Lady Lulu Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 I'm looking into which phonics program to buy for 1st grade and having some doubts about what to get. We used ETC for Kinder. I really liked it, but my son dreaded it. Truthfully, I think he just doesn't like worksheets/workbooks period. Any suggestions on what to do here? Would All About Spelling replace this? If it makes a difference, I think we will probably do Classical Conversations next year. Thanks! Leslie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brehon Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 ETC and AAS are not phonics programs. Although I use ETC it's only as a supplement. I don't start spelling until I'm finished with phonics as these are 2 different skills. There are myriad phonics programs which don't involve worksheets or workbooks. I've used OPGTR & (with my youngers) Webster's. Neither of these involves any writing. Let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 How well is he reading? If he's reading well, AAS can replace it. It is a complete phonics program. If he's not reading well, AAS will move to slowly for reading (you can speed it up, but that is $$$). I used AAS for my oldest son's phonics in first grade, but he was already reading fluently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raceNzanesmom Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 I'll respectfully disagree with the above. I think ETC and AAS can be used for phonics. I prefer ETC used alongside a phonics program, but I know many that used it as a stand alone program. That said, I'd pick AAS over ETC for "my" ds. It's just how his brain works. If you go with AAS make sure to start with level 1 (even if it's review) and use the letter tiles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stacycatherine Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 I am taking my third boy through phonics right now, and they all hated worksheets. Their fine-motor skills were not there for another couple years to be writing that much. Can you just work through a book like phonics pathways, or do the worksheets outloud together each day? We work through MCP phonics books outloud, it works well for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 ETC is certainly phonics. For some dc, it's all they need; for others, it's supplemental. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloggermom Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Phonics Pathways may be a better option for you. There is no required writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brehon Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 I admit that I've only used AAS as a spelling program and only after my kids finished systematic phonics instruction. So, I could easily be mistaken about using AAS for phonics. Although Ellie is right that ETC deals with phonics and that it could be enough for some dc, I don't think it is a systematic phonics program and probably wouldn't be enough for many, if not most, young children. :) As the OP's son doesn't seem to like writing (or at least writing in workbooks/worksheets) this may be a moot point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 We use both ETC and AAS, but we don't use them for learning to read (though I know many have with success). We are using ETC as supplemental/review after completing Abeka phonics 1, and we are using AAS as spelling and phonics review. We love both, but it was Abeka that taught dd to read, AAS would move too slowly alone and ETC did not have enough instruction to "teach" her. For ds we are using OPGTR, but if I didn't already have too many phonics programs ;) I would buy AAR, it looks wonderful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Though AAS might go too slowly for some students as a learn-to-read program, it gave my oldest the tools that she needed to begin reading, and when she did she jumped from slowly sounding out one word at a time to reading an entire book by herself (And we are currently borrowing said book from the library and though it's an easy reader it doesn't have just simple words in it. After reading it again I'm honestly surprised that it was her first book!). I'm using the same approach with my Kindergarten student and plan to use it with my others as well. It may not work for everyone but it is working well for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikicole Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 We use Happy Phonics around here and love it! The lessons are based around games and flashcards. We have always used ETC as a supplement, though I do not believe you would have to. Just thought I'd throw out another idea for you! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I've got some resources that I found are very enjoyable and effective. While I believe these are as effective (or better) than any purchased program they are also entirely free for printing. It's what I did for my kids and it was a really fun way to learn to read. I decided to teach phonics/get them reading and then do spelling but these materials would work just as well if you wanted to teach spelling along with learning to read. It would just take longer to reach reading fluency. You could Use I See Sam (links in this post for free ones to print/use) and/or Progressive Phonics (free too) for a really fun way to learn to read. Both are phonics based and 100% decodable (in the case of progressive phonics the student read parts are 100% and for I See Sam the entire thing is 100%). So they are strong phonics based readers. I also found a great free program to teach the phonograms (and spelling) in a multi-sensory/orton-gillingham based way I used I'll link in next. I did the first two sets of I See Sam first. We loved those books and got a great start. Then I taught the phonograms in a multisensory way using this free program to do it well--it includes K-2nd reading and spelling (orton-gillingham style like AAS). I used it to teach the phonograms up front though--concentrating on reading first and then going back for spelling after we were reading well. Basically I used the free program methods but I switched the presentation order of those phonograms a little to match up with the progressive phonics order of presentation. So we would learn the phonogram using their multi-sensory techniques and then use progressive phonics as fun and decodable reading practice with the new phonogram and the previously learned phonograms. It was so effective. You don't have to do I See Sam first but we really loved those books and I think it's a great way to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Bmom Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 My older is one of thosr who knows how to read. ETC, Starfall, and BOB Books are all he needed. My younger abhors workbooks and we started The Reading Lesson a couple of weeks ir so back. Seems to be working well so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Lulu Posted February 6, 2012 Author Share Posted February 6, 2012 Thank you, everyone, for your input! This has all helped me tremendously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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