Phonics Road with an older child? How do you...

[Sue G in PA]

I am going quickly through PR with ds8 and coming to the Readers soon. Do you have them do all the readers even if they can read very well? He will NOT like to draw pictures in all of the books. AND, I know he can read them. Should I skip them and just do the spelling and move to PR2? He is becoming bored with PR1 and how "easy" it seems to be for him. Plus, I really need for him to get to the grammar and more writing in PR2. Tina? Anyone have suggestions? I am also thinking about doing PR quickly with ds10 this summer. How do I do that? He will be very, very bored b/c he is already a pretty decent speller. I just want to cement the rules with him, kwim? And then, hopefully move to Latin Bridge for 6th grade.

Can I do 4 levels of PR in a year?

[momofabcd]

I skipped the readers with my ds 9 and dd.

[johnandtinagilbert]

Sorry for the delay :) I'm having internet issues! :banghead:

 

Do you plan on using the grammar portion, or just the spelling? The Grammar Tunes do compliment the spelling nicely.

 

As for pace, I'd suggest 1 weeks worth of spelling words for 1 day of school, with focus on markings and Rule Tunes. By PR3, they are only required to mark what they miss on the review, so by the end of PR2, they should be solid. If you think they need more practice, and they may since you're accelerating, then just have them continue to do the markings. They may grumble at the singing, so if necessary, just chant it to the tunes, instead of singing...it helps with reluctant singers who are just too old and think they're too cool :glare: :D

 

You'll work hard to get through them, but I'm sure you can! You'll see that you'll fly through the spelling, but the grammar is tough to go through that fast, so you may be uneven in your work-- which is not a big deal. I have seen improvement in our spelling too since I did this with my older dc.

 

Keep up the hard work, Mama!

[Mesa]

I just hit week 5 with my 9 yr old and 7 yr old. So far so good. I CANNOT wait to see what PR2 and 3 are like.

I am planning on doing 2 weeks or PR1 every week, until we catch them up to where they need to be in PR.

When I get to the books, I'll just have the oldest skip over them and go ahead and have my 7 yr old read them. He's a reluctant reader... and the extra practice will be good for him.

[johnandtinagilbert]

Sue,

I forgot to mention I posted about this on my blog. Look up Phonics Road (index on the right). It should be there :)

[MommyX8]

I just spoke with Mrs. Beers. I asked her about my children and placement. She said that anyone over 3rd grade and is NOT struggling can accelerate through Levels 1 and 2 (as fast as you can.) Levels 3 and 4 need full attention as they are so rich with information.

[johnandtinagilbert]

I just spoke with Mrs. Beers. I asked her about my children and placement. She said that anyone over 3rd grade and is NOT struggling can accelerate through Levels 1 and 2 (as fast as you can.) Levels 3 and 4 need full attention as they are so rich with information.

In PR3, we are doubling up one "subject" every day. In other words, 2 spelling days on Mon, 2-grammar days on Tues., 2-lit days on Wed, etc....so far, so good :) Of course, we're only in week 4 and 5, so fwiw :)

[Sue G in PA]

This is very helpful. I plan to accelerate ds10 and ds12 through 1 & 2 very quickly, getting to 3 by Sept. I hope. Thank you! Tina, would you even take a 7th grader through this? Or, just let him go? He is not a great speller, but is an average reader. His writing is fine and we will be doing either R&S grammar with him next year of another grammar program.

[johnandtinagilbert]

This is very helpful. I plan to accelerate ds10 and ds12 through 1 & 2 very quickly, getting to 3 by Sept. I hope. Thank you! Tina, would you even take a 7th grader through this? Or, just let him go? He is not a great speller, but is an average reader. His writing is fine and we will be doing either R&S grammar with him next year of another grammar program.

I taught my 7th grader the spelling portion. We went through the words (in order of PR), so he could use the Rule Tunes. Then when we got to PR3, we went through the spelling lists only and marked words until I felt confident he could spell better, knew the rules and the markings. I figure, since he's such an unnatural speller, that I will use his spelling lists to remediate the rules and markings every summer or for the month of August only. It will keep him fresh and I have seen improvement in his spelling. I plan to do the same for my dd, who is also not a natural speller.

[Sue G in PA]

That is a good idea. Thanks, Tina. He certainly is NOT a natural speller and although he has improved, he still has trouble with lots of words that have rules associated. I think PR will be very helpful for him and since I'm already using it...it's not like a waste of money.

[johnandtinagilbert]

That is a good idea. Thanks, Tina. He certainly is NOT a natural speller and although he has improved, he still has trouble with lots of words that have rules associated. I think PR will be very helpful for him and since I'm already using it...it's not like a waste of money.

Exactly...and since there are daily lesson plans, it's easier to use than SWR, but with the SWR benefits :)