PR or MFW 1st grade

[kdeno]

I am able to order tomorrow and I can't decide which to use. I used MFW 1st for phonics a few years ago and I thought it was very thorough but PR keep piquing my interest. Have anyone used both to compare?

 

Thank you :grouphug:

[Marsha]

What is PR?

[Homeschooling6]

What is PR?

 

http://www.thephonicsroad.com/level_one.html The Phonics Road to Spelling and Reading.

[Homeschooling6]

I am able to order tomorrow and I can't decide which to use. I used MFW 1st for phonics a few years ago and I thought it was very thorough but PR keep piquing my interest. Have anyone used both to compare?

 

Thank you :grouphug:

 

That is a hard decision. They are both so good. How old will your 1st grader be? Can you use MFW 1st this year then start PR 1 for 2nd grade? I'm currently using PR2 with a soon to be 9ry. and 10yr. (not accelerating). We did PR1 last year they were in 2nd & 3rd grade.

 

I like how MFW 1st has everything included and can't beat that Bible Reader and Bible notebook. Did you ask dh what he thinks?

 

Sorry, I'm not really any help :tongue_smilie:

[LoveBaby]

I have used MFW 1st and am using PR 1 right now.

 

I *really* liked MFW 1st, the bible integration, science, math...everything was great about it and perfect for 1st grade, IMO. All that said, I like Phonics Road better for language arts. MFW 1st did a good job of teaching my daughter to read and read fluently, but we are now having trouble with spelling and my son struggled to learn to read with MFW 1st because it moves so quickly. The 2 ways that MFW and PR approach reading are coming from 2 different methods, so it's really unfair to compare them.

 

I love how Phonics Road breaks reading down into the phonograms, creating the building blocks to reading and spelling well. I like how it is a *complete* Language Arts program that includes spelling, handwriting, grammar (especially as you move up the levels), literature studies...it's the whole 9 yards. My children are enjoying it as well. The rule tunes are great and being able to dictate words, break them down into syllables and then spell each syllable is very effective. My daughter is thrilled that she is learning how to spell and spell well! It has done wonders for my sons reading skills as well.

 

I'm doing a year of pre-Phonics Road 1 with my K'er this year and next year will move into PR 1 for L.A. and use books, books and more books for the rest of his 1st grade studies. You have me thinking now though, that using the MFW Bible Reader, Bible Notebook, Science, Math and Proverbs study would be nice along with PR for the Language Arts, albeit expensive!

[Heather in VA]

Bearing in mind that while I have used PR, I have only looked at MFW so my impressions may not be all the way accurate. I think as a true foundational language arts program, PR is much more complete and effective for all the reasons Lovebaby says. The one thing you didn't mention is if your child is already reading at least some. I know that many people use PR to teach a child to read from scratch. I know that's what it supposed to be for. I would never use it that way personally. I started PR1 after my dd could read and I think she got a lot more out of it that way because she could focus on the skills and rules to spell and analyze the words without adding the complexity of not being able to read at all. So if your child can't read, then I think MFW followed by PR would be my choice. If she's already reading some, then PR.

 

Clear as mud? LOL

 

Heather

[Donna A.]

Bearing in mind that while I have used PR, I have only looked at MFW so my impressions may not be all the way accurate.

 

This is the reason they recommend R&S Spelling by Sound and Structure for 2nd grade. :001_smile: Get the child to reading in order to build confidence, learning to love literature, and reading their own Bibles, then reinforce it with that R&S spelling.

 

Personally, we use Building Spelling Skills from CLP instead of R&S, mainly because we'd already been using BSS for a long time when we found MFW and had no reason to switch.

 

MFW does teach phonics and other language arts skills, however, and is very thorough. The 1st grade program covers two years worth of phonics lessons, and some moms have to actually take it at a slower pace than is scheduled for certain kids. That's why, once you complete the program, the followup with R&S spelling is sufficient for most kids who don't need extra help due to LD's or whatever.

[kdeno]

I still feel foggy about the decision but I need to decide today. I am going to reread your comments and ask my husband.

 

Thanks!

 

Kariann:lurk5:

[momofabcd]

I've been thinking about using both. I've used MFW 1st before and really loved our year with it. But, I am also 100% set on using PR. PR doesn't take long each day during level one, so I don't think it will add much time to our day. So, maybe you could used both :) Didn't help much did I?:confused: With that in mind, I already own both programs, so I don't have to worry about expense.

[Homeschooling6]

I've been thinking about using both. I've used MFW 1st before and really loved our year with it. But, I am also 100% set on using PR. PR doesn't take long each day during level one, so I don't think it will add much time to our day. So, maybe you could used both :) Didn't help much did I?:confused: With that in mind, I already own both programs, so I don't have to worry about expense.

That may be an idea (a bit expensive) Once the child learns all the sounds from PR, he can code the words from MFW. It's been a while since I've seen MFW 1st grade though.

Another idea, if one can afford it, is to use PR for Phonics and MFW for everything else. I'm not sure how that would work once the child starts using th notebook though.

Again, it's been a while since I've seen MFW 1st Grade, but thought I'd throw some more out there:D