teaching reading SWR??

[lettucepatchkids]

How?

 

I'm really struggling with this. I love and agree with the theory behind SWR (Spalding/OG) I just struggle with implementing SWR. I'm trying to use it with my 1st grader, we mainly just work on the phonograms cards and spelling lists. It feels so dry. My younger DD (almost 5) is asking me to teach her how to read.

 

With my older DD we started using 100EZ lessons, hated it, stopped and moved on to MFW K. But had just picked up her letter sounds naturally without me "teaching" them to her. I didn't really like the way MFW taught reading and my DD was very frustrated with the short vowels only (she KNEW that the A said other sounds) we started doing SWR phonogram cards through our coop and her reading EXPLODED. So I became a believer in the method. But like I said now I'm struggling with the daily implementation and how to start the program with a non reader. I know the book has a schedule for teaching it, but it's so fast paced and i don't know, dry. My DD is not retaining the letter sounds when we go over the phonograms. And the though of having to plan ALL these enrichment games/activities on my own... as I'm schooling a 1st grader and taking care of a baby (let alone the other things going on in our life) makes me wanna run and hide

 

Any tips? Or is there anther Spalding/OG programs that teach reading that are more open and go?

[Ellie]

Well, neither Spalding nor SWR will "work" if you're not following the instructions, KWIM?

 

Define "working on" the phonograms and the spelling list.

 

I still get chilly bumps when I read through Spalding's manual (WRTR), and wish I had more dc to teach with it. I'm such a Spalding geek. :D

[lettucepatchkids]

We're loosely following the schedule in the back of the book.

With my older DD, basically I go over the phonogram cards, then we do the spelling dictation and mark ups. I do drop it a lot cause it feels so dry to me... so we are moving at a snail's pace.

With my younger DD (the one who is not reading yet) I've been showing her the phonogram cards and having her say them back (we've only done like 10 letters so far) and then having her write the letters in the saltbox, dry erase board, paper, etc. She is just not retaining them. And I'm having trouble seeing the bigger picture of how I'll move from "here are the letters and their sounds" to actually spelling to reading. I think the blending sounds is just so etched in my head I'm having trouble seeing how it will look w/ SWR, kwim?

[Ellie]

We're loosely following the schedule in the back of the book.

 

With my older DD, basically I go over the phonogram cards, then we do the spelling dictation and mark ups. I do drop it a lot cause it feels so dry to me... so we are moving at a snail's pace.

Ok, I'm sure some SWR experts will be here soon :-) but when you say you "go over" the phonograms, are dictating them and also "flashing" them? I think SWR does both--Spalding does. Don't underestimate how important that is.

 

By "drop it a lot," do you mean you don't do it very often? or that you're not doing some of the steps? In either case, that's going to be part of why you're not seeing results. And that would be true of any method: you have to do anything faithfully to see results.

 

 

With my younger DD (the one who is not reading yet) I've been showing her the phonogram cards and having her say them back (we've only done like 10 letters so far) and then having her write the letters in the saltbox, dry erase board, paper, etc. She is just not retaining them.

 

Well, she's not yet 5. I'm thinking that's the biggest thing. :-)

 

And I'm having trouble seeing the bigger picture of how I'll move from "here are the letters and their sounds" to actually spelling to reading. I think the blending sounds is just so etched in my head I'm having trouble seeing how it will look w/ SWR, kwim?

You'd see how it will look w/SWR if you actually follow the method. :D

 

Do I sound like a broken record? Good. :D Because over the years, people have said to me, "We tried Spalding and it just didn't work." But when I questioned them about what they were actually doing, it turned out that no, they weren't actually doing Spalding. Of course it wasn't "working." I'm sure SWR is the same way.

 

But you know, millions of children learn to read with methods other than Spalding and SWR. If you don't want to do it, don't do it. Do something else. But if you want to make SWR work for you, then you absolutely need to read the book and do it that way. And don't worry about "blending." Spalding and SWR (and Phonics Road) don't focus on "blending." Let it go, lol.

[Aloha2U]

You'd see how it will look w/SWR if you actually follow the method. :D

 

Do I sound like a broken record? Good. :D Because over the years, people have said to me, "We tried Spalding and it just didn't work." But when I questioned them about what they were actually doing, it turned out that no, they weren't actually doing Spalding. Of course it wasn't "working." I'm sure SWR is the same way.

 

But you know, millions of children learn to read with methods other than Spalding and SWR. If you don't want to do it, don't do it. Do something else. But if you want to make SWR work for you, then you absolutely need to read the book and do it that way. And don't worry about "blending." Spalding and SWR (and Phonics Road) don't focus on "blending." Let it go, lol.

 

:iagree: Consistency is the key here.

 

I've used SWR with my little man from the very beginning, no other phonics/spelling/reading program, and for us... it was well worth the effort and wait. I mention the wait, because it's not a "get 'em reading as fast as you can" type program. If you're looking for immediate results, then SWR may not be for you. That said, my little man was one of those kids for whom, after plugging away at our normal SWR routine, it just clicked and he has been off like a shot ever since - no looking back. (On a side note, I had him do Sonlight's online reading assessment the other day and he passed through the whole thing... which is somewhere around a 6th/7th(?) grade reading level. I'm not trying to boast, just share our successful experience with SWR.)

 

I will say that I didn't necessarily follow the schedule in the back of the book. I made our own daily lesson plans. You're welcome to check them out (links in my blog, under each grade level's Week-at-a-Glance). Also, Dinsfamily (Taira) created her own SWR schedules that you may be interested in taking a look at, too. The links can be found on her blog... What Are We Learning?.

 

HTH!

 

:001_smile: Melissa

 

ETA: Have you attended a SWR training seminar? I highly recommend a 2-Day Basic Seminar, but if that's not possible for you... then my next recommendation would be their new Hidden Secrets to Language Arts Sucess DVD.

Edited April 4, 2011 by CMama

[Hunter]

I just purchased the curriculum for myself as my big purchase this month. Are you at the Yahoo group?

 

My main curriculum, Students of the Word requires studying phonics for spelling and vocabulary all the way through grade 12, so I decided to really buckle down and tackle this. Also the spell check on my iPad is buggy, and it just tells me what is wrong, but not how to fix it :-( I have been confronted on just how bad my spelling is!

[lettucepatchkids]

how I go over phonograms varies, sometimes I hold it up say the sounds and she repeats, other times I quiz her by holding up the cards and having her dictate the sounds, other times I'll say the sounds and have her write the letters. am I doing that right?

 

When I said I drop it a lot is that I just cut the whole SWR from my schedule often. It's just the first thing to go since I don't fully grasp it kwim?

 

So my younger DD is probably not ready to really work through the phonograms. She really wants to write. Maybe I'll just work on letter formation while mentioning (not quizzing- no pressure) the letter sounds. Basically BACK OFF lol.

 

so use the program more, use the program more and use the program more lol

Oh and I'm not WANTING blending... I just am having a hard time grasping how it looks to start reading with SWR without the blending.

 

CMama-

yes my older DD was the same way... something just CLICKED with her after learning the phonograms in coop, her reading exploded, she's 6.5 now and reading at a pretty high level aswell. That said I have always recognized that DD #2 will be a later reader, she is just not as interested as DD#1 (who was begging me to teach her to read when she was 2.5) Sometimes I think I just need to remind myself that she is a different kid and it's OK if she is not reading by 5,6 (or 7)

Thank you so much for the schedule links! I need to poke around there and the message board a bit more. I get tempted by other programs that are more open and go, since there is such a learning curve w/ SWR. But with that learning curve you get such a deep program.

 

I was not able to attend the seminar last summer (there are a bunch of moms at my church that use SWR) I (blush) forgot I bought the "You can do it" DVD a while ago... I need to watch that!