TKDmom Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 Can you please share your experiences? My ds8 will be finishing up Phonics Road 1 soon and I have been debating whether or not to go on with PR2. I've really liked PR1. I've seen his spelling and handwriting improve so much. He was already reading well when he started PR, and the readers were busy work for him, so I let him drop those. On the whole PR1 has worked well for us. It's simplified my day and helped ds in the areas that he was weakest--I'm probably just suffering "the grass is greener" complex. Do you feel like the spelling words increase in complexity as time goes on, and that dc are still learning new skills? What is the focus for composition? Are they doing copywork? Dictation? Original Writing? Right now ds likes to "write his sentences", but letting him write a couple of 3-word sentences every week isn't going to improve his writing. I've started wondering if I should start dictating more complex sentences to him (I think he likes writing sentences because he get's a kick out of seeing how simple he can possibly make a sentence). I wish I had a better sense of where this program was going. The Lit study looks like a lot of writing. DS is somewhat pencil-allergic. He's come a long way in the last year, but I'm reluctant to push too much writing on him. And I'm not totally sure what the goals of the lit study are... Tell me the good, the bad, and the ugly. :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 My DD8's recently started PR2 so I am still early in the game for them, my oldest accelerated through it. From what I have seen, the spelling continues as before while adding new sounds and longer more complex words. The framing codes begin, so they begin to learn the grammar songs and parts of speech. Dictation starts out easy in framing codes because they will soon begin marking the same sentences in grammar. The dictation in the Literature Study makes up for this with more complex sentences while introducing literature components. My older DD is 1/2 way through PR3 and PR4 is on the shelf so it helps that I have a view of where we are going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momacacia Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted October 14, 2011 Author Share Posted October 14, 2011 Thanks Melissa! Anyone else have experience with PR2? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missouri Okie Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted October 15, 2011 Author Share Posted October 15, 2011 I don't think I'll get any more takers, but I wanted to share this thread with those who were :bigear:. I just read it this afternoon and received a lot of reassurance that I should stick with PR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in VA Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 You know, I posted in that link you provided saying that I was glad I did PR1 and 2 but could have done it differently and was fine with moving on to something else rather than doing PR3. Well I was fine. I thought it would be fine. And from a purely learning perspective it probably is. We are currently using AAS. It's a good program but it moves SO slowly. My daughter is bored silly and misses PR like crazy. It is my biggest homeschool regret in a long time that I sold PR3 in favor of moving on to something else. I can't afford to buy it again right now. I'm working right now to sell enough stuff to buy it again. I don't mean to imply that PR is the one and only great way, obviously. But if you like it and it's going well, think hard before moving on, especially if your kids like it. Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfatherslily Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 We've just finished Week 7 of PR2, so I don't have much to add :) As mentioned, "framing codes" have introduced, so we are now beginning grammar. There is dictation with the Little House study, generally a few sentences each week. As I said, we're still very early. In the first 4 review weeks DD wrote 4 dictated sentences (from PR1 readers). In Week 5, she found the subject and predicate of each sentence, then identified the simple subject and simple predicate. Weeks 6 and 7 discussed common and proper nouns. So far, I am still pleased!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted October 15, 2011 Author Share Posted October 15, 2011 (edited) I don't mean to imply that PR is the one and only great way, obviously. But if you like it and it's going well, think hard before moving on, especially if your kids like it. Thank you! Actually PR has been the only LA program that ds does happily. I just need to have someone remind me of this (and maybe pound it into my head regularly). I am really liking CW for my dd, so I was thinking of getting him started on that (as he approaches 3rd grade). But...he's such a different child than her. The more I think about it, the more I think he would hate CW if I start him too early. I already know how to tweak PR to make it doable for him. I think I just have commitment issues. :tongue_smilie: We've just finished Week 7 of PR2, so I don't have much to add :) As mentioned, "framing codes" have introduced, so we are now beginning grammar. There is dictation with the Little House study, generally a few sentences each week. As I said, we're still very early. In the first 4 review weeks DD wrote 4 dictated sentences (from PR1 readers). In Week 5, she found the subject and predicate of each sentence, then identified the simple subject and simple predicate. Weeks 6 and 7 discussed common and proper nouns. So far, I am still pleased!! That actually is helpful. Every time I read PR's scope and sequence my eyes glaze over and my brain shuts down. But reading other people's concrete examples of what they are doing helps me understand where we will be going. Thanks! Edited October 15, 2011 by bonniebeth4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindsrae Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 We are only in PR 1, but reading Spalding's The Writing Road to Reading helped me to better understand the scope and sequence of the philosophy used in PR. I borrowed it through the library, but I am thinking of purchasing my own copy because it made so much sense! And it filled in the "blanks" for me--I love what Mrs. Beers has done to make the method accessible to busy home school moms, but I'm the nerdy type that likes to get all of the background theory and research. The first time I watched the videos of Mrs. Beers going through the spelling words and talking about all of the ways to mark the sounds, I thought I was going to go crazy, and I seriously doubted the program. After reading through most of Spalding's book and seeing my DD begin to analyze words on her own, I see the logic behind it; I'm committed to PR for the long haul! (And a big "shout out" to Tina Gilbert for all of the encouragement she gives to other PR mommas!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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