7 year old not reading

[Aggiemom03]

My DS just turned 7. We will be doing 1st grade this year. He is very intelligent, and loves stories and imagination. Loves being read to and listening to audiobooks (he has listened to tons this year: Swiss Family Robsinson, The Secret Garden, The Adventures of Robin Hood and so many more I can't even keep track of it all now)

 

As far as curriculum and mechanics, for Kinder we did a combination of Hooked on phonics, site words, and simple phonetic readers, including some of the BOB books. He knows all his phonics, he generally likes making sentences with the site words. He can spell most of his site words from memory...

 

But he HATES reading. He throws a fit everytime I ask him to read a book or even sound out a word or two from a book we are reading. If I get something easy enough for him to not struggle too much to read it, then he has it memorized after 2 tries and doesn't have to read anymore. Anything harder = extreme frustration.

 

I'm not terribly worried about him, I think he'll start reading when he's ready, but I'm not sure what to do as I plan our year. Do we just read together a lot, and don't push him to read? Do I do the Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading? Something else?

 

I think he gets bored with repetition. I want to challenge him, but I also want him to love reading, so I don't want to frustrate him so much that he never wants to try reading.

 

Any suggestions?

[farmwife]

You sound like me two years ago. I used OPGTR and it was a total bomb with him. What I used that seemed to help was Spell to Write and Read and finding books that interested him. He responded really well to books like Frog & Toad and some cowboy books.

 

He is now nearly 9 and reading is still not his favorite activity but we do it every day and he is becoming proficient in it....finally.

 

Steady plodding....he will get it. ;)

[nmoira]

What level are the books he can read with ease? I'd try provide high-interest series rather than ask him read the same book more than once.

[RahRah]

If you've finished a phonics program, maybe consider All About Spelling? My DS is going to be seven in a couple of weeks and it sounds like he and your son are at about the same level for reading. DS was loathe to do his phonics, AAS though, he asks to do it, go figure? Since we started, his reading has been steadily improving and we're (finally) moving on to leveled readers (instead of the phonics based readers). Slow and steady - patience - it takes time.

[Aggiemom03]

What level are the books he can read with ease? I'd try provide high-interest series rather than ask him read the same book more than once.

 

Mainly phonics-based readers is what he can read (and I wouldn't really say with "ease", though sometimes it is)

 

If I get high-interest books he can't read most of the words, and it's a battle when I ask him to. Basically he wants me to read to him. How much do I push him to read? I don't want him to hate it!

[Aggiemom03]

You sound like me two years ago. I used OPGTR and it was a total bomb with him. What I used that seemed to help was Spell to Write and Read and finding books that interested him. He responded really well to books like Frog & Toad and some cowboy books.

 

He is now nearly 9 and reading is still not his favorite activity but we do it every day and he is becoming proficient in it....finally.

 

Steady plodding....he will get it. ;)

 

 

Thanks! I will look into Spell to Write and Read. He loves Frog and Toad...

[RahRah]

Mainly phonics-based readers is what he can read (and I wouldn't really say with "ease", though sometimes it is)

 

If I get high-interest books he can't read most of the words, and it's a battle when I ask him to. Basically he wants me to read to him. How much do I push him to read? I don't want him to hate it!

 

If doing the phonetically controlled books are generally easier for him than simple leveled readers which are all over the place phonetically, it sounds like he may need more work with blends and such, to be able to decode the words he's working on sounding out.

 

One of the phonetically controlled series DS loved was by Nora Gaydos - each level is progressively more difficult within the level, with each level building upon what should be rote by the time you move forward, just limited review starting in the next level, then progressively more difficult through the next level. They're colorful and fun books - there are ten small books in each set and each level has a few sets (except level 3). These may give him the type of practice, practice, practice he might need right now to gain fluency and confidence. They definitely helped a lot with DS when he was struggling.

 

Also there is a series (same author) called Read It, Write It, Draw It - same approach to levels and being phonetically controlled.....DS really enjoyed these - we did one from level 1 since I wasn't sure if it would be difficult or not, all the level 2's and are working on the level 3's now. DS seems to like them - your child reads the story first, then the next section involves writing the words, and the last creating pictures to go with the story. Lots of reinforcement and practice.

 

One thing I also did with DS was to get the paper that is half blank, half writing.....I'd write a couple of sentences out, he'd read it to me, then he'd write it (copy work) and once that was done, he'd get to draw a picture to go with the sentences. Over time, this has progressed to him now making up sentences and doing pictures to go with his sentences - great for writing practice, but it's also reading practice that isn't "books". He gets to create his sentences from a "word bank" I provide for the day's work, so there is some control to what we're working on, but I've been making it progressively harder as we've continued with this. DS likes to look back and re-read many of his pages from the past few months because he likes to create and do art work....so this helped tie reading to something he really likes!

 

I've also used the Usbourne readers - they aren't phonetically controlled, but they're fun and colorful, with the words in each not too difficult when it's practice you're after and not progression. I had to keep in mind with DS that practice toward fluency WAS progression, because over time his reading speed and fluency picked up and going to harder words and sentences then could happen.

 

We practiced intently for months - every single day, even weekends - not for long periods of time....15-30 minutes (depending on what we were doing) and slowly but surely his fluency was building and so was his confidence. I think part of DS's struggle was that other subjects come very easily to him and reading didn't - it took work and lots of it and that frustrated him, so it was easier to not want to do it than to do it and work at it.

 

Now we've moved onto AAS and are finishing up level 1....we'll then dig into level 2 and I'm hoping we'll be able to get through it and level 3 this year. We still read something, every single day - him aloud to me - for at least 10-minutes, if not longer. He still needs the practice and he still needs to be doing it out loud - we'll keep doing this until I feel he's good to go on his own with some level 2 readers and we'll discuss afterward so I can make sure he's really reading and comprehending - but I think that's still some months away, but who knows?

Edited August 3, 2011 by RahRah

[Ellie]

Well, I wouldn't ask him to read aloud. I especially wouldn't ask him to do it when you're reading a good book to him. That time should be a warm-fuzzy, mommy-child time.

 

I suspect he needs more explicit phonics, less dependency on sight words. SWR is good. I would do that *only* and drop anything else (although of course, you would continue reading good books aloud to him).

[butterflymommy]

I have a daughter who did not read well/ fluently until she was 10. It was very scary for me. DD is not dyslexic.

 

We did phonics with her from age 4. We kept at the phonics even though she wasn't reading. Eventually she got to the point where she could "read" but she didn't know what she was reading. She could sound out the words but she didn't know what she was saying, while she read it.

 

I don't regret keeping up with the phonics (we were using 100 Easy Lesson even when she was in 3rd and 4th grade) because once it "clicked" for her, she had a very strong phonics basis, which helped her.

[RahRah]

 

As far as curriculum and mechanics, for Kinder we did a combination of Hooked on phonics, site words, and simple phonetic readers, including some of the BOB books. He knows all his phonics, he generally likes making sentences with the site words. He can spell most of his site words from memory...

 

 

 

I just noticed this - did you do just the K level with HOP? I ask because if you did only the K kit, there are a lot more phonics to do - there are first grade and second grade kits too (or all in one big kit)! And even those miss a good number of blends, which is why while we still did continue with HOP DVD"s and such, we switched to Horizon's Phonics, which IMO is/was a much deeper program for phonics instruction.

[Julie Kirkwood]

Similar situation here. What worked for him was switching from OPGTR to Progressive Phonics (free, on line program of silly stories). We also got him an email account and a pen pal, plus sent his email address to family members. He loves to get email and reads them all himself. :) He doesn't know this counts as reading so he doesn't protest. Hee hee. :tongue_smilie: He also likes the Mo Willems books so we get a couple of those each week from the library.

 

Will your son do Starfall? My daughter uses that a lot and I was surprised the other day by what she was picking up with reading just fooling around on her own on this website.

[~Kirsten~]

I suspect he needs more explicit phonics, less dependency on sight words. SWR is good. I would do that *only* and drop anything else (although of course, you would continue reading good books aloud to him).

 

:iagree: I don't know a program that is "finished" in K. There is a lot of work to decoding, and I agree with Ellie--he probably needs some more guidance. I'm a huge, huge fan of OPG. No, it won't be "fun." I schedule it as "work," and we do lots of other fun reading during the day. Also, at the competition of a page (or a section, or a lesson, depending on the day), I give M&Ms, chocolate chips, marshmallows, something. But that's the only reading I expect of the learner until we're finished with OPG.

 

Okay, that's not entirely true. My 5-year-old is just now working in OPG on the section that deals with long vowel sounds and silent e. Occasionally, I'll point out words on cereal boxes or signs or possibly in a book we've read a million times (that yes, she has memorized) and ask her to read it. This is to help illustrate that she is able to read! So it's a boost rather than a requirement, if that makes sense.

 

Also, I should state that I'm very opposed to sight words. :D So that also sways my recommendation toward OPG. I know a lot of people really hate it, and I do get that. SWR comes up frequently, as does 100EZ, so those are definite alternatives. The biggest problem with OPG is, because the child is learning to decode almost exclusively phonetically, the easy readers like Frog and Toad aren't possible. Most easy readers rely a lot on sight words, or on more difficult phonetic rules that are taught much later in OPG than in other programs. I'm okay with that because we are reading every day in the lesson book, and then I'm reading to her. But that can be an issue, too. Of course, by the time you cover those rules, your child will be vastly more confident, and by the end of OPG, will have learned (virtually) all the phonetic rules there are and will be able to read anything, as far as decoding the words (not as far as definition or content, obviously).

 

HTH!

[FO4UR]

Do a search through my posts. LOL

 

That sounds a lot like my ds8. SWR was a big flop for him b/c his issues with reading are visual in nature. He needs visual PRACTICE decoding, even phonics patterns he's known since kindy.

 

Dancing Bears is a great program...nevermind the odd little stories...

[SkateLeft]

You've gotten some good advice here.

 

But honestly, some kids just need a little more time and a little more explicit instruction. 7 is still young.

 

My ds struggled with learning to read, and I eventually figured out that he could read well enough to himself, but got tongue-tied trying to read out loud. It's only been within the last year that he's really taken off reading. Now he stays up into the wee hours of the night reading, and I no longer have to cajole him into it. (I have the opposite problem now!) He doesn't have a learning disability, but just needed a little extra time and maturity.

 

I'd keep phonics instruction separate from the warm, fuzzy read-aloud time.

 

And I don't know if anyone else has linked it yet, but ElizabethB from these forums has some wonderful information and resources on her website here. I found her info very helpful in targeting some of my son's weak spots.

[ByGrace3]

Thanks! I will look into Spell to Write and Read. He loves Frog and Toad...

 

He is starting first and reading Frog and Toad? I would think that is doing pretty well actually. My dd is reading Frog and Toad and other books like it and those are the second grade readers from Sonlight.

I would definitely agree with those that have said to continue with phonics though, there is still plenty to do! Either the next year of HOP or OPGTR???

[nmoira]

Mainly phonics-based readers is what he can read (and I wouldn't really say with "ease", though sometimes it is)

 

If I get high-interest books he can't read most of the words, and it's a battle when I ask him to. Basically he wants me to read to him. How much do I push him to read? I don't want him to hate it!

You don't. Practice phonics, use some more phonics readers, repeat, repeat, repeat. Eventually it will click. If you want to instill a love of reading, continue to read him wonderful stories. :)

 

If he's resistant to repetition, vary the source material. I used Phonics Pathways and Reading Pathways with DD the Younger (almost done!), but supplemented with lists from Blend Phonics and Webster's Speller on a whiteboard to shake things up a bit. We didn't use them, but the Nora Gaydos books look great as well.

 

When his phonics is a bit stronger, then start including books in your daily reading. Some series DD the Younger enjoyed:

 

Chicken Says, "Cluck!" and other "My First I Can Read" books (there are tons of these)

Elephant and Piggie by Mo Willems

Mr. Putter & Tabby by Cynthia Rylant

Poppleton by Cynthia Rylant

Duck & Company and other Holiday House readers

Get Well, Good Knight and other "Good Knight" books by Shelley Moore Thomas

Upstairs Mouse & Downstairs Mole series by Wong Herbert Yee

Oliver and Amanda Pig series by Jean Van Leeuwen

Dodsworth and others by Tim Egan

Mercy Watson series by Kate DiCamillo

Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same! by Grace Lin (this isn't a series, but was a big favourite)

The Cat on the Mat Is Flat and The Big Fat Cow That Goes Kapow by Andy Griffiths

[wtrmlnlabs]

Not that I'd say it'll work, but when DS started throwing fits about reading (at about 7) the best advice I got was STOP. My nieces are home schooled and twice the age of my boys so I look to my sister a lot and she said their little minds just need time to process sometimes. I stopped asking him to read anything for at least a month, I think it was actually two months. Then I noticed that he was starting to read everything he saw, street signs, toy magazines that came in the mail, just about anything he saw he'd read (or try to). Then I started working with him reading again and it went smoothly.

Good luck, I understand how frustrating it can be! :001_smile:

[elevee]

You sound like me now! I asked a very similar question just last week. I got looking around and found this blog which I found extremely helpful and encouraging http://applestars.homeschooljournal.net/an-introduction-to-the-creative-right-brained-learner/. She says that the right brain learner isnt ready to BEGIN to read until 8-10 years old.

 

Somebody clued me into this list of characteristic signs of dyslexia, of which my son has a few, so I ordered The Gift of Dylexia (http://www.amazon.com/Gift-Dyslexia-Revised-Expanded-Read/dp/0399535667/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312424659&sr=8-1) and am looking into Right Brain Phonocs by Diane Craft. What all these things have in common is the beleif that some kids just learn and percieve differently, and need to be taught differently. I've been doing Spell to Write and Read and Spalding Method type stuff along with Learning Lanuage Arts through Literature, and it just seems like more of the same is not what we need. Time to revamp!

[Critterfixer]

I've got two that are 7, both boys, and one with some reading struggles. But even the one that doesn't struggle still finds readers a challenge. There is something about reading a book that seems to trigger a perfectionist bent in him. If he can't get it right the first time, then he just won't try, so there! (Oddly enough, the twin who struggles is perfectly happy to tackle a word he's not confident in, I suspect because he knows that if he can figure it out, piece at a time, he'll get there in the end.)

 

One thing I have done, aside from ditching OPTGR (except as a source for flashcards--and I don't even use those anymore) was to start using Webster's Speller and Word Mastery for phonics and reading practice. I like using the word lists in Word Mastery. They are not stories, just words, where my sons can practice their decoding without the added problem of trying to keep a full sentence in their heads.

For sentence practice I do use a reader (we've got the McGuffey series) and we work through a lesson together, so that I can show them that when we find an unfamiliar word, that there are phonetic ways to deal with it. I also insist that we work through Grammar lessons together and they take turns reading the sentences. I help them read their math instructions, instead of just reading them for them.

Seems to be working for us. After a good two years of not making headway they finally seem to be getting it. That could very well be developmental, but at least now I get an argument about who gets to read first, instead of tears.

[Mom-ninja.]

He needs more instruction. Several good programs have been suggested. OPG, SWR, Dancing Bears, Phonics Road, and I'll suggest ABeCeDarian.

 

AAS is great as well.

 

My boys here also loved Nora Gaydos readers, and Arnold Lobel books. Once he can read those my boys loved Nate the Great.

 

However, until he has had more instruction just continue to read to him.

[EmilyGF]

Get eyes checked. Maybe vision therapy is needed if his eyes are OK. Maybe he isn't ready - but check for these treatable, physical problems.

 

My MIL, a reading teacher, didn't figure out until late in 2nd grade that my hubby couldn't read because he couldn't see. He was really on top of getting our kids tested and, it turns out, our 4-year-old is basically blind without glasses.

 

Emily

[Nikki -TX-]

My oldest told me when he was 6-7 that he hated reading. It shook me up! But he's still young. Some may have already suggested what we did:

 

• Had a lot of "EASY" books (picture books from the library) around the house (favs- Virginia Lee Burton, Alice and Martin Provenson). Also some easy kids magazines (Clubhouse Jr., Ranger Rick, etc.)
  
• Took turns reading a page aloud together
  
• Didn't push too hard. Gave him time to mature and gain confidence.
  

My son now reads constantly. Granted, he still prefers books with illustrations, but he is reading C.S. Lewis and others on his own.

 

Now if my daughter (who just turned 8) would pick up a book on her own! I have to bargain with her - - she can only get as much "screen time" as she has spent reading that day. :)

[LittleIzumi]

Get eyes checked. Maybe vision therapy is needed if his eyes are OK. Maybe he isn't ready - but check for these treatable, physical problems.

 

My MIL, a reading teacher, didn't figure out until late in 2nd grade that my hubby couldn't read because he couldn't see. He was really on top of getting our kids tested and, it turns out, our 4-year-old is basically blind without glasses.

 

Emily

 

It's definitely something to consider. Dd would freak out at reading like you describe and she is now in vision therapy.

[Rebookie]

He'll get it! Just give him time! Boys are a bit slower in the reading dept anyway. PLUS he only just got out of kindy!

 

Try not to stress too hard. =)

[LillyMama]

Add me to the "my son, too" group. I would second (third, fifth?) the AAS recommendation- the tactile proponent keeps my son interested. Also, we just started Explode the Code online. My son gets amazing scores on there- it's all games. He doesn't even realize he's reading. He played the games for three days and for the first time picked up a BOB book and realized he can read it.

[ErinD]

Second (third?)ing the eye checking suggestion.

 

My daughter was way ahead in everything else at age 6, but reading caused her major problems and I got frustrated because I thought she was just being stubborn. Then one night I found her in bed looking at a book, with a magnifying glass, from about 6 inches away and reading aloud! We got her very strong prescription glasses the next day after having her eyes tested.

 

Of course, a couple of years later we discovered that she's also dyslexic, but despite that she is now reading about a year above grade level.

[Sahamamama]

Well, I wouldn't ask him to read aloud. I especially wouldn't ask him to do it when you're reading a good book to him. That time should be a warm-fuzzy, mommy-child time.

 

I suspect he needs more explicit phonics, less dependency on sight words. SWR is good. I would do that *only* and drop anything else (although of course, you would continue reading good books aloud to him).

 

:iagree: I would keep snuggly read aloud time with you separate from "here, read this" moments. Just when he starts to relax into the read aloud, he's supposed to work. I would fight that, too, if I were a seven year old boy. ;)

 

All About Spelling teaches explicit phonics, and I would use it (or something similar) even for a student who reads well.

 

I agree with Ellie about the dependency on sight words; try to move away from that approach as much as possible. OhElizabeth has some articles and resources on teaching reading that are excellent (and we have utilized her approach). Let me try to track these down.

 

Edited to add: I don't see her blog information in her sig line now. Perhaps you could pm her. ?? Sorry not to be of more help.

Edited August 4, 2011 by Sahamamama

[Aggiemom03]

I just noticed this - did you do just the K level with HOP? I ask because if you did only the K kit, there are a lot more phonics to do - there are first grade and second grade kits too (or all in one big kit)! And even those miss a good number of blends, which is why while we still did continue with HOP DVD"s and such, we switched to Horizon's Phonics, which IMO is/was a much deeper program for phonics instruction.

 

We did HOP level 1 (it's an old cassette style, so I don't know how it corresponds to a new DVD version). We didn't finish it either, because he was too frustrated I took a break and did different things.

 

He definitely doesn't know all his phonics and needs more there. I just didn't know how to best move forward because he isn't confident/fluent in what we have covered so far.

[CarenM]

He will get there, don't get discouraged

[Aggiemom03]

He is starting first and reading Frog and Toad? I would think that is doing pretty well actually.

 

 

No, not reading frog and toad, he just loves the stories :-)

Edited August 4, 2011 by Aggiemom03

[Aggiemom03]

I've been doing Spell to Write and Read and Spalding Method type stuff along with Learning Lanuage Arts through Literature, and it just seems like more of the same is not what we need. Time to revamp!

 

So SWR and the Spalding Method were not helping, and hopefully Right Brain Phonocs will?

[Aggiemom03]

:iagree: I would keep snuggly read aloud time with you separate from "here, read this" moments. Just when he starts to relax into the read aloud, he's supposed to work. I would fight that, too, if I were a seven year old boy. ;)

 

All About Spelling teaches explicit phonics, and I would use it (or something similar) even for a student who reads well.

 

I agree with Ellie about the dependency on sight words; try to move away from that approach as much as possible.

 

 

We read lots and lots of books, without any attempt at reading; I definitely don't want to ruin that time :-)

 

I would not say he is dependent on sight words, and we focus much more on phonics. Basically he likes the flash cards, and then we sound out the words.

 

I'm not worried or stressed either, I just think I need a new approach for teaching phonics!

 

So AAS and OPG would be the main two teaching explicit phonics?

Edited August 4, 2011 by Aggiemom03

[abbeyej]

First thing: get hist eyes checked. Vision problems are such an easy thing to rule out (or treat), and *if* that's an issue, it could make a huge difference for both of you.

 

If you find out it's not an issue, then just continue as you've been doing: lots of wonderful snuggle-on-the-couch read-aloud together time with great, challenging books that he loves listening to, *and* 15-20 minutes of daily phonics practice with a solid program (like OPGTR or Phonics Pathways, etc).

[RahRah]

We did HOP level 1 (it's an old cassette style, so I don't know how it corresponds to a new DVD version). We didn't finish it either, because he was too frustrated I took a break and did different things.

 

He definitely doesn't know all his phonics and needs more there. I just didn't know how to best move forward because he isn't confident/fluent in what we have covered so far.

 

If it helps, I've BTDT....I've switched phonics programs a number of times, in an effort to find the one that would help DS. Now, I do not suggest switching a ton of times - that did lead to us taking longer to get where we are now!

 

But - my honest opinion, HOP is lacking compared to a lot of other programs out there - it was the first one I started with and we did continue with pieces of it since DS liked the DVD's.....but could I recommend it as a base program? Honestly, no. Even the new version which I used (my sister used the version you used so I know what you're talking about).

 

What's going to work is really going to depend on your son's learning style and how intensively you want to be doing the phonics each day.

 

Here is what I've been through:

 

HOP - wasn't getting anywhere quickly, DS did not like it and was likely not really totally ready to be focusing on phonics at the point I was doing it with him.

 

Saxon Phonics - looked good, so I picked it up and we started that - DS hated, hated, hated it and it didn't seem to be doing much, plus was very tedious on a daily basis.

 

OPGTR - we have used this and I still refer to it as we're doing various phonics rules, but to sit with the book and do it daily, that would drive DS nuts, totally not his style.

 

Spell to Write and Read - got it, looked through it, sold it....pretty much knew it wasn't going to work for DS.

 

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons....thought it sounded great, bought it, looked through it and nope, this wasn't going to be it either.

 

Horizons Phonics - this is the one we ultimately settled in with, that DS likes and isn't running for the hills when I take the book out. It's colorful and the lessons are fairly quick each day and it progresses along at a pace DS could manage...he's a very visual kid and the color in the books is definitely a plus for us!

 

What I did when we finally settled on Horizons - I totally wiped the slate clean as to what we did and started all over again.

 

We'd taken a break from the phonics and reading, so I started with K, again. We worked quickly through the K workbooks and did NOT do the K readers that accompany the workbooks. We did very little reading of phonics readers during this "review" period....this helped DS, I think, by easing us back into getting him on track for reading.

 

For a short period we tried ETC online and Click N Read online - both are okay, but just didn't really didn't do much for DS.

 

We then moved on to the first grade books and slowed down the pace a bit.

 

I spent hours and hours going through all the phonetically controlled readers I've purchased - Nora Gaydos, Bob Books, Starfall Readers, the books that came with HOP, the books that accompany Horizons (which incidentally are NOT phonetically controlled), etc. and figured out exactly when each book I had would apply to a lesson we were doing - made my list and used those books at each point they were relevant to the lesson we were working on.

 

All through the first grade books (there are two of them), we would do the lesson and then he'd practice by reading the books that lined up with the lessons. We'd do sentences I'd made up and he'd draw his pictures. He's ask to watch the HOP DVD's now and then and we would - they're cute - but I didn't worry if they aligned with what we did, whatever the lesson was, it was reinforcement of something we did or we'd do at some point.

 

And then one day, somewhere in the middle of the second first grade book, I realized DS was reading much, much better - improved speed, much more fluency, sounding out words he hadn't seen before with much more ease....and he was reading other things, like signs and things on the TV or the back of packages.

 

For DS it took lots and lots of practice, slow and methodical, step-by-step, one at a time, lather, rinse, repeat....praise....challenge a bit....drop back to what is easy.....praise....practice, practice, practice. And slowly but surely, he's getting it. He is still not a fluent reader, but we've now moved to leveled readers that are not phonetically controlled and it took months and months of practice of seemingly simple reading to get here. I still use some phonetically controlled material with him (Nora Gaydos Level 3 Read It, Write It, Draw It) to give him confidence boosters in with the more difficult reading practice he is working on.

 

I started the whole teaching phonics to DS totally clueless, I made a lot of mistakes a long the way, so I'm not at all claiming I know what I'm doing....I don't....but maybe starting again, pacing through what he knows fairly quickly, and then taking it slowly as he's learning the new phonics rules and such might help?

[i.love.lucy]

OhElizabeth has some articles and resources on teaching reading that are excellent (and we have utilized her approach). Let me try to track these down.

 

Edited to add: I don't see her blog information in her sig line now. Perhaps you could pm her. ?? Sorry not to be of more help.

Do you mean ElizabethB? Here's her web site with some awesome tips and links. Here's a great thread with daily lesson plans using Webster. I am having good luck with it with my almost 7yo boy.

[Aggiemom03]

First thing: get hist eyes checked. Vision problems are such an easy thing to rule out (or treat), and *if* that's an issue, it could make a huge difference for both of you.

 

I difinitely will get his eyes checked. I've been meaning to for a while :glare:

[Aggiemom03]

Thanks RahRah!

[debbielong]

sorry - don't have time to read all the replies so I may be duplicating a suggestion.

 

My kids all found those early reader phonics books to be tedious and boring. What I did is have them sound out one or two words per page in a high-interest book I was reading to them. Not sight words. Gotta sound stuff out. So, pick a word he has to sound out (and one you KNOW he can sound out). Or, do a brief phonics lesson before you read aloud and pick a word that aligns with the lesson you just did.

 

This worked for us.

[LittleIzumi]

I difinitely will get his eyes checked. I've been meaning to for a while :glare:

 

I'd talk to a COVD too, if things don't improve. We have an ophthalmologist giving dd glasses, but because she has a "lazy eye" her eyes didn't learn to work together properly. Now with glasses her lazy eye itself can see, but she is in vision therapy with a COVD associate to teach her eyes how to focus on the same thing at one time, which she couldn't really do well before. (She could read one word or one letter, but couldn't read the same word in a sentence. She couldn't get her eyes to focus long enough to read a couple of words in a row.)

Edited August 4, 2011 by LittleIzumi

[Ellie]

So SWR and the Spalding Method were not helping, and hopefully Right Brain Phonocs will?

Notice that she said she was using "SWR and Spalding Method type stuff" along with LLATL, not that she was actually doing either one. You will not see the results of either method if you just do parts of them.

[ElizabethB]

My webpage "Why Johnny Doesn't Like to Read" explains why using sight words can cause a dislike of reading and make reading difficult.

 

I would do some nonsense words and over-learn the phonics, and keep working on phonics until he can easily and automatically sound out any word, then reading will become easy and pleasant.

 

You need to teach ALL the phonics needed to sound things out, work through a program like PP or OPG, then work on syllable division with something like Megawords or Marcia Henry's "Words."

 

Nonsense words are very helpful for my remedial students, here is the program I work my remedial students through while also having them watch my online lessons:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/howtotutor.html

[Aggiemom03]

Well, I wanted to give you an update on progress! We've been taking the summer off, so no pressure, but I downloaded the Progressive Phonics Book 1 yesterday to look at it. DS saw me looking at it and wanted to see it, and wanted to read it. We went through the entire book 1 in one sitting (46 pages), with very little trouble!! I could tell he was sounding out the words in his head and then saying them "right the first time" like the aforementioned twin :-)

 

He was so proud and did really well. I think the nice thing about those books for him is that (in the first books at least) he wasn't having to read entire sentences, so he didn't get bogged down in trying to remember the sentence.

 

I am going to get OPG at my library and we will start at the beginning and see how he does. If it seems like we need a different program, then we'll go from there. I am hopeful though, that with some work time in OPG and some less-stressfull reading assignments with Progressive Phonics and plenty of fun reading he will progress quickly now! Oh, I also got an appt with an Optometrist!

 

Thank you everyone!

[Aggiemom03]

You need to teach ALL the phonics needed to sound things out, work through a program like PP or OPG, then work on syllable division with something like Megawords or Marcia Henry's "Words."

 

Which one is PP? There are so many I am getting confused :tongue_smilie:

[nmoira]

 

Which one is PP? There are so many I am getting confused :tongue_smilie:

Phonics Pathways

 

[jenlaw31]

My daughter was having trouble reading also (if fact she still is a little behind). During her check ups she would have her eyesight checked (with the pictures) and she passed. Then as soon as they started using letters, she failed. She was refered to an eye dr and found out she is far sighted. She was given some glasses to use only for reading. They made a very big difference in her reading.

 

We also use HOP. It is a love hate relationship. Sometimes we have to put it away for a little while and then try again. Both my dd's hated the tapes but really liked the books. In fact Detective Dog is my dd all time favorite book. I found if we do the Explode the Code workbooks along with HOP it is a nice combination. I credit those 2 programs with getting my children to read. There are 5 levels to HOP, it sounds like you just did level 1. Level 2 is where they start blending begining sounds. I also got a great program that helped my dd with blending. She was having a really hard time with that concept. It is called The Phonics Game and is a game played with cards that reinforces phonics rules. The kids try to see how many cards they can collect to see who wins.

 

He probley just needs some time to mature. Kids seems to like to decide one day they are finally ready to read and take off with it. Atleast that is what my kids did ;)

[Ecclecticmum]

*haven't read many replies*

 

What about letting him quietly read by himself, have you tried that? Reading outloud and reading in your head are two completely different skills. Try giving him a "new" book to just read by himself, and just watch his eyes to see whether they are looking at the words. After he's finished, ask him what the story was about.

 

A lot of children can actually read, but it can be torture getting them to "read aloud".

 

My brother was a proficient reader (just slower then average) after he graduated year 12, but people thought he was slow when he tried to "Read-aloud" I was twelve years old and had to give my brother remedial reading lessons for "outloud" reading. He soon improved, but I had watched him before that when he just read to himself, and he went much faster, but sometimes the tongue/brain flickers when trying to read stuff aloud, and it can come out as stuttering, drawing the word out very slowly, repeating a word to try to get it right etc. Its sad when the only one my brother trusted enough to help him with his reading was his sister who is 8 years younger than him :( Because she was the only one that didn't throw nasty comments his way 9yes, even the teachers did that)

 

If you try this method, it might help determine whether its reading in general or just reading outloud thats frustrating him. Many parents are actually happy enough to let their children read just to themselves, and not outloud :)

[Sahamamama]

Do you mean ElizabethB? Here's her web site with some awesome tips and links. Here's a great thread with daily lesson plans using Webster. I am having good luck with it with my almost 7yo boy.

 

Yes, ElizabethB. Duh, I had the wrong Elizabeth. That explains why I couldn't find her. :blushing: Sorry about that!

[momto2Cs]

What's going to work is really going to depend on your son's learning style and how intensively you want to be doing the phonics each day.

 

What I did when we finally settled on Horizons - I totally wiped the slate clean as to what we did and started all over again. ...We'd taken a break from the phonics and reading, so I started with K, again. We worked quickly through the K workbooks and did NOT do the K readers that accompany the workbooks. We did very little reading of phonics readers during this "review" period....this helped DS, I think, by easing us back into getting him on track for reading... We then moved on to the first grade books and slowed down the pace a bit.

 

...maybe starting again, pacing through what he knows fairly quickly, and then taking it slowly as he's learning the new phonics rules and such might help?

 

:iagree: I am doing exactly this with my dd, though we'll be using MCP "Plaid" Phonics alongside MCP Spelling Workout. We're starting with the Level A books, and we'll go through at her pace. Hopefully, we'll move more quickly through the beginning stuff, then level out as we reach the middle of the book. I am giving her the next few weeks off until we officially start up for the year, so that I can

totally wipe the slate clean as to what we did and start all over again

I'll add back in Nora Gaydos readers and such when we get to that point in MCP. Other than that, we'll seriously focus on just the MCP for the first part of the school year as far as reading goes.

[ChrissySC]

Something that we often forget is that the child needs to learn to translate sound to symbol. We say decode the word. What we really mean is translate the sound based on the symbols in front of you. Take a look at it from the cognitive side.

 

If you do some googling (word?), you will find that this is the case and why more often than not a program like Webster or Zoo Phonics works better.

 

You may need to be more traditional in your approach. :)