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So, if you don't like Phonics Pathways or 100 EZ...


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Guest mrsjamiesouth
Then what do you use? OPTGR (did I get that right?) or something else? I am looking at CLE's LTR. Or should I just buck up and stick with 100 EZ and ETC?

 

Just looking for other favorites out there!

 

 

I am using a combo of LTR and PP. I have to say that PP really works! After using it for only a week and then going back to LTR, he is a thousands times better at sounding out words and is reading CVC words smoothly now.

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The VERY best thing I ever read about reading programs and our children is that most people love the 3rd program they choose to teach their children how to read.

 

Why? Because by the time they get to the 3rd program their child is mature enough to learn, and the parent is more comfortable with the task.

So my point is that we are all going to like something different and it has less to do with the program, then the child, and timing. ;)

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We are really enjoying OPG. I know some people say it is dry but we shake it up when we need to. There are also many great suggestions in the book for different activities.

 

I like that we can use it in a straight-forward manner when we want to and add the other optional activities when we need it. After using other programs, I greatly appreciate that there are no pictures on the page or anything else that is a visual cue to the word or that could become distracting.

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Then what do you use? OPTGR (did I get that right?) or something else? I am looking at CLE's LTR. Or should I just buck up and stick with 100 EZ and ETC?

 

Just looking for other favorites out there!

 

I have used 100 EZ and PP to teach 2 to read so far. Kind of boring:tongue_smilie: but effective. OPGTR is very similar to PP except it is scripted. What is it you don't like about PP? Could you do the lessons on a whiteboard or with scrabble tiles to make it a little more fun?

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I used and loved Reading Reflex. It was the first and only program I used to teach all three of my kids to read. I never felt any need to supplement, even. For readers, I just got Bob books and other graded phonetic readers from the library.

 

ABeCeDarian uses the same methodology (PhonoGraphix), but is a workbook program. RR uses cut-out letter squares and a white board - cost me a grand total of $16. :)

 

After using RR, all the other programs look bloated and needlessly convoluted.

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I used and loved Reading Reflex. It was the first and only program I used to teach all three of my kids to read. I never felt any need to supplement, even. For readers, I just got Bob books and other graded phonetic readers from the library.

 

ABeCeDarian uses the same methodology (PhonoGraphix), but is a workbook program. RR uses cut-out letter squares and a white board - cost me a grand total of $16. :)

 

After using RR, all the other programs look bloated and needlessly convoluted.

 

Yep. I love Reading Reflex method. I only bought ABeCeDarian because it was preplanned and laid out for me. I'm lazy. :)

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My favorite phonics reading program has been Play N Talk. Alpha Phonics is good too. Games like The Junior Phonics game are great . It can be found used on ebay. I would use The Junior Phonics game as a supplement to add in some fun. If your children are past the level of The Junior Phonics Game, the Phonics Game is fun too.

 

I had such a negative experience with a program based on Spalding that I cringe every time I hear it mentioned. However, I know it has been effective for many children. It does have the potential to be stressful for children who are not ready to have to focus on the extreme level of detail this program requires.

Here's my experience, cut and pasted from another thread.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The phonics methods based on the Spalding book do NOT work for everyone. The educational needs of children vary from child to child. When my oldest dd was kindergarden age we started out using the Writing Road to Reading along with the materials by @@@@@. I also attended her seminars a couple of times to learn to use the materials. I am very confident I was using the program "correctly". I even took my daughter to some "professional" teachers that use Spalding ( It's a homeschool organization that helps homeschoolers in Oregon) to see if they used the program the same way with her as I was. After about two visits they told me I really didn't need their help using the program. Actually, they were amazed at how much she had learned in other subjects without being a reader yet, and wanted to know how I taught her. My dd had sequential and visual memory problems and the Spalding method (which comes packaged in different ways with different names) simply did not work with her. It was really causing her a lot of stress. I could see her becoming stressed using the program and one day when I brought it out she broke out in tears and cried really hard. Frankly, it would have been mean to continue using it with her. We switched to Alpha Phonics and she began to progress. I never went back to Spalding with her and she is very bright and has very good comprehension.

Unfortunately, among the people I have been around promoting the Spalding method I have heard some very dogmatic statements that it is the "Best" method and once someone uses it they will never change to another method. Well, it is not the "BEST" for everyone and I personally have met people that have used it and dropped it. The same people that I have heard saying Spalding is the greatest I have also heard harshly critisize in public - (at training seminars)virtually every other reading program you can think of. However, I have heard of many, many parents that have had great success teaching their children to read with these other programs.

I also started my son with Spalding and he had virtually NO reading comprehension ( although he passed all phonics tests 100% and could spell above his grade level) until after I started using another program with him.

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Then what do you use? OPTGR (did I get that right?) or something else? I am looking at CLE's LTR. Or should I just buck up and stick with 100 EZ and ETC?

 

Just looking for other favorites out there!

There is something about 100 Easy Lessons that some children get stuck on and seem to not move forward. I've heard others say their child got "stuck" and had to move on with something else.

 

You may want to switch to Phonics Pathways or Alpha Phonics or some other basic program. Play N Talk is great.

 

I suggest staying away from any program based on "The Writing Road to Reading" or in some way connected to Spalding. The excessive attention to detail is unnecessary and stressful for some children.

 

There is not one program that is the right ONE for every child.

Edited by Miss Sherry
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We are using OPGTR and ETC. My older boy began reading with OPGTR just after he turned 4 1/2 and the younger boy began just before turning 4. It's pretty simple/straightforward, no frills and very scripted so there is no pre-planning :). It's not the most exciting thing in the world, but my boys rarely get excited about phonics no matter which way I try to package it :tongue_smilie:.

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We are using OPGTR and ETC. My older boy began reading with OPGTR just after he turned 4 1/2 and the younger boy began just before turning 4. It's pretty simple/straightforward, no frills and very scripted so there is no pre-planning :). It's not the most exciting thing in the world, but my boys rarely get excited about phonics no matter which way I try to package it :tongue_smilie:.

 

:iagree: We use just OPGTR here. It's simple to use and effective. And there are definitely no frills there. That being said, my daughter loves the games in the book that come along every 10 lessons or so. We're at around lesson 105 (out of 231, I think) and she's reading at around a 1st grade level. I'm happy with her progress so far and the phonics based approach vs. whole language/sight words that they are teaching in her kindergarten class.

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I used Reading Reflex with my first and I loved it. I still love it. But, it wasn't a good fit for my second.

 

After 9 months of no progress I spoke to my friend who originally recommended RR and is also a reading tutor. She suggested ETC as an alternative. So far, so good.

 

I am planning on adding in RR again when he has made a little more progress. I do think RR is a great program, it just wasn't providing the support my son needed for the transtion to the advanced code.

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This is such a YMMV thing. I looked over a bunch of different phonics programs with my oldest and of the ones my library had, I liked Spalding's WRTR the best. I really disliked the weird invented symbols in 100EZ.

 

The 2nd time around, I'm using HOP and will be starting AAS soon. However, I don't think I'd be as successful using HOP if I hadn't had the experience of teaching my 1st child with WRTR.

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We're using The Reading Lesson. I like it because the pages are nice and clean. Font for the teacher is small and there isn't too much of it. Font for the child is large and bold. Very easy. Open and Go. HTH. :001_smile:

Is this it ?

 

http://www.timberdoodle.com/Reading_Lesson_p/216-217.htm

 

Here's another link to it. http://www.christianbook.com/the-reading-lesson-michael-levin/9780913063026/pd/163029?item_code=WW&netp_id=268024&event=ESRCN&view=details

Edited by Miss Sherry
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We're using The Reading Lesson. I like it because the pages are nice and clean. Font for the teacher is small and there isn't too much of it. Font for the child is large and bold. Very easy. Open and Go. HTH. :001_smile:

 

:iagree: This is the first program my daughter really gets. We use it in conjunction with Starfall and ETC.

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I used and loved Reading Reflex. It was the first and only program I used to teach all three of my kids to read. I never felt any need to supplement, even. For readers, I just got Bob books and other graded phonetic readers from the library.

 

ABeCeDarian uses the same methodology (PhonoGraphix), but is a workbook program. RR uses cut-out letter squares and a white board - cost me a grand total of $16. :)

 

After using RR, all the other programs look bloated and needlessly convoluted.

 

Another really easy and cheap (FREE) program check out Progressive Phonics. It's online at http://www.progressivephonics.com. I also think it would complement RR quite nicely if you wanted to do that.

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