Tell me about Phonics Pathways please

[Katiebug_1976]

Phonics has not been one of my favorite subjects. I would like to know more about Phonics Pathways. It sounds neat, and is recommended in The Well Trained Mind. Would you please share with me some of your experiences. I am thinking of using it w/ my struggling dd7 & pretty soon w/ my dd3 (she is showing interest in learning to read).

 

Thanks so much,

[homemomandnild]

After using PP with my first two, I am now using it with my third child. I have also used it a little with older students struggling with reading. I think it is a thorough, yet simple way to teach phonics systematically. It's easy to add to when needed ( second and third chidren used Explode the Code also). It's easy to speed through when they're picking it up quickly.

 

Kathy;)

[VA6336]

I don't care for scripted, which is why I chose it over OPGTR. It's very thorough and easily adapted as you go along. It took a little staring for me to figure out how to use it (you pretty much just start at the beginning and read through it). For your older child you might not start at the beginning, but definitely flip through the easier pages so they can be confident when they get to the harder stuff.

 

We do some of the pages on the white board (I just write out the words), sometimes we use it for copywork (that 2-for-1 where they write it out and have to read it as they go!). Some pages take us days to do, some pages we do two or three in 20 minutes. We supplemented with Bob books and other beginner phonics readers at first, but now we're somewhere around pg 119 and both girls are reading pretty much anything they want to.

[robsiew]

I am using PP with my 3rd and 4th child... I did some "hole filling" with my 2nd when I brought her out of PS as well. It's worked really well for us. No bells and whistles... just straightforward phonics instruction. My ds' have short attention spans so we only do for a few minutes a day. I have the same experience as the above posters... I used AAS letter tiles in the beginning with my 4 y/o... worked great! The 4 y/o reads Bob books and the 6 y/o beginner reader library books.

[coffeegal]

My 2 strongest and earliest readers came from Phonics Pathways. We actually start with 100 Easy Lessons. Once my child knows how to blend and the basic sounds, we switch over to PP. I have the child read 1 page a day in PP. lol, I bribed #4 with a snack after PP, and he was my most enthusiastic. Every time he got snackish, he'd grab PP and come to me for another reading lesson. ;)

 

Each child would reach points where PP became difficult. So I would go back 20 or more pages to a point where PP was super easy, and we'd start working from there. Sometime around page 130, reading would click and PP got easier and easier. We always finished the book for 2 reasons, the first is we would periodically run into rules the child didn't know, and secondly I wanted the child to be formally introduced to the phonics.

 

HTH!

[Ali in OR]

Well, I'm not sure PP will make Phonics a favorite subject. We didn't enjoy working on phonics--it's hard work! Even though it is not fun or flashy, PP is very good and very effective. It took us a good 1.5 years to go through it. We spent a fair amount of time at the beginning on the basic blending. From CVC words until about the halfway point or even a little further, a half a page a day was a more comfortable amount of work for my dds than a full page. But then it all just clicked and became a lot easier and we were able to do a full page quite easily. Both of my girls completed PP halfway through first grade and were able to read pretty much anything they wanted--Beverly Cleary, Roald Dahl, Percy Jackson books--so probably at an upper elementary reading level.

[Katiebug_1976]

Well, I'm not sure PP will make Phonics a favorite subject. We didn't enjoy working on phonics--it's hard work! Even though it is not fun or flashy, PP is very good and very effective. It took us a good 1.5 years to go through it. We spent a fair amount of time at the beginning on the basic blending. From CVC words until about the halfway point or even a little further, a half a page a day was a more comfortable amount of work for my dds than a full page. But then it all just clicked and became a lot easier and we were able to do a full page quite easily. Both of my girls completed PP halfway through first grade and were able to read pretty much anything they wanted--Beverly Cleary, Roald Dahl, Percy Jackson books--so probably at an upper elementary reading level.

 

I didn't expect it to become my favorite subject. I agree, phonics is hard work! But I am liking what I hear. Simple, straight forward...and it sounds like it might work well to reinforce things for my struggling reader, and be a good place to start with my "wish I was reading" 3yo. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences.

[G5052]

I used it for extra drill and breaks from Rod and Staff Phonics, and ran my younger one through it when took off reading so fast that we decided to just work on a few weak spots and call phonics done.

 

I was actually sad when I sold it.

[ElizabethB]

It's a good strong program.

 

Here's a fun game to add in:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Phonics/concentrationgam.html

 

Also, for your 3 year old, I recommend working from a white board instead of from the book.

[BikeBookBread]

After a major false start with 100EZ, we switched to PP. We are definitely taking it slowly, 1 page or less a day, so since October we are only about 30% through the book. However, the progress is amazing. PDG is now using the concepts to try and figure out letter blends that she hasn't seen in the book yet.

 

We don't do the games anymore, but they were definitely helpful in the beginning for early readers.

 

I highly recommend the program.

[myfatherslily]

I like it. DD... well, she's learning well:) Definitely not FUN! She does like ElizabethB's game and I've started trying to think of other ways to make it less of a drag for her (today we did syllables and I had her read a word on a strip of paper, clap the syllables, cut it in half at the division, then paste it back together on a large piece of construction paper. She liked that alot.

 

LOL! She's on my lap while I'm typing right now and just randomly said, "Fan-tas-tic," and clapped the three syllables as she spoke. She didn't know I was writing about todays lesson! I guess the cutting and pasting worked!!!!! :D

 

So, yes, I do like PP. Just be warned that it can get boring at times!

[jenL]

Another vote for PP here. It's quick, manageable, and it works. I'll definitely be using it with my youngest when he's ready.