Has anyone reviewed PR1 before moving on?

[Snowfall]

We just completed Phonics Road 1, halfway through second grade. We started late and although she's a now a great reader (we skipped the readers - she was well past that stage when we got to them) and I think she's perfectly on grade level for spelling, I just couldn't rush it. In fact, right now I'm considering going back through to make sure all of those words are really cemented. The reason for that is that I simply could not stay on words that she missed until she got them right every week. There would've been a backlog. I printed flash cards of all the words, in the hopes that just reading them enough would help her remember them, and it did help, but she still doesn't know all the words. I already own level 2, and I hear people say there's a complete review of level 1 in level 2, but I don't see that at all! In fact, given that there are 15-20 words per week in both levels, and both have 34 weeks, that's not even possible.

 

So has anyone else stopped and reviewed level 1 for a month or two before moving on? Surely my child isn't the only one who doesn't have every word from level 1 down pat before finishing it up, right? Do the rest of you just assume that they'll pick it up along the way, from reading or whatever?

[melmichigan]

You will review the words from PR1 in the beginning weeks of PR2, then PR3 has the child writing every word again from dictation that was in PR1 and PR2 to put in their spelling logs. Then in PR4 you give spelling tests to determine where to begin the review all over again. If I think they need review in between then I just have then use Spelling City for that week to play around with the words. In the long run I think the exposure will be there. :)

[TKDmom]

My 8yo is in week 2 of PR2. The first 4 weeks review all the spelling words, building codes, and phonograms from PR1. If I hadn't started watching PR2 before finishing PR1 I would have wanted to do a review on my own, but the review in PR2 would have made that redundant. If you feel like the review moves too quickly, or is too much work, you could certainly slow it down until you are confidant that your dd knows the material.

 

ETA: I just reread your post. The review has you go over two weeks worth of words every day for 4 weeks--that's how they cover all the words from the previous year. Watch the first DVD for PR2 and you'll see how she does it. I don't have my ds write out all the words, but it sounds like that will come in PR3.

Edited February 7, 2012 by bonniebeth4

[myfatherslily]

The "review" of PR1 words is pretty minimal in PR2. I don't require DD to every word completely memorized before moving on. Once she's spelled it right a couple times, I move on. You know, the teach-to-the-test concept. ;) She's a good reader and picks up spelling from her reading, so I'm not worried about it. If you think your DD could benefit from some extra review, I don't see why you couldn't do it! My personal criteria for slowing down and reviewing anything is when the new material is becoming too hard or moving too fast (e.g. we've had to slow down in math to review borrowing).

[lindsrae]

Ok, not to hijack the thread or anything, but I have a hard time knowing which words to review here in the middle of PR 1. We were going like lightening through the program, but I think I missed somewhere along the way that I should be reviewing words the student didn't "get." Oops...

 

So now I'm a bit confused. What is the best way to review the words, or actually to even know if DD got them in the first place? When I have to tell her that the long E sound is "e the double e" and not "ea," does that mean I should review the words the next day? Should I review all the previous day's words just to be sure? (And also review any that she still didn't get??)

 

I guess I'm not paying good enough attention to the videos or something, because I still feel (at week 15) very uncertain about how exactly to implement the program. I'm such a print-based visual learner that watching the videos seems like auditory processing to me, and I am really struggling with it! (Love the idea of the program, but somehow it is not "clicking" for me...)

 

Can anyone help (or relate?)

[Snowfall]

I had the same question once last year, lindsrae, and the answer I got was to review the words from the day before each day. If the child gets them right, then that's pretty much it. If not, then go over them every day until they do. The reason that didn't really work for me is that, while my dd does get most of them right, the ones she gets wrong tend to become repeat offenders. They're really hard for her to remember, for whatever reason. If I kept pounding them day after day until she got them right, we'd eventually have a backlog and would be reviewing 20 words every day, plus the new words for the day, so I had to just move on eventually.

 

Thanks for the description of the review in PR2, guys. I looked through the book and didn't see that. I have no idea how I missed that, unless it's just not written in the schedule anywhere. 2 weeks worth of words per day will definitely be too much for my daughter, even if she knows how to spell most of them. I'm glad to know that ahead of time. I might be able to get in 1 week worth of words per day without a mutiny, but I'm not even sure about that. Eventually, somewhere around 10 words, she always throws herself on the floor and say, "Are we done yet?" in the most pitiful, yet threatening (to someone who knows what kind of meltdown follows that tone) voice she can muster. :glare::lol:

[BriannaG]

We're currently in a review session for however long. We're reviewing only the words she missed from a cummualtative quiz I gave dd on all the words once we finished with week 14. She did great overall, but there are words I am reviewing with her. My dd is definitely a spiral learner, so this review is good for her. She can get the words on the next day or two review 100% correct most of the time, the key for her is does she remember it after 2 or 3 weeks. These are the words she either outright missed or almost had right.

 

I struggled with how much and whether to review beyond the next day or so. I decided since these are such common words to just do the review. I will probably do a more thorough review a little more often through the rest of the program. I'm still working out the kinks for us on that one.

 

You could take the extra time to review all the words, only problem words, think to spell words or spelling patterns you know she's missing and just work on 10 words a day. This would give you some extra review before you move into PR2. Since she's such a good reader, she is probably picking up some of those words too. I don't think you could go wrong with extra review however you decide to proceed.

 

Good Luck!