Talk to me about phonics programs....

[*Amber*]

What do you like?

 

What do you not like?

[Guest mrsjamiesouth]

I really like Phonics Pathways. It is great if you are starting early, very simple and laid back.

 

My oldest loved Explode the Code, but my 2nd son did not. I think this depends on the child's learning style.

 

I also like LTR by CLE, very thorough

 

I do not like Teach your Child to REad in 100 lessons, way too complicated for me. If i don't understand it how will my kids?

[FordFamily]

I have taught my children to read with various programs.

But, I think my favorite is 100ez lessons with MFW 1st Grade.

It is sweet to spend that special time together with your

first grade student.

However, due to my current busy life I am using the FREE book

that a sweet lady recommended Word Mastery. My four year old

loves it and I am using it help my 1 and 2nd grade children too!

I did Sing, Spell, REad and Write with my little one who was a "late" reader, and I will say that one day it clicked! But, it was a lot of

writing mixed into the program and spelling etc. I found I was

doubling up on subjects, because I have other favorites for spelling and grammar.

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

My favorite is Alphabet Island.

[Shelly in the Country]

I'm happy with VP's Phonics Museum. I've taught two kids to read with it and I'm now working on my third...

 

I dabbled in 100 EZ Lessons with the same three kids. It was a disaster with my eldest. My second child loved it, but once he was able to hold a pencil reliably I moved him into Phonics Museum. My third child tolerated it, but I am now using PM with her, too.

[Heidi]

My kids have picked up on reading very easily and we used OPGTR. I didn't read the scripted part, we just read the bold words, so we didn't get much phonics instruction out of it. We just started to use the R&S phonics workbooks and I/we love them. The R&S phonics grade 2 is perfect for my dd6 and grade 1 is perfect for dd4.5 It's really helping them learn the rules of phonics and spelling.

[lotsofpumpkins]

I just started using Phonics Pathways with my 5yo and love it. He also did the Explode the Code Primers (A, B, and C) when he was 4. Now he's working slowly through ETC Book 1. Phonics Pathways is really helping him to learn how to sound out words; once he's more confident with that we'll move faster in ETC. We'll get as far as we get in ETC during Kindergarten. The further we get, the easier 1st grade will be at first!

 

For 1st grade, I like Rod & Staff Phonics. It starts off very easy but it does get more challenging pretty quickly. We also use R&S Phonics in 2nd grade. I've had a love-hate relationship with that one. In some ways, it's almost TOO thorough. My dd (a great reader) found some parts of it quite challenging. So, I'm going to change around the order of the units for my ds to save the hardest stuff for last! I considered changing to something else, but I see how well my oldest has done using R&S, so I'm going to stick with it.

[twoxcell]

Phonics Pathways, and Explode the Code.

[TengoFive]

I like OPGTTR with Explode the Code. I'm teaching the 2nd time through with this method. It's going much better than teaching my first 2 with 100 EZ lessons. 100 EZ Lessons is fine up until about lesson 75, then my kids have a meltdown. Although OPGTTR is longer, it doesn't get too frustrating. Explode the Code adds a slightly more fun element to the no-nonsense approach of OPG.

[abunchofus]

what is OPGTTR

[*Amber*]

The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading

[jewellsmommy]

Let me just start by saying that LA is not dd's strong suit. She had hearing issues and multiple surgeries that made grasping certain key skills very difficult up until last Sept.

 

We despised 100 ez lessons! We tried it first. It went horribly and I finally gave it up at lesson 50ish. It seems to be one of those those programs that you love or hate!

 

Next we tried sonlight beginning to read. I thought it was ok but dd just wasn't feeling the love.

 

We are using the explode the code series. DD likes it.

 

We are also using Click n read. DD and I both like this a lot! We have added click n spell to it as well for an intro to spelling. It is inexpensive and done entirely on the computer/net. It is completely self guided. DD goes to the site and follows the character's prompting. She does 1 lesson each day and then prints out the report which shows me exactly what she is grasping and what she is not. It also shows the sentences she worked on that day and I have dd read them to me. It assigns a percentage score to how well she performed. You can repeat as many lessons as you want, as many times as you need. About midway through it even includes dictation exercises that dd types out. It goes over phonics rules and sight words. It is the first thing we have done that actually progressed my dd's reading skills. It includes a complete money back guarantee.

 

We also use FLL and Writing with ease together. This is short and painless. It has gone well for both of us.

Edited May 15, 2010 by jewellsmommy
Edited to save the life of a kitten.

[tiffanyl]

We have tried many over the years.

 

Abeka worked great for my oldest. Explode the code and Spell to write & read worked good for my next two.

 

Now we are using, Sing Spell Read and Write & it is by far the most fun we have had learning phonics. We are just flying through it & learning so much! I get asked almost daily, "can we just do a little bit more mom".

That never happened with any of the other programs... In my book, this one is the best!

[ElizabethB]

I have about 20!

 

Webster's Speller is the one that I have found the most effective, it teaches phonics and spelling to a 12th grade level. I have had great success with it for both beginning and remedial students.

 

Next, I like PP and OPG, both have few sight words and teach to a 4th grade level. PP is to the point and the font is nice and big. OPG has more detailed instructions and the font is small. I know many students who have been taught from both methods and all of them are reading well.

 

I like to teach beginning students from a white board anyway, so font size is not usually that important.

 

For people that want fun songs, Pollard's series is good, it's linked from the middle of my good phonics books page.

 

Whatever you use, don't teach sight words as wholes, I've remediated a lot of students who had problems from too many sight words, here's how to teach all but 5 of the most commonly taught 220 sight words phonetically:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/sightwords.html

 

Alphaphonics--teaches to a 1st or 2nd grade level, can cause guessing problems with some students, should be taught across, not down, if the student starts guessing the words from the word family pattern. It works great for most children but can cause problems for a few.

 

A Beka--I like it, I link to it, I especially like how it teaches syllables and repeats phonics instruction for several years. But, it teaches a few more sight words than I would prefer. I only know a few families using it, no known reading failures among them.

 

ETC--The phonics are solid, but it moves very slow and some children may start guessing from it as well due to its layout. I don't know many people using this.

 

WRTR--A great program if used right, I link to it, but poorly taught, its use of high frequency words can lead to problems, I know of scores of remedial students from poorly taught WRTR.

 

Hooked on Phonics--too many sight words. I don't personally know of any remedial students from the program, but I only know a few families using it.

 

100 EZ lessons--a good program for many kids, but only teaches to 1st or 2nd grade level and the markings confuse some children (and some adults!)

 

School Phonics--a good program for most kids, but the colored vowels confuse a few students.

 

MFW Phonics--good phonics, but moves too fast for some children, and reading about the stories before having the child read the stories causes children to be able to guess the words in the stories instead of sounding them out. Several people I know using MFW have had their children develop reading problems after using the program.

 

SSRW--good program but expensive.

 

BJU--word family with sight words, I know of several students who have needed remediation after using this program.

 

I See Sam--I was taught to read with this in K! (Then Dick and Jane in 1st grade. :eek:) A good program, although it teaches to a low grade level, it is a nice gentle start that works for many.

Edited May 15, 2010 by ElizabethB

[SABE]

Phonics Pathways has been a great program for us, both for my child who had an easy time grasping phonics and for the one who had to work a lot harder. We do all the lessons on a white board.

[Lovedtodeath]

I did not like OPGTR or ETC. It was too easy for my daughter to get through both of those with mostly sight reading skills, and they both got pretty boring as well.

 

I liked MFW K and Accelerated Acheivement. Both teach more than phonics, but their phonics portions are well done with hands-on elements and games.

 

I really like the idea of Webster's speller. I think teaching by syllable would help many children who have trouble sounding out, because sometimes our phonograms sound different depending on the other words.

 

I am a firm believer in Orton-Gillingham based programs. I like the looks of Sensational Strategies followed by Recipe for Reading, and I also like the looks of Dancing Bears. I am probably going to get Dancing Bears as a preview for DS before we start Phonics Road with him.

Edited May 15, 2010 by Lovedtodeath

[Mom-ninja.]

Love love love ABeCeDarian

[Guest]

Spell to Write and Read or Abeka Phonics

 

(I learned via Abeka and started ds with it, but was very intrigued by SWR. It is working well, so SWR is my first choice.)

[Ottakee]

I like the I See Sam books http://www.teacherweb.com/CA/PomeloDriveElementary/Mrssakamoto/printap2.stm is a place you can print them out for free--the first 2 sets. Then check out http://www.iseesam.com and http://www.3rsplus.com for the rest of the sets as well as LOTS of great helps and ideas.

 

Personally, I would use these to teach reading---just teach the sounds as you come across them and then after the 3rd set of books, add in Apples and Pears spelling which will cover the phonics you need for spelling.

[sbgrace]

I'm using the I See Sam books after a failed attempt via Headsprout (my son was memorizing words). We really enjoy the stories and it works. And so far it's free. I wish I had known about it from the start.

[LoveBaby]

I've used MFW K & 1st. The K program was great but it moved too fast for my DS in 1st. The 1st program worked great for my DD though and took her from a struggling reader to fluency!

 

I have Phonics Pathways and like it better than OPGTR because it's not scripted. It also has included spelling instruction so it can be an all in one program. Reading Pathways is really essential to help with fluency and to build the visual skills necessary for fluent reading. I will use it for extra reading practice no matter what other Phonics Program I use.

I *love* Phonics Road to Reading and Spelling ! It's my favorite because of all of the skills that are incorporated. It's been great for my struggling speller and my struggling reader. And they both love it, too!! It's also a complete LA program, so you wouldn't need to add seperate handwriting, grammar, spelling, composition etc.

[Aurelia]

Like:

ABeCeDarian - teaches blending and segmenting well, good for kids who like workbooks

Dancing Bears - virtually no writing, so it can easily be used with a younger student, different activities keep the child engaged

Jolly Phonics - good for wiggly kids because it incorporates movements for the sounds, designed for young children

Leapfrog videos - very engaging

 

Dislike:

OPGTR - too dry, moved too fast

Explode the Code - too workbooky, DD retained virtually nothing

[LisaKinVA]

I have used Abeka successfully 3x. It's easy for me to speed-up and slow down.

 

My children enjoyed (for a little while), Sing, Spell, Read & Write, but it just moved too slowly, and they got bored. I borrowed this, thankfully :D Same can be said for Frontline Phonics (similar concept)

 

My children hated Teach Your Child to Read in 100 EZ lessons.

 

I wanted to try OPGTR...but haven't had a reason to yet.

 

I have also wanted to try Phonics Museum... but if Abeka works, why switch (I can spend the money on other things :D)

[Angel in FL]

Like:

ABeCeDarian - teaches blending and segmenting well, good for kids who like workbooks

Dancing Bears - virtually no writing, so it can easily be used with a younger student, different activities keep the child engaged

Jolly Phonics - good for wiggly kids because it incorporates movements for the sounds, designed for young children

Leapfrog videos - very engaging

 

Dislike:

OPGTR - too dry, moved too fast

Explode the Code - too workbooky, DD retained virtually nothing

 

About Dancing Bears, what all do you need for the program? If you were going to start teaching a 4.5 year old who wants to learn and understands sounds for all letters but isn't ready to do something that requires a lot of writing tied to it, is that what you'd use? Where do you buy it?

 

Thanks!

[hsmom]

We love and are using McRuffy. It is simple yet effective. We are just having so much fun with it. The games are easy and fun, the readers are cute, the lessons are not too long not too short, it includes a whole LA program. It is the best one I have found yet.

[Mert]

:bigear:

[creekmom]

I have about 20!

 

Webster's Speller is the one that I have found the most effective, it teaches phonics and spelling to a 12th grade level. I have had great success with it for both beginning and remedial students.

 

Next, I like PP and OPG, both have few sight words and teach to a 4th grade level. PP is to the point and the font is nice and big. OPG has more detailed instructions and the font is small. I know many students who have been taught from both methods and all of them are reading well.

 

I like to teach beginning students from a white board anyway, so font size is not usually that important.

 

For people that want fun songs, Pollard's series is good, it's linked from the middle of my good phonics books page.

 

Whatever you use, don't teach sight words as wholes, I've remediated a lot of students who had problems from too many sight words, here's how to teach all but 5 of the most commonly taught 220 sight words phonetically:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/sightwords.html

 

Alphaphonics--teaches to a 1st or 2nd grade level, can cause guessing problems with some students, should be taught across, not down, if the student starts guessing the words from the word family pattern. It works great for most children but can cause problems for a few.

 

A Beka--I like it, I link to it, I especially like how it teaches syllables and repeats phonics instruction for several years. But, it teaches a few more sight words than I would prefer. I only know a few families using it, no known reading failures among them.

 

ETC--The phonics are solid, but it moves very slow and some children may start guessing from it as well due to its layout. I don't know many people using this.

 

WRTR--A great program if used right, I link to it, but poorly taught, its use of high frequency words can lead to problems, I know of scores of remedial students from poorly taught WRTR.

 

Hooked on Phonics--too many sight words. I don't personally know of any remedial students from the program, but I only know a few families using it.

 

100 EZ lessons--a good program for many kids, but only teaches to 1st or 2nd grade level and the markings confuse some children (and some adults!)

 

School Phonics--a good program for most kids, but the colored vowels confuse a few students.

 

MFW Phonics--good phonics, but moves too fast for some children, and reading about the stories before having the child read the stories causes children to be able to guess the words in the stories instead of sounding them out. Several people I know using MFW have had their children develop reading problems after using the program.

 

SSRW--good program but expensive.

 

BJU--word family with sight words, I know of several students who have needed remediation after using this program.

 

I See Sam--I was taught to read with this in K! (Then Dick and Jane in 1st grade. :eek:) A good program, although it teaches to a low grade level, it is a nice gentle start that works for many.

 

 

I was wondering what readers you recommend to go along with phonics instruction.

[Ottakee]

About Dancing Bears, what all do you need for the program? If you were going to start teaching a 4.5 year old who wants to learn and understands sounds for all letters but isn't ready to do something that requires a lot of writing tied to it, is that what you'd use? Where do you buy it?

 

Thanks!

 

For Dancing Bears, all you need is the book.

 

That said, for a 4.5 year old, I would print out the I See Sam books from the link that I posted above and use those. They teach the phonics as the kids need it for learning to read. You can go through the books as slow as needed or as fast as the child can. You just teach the new sounds/blends as you come across them and the child just blends the sounds to read the words.

 

My sister used this with her 2 youngest and they were both reading very well by K.

 

Then once the child is reading fairly well and can handle a bit of writing, add in Apples and Pears spelling which will cover the phonics "rules" needed for spelling.

 

With the printable I See Sam books the kids can color them as they learn to read them and many kids like that they can read lots of little books rather than trying to read just a page or 2 out of a bigger book.

[Ottakee]

I was wondering what readers you recommend to go along with phonics instruction.

 

The I See Sam books are great and will take a child from K-3rd grade. They might start out slower but there is nothing saying you can work through them at a pace comfortable for the child.

[Amie]

So far I'm loving The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading (I often paraphrase the scripted part) along with a copy of Word Mastery I printed out and lots of readers from the library. I'm loving that OPG is so thorough (I don't see us having ANY holes when we are done) and that it is broken down into such small, simple lessons. Also, there is no writing involved which has been great since my son is young and not writing yet. Instead we use the chalkboard and magnet letters

[momto2Cs]

We didn't care for OPG, or 100 Easy Lessons.

 

What we're using right now, and enjoying, are ETC, Progressive Phonics (free), and The Reading Lesson.

 

We just got The Reading Lesson yesterday, and dd loves the simple layout and activities (matching sounds to pictures, etc.). With how well she was doing with it last night, I have high hopes! She's a delayed reader, who I am hoping will be near grade level by the end of summer.

[gandpsmommy]

I have taught both of my children to read using The Reading Lesson. Dd asked me to teach her to read at 4.5 years old. I had no idea where to begin teaching a child to read, so I did a google search. The Reading Lesson looked the most appealing and logical to me, so I purchased it used on Amazon. I used it with dd (who was an eager learner) for a few months, then we took a long break while selling our house and moving. We resumed the lessons together at the beginning of her K5 year. She finished it in a few short months. The book claims that upon completing it, your child will be reading at a second grade level. I'm not sure if this is true, but I do know that dd whizzed through Dr. Seuss books and beginning readers/chapter books in the months after she finished it, and was reading children's novels like The Boxcar Children and Charlotte's Web by the end of K5.

 

I began using The Reading Lesson with ds (who was a very reluctant learner) when he was five, during his pre-K year. We made it about halfway through, then took a break for the summer. We decided to start back at the beginning of the book for a solid review when he started his kindergarten year (at age 6). He just finished it about a week ago, and he is now reading begnning readers/ beginner chapter books with me.

 

I love the simplicity of the book, and the fact that just a few minutes each day quickly adds up to a lot of learning. Kids are reading words from the very first lesson, and simple stories from very near the beginning, which builds confidence and helps hold their interest.

 

There are a few things I didn't like, but I found it easy to fix these things. For example, they don't include quotation marks in their stories, I think because they think it would confuse young children learning to read. So I just used a Sharpie to add them in myself. Also, they start off with all lowercase letters (because those are the ones children will encounter most in print) and gradually change to using capital letters at the beginning of sentences, in proper names, etc. Again, I just fixed this with a Sharpie.

 

They now have other products (dvd's, cd's, a writing program) to go along with the phonics book, which you can find at their website, but we only used the book. We purchased one of the dvd's for ds, but we thought it was babyish and never really used it.

 

This was the only phonics program we used with dd. Ds did a few pages in an ETC workbook, but quickly outgrew its usefulness. The only supplements we really used were index cards for writing the key words to practice.

[momto2Cs]

I have taught both of my children to read using The Reading Lesson.

 

 

Thank you! It is good to hear from someone else that has used this. I like the idea of correcting the book with a sharpie - thumbing through it yesterday that bothered me a bit too. I figure even if it doesn't get my dd up to a "2nd grade" level, at least she should be reading by the time we're done with it!

[ElizabethB]

I was wondering what readers you recommend to go along with phonics instruction.

 

I personally don't like readers along with phonics instruction, but if you must, pick decodable phonics readers like the Nora Gaydos ones or Bob books. The 1879 McGuffey readers are also good--they have all the difficult words marked ahead of time, so you work on sounding them out and then read the story.

 

I just worked through Webster's Speller and then my daughter could read anything--no readers necessary.

 

I started doing a few decodable readers with my daughter, but found she was guessing a bit at words when reading stories. After finishing all the phonics needed to read anything, she read regular books without any guessing. (I'm paranoid about guessing after watching its ill effects on hundreds of students I've remediated.)

[cyndyinohio]

what is OPGTTR

 

I haven't heard of that abbreviation either.

 

What about Rocket Phonics? Any experience with that?

[gandpsmommy]

Thank you! It is good to hear from someone else that has used this. I like the idea of correcting the book with a sharpie - thumbing through it yesterday that bothered me a bit too. I figure even if it doesn't get my dd up to a "2nd grade" level, at least she should be reading by the time we're done with it!

 

I actually didn't think of adding in the quotation marks and changing the capitalization when I was first using it with dd. But the second time around, with ds, I sort of knew what lay ahead of me (with having to teach him to write using correct punctuation and capitalization) and it really bothered me. So, I decided to add it in. Have fun with it! It really is amazing how well they can read when they finish the book.

[RENEEinVA]

I really loved using Phonics Pathways with Bob Books. I am convinced they are responsible for my younger dd's phenomenal reading, writing, and spelling skills. I only say this because my older dd was taught to read in ps (they used the whole language approach - a hot topic for another day) and there is no comparison between the two. She struggled with reading, writing, and spelling for years, and only overcame these problems with the help of a tutor.

[LittleHouseHomeschool]

Whatever you use, I would go with something that allows you to be systematic and intensive, yet flexible.

 

We used ETC and it was a total disaster. There wasn't enough of anything in it, for one of my students.

 

ABeka had the systematic and intensive part, but it wasn't flexible enough for another of my students.

 

On kiddo number three, I went to SWR and have used it with three students now. It has worked for all three...from a child with an LD to one who is gifted, and another who is a natural reader.

 

I know SWR is intimidating to alot of folks, but there are quite a few programs out there that do a similar job.

[nikkinic]

I used sing spell read and write this year. I think it's a good program and probably would work well for most learners. It is advertised as a multisensory reading program because it contains games and songs, but I wouldn't use it if you have a child who needs multisensory instruction due to a reading disability. I think there are probably reading programs out there that are more directly based on the orton gilliangham method - this one really isn't.

[Doubleblessings]

:bigear:

[kmacnchs]

Another OPGTR fan here! Haven't used anything else so don't have much in which to compare... However, here are some reasons I like it:

 

One book for grades K-3/4 (save BUNCHES of $$$$)

NO WRITING (great for my kiddos - both dds started OPG at age 2)

 

 

Dislike? It is very busy but we just used magnet letters in the beginning and now we use the magnadoodle. Others use the whiteboard - whatever you have on hand - again, no need to buy anything extra

 

It moves fast - yes (though others say it is so thorough, it moves slowly) but there is so much repetition, it is easy to just review by reading past stories, reading bob books, and pretty soon, reading real readers that it is not a hindrance!

[Pretty in Pink]

At one time I tried but did not care for Phonics Pathways. I can't recall why though so that's not much help.

 

My 6 and 4 yos both enjoy ETC. I read a lot of complaints that this program is not complete but I buy the corresponding TGs and do the activities in those and it seems to be working for my boys.

 

I also can't say enough great things about the Leapfrog DVDs (Letter Factory, Word Factory, and there is a 3rd that we don't own and I can't recall the title).

 

My boys also enjoy Bob Books but we've always made it a grand event when one of them graduates to the next box set.

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

I'm not seasoned in this area but we have been trying several phonics programs and have some dislikes.

 

I love the Original Parents Guide in theory and wanted to use it but my son has regressed back to guessing words again. If I follow the instructions and read the words to him before having him read the words, all he does is recite them from memory of what I said. Even if I ignore the instructions and narration he gets into guess mode whenever he is presented with words that have the same ending (ham, jam, Sam) which becomes apparent when I try to have him read anything else afterwards. This is the problem we've had with Hooked On Phonics as well.

 

So far he's done best just reading words from the lists in the back of Why Johnny Can't Read. At the moment we are back to trying Phonics Pathways which is what originally helped him learn to blend sounds. Can't comment on whether I like it or not yet and I'm currently reading Spell to Write and Read to see if perhaps that's the route we end up going.

 

A friend taught her oldest two all the phonics instruction they ever had with MFW 1st and they've done phenomenally in that area ever since. I would consider it if I hadn't already spent too much on phonics instruction already.

[Classically Minded]

We LOVE OPGTR.

 

We did NOT like HOP (Hooked on Phonics), it made my daughter cry.

[Classically Minded]

I also can't say enough great things about the Leapfrog DVDs (Letter Factory, Word Factory, and there is a 3rd that we don't own and I can't recall the title).

 

My boys also enjoy Bob Books but we've always made it a grand event when one of them graduates to the next box set.

 

:iagree: Ditto! My dd loved the leapfrog dvds and the bob books!

[sagira]

Here we used Tanglewood's free phonics program to learn to read with Nora Gaydos books, then Step Into Reading books.

[mommyofthree]

I've used Abeka phonics with great success with one child but not with the other. Searching for a new phonics program as I type:bigear: