Is this reasonable reading for a K boy??

[diaperjoys]

We're finishing up our Kindergarten year with my 5.75yo son. I was hoping I could get some feedback on his reading progress & see if I need to be doing anything differently with him.

 

He can read sentences of CVC words. Some words are fluid, but it isn't unusual for him to sound them out... ssssssssss-ad, or d-og. He regularly mixes up b and d, but it isn't every single time. We've begun long vowels, but that is still very much a work in progress. He seems to understand, but often tries to read the word as if the vowel is short, and after a reminder will say it again with a long vowel sound. All in all, I'm seeing steady, but very slow progress.

 

Does this sound reasonable for his age/level? He is much, much slower to catch on to reading than DS1, who positively blasted through reading and reads at an insanely high level. I'm completely fine with DS2 moving along at a slower pace. But, I don't want to hurt him by overlooking some kind of learning issue and being blind some sort of dyslexia problem.

 

Next year we were planning to continue with ETC, and add in AAS. But I'm wondering if it might be better for him to do a more comprehensive phonics program like R&S phonics/reading. What do you think?? Would a more comprehensive program be better for him??

 

Thanks!!

[abbeyej]

What you describe sounds like he's making great progress. Yes, some kids reach the stage you describe sooner or later than others, but he's definitely within a very reasonable age range for what he's doing *and* you describe exactly what you would *hope* to hear/see in an emerging reader. You're not giving any red flags for problems. That's great! :)

 

I think having a reading primer can be helpful. ETC is nice, but I also liked having a primer around for some systematic practice along with lots of simple phonetic readers (and some fun variety with letter magnets, whiteboard markers, etc). The primers I used and liked best were Phonics Pathways and/or Schlafly's First Reader. There's no scripting, you just work on the given page. First Reader is far more visually appealing, and if you have a child who is already reading CVC words, he'll be well prepared for it. (PP is better for kids who are *just* beginning, since it goes more slowly at the beginning.)

[*Amber*]

Sounds exactly like how my DD (who is in PS K) is doing. I wouldn't worry.

[aready]

My dd is the same age (born in June) and she is now in ETC book 4 as of today. What book are you on? We had MAJOR progress in book 3 from what you are describing to actual reading! I think he is progressing well it sounds like. For both of my kids, reading was very much a BOOM moment! One day they just took off after me wondering if we would ever get there with the sounding things out. The b/d situation will resolve itself too. Have you shown him a picture of a bed? And how the word looks like a bed with posts? That is how my kids learned it. We also did writing practice where they had to say the sound after each time writing the letter.

 

Sounds like you are on the right path! Hope he gets it soon! I know what the wait is like!!!! :)

[Meriwether]

That sounds almost exactly like my Ds5 (who will be 6 in August). He hasn't started long vowels yet. He is almost done with his k'er math and "papers" but due to a move and baby, I haven't done a full year of phonics yet. I imagine he will be the same as your son.

 

I know what you mean about watching his progress - Dd6 zipped through phonics instruction. Ds5, not so much. I think he is just normal.

[2_girls_mommy]

Sounds about like my dd who will be 6 this summer. We actually started R&S phonics and reading (sight words) about a month ago. Since we started that, I have seen great progress in her fluency w/CVC words (from the phonics..) But we have not gotten to long vowels yet. I have informally discussed silent E with her lots of times, but she is not really ready for it in reading yet except for the words she has memorized in the R&S reading like, "made."

 

So long story short. He sounds like an avg. ker to me. I would start some kind of phonics with him if you haven't yet for 1st.

[ChemMommy]

I've gotten four through kindergarten (in fact, my oldest is visiting his first college today--yikes!). Some of them caught on to reading faster than the others. Only one was reading well in kindergarten. One didn't get the hand of reading until the end of 2nd grade. It sounds like your second son is right on track and just hasn't had his "break through" on reading yet. Keep up the good work!

[Mabelen]

I agree it sounds like your son is at a very normal level for his age. That's where my youngest daughter was at that age. I also have an older child who I never even saw learn to read, she just learned by herself at a much younger age, so my youngest was my first real experience. My youngest went through that boom that another poster was talking about when she turned 6 a couple of months ago. She is now reading everything, and she is even reading in Spanish with no formal instruction, she just transferred her skills from English into Spanish. I used Starfall and the ETC workbooks, but we are still at book 2, which I am now using as spelling instruction. You never know when the explosion will happen, but it will and it might even catch you by surprise! Enjoy!

[Tidbits of Learning]

I, too, agree that it sounds normal. I worried so much with my ds after going through reading with 2 girls. My ds7 just started to show an actual interest in reading. Not that we didn't do phonics and such and he showed progress (very SLOW progress), but he just started wanting to read for his own pleasure and he is trying a lot harder to read about Darth Vader than he has ever tried to read some of the phonics and readers that I have put in front of him for 2 years.

I wouldn't stress it sounds like he is doing fine.

[diaperjoys]

Thank you for all the replies, ladies! It sounds like we can just keep on keeping on.

 

Thanks!

 

ETA - for those of you who asked, he's finishing up book 2 in ETC, and we're using the Primary Phonics readers. We've done set 1, set 1 More, and we're working on set 2. He's also done the first box or two of Bob books.

[Tracy]

I think that any reading in K is good progress. Many kids don't read until later and still become very good and avid readers.

 

Tracy

[MerryAtHope]

Next year we were planning to continue with ETC, and add in AAS. But I'm wondering if it might be better for him to do a more comprehensive phonics program like R&S phonics/reading. What do you think?? Would a more comprehensive program be better for him??

 

Thanks!!

 

I think you'll be fine either way. AAS is a complete phonics program, so if he does have any gaps in phonics, AAS will fill them in as he works through the program. Merry :-)