Advice on reading curriculum for struggling reader?

[Debbie in IL]

We have good friends whose dd is finishing 1st grade in ps. The parents have asked us if we have any suggestions concerning materials that they could work on with her over the summer. Apparently, she is struggling with reading. They are already seeing her start to get behind, and they would like to step in to help her out.

 

Our dc are older, so I'm not as familiar with what is out there for younger kids these days. I know there are some fantastic materials - could anyone help me with a few suggestions? Thanks so much!

 

Deb

[Sue G in PA]

I mean, what is she struggling with? Many ps just don't have the time to devote to teaching each ind. child exactly HOW to read. Is the child an auditory learner? OPG would be a good fit...just have your friend start her dc at the lesson in which she struggles, KWIM? Phonics Pathways also looks good as it provides a multi-sensory approach. Haven't used it, but checked it out of the library on several recommendations here. She could also use ETC workbooks for a more "Hand-on" approach. Really, my opinion would be for her to simply READ, READ and READ some more w/ her dd every chance she gets. The more exposure to words, the quicker she'll pick it up! Hope you get more responses!

[Faithr]

Well, my sister was a 2nd grade teacher for 10 years and she said there were many children who began second grade not really reading but by the end of second most of them had caught up. So I don't know if your friends should be all that worried. I would advise them to just consistently but gently reinforce phonics and reading. the Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading is very good. So is Phonics Pathways or Teach Your child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. My favorite is Phonic Pathways.

 

Now I have children who have LDs in reading due to visual problems; tracking, focusing, eye fatigue. Do your friends think there might be something amiss there (does the child confuse letters still, skip words and lines frequently, rub their eyes a lot when reading, etc They can google for symptoms.). What does the teacher advise? If they think there is something amiss, they could try for a diagnosis. Though my sister, the teacher, truly believed from her experience that for some kids it just doesn't click until a little later.

[Twinmom]

Same thing happened to my DD, though she went to a great private school for K and 1st! Using the Ordinary Parent's Guide to Reading has caught her up this year. She's now reading at approximately a 3rd grade level! OPGTR really worked for her, but some of it was just that she was ready. Tell them to try OPGTR and not to stress!

[Carmen_and_Company]

You've received ezcellent advise. Like others stated, 1st grade is too early to determine if your friend's child has a reading problem. Usually one knows if a child has reading issues during 3rd or 4th grade. I would have them look into Phonics Pathways, which I use to tutor public school dc, or OPGtR if the parents are not comfortable about teaching reading. OPGtR is scripted, thus, the parent never has to worry about presenting the material incorrectly.

[AngieW in Texas]

They might do well with I See Sam readers. They are completely decodable readers that start at the very beginning and work up to 3rd grade level.

 

link to my review:

http://www.thehomeschoollibrary.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1020

[Sandy in Indy]

In addition to the above, starfall.com is wonderful! My first grader wasn't interested in the least in reading...till someone here mentioned starfall.com. Bam! He spent an entire weekend on that site and is so excited now about learning to read.

[Oak Knoll Mom]

I love OPG. It is a wonderful, structured program that is so easy for a parent to pick up and teach the next lesson. And it works! By the time the kids are through with the book, they are reading on about a fourth grade level.

 

It has worked wonderfully with both of my very different sons. With my first son, I would set the timer for 15 minutes and we would get 3-4 lessons read during that time--it took us less than a year to get through the book. With my second son, we can only do about 10 minutes and get through 1/4-1/2 of a lesson. Unless he speeds up drastically, we'll be in the book for more than two years. (My niece, btw, was the same as my second son--went through it more slowly, but finished reading all of the Chronicles of Narnia about the same time she finished OPG.)

 

I would recommend that your friend get the book and set the timer for 10-15 minutes a day and go for it! I would also just read, read, read to her.

[chiguirre]

OPGTR is a good choice, but they'll also want some readers for fluency practice. I love the Pathway readers for this. The stories are really interesting considering the limited vocabulary they use and they look like grown up books because of the amount of text on a page. Your friend could also use SL's first grade readers (after I Can Read It). Those are easy to get at the library. Of the two, I personally thing the Pathway readers are the best option and I'd try Days Go By and More Days Go By. You can look at samples here:

 

http://www.rodandstaffbooks.com/list/Pathway_Readers/

[Debbie in IL]

Thanks so much, everyone. What great information and resources you have suggested - I appreciate each of you taking the time to post.

When my friend first mentioned that her child was having troubles reading, I told her that she was still very young and that she shouldn't worry - that many kids don't "get it" until 2nd grade or so. There doesn't appear to be a LD issue; she is just concerned about her dd getting "lost" in the system. She is still wanting to work on things over the summer - I will pass along your suggestions to her. Thank you! - Deb

[Susan in KY]

Between these two, my dc's reading took off. I got Funnix on ebay at a considerable discount (somehting like $30 or $50). It's a computer course, and I thought it did a fairly good job of holding the dc's attention.

 

HTH,

Susan

[PeterPan]

Around here the ps don't even teach phonics, not at all. They just send home lists of sight words to memorize. I would steer them toward a phonics program, ANY phonics program, and it will probably help. Hooked on Phonics might be fun. I use SWR, but that is too much work for non-homeschoolers looking to remediate in the summer, lol.

[Perry]

End of first grade is plenty early to recognize a reading problem. I suspected by the beginning of first grade that two of mine were dyslexic. One was easily remediated using a good phonics program, the other is still struggling in 4th grade.

 

I'd have her read Reading Reflex (her library probably has it) and then use ABeCeDarian. She also might want to look at this.

 

Good luck.

[kalanamak]

Well, my sister was a 2nd grade teacher for 10 years and she said there were many children who began second grade not really reading but by the end of second most of them had caught up. So I don't know if your friends should be all that worried. I would advise them to just consistently but gently reinforce phonics and reading. .

 

I was that child. My father sat down and read with me, and while I followed along, he also queried me about things, gently (I recall him asking me all the things the word "light" could me when we read The Light Princess). It was every night and was our delightful time together. Made it all wonderful and alluring, and opened my mind to many things.