Veritas Phonics Museum

[Christine]

For those who use this program, could you please "explain" it to me? Not the stuff that's included, I can find (have found) that on their site. I'm curious how people use it.

[Christine]

Bump

 

I know there are people out there who have used it. . .

 

Please, please, please, will you help me (tell me how you use it)? (said in my very best "broken down engine voice" -- of the "Little Engine that Could".)

[z2_mom]

I started using it this year. We stopped using it. It just did not fit with what I wanted. We are using the WRTR now, and much happier. DD reading has really taken off recently since we switched programs. What specifics would you like to know.

 

lynda

[Christine]

I started using it this year. We stopped using it. It just did not fit with what I wanted. We are using the WRTR now, and much happier. DD reading has really taken off recently since we switched programs. What specifics would you like to know.

 

lynda

 

Well, I'm not 100% sure how the museum fits in.

 

I know they have activities, but don't know how often / how simple / how enjoyable they are.

 

I like D'Nealian (it's what my oldest 2 learned), but I don't know what / how much is incorporated in the course. (i.e. does it include copywork? or just copy the letters?)

 

What is WRTR? and why does it fit you all better? What didn't "fit" about PM?

[z2_mom]

sorry I did not write more earlier. I have a sick little one at home right now.

 

There are things that I did love about PM, the concept. But as a stand alone it would not work for us. It is more of a combination of phonics and sight reading. I wanted a truly phonics based program. I saw too early on, that it was a more sight word program. The early readers are awkward; they are trying to tell a story of say the Greeks with only short vowel words. Some of the stories, I had to read twice to comprehend them because of the wording.

 

The art card pictures are small reproductions, and sometimes only a portion of art work. It is a cute concept, as the child does go and collect things around the house that start with the "A". The child is given the art card for the letter "A" as a reward for letters and sounds learned to hang in the child's cardboard museum. Then the child can play with their museum as wanted. Fun at first but gets boring after awhile.

 

There are not many games in the Kinder program. I saw my dd getting turned off by the program. Someone suggested the Writing Road to Reading (WRTR) to me. I purchased the book $35. I decided to put away the PM program after using form Aug to Dec, I wanted this program to work. In Jan. we backed up and learned the phonograms WRTR style. (all the sounds for a single letter or letter combination at once. a says --ah, short a, and long a --so 3 sounds for the leter a.) We started going through the spelling lists with the WRTR orally, with movable letters, and written. We started WRTR in Jan so 4 mths ago. Today my dd read "Go Dog Go" on her own. She is a young K'er.

 

I do like some of the PM workbook and phonics pages. Color the pictures that start with the B sound. Since I already had the PM, I did have dd do some of the workbook pages. We skipped a lot of the sight word pages and just used the readers as read aloud and dd did the comprehension pages. I only did this because I had the materials.

 

I would not do PM simply for the style of writing. You can get handwriting pages online or get a workbook simply to work on writing. There is a very small amount of copywork that I saw in PM, but a huge amount of letter writing ---a page of all letter "A".

 

I wanted to love this program so much. It is beautiful and laid out well. But that is it just pretty. I would not purchase it again or tell someone else too. I spent $200 on the combo set, which is two years worth of school and it did not work. I spent about $35 on the WRTR book and another $25 on flashcards and sounds CD. The WRTR will get us through sixth grade.

 

If you have any other specific questions that I have not answered let me know.

 

lynda

[CarynB]

My daughter hated it. I agree with the previous post, the early readers really S-T-R-E-T-C-H to make the story fit the lessons and in the end my daughter didn't understand them. We actually switched to Rod and Staff for a year and have now picked up The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading which is excellent. We liked Rod and Staff but there was a lot of workbook exercises that DD dreaded. Their readers however, she loved. We'll be finishing up TOPGTTR soon, it's designed to be completed over a year or two (or whatever your child's pace is) and the bulk of it is done orally which can be a HUGE blessing to children (like mine) who are ready to read WAY before they are ready to write a great deal. Also, by the end of the book your child should be reading at an equivalent to 4th grade.

 

I loved the look of the Phonics Museum and we really tried to make it work, but in the end it ended up on E-bay. We did about half of K before selling it. I do know others have used it successfully, it just didn't work for us.

 

Blessings,

Caryn

[Jackie in NE]

So obviously, I like it. I'm currently using the PM 1st grade for 1 ds and then the PM K for my last ds. I also used it for my 2 dds, now 7th and 3rd grade.

 

We used the whole program. I used the workbook along with the teacher's guide and it was great. I will admit that like a previous poster, I hate the readers. I wish they would improve them. But I just supplemented with Abeka, and Bob books. With my 2 dds I did use the readers, but I just couldn't bring myself to use them with my 2 ds. They're pretty awful. But the readers are just a small part of the program.

 

I like the PM for the writing, and for the thorough phonics training. Yes, there are some sight words, but those mostly go with the readers, so if you don't use the readers, it's not a problem.

 

I think this program is easy to use. The TM gives step by step instructions for each lesson. Also, there have been different aspects that have "stuck" for each of my dc. Some of my dc are visual learners, some are auditory, and some are tactile. This program has worked for each and every learning style.

 

I'm starting to sound like a commercial, so I'll quit. But first I will add one more note. The PM is the first step in the VP program which is considered by many to be fairly rigorous. It has given my dc a firm foundation in a program that is very strong on reading comprehension, and writing. I think it has much to offer.

 

Just my 2 cents. Hope I helped in some way.

 

Regards, Jackie

[Christine]

I appreciate the replies. . .I will have to give this some more thought.

[*anj*]

I agree with Jackie. I have used PM for all four of my children. I tried two other programs for my oldest and neither clicked for him. PM did the trick and I've stuck with it.

 

I don't use all of the games by a long shot. My kids grasp the concepts quickly, and I haven't felt the little puzzle pieces, etc. were necessary.

 

I agree with the poster who said that the "look around the house for things that start with the letter 'm'" thing gets old pretty quickly. We just skip it.

 

But I like the exposure to fine art and then when we do an art history project later my kids have recognized things that were introduced in PM. For instance the picture of the bull for the letter "b" is from The Toreador Fresco in Knossos.

 

We use most of the primers. I agree that the language is awkward in some of them. They actually did some revisions with the new publication of level K, and there are some improvements. One thing that I do like about the primers is that they are written in different styles and cover so many topics. They go from Ben Franklin to Ella Fitzgerald, to the Civil War, to the moon landing. And there are also many different styles of art used for the illustrations.

 

One thing that we tweak a lot is the repetition. PM was really written for the classroom, so there is a lot of busy work in the workbooks. My kids get sick of that, so I feel free to cut it back.

 

Like anything, I think you have to look at it, then use it the way that is best for you and your kids.

 

I hope that this helps!

:)

[Julie in PA]

I have also liked PM. While the books are sometimes difficult, I have used them to introduce the different history lessons. It is fun later when they study them more in depth and they remember being introduced to it in Kindergarten. Sometimes I think, like everything else, it depends on the child. My son struggled with the books because he did not understand them. I later discovered he just was not ready and struggled with everything we tried. My daughter on the other hand, picked them up right away and could decode all of the awkward language. We'll see with the next one. We will start PM with him in the fall.

[KLA]

and loved it for both my children. I really liked the readers. Yes they were awkward but all books written with only 3 letter words are. I liked them better than "Mat sat on Sam" (although we used lots of bob books too!) and felt like we were learning something through them.

[LND1218]

It's funny how different the reactions to those readers are. It's about finding what you like and what works for you.

 

I choose the program because of the readers. I was so tired of trying to find books for my oldest to read when she was in K. I got so tired of Jen the Hen, Matt the Cat stuff... I switched when my olest was in 1st.

 

They are sometimes weird or awkward, but we love the readers. It really challenges them to stretch their reading skills. Not to mention the value of the content. They are the only books I have even seen at that level with substance. I love being able to start my kids on quality books instead that twaddle junk like Ben sat on the mat that we had with DD #1.

 

And I find that those books are enough reading practices without having to buy/find other one vowel books. I love that repetition and similar works - like rig, rag, rug because if forces my dd (who is currently doing it) to really read the word and not guess. We have been very happy with those readers!

 

I have to disagree that it's sight word based. There are sight words - but you can't read anything if you don't teach a few sight words. It has IMO less sight words that the other programs I have looked into. I haven't looked at WRTR

 

I also found that my kids in the end were stronger readers with this. Other programs keep at the phonics, but there simply isn't a need to with this one. I have friends with dc the same age as my oldest still teaching phonics (going into the 5th grade) because their kids don't get it. Both of mine who have done PM have a solid handle on phonic sounds and rules.

 

We don't do the games a lot, so my kids haven't gotten bored with them. They enjoy them when we do them. But it's not something I take time for regularly.

 

I think there is sufficent copy work for the ages - there is more in 1st grade. I have added a little handwriting practice and copy work to PM when I thought it was needed.

 

If you have any questions let me know...

[*anj*]

 

I also found that my kids in the end were stronger readers with this. Other programs keep at the phonics, but there simply isn't a need to with this one. I have friends with dc the same age as my oldest still teaching phonics (going into the 5th grade) because their kids don't get it. Both of mine who have done PM have a solid handle on phonic sounds and rules.

 

Jumping in to say that I completely agree with this. I have two kids who have completed PM and two who are still working through it. The older two (ages 9 and 11) haven't had to have any further phonics instruction beyond what they received from PM. It always surprises me too when I hear about phonics instruction continuing beyond 1st grade.

Of course there's always a first time and who knows? Now that I've said that my other two will probably need more phonics! :bigear: