Any Hooked on Phonics Users?

[eloquacious]

What was your experience with the program? I totally just bought a complete Pre-K - 2nd grade package as an impulse buy at our local Kid to Kid (resale store). It is new, with shrink-wrapped books and such, though it looks as though the box has been opened. It seemed like a good enough deal that I could always resell it if we decided against it. What do you think? If nothing else, I now have the 30 leveled readers.

[mom2boys030507]

I have used it with two of my boys and they are both great readers now. I did make sure to point out what had been sight words that could be sounded out with rules when we got to the rules. They loved having the leveled readers to read. I will be using it with my youngest starting in a year or so if he is ready.

[littlebug42]

I used it with great success with my girls. They are both excellent readers now. They both loved that you start reading actual books so soon into the program which gave them confidence and motivation to continue. If I had more children, I would use it again.

[Pata]

Worked great for us as well, dd is now a wonderful reader. I will say though that I think it only works with students who can move quickly through phonics. There's not a ton of practice, or maybe that's just because of the way we did it :).

[Crimson Wife]

My DS just finished the K-2 kit. I had used Romalda Spalding's The Writing Road to Reading with my oldest, however, so I was familiar with teaching phonics. I can see where many moms without a strong phonics background might find HOP a bit tricky to use.

 

Also, it doesn't teach some of the more advanced phonics rules. I'm now using All About Spelling with my DS so this isn't really a concern. He'll learn them all eventually through AAS.

[hsbaby]

I love HOP!!:). I used it with my special needs dd as well as my above average ds. My set is from 10+ yes. ago, so I'm not sure how the levels compare with the more recent versions. Ours has five colored boxes to work through. I recently bought the pre-k edition for my 3 yr. old and she loves it! They have all really enjoyed the corresponding computer games.

[Whereneverever]

I used it along with OPG and DD1 is a fabulous reader. I am now using it slowly with DD2. I really like it.

[eloquacious]

How did you combine it with the Ordinary Parent's Guide? I was wondering how the scope and sequence works together, but I didn't want to open the books to find out, in case I did decide to resell it. It did seem as though there were a lot of "helper" (aka sight) words in the HOP program.

[eloquacious]

Also, what level does HOP take students to? I know OPG is about a 4th grade level.

[eloquacious]

Yet another question (sorry!) ... this edition has audio tapes, not CDs. Do newer ones have CDs, or do they still have tapes? And how important are the tapes? Could I just read the text to my son?

[mytwomonkeys]

we love HOP too! my daughter has used grades 1, 2, and master reader. after master reader, she could read anything. we loved all of them! my son is currently finishing up HOP K, which goes perfectly with CLE Learning to Read. Once we complete HOP K & CLE LTR, we'll move onto HOP Grade 1 (probably in a few months). i plan to use all of the sets with him as well.

[mytwomonkeys]

Yet another question (sorry!) ... this edition has audio tapes, not CDs. Do newer ones have CDs, or do they still have tapes? And how important are the tapes? Could I just read the text to my son?

 

 

they newer version has CD's, but we've never used any of them honestly. we also have the deluxe cd-rom, which has games to play & they correspond with the lessons...and those are fun for my son.

[Whereneverever]

We never used the CDs. I preferred to read it outloud because then I could control the speed.

It doesn't line up lesson for lesson with OPG, but they work really well to reinforce each other. HOP jumps through things quicker then OPG, so it seemed like when DD got stuck in one switching to the other really helped.

Those leveled readers are really awesome for providing things that the kids can read, right away, without guessing. It's hard to find phonics leveled readers for those early stages.

I think 2nd grade is pretty accurately where it ends, too.

[mom2boys030507]

Both of my boys moved from HOP to the emergent reader list at Heart of Dakota. The could read level 2 books from the library and now just about anything. I also have never used the tapes that are in mine.

[Night Elf]

I don't know how much it has changed over the years. My dd12 used it when she was 4 years old and learned to read with it. She loved every single moment of the program and actually cried when she finished her last book. I can say without a shadow of a doubt, that was the best curriculum we've ever purchased in our 10 years of homeschooling. It was well worth the money, it was loved, and it was missed when it was gone. We haven't used anything else that we felt that way about. :)

[eloquacious]

Wow, that's definitely a glowing recommendation! I do think we'll keep it, if only because I want to have more leveled readers for my son than just the Bob books we currently own. Also, though I could probably teach reading with just OPG and Bob books and my own past experience, my sister-in-law wants to home school but needs a more out-of-the box curriculum, so I can let her son and daughter use it, too, when we aren't using it.

 

All said, I paid $65 including taxes for it. The newer version of it, with CDs instead of tapes, is between $165 and $199, though the more expensive one has a free "fun pack" with more books and such that would be awesome to have. Ah, well.