Alpha Phonics vs Phonics Pathways

[kfeusse]

I have a 6 year old son who knows his letters, beginning sounds and some easy 3 letter words. Last year we worked through the first 3 books of ETC (A, B, and C) and are part way through #1. Although he is not struggling (other than lack of motivation), I am wondering whether or not one of these 2 programs might be a little better. I have 2 other kids and they both learned their basic reading skills in PS before we pulled, so this is my first try at teaching reading. Can someone please guide me? Thanks.

[kfeusse]

oh please give me pros and cons of both programs...I can't decide which way to go...thanks

[K&Rs Mom]

I haven't used Alpha Phonics, but have taught two advanced readers with PP. What I like about it is the short lessons (about 5 minutes a day) and the way they train the eyes/brain to pick up words in chunks. We've done it all orally, just have them read a page a day, so even when they're not motivated it's quick & relatively painless. There is some writing/spelling in the instructions, but I haven't done it that way. Some people think there isn't enough teacher guidance, but I guess it depends what you're looking for. My younger really likes Dewey the bookworm and looks forward to finding out what he says after she reads each page. Both of them really "clicked" about halfway through the book and were able to finish simple chapter books at that point. I don't know if that's the PP program or just similar learning styles, though. HTH!

[Stellalarella]

W haven't used Alphaphonics, but I am currently using PP with two of my kids. I like it because of the ease and price and the general philosophy of the book. We read through 1 or two pages a day. My dd needed PP because she was not tracking well. The PP book has trained her to track the letters and decode.

This is very different from teaching phonics with a lot of pictures and encouraging kids to guess what a word is by looking at an illustration. For instance, with the BOB books, my kids could look at the picture and guess that the words read "Dot has a hat." They are using pictures to infer what the letters mean.

I like PP because there are no pictures. My kids have to work at decoding.

I also like PP because it includes phonetic words that are not in every day conversation. We use that for vocabulary discussions.

THe kids really like Dewey.

[kfeusse]

thank you very much for your opinions!! I really appreciate them.

 

Kathy

[Paige]

We have used Alphaphonics and liked it. I find it very easy, very open and go, and it only takes a few minutes. It sounds similar to the other people's reviews of Phonics Pathways as far as ease of use, time, and there are no pictures in it either. Both are good programs, so I'd pick whichever is cheaper for you. My girls like Alphaphonics because it makes them feel successful with its incremental approach but I don't know if PP would be the same way. I think the teacher guide in the back is rarely needed but still contains some really useful information every 4 or 5 lessons or so.

[kfeusse]

thanks Paige...but now I am not sure which direction to go. UGH! :001_smile:

[Susie in MS]

I had both and decided on keeping PP. I don't see where either program is better than the other. What made my decision for me were these things:

 

~~The font of PP was easier on the eye.

~~I hate comb binding and AP has cb. I had the *perfect* binding removed from PP and has a spiral put on it for ease of use.

~~IF you want simple games PP has them.

[kfeusse]

I had both and decided on keeping PP. I don't see where either program is better than the other. What made my decision for me were these things:

 

~~The font of PP was easier on the eye.

~~I hate comb binding and AP has cb. I had the *perfect* binding removed from PP and has a spiral put on it for ease of use.

~~IF you want simple games PP has them.

 

thank you for this...I am glad to hear from someone who has seen both.

 

Kathy