

We stalled out with OPG and instead of pushing it took a small break- from the book, not phonics. I used HOP and McGuffey and when we hit a slump in one we use the other.

[robsiew]

I'm so glad to read that I'm not the only one out there facing this problem. We don't use OPGTR, but Phonics Pathways. For months this fall my daughter would throw a fit whenever I pulled it out. After letting it sit gathering dust for a month and just using letter magnets occasionally and letting her read Bob books, a friend told me she writes from OPGTR on the white board and voila! It worked for us, too! We spent a few weeks working solely on the board and I was able to bring out the PP book without a fight. After those few weeks of board work, she's been fine reading out of the book. One of the things we do is that she has a blank piece of paper to cover the words she's not looking at and that helps keep her focused and with visual tracking. And I try to remember at least once a week to let her read from the white board as a break from the book.

 

Good luck!!

 

I could have written this! My youngest is learning to read. He didn't want to do the book (We use Phonics Pathways) so I just use magnetic letter tiles with him and he loves it! He also reads Bob Books (gotta love Bob).

 

With my K child (who can read independently) we do PP (which he doesn't mind too much, but we only do a very short section a day and cover up everything but what he's supposed to read like the pp) and he reads lots of early reader library books. This has held his attention very well. I stopped using Bob Books with him because he started to be able to handle the beginner readers.

[HarbourLights]

I also have always written out the lesson on a whiteboard... although I really started to do this because I am teaching two rather than one (twins)so it never occured to me to do it straight from the book. We are at about the same place (just finished "sh" and "shr" lesson) and I tend to take it slower these days. We review often and do all the additional games and spelling with our letter tiles. It's a much slower process, but it's much more hands on and the boys really have not fought it yet... Our reading lesson tends to be about 15/20 mins. with this format, so overall not that long IMO. We then move onto math and HWT and do our BOB books and read alouds later in the day.... Hope that helps!

[Oak Knoll Mom]

I've determined that she doesn't like the busy, busy pages (busy with words, not pictures), so I usually write her words and sentences on a white board.

 

Jessie Wise recommends this for kids who can't handle looking at the whole page. Another recommendation is to use two pieces of paper to cover up the words above and below where she is reading.

[Kidlit]

Again, thanks for all the responses!

 

DD really LOVES reading in general. She LOVES being read to and usually listens to an audiobook (long chapter book--right now it's Caddie Woodlawn) for her one hour rest time daily. It's not a problem with books, just with doing the nitty-gritty work.

 

I'm soldiering on. I'm trying to make it as painless as possible for her (white board, window markers, etc.), but I am realizing that some things just have to be done.

[Satori]

Chiming in a bit late, but we also use OPG and like many, reading/phonics has never been our most exciting subject. But I really believe in it, and my daughter doesn't complain if we don't draw it out too long. We're on lesson 86 (took a 6 week break which was my fault entirely).

 

We use a small whiteboard, I rarely let her look in the book. I just introduce the new rule, she gets it, we read all the words. We almost never read all the sentences. If I know that she knows the lesson, we might skip the sentences entirely. If its something she just learned and I know might take more practice to digest, I'll put up a sentence or two. She retains everything learned from previous lessons very well.

 

I have to be patient teaching phonics, I have a very creative and active girl. :)

 

As for reading, we read chapter books and picture books everyday. I haven't forced her to read the simple books up until now, but I am noticing her read tons of stuff from everyday life. I think we'll start reading the Bob Books, Nora Gaydos, Starfall, etc... for practice a few days a week. I've also got all these reading games lined up.

 

I can't wait until she puts it all together and wants to read interesting books!

[macdaddi]

I am using OPG with my 3rd son now and I've decided it's best to keep soldiering on with this same book. I use the whiteboard for the sentences, take breaks as needed, backtrack if necessary, but I continue until we've completed the entire book. I made the mistake of not completing it with my oldest and I really regret that now. So, sometimes when I'm covering a new phonetic sound that he may not know, I call him into the room to make sure he understands it, too. I've decided that it's a great resource (I've tried many!) and I'm just going to keep using it for all of my kids.

 

Lisa

[ohmel]

My son hated OPGTR (both the font and the program) and even though I don't think it's as strong of a program, we've switched to HOP and he is doing much better. I am adding in AAS to cover the rules that I don't think HOP spells out as well and cover all of the bases. I look at it as choosing my battles. . .