How did you use McGuffey readers?

[mom2denj]

I just recently purchased these and I am wondering how did you use these in your homeschool? Did you use these as your main reading program or L/A? What ages did you use which books? Did you coordinate anything else with these? Thanks for your help! =)

[ThatCyndiGirl]

I was given a beautiful set of McGuffey readers, a boxed set. After flipping through it, though and having my oldest (who was a beginning reader at the time) look at it, we opted for newer materials. The readers are VERY boring and not visually interesting. I gave the beautiful boxed set away to a teacher who loves them. win/win.

[ElizabethB]

I do not personally use them.

 

I like the 1879 series for my remedial students, it is a good graded series of readers that is easy for moms to use at home. And, getting the tough words out of the way at first makes the story more enjoyable for struggling students.

[proudmamma]

I love these books. I had my kids read them to me for oral reading practice. This is what I did with them:

 

1. I had them read the word list at the end of the story 2x outloud

2. Next I had them read each numbered paragraph 2x outloud

3. Last I had them read the entire story all the way through

 

Susan Wise Bauer recommends something similar in the WTM book.

 

Best of luck.

[just Jenny]

I also bought the boxed set. I really like them, but also seem to fall back on other things that are more open and go.

 

I have used them a little with my son to do spelling tests with him and for him to practice reading.

 

I hope to get better organized and find a way to incorporate them more.

 

If you have any ideas, I would like to hear them, feel free to PM me. :)

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

I looked into linning up the McGuffrey's readers with Hooked on Phonics and with the Bob Books as well as OPGTR and they don't. McGuffrey's isn't as systematic as OPGTR and introduces some long vowels before some of the short vowels. So either they would read it first in the MG, without learning the lesson in order with OPGTR, or you have to wait until after all the vowel lessons in OPGTR, in which case they might be bored with it. Or it could be good review.

[FO4UR]

I have been using them for reading practice for my 8yo. He benefits from reading/spelling the new words before reading the story. His fluency is improving big-time, and we are at lesson 20 in the 1st reader (we started with the Primer). I have him read 2 review and 1 new daily. We read any new words first, spelling them orally (and with pencil if he has a hint of struggle).

 

He is also working with phonograms, doing Apples & Pears spelling, and handwriting practice daily (sometimes this is taken from McGuffey lessons)...so McGuffey isn't our sole LA program. We will likely drop McGuffey as soon as he can handle some other books on our shelves for his reading-to-mom practice.