Struggling through OPGTR--what to do?

[lindsrae]

My DD is 5 1/2, and we are doing K together. We are struggling through OPGTR, and I'm not sure if I should just keep plugging along, knowing that she'll eventually "get it," or just supplement with something else, or just abandon it altogether? I love the simplicity of it, and I love that the lessons are short (although with the huffs and puffs and frustrations, DD can make a 15 minute lesson stretch out to 45!). We are at lesson 70ish. I keep telling myself, "Teaching reading is easy..." but it sure doesn't feel that way right now.

[threeturn]

I am not familiar with OPG, so this may be redundant or totally off the level. Have you tried playing some games? Make some word cards of words she should be able to read. Put the cards in a circle, roll the die, and move a counter (Little Pet, Little Pony, some doll) around the circle. If she can read the word she keeps it. On your turn miss every now and then to keep it even, BUT she has to catch the mistake.

 

Or you could change it up a bit by adding in some Progressive Phonics. (http://www.progressivephonics.com). You have to register, but it is free. My 5.5yo loves it. We do it in addition to Reading Made Easy.

 

Other than that you can back off for a few weeks and then try again. Just keep reading to her.

 

Good luck!

Pam

[emilia]

My daughter and I are on lesson 48ish. She is doing great but she does huff and puff a lot. I just got the first reader from All about Reading and she likes it but she huffs and puffs. It is easier to read and builds confidence but she still moans about reading. Regardless she is learning and now asks my to place a bookmark along the lines in our readalouds so she can follow the words.

 

I try to do reading first with the promise of an art project afterward or some equally great reward such as swimming, playing in the snow, etc. I am trying to simply ignore the pouting and huffs and puffs reminding her to have a good attitude. But I feel ya!

 

DD can drag a 5 minute read into a 30 minute torture session. It can be painful. whew.

[FairProspects]

My DD is 5 1/2, and we are doing K together. We are struggling through OPGTR, and I'm not sure if I should just keep plugging along, knowing that she'll eventually "get it," or just supplement with something else, or just abandon it altogether? I love the simplicity of it, and I love that the lessons are short (although with the huffs and puffs and frustrations, DD can make a 15 minute lesson stretch out to 45!). We are at lesson 70ish. I keep telling myself, "Teaching reading is easy..." but it sure doesn't feel that way right now.

 

This is why I think OPGTR moves too fast. It is around this point in the book that a click needs to happen in fluency for the child to continue successfully, because OPGTR introduces a lot of new sounds and long vowels in quick succession. It was way too much for my ds at the same age as your dd. He just got overwhelmed by all the new sounds and there was not enough practice for him to master the short vowel sounds before new rules were introduced.

 

Our solution was to back off for about a year and do a phonics program that just focused on short vowels & short words. We used First Start Reading by Memoria Press, but anything that encourages proficiency with short vowels words & stories would work.

 

Now, a year later the fluency has dramatically improved and ds is working through long vowels and getting it this time. He just needed some time and maturity for it to all come together. My suggestion would just be to find something else to use until short vowels are mastered and then moving on in OPGTR will be easy. Trust me, hindsight is 20/20 ;).

[alpidarkomama]

If they're struggling, they're most likely just not ready and at 5-1/2 there's no reason to forge ahead. I would go sideways (or even backwards) for a while, play some reading games, have some fun with words.

[AngelBee]

If they're struggling, they're most likely just not ready and at 5-1/2 there's no reason to forge ahead. I would go sideways (or even backwards) for a while, play some reading games, have some fun with words.

:iagree:

[ElizabethB]

I would take a break and play some phonics games for a bit. My game is free and fun:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Phonics/concentrationgam.html

 

Also, Mona McNee has some games that are free, scroll down for her games:

 

http://www.catphonics.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/contents.htm

 

You could also try Webster's Speller, the syllables are a nice easy way to work on simple things while building a foundation for 2 to 7 syllable words, here is how I am coming with my 5 year old in Webster's Speller:

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=208407

[TengoFive]

I agree on taking a break. I don't think its the curriculum, its that it hasn't clicked for your child yet. If you back off and play games for a while, I bet she will start reading on her own soon. I usually watch my kids to see when they start trying to sound out signs, etc. by themselves. Once that happens, they respond very well to reading lessons.

[ariasmommy]

Don't be afraid to back up and review - it will help her gain confidence and fluency. My ds got up to a certain point (multi-syllable words) and started struggling. I backtracked quite a bit and reviewed the lessons, and he is doing much better now. Take a few days off to let her read you a "Frog and Toad" or other similar beginning reader for fun. Also, I often stretch a lesson out over two or three days, especially as they get longer.

[lionfamily1999]

We take time off from OPGtTR with ETC (Explode the Code). Luke enjoys those and once he's learned the letter sounds from OPG doing the worksheet pages just enforces it :)

[FO4UR]

Take a break from OPGTR, work sideways and play games.:iagree:

 

 

You could just go back in OPGTR and review using other methods - instead of decoding, you say a sound and have her find the letter magnet on the fridge and/or practice writing that letter...then move to short vowel words. Maybe after going back through in a different way, she'll be ready to move forward. If she can already write the letters easily, maybe Explode the Code Book 1 would serve to fill the gap.

 

 

Happy Phonics is a nice set of games that teach phonics. It really shines when you get to the multi-letter phonograms.

[TXMary2]

We use OPGTR, but not every day. We started using it about a year ago and are on lesson 71. DS does "huffing and puffing" through the lessons that are more than one page, so I take frequent breaks and he reads me easy readers or Bob Books. Plus, we do Explode the Code, 2 pages daily. I also have him read/sound out directions on his other assignments, instead of me always reading them to him. This lets me sneak in reading practice without him realizing he had a reading lesson:D

[twacademy2010]

:lurk5:

[MeganW]

So many people with more experience than me have posted on this forum in the past about not pushing it, so I have just decided to follow that advice. I don't care if they are the last to read - I want them to have each step down solid before we move on.

 

 

 

We use OPGTR, but not every day.

 

Ditto. We do a lesson, and then I write every word I can possibly come up with that follows that pattern/rule on flashcards, and we work those until all my kids know them cold. We sound them out together as a group. When that is easy and obvious, we go around the circle with everyone taking turns sounding out by themselves. When they start eye-rolling b/c "that's SOOOO easy", we go to the next lesson.

[lindsrae]

Thank you for all the good ideas and suggestions. I've just been forging ahead, not knowing anything else to do! I keep waiting for it to "click" with her, but it seems like she knows so few sounds that she can't read anything except the lesson and BOB books (which she doesn't really like). I've tried getting early reader books from the library, but they have such a jumble of words (even in the books claiming to only have short vowel sounds or long "a" with silent "e") that she gets very frustrated in trying to read them. She keeps saying, "I want to read like you do," which I think means "I really want to read effortlessly, but all this work is driving me crazy!" I have a fear of flashcards, thinking I would be utilizing too much "see and say" if I did that, but I suppose if I make them myself using the sounds we have studies, I wouldn't be offending the phonics gods :) :)

[lionfamily1999]

Pbs Kids web site has a free game site that helps reinforce phonics. There are so many free games online (zoodles is another good site). Starfall is also well liked and oft used.

 

There's nothing wrong with taking some time to let it sink in. My son enjoys Explode the Code, because he enjoys workbooks. That has reinforced all of the phonic skill he's learned in OPG. Also, I put a little sticker on the cover of the Bob Book he reads once he's done. Most of them are pretty boring, but he'll read them anyway for another sticker ;)

 

I've stopped getting "Easy Readers" and "Early Readers" from the library for all the same reasons you've mentioned. None of them fit their description.

[boscopup]

First, I just looked at lesson 70, and I think she's in about the right place for a K level student at this point in the year? The easy readers at the library will have more sight words, unfortunately, but you'll get there soon enough. Remember that this book is for K-3rd grade. You're not expected to finish the book in one year. ;)

 

I do agree with backing off or moving sideways or backward for a bit. When my oldest was learning to read, he was just on the verge of reading for such a long time (it seemed like), so I completely stopped trying to teach him to read, and then one day it clicked and he took off reading. It's a developmental leap, not a curriculum leap, IMO. My son needed to just sit there for a bit so he could make that developmental leap.

 

I think you'd be safe to do that, since it sounds like she's doing ok on the K level reading timeline. Some of the blends introduced prior to lesson 70 are not introduced in schools until first grade. It's just a different scope and sequence.

[3peasinapod]

This is why I think OPGTR moves too fast. It is around this point in the book that a click needs to happen in fluency for the child to continue successfully, because OPGTR introduces a lot of new sounds and long vowels in quick succession. It was way too much for my ds at the same age as your dd. He just got overwhelmed by all the new sounds and there was not enough practice for him to master the short vowel sounds before new rules were introduced.

 

Our solution was to back off for about a year and do a phonics program that just focused on short vowels & short words. We used First Start Reading by Memoria Press, but anything that encourages proficiency with short vowels words & stories would work.

 

Now, a year later the fluency has dramatically improved and ds is working through long vowels and getting it this time. He just needed some time and maturity for it to all come together. My suggestion would just be to find something else to use until short vowels are mastered and then moving on in OPGTR will be easy. Trust me, hindsight is 20/20 ;).

 

If they're struggling, they're most likely just not ready and at 5-1/2 there's no reason to forge ahead. I would go sideways (or even backwards) for a while, play some reading games, have some fun with words.

 

:iagree:

 

Definitely. Stop for a while, back up to what he can do and just work on that. Play some games. I would back up for at least a month. Did the same thing with DD1, and I gave her some time and then when we started back up, everything began to click.

[Snowfall]

I didn't read all of the responses, so this might be redundant, but you don't have to complete an entire lesson each day. I haven't used OPGTR, but I imagine it wouldn't be too difficult to split a lesson up over a couple of days. That's what I had to do with Phonics Pathways, even though the lessons are very short. DD is 6.5 and we've been plugging away at PP for at least 18 months, but only just now are we able to complete an entire page in a day. I also second the Progressive Phonics recommendation. DD loved those poems. They are pretty hilarious in a childish way. :)

[MeganW]

I have a fear of flashcards, thinking I would be utilizing too much "see and say" if I did that, but I suppose if I make them myself using the sounds we have studies, I wouldn't be offending the phonics gods :) :)

 

Just don't use them like flashcards. Make her sound them out every time before reading the word. ccccccaaaaaatttttt - cat. When the sounding out and reading it become really fast (like they are only sounding it out to amuse you), consider it learned! :)

[TKDmom]

I didn't read all of the responses, so this might be redundant, but you don't have to complete an entire lesson each day. I haven't used OPGTR, but I imagine it wouldn't be too difficult to split a lesson up over a couple of days.

 

This is what we do. Some of those longer lessons last a week for us. If ds starts getting frustrated, I immediately put a sticky tab in the page and close it up for the next. If I start getting frustrated by his slowness, I suffer through it until the end of the section he's on, then put the sticky tab in place for tomorrow. We're just past lesson 70 and it's a tough place to be with a 5 yo. I'm probably going to pull out our readers from SL 1 and let him work on those for a while. They look more like real books (as opposed to the BOB books), but they stay on short vowel sound forever.

[Jayne J]

We just hit the same wall--dd was not really learning anything, and was actually forgetting what she already knew, because the pace was too fast. We stopped doing new lessons and have added games and review. The Concentration game that ElizabethB created (linked in her post, #7) is wonderful!! (Thanks ElizabethB!!) Because of the way the scoring is set up, dd can play against me and still win, which really bolsters her confidence. We have also started using the whiteboard again. I chose a random lesson from OPGTR (one that we have already covered) and write out word lists or sentences. She reads them out and gets to "flame" (or scribble over in red marker) the word if it is correct. You could of course modify this if your child does not revel in yelling "Flame on!" and scribbling madly.:D We made a fishing game using words on index cards with paper clips attached, and a dowel rod with string and a magnet for a pole. (I think this is actually from OPGTR). She fishes out a word and reads it--if it is correct she keeps it, if incorrect, she throws it back. At the end she gets to trade her "catch of the day" in for a treat. (I use mini marshmallows.) We also do word walks--I write words on index cards and scatter them across the floor, then call out a word to her and she must find it and stand on it. I have made paths using words from a specific group and made trails to follow, complete with "wrong" paths.

 

Since I stopped pushing and started doing review games she has really gained fluency and enjoys reading time. We will go back to OPGTR when she is ready, but take it slow and continue the fun stuff periodically.

[Hedgehogs4]

We had the same experience around that same lesson-ish. My dd and I were both miserable every time we pulled the book out. I felt she needed some context for the things she was reading--there were no story lines, nothing to make her feel interested enough to keep decoding the words. I switched to Pathway Readers first book First Steps which is a Dick and Jane style reader. She loved it, and has finished it and is now on to the next book in the series, called Days Go By. For her, she needed to be able to relate to the things she was reading, and when she does, her fluency is greatly improved. I have decided that I will not abandon OPGTR completely, but will use it to drive the phonics aspect of her reading because it is so systematically organized and thorough. I agree with a pp, however that there is a point where the book moves faster than my dd5 was able to digest.

 

OTOH, another friend of mine has managed to just plug through that book and make it work for her kids, and they are great readers!

[lea1]

I'm teach my two sons together, both 5 yo (9/30/05 & 11/11/05). They basically split the lesson in half. One reads one word and the other reads the next word. One reads one sentence and the other reads the next sentence. We are in the process of building a house so I have not been the most consistent. We do lessons anywhere from 0 to 3 times a week normally.

 

I had concerns that they might not have enough practice, since they are splitting the lesson, or that we might not be consistent enough with skipping days. So far, it seems they are really getting it pretty well.

 

We also use the Phonics Practice Readers from Modern Curriculum Press which follow along with the lessons fairly well. I had already seen the ones from the library and knew they would not work for us so I have been ordering these as we need them and they have really helped. The stories are cute and funny too so the boys really like to read them. I keep the ones they have mastered out. Sometimes they pick them up and read them for fun. I have recently had them each pick one to read at the beginning, which I think will help with fluency. They also normally each read a more challenging one to me at the end of a lesson.

 

ETA: I forgot to mention that my sons balked at the book so I write the words and sentences on index cards. Each word gets a card. As for the sentences, I started by putting one sentence on a card and have ramped it up to basically filling each card with the sentences, trying to make it where it will be somewhat even. When they sound out the word correctly or read the sentence(s) correctly, they get to keep the card. They like collecting them as we go through the lesson. The cards made a huge difference to my sons. They no longer grumbled about the lessons when I quit using the book and started using index cards but they had the same lessons. I just write a small note to myself, if I am suppose to teach something that I think I might forget.

 

So far, this has work really well for us and they have not gotten stuck or forgotten things. I wonder if this is because we have taken it a bit slower, not doing a lesson every day.

Edited January 29, 2011 by Lea in OK

[Little Nyssa]

Just to provide another perspective, because my son is 1 yr older than most of yours-- my DS is 6 1/2 and we started OPGTR in Sept. I had him start after the individual letters were introduced, since he already knew them. Now OPGTR is a breeze. We do 2 or 3 lessons a day, and he LOVES the little "stories" and looks forward to reading them.

Confession: I never do the little activities. I just tell him what we are learning today and then he reads aloud or reads after me. It is really easy for him.

I think it might have been very hard, had I tried to do this a year ago. HTH.

[jeswa]

I would agree that there is no need to stress at this age. However, I did want to share a site that my daughter really enjoyed at 5. The site is http://www.progressivephonics.com and it is free. They have free readers that can either be read online or printed. The readers have words that the child has to read and words for the parents to read.

 

Jes

[OregonNative]

and at 5-1/2 there's no reason to forge ahead.

:iagree: I've often wonder why parents (in general, not the OP) start teaching reading at such a young age.

[StartingOver]

:iagree: I've often wonder why parents (in general, not the OP) start teaching reading at such a young age.

 

 

I am sure you could search and get tons of answers. Some children take to it like water, and beg for more. Some don't. Each child is an individual !

[StartingOver]

We have finished OPGTR, we stopped frequently to read, read, read for fluency. We also play Elizabeth's Concentration game regularly. Then we do a few more lessons, and so on. Sometimes it is a maturity issue. Have fun with it, if it is a chore take a break. It is a marathon, not a race. ;-)

[alpidarkomama]

I'm teach my two sons together, both 5 yo (9/30/05 & 11/11/05). They basically split the lesson in half. One reads one word and the other reads the next word. SNIP

 

That's what I've been doing with my 5-1/2-year-old, only I split it between us. I also only do one PAGE per day, and since many lessons are 2 days, we make it into 2 lessons. He's happy. I think it's great to start early IF they're happy doing, but when it's a struggle, it's usually just too early or too fast...

[NicA]

My dd started asking to learn to read when she was 3, but I put it off until she was 4. We started with L27 in OPG since she already knew her letter sounds, but I quickly saw that this book was not for her. Whenever I pulled out the book she acted like someone was torturing her. We just stopped for awhile, but she was still asking to learn to read. I started using Hooked on Phonics, and there was a huge difference. She is reading quite well, and there are no more tantrums when I get the book out. :001_smile: I definitely wouldn't have started so young if she wasn't asking, but I think younger children need something a little more exciting than OPG. IMO!

[Smithie]

Another Hooked on Phonics fan here. My son would quite literally cry when the OPGTR came out, but with the HOP kindy level it was all fun and games. (This was the year he was 4.)

 

One of the first questions I ever asked on this forum was "Can I teach my child to read without using the OPGTR?" This thread really takes me back. :lol: