HWOT Pre-K

[socody]

I'd really like to start HWOT with my 3.5 year old this summer. She is just about ready to start reading but we still need a little work on beginning consonant sounds. I read somewhere that HWOT does provide a little light phonics instruction, is this true? Also, how long would it take us to go through the Pre-K HWOT book? Would it be possible to finish it all in a few months, also using it as an intro. to reading (along with other letter of the week activities, etc.), or is it really a year-long curriculum? I guess my goal is to have her writing all the letters and a good deal of the way through OPGTR by the time she's 5.

[charlestonmom03]

As to how long it takes to work through it, it probably depends on the child. My boys all do one or two pages a could times a week and we get through it in one school year. It certainly could be done faster, but that would cause tears around here! But keep in mind, I am dealing with boys who hate writing and coloring.

 

The preschool book has a lot of coloring and drawing lines before it gets around to actually forming letters. Then it does the capital letters only. I love the whole HWT curriculum and now that my oldest is doing their cursive practice book, we are seeing the fruits of our efforts. I am very pleased.

 

Handwriting and reading are two very distinct subjects around here, so I have never tried to make HWT work with our reading program, so I can't really offer any insight there.

[Tawlas]

Same around here. My ds (at almost 5) is just getting the hang of reading, but handwriting is no where near there. In fact, we haven't even attempted letters beyond signing his name on artwor, depsite the fact that he's on to lesson 41 here any day now. Again, this is a very active little boy, while not pencil phobic, defiitely not one to sit around colouring for hours lol. You know your child best, so it's quite possible to get it done, but I would suggest that getting a 3-4 yo reading and especially writing by 5 to be quite a challenge. I'm not saying it can't be done, but be prepared to be flexible lol. (i'm sure you know this)

 

Sorry, that part kind of distracted me! as to your REAL questions. HWT K is the only one I can comment on. I suppose one could call it phonics instruction in that when they are teaching the letter b for example, there are words and pictures that have the initial consonant b. As the pp mentioned, time it takes to go through one book depends ont eh child. HTH?

[Nart]

I bought HWT pre-K for my son when he was four. The actual workbook didn't have enough tracing practice for my son and I didn't like that it only had capital letters. He practiced a bit with chalk and a slate that I got along with the program. After slow progress, we switched to the Kumon preschool books. Those books ended up being a better fit for him. He first completed the upper case and lower case books. Then we moved on to the rhyming words books which has printing practice using CVC words like cat, hat, sat.

[Tanikit]

My 4.5 year old is on lesson 101 of OPGTR. She however never did like to draw or colour. A month back I started teaching her to write and her drawing also took off then and she started drawing pictures more in detail though she will still not colour much. She had been doing some tracing of lines and patterns for a few months before this. I did find however that it was easier for me to teach my child small letters first since that is what she has been reading which is why I have not gone with HWOT. I think it will depend on your child whether your goal is realistic or not. Mine so far is writing most of the small letters independently, but very few of the capital letters - but then she has only been doing so for a month - she only writes about 4 words a day (about 16 letters if I had to guess) as more letters than this would be too much for her.

[BrandonMommy]

It does, for example, on the teaching L page, have a lizard and tells you to talk about the letter L and L sounds. You could tie in more phonics if you wanted as they learn each letter. I think the capital letter cards might have more pictures with things that start with the same letter (beginning sounds). We started doing a letter-of-the week type thing with the letter on each page but later, stopped and just did the writing (dd was eager just to move on to each letter).

 

As far as handwriting practice, no, the workbook does not having much as the pp poster said, about 4 for each letter. The workbook, I think, though, is only a small part of the program. You are supposed to use capital letter cards, chalk and slate, roll-a-dough cards, a stamp screen, etc all for practice. That, I think is what makes it fun and engaging and "without tears." If my DD had to sit and do a page full of L's, I think there'd be tears. The other aspects is what makes it fun.

 

You could easily find workbooks or print more practice pages off the internet but I think that might drive most preschoolers to tears. It's the multi-sensory approach that I think makes the program and makes it a good foundation for writing and basic print awareness. You can also use their gray block paper (I found some similar printable online for free). So you are using ALL those things for "practice."

 

Plus the songs about where to start letters, the smiley face to remind them where to start, mat man, etc all contribute to laying that foundation. I think it just really sets the stage for the understanding the way the letters are formed and good beginning strokes/practice and just, like I said, basic awareness. My dd and ds were talking about lines and curves everywhere after we first used the wood blocks and DD went from making scribbles to recognizable people after learning once about Mat Man.

 

Ok, surprised I had so much to say about it considering I didn't (and don't) use the guide to a t.

[socody]

All this was helpful. I don't want to push my dd, I'm just a little confused as to whether it's easier to teach reading first or handwriting first, or simultaneously... Seems like from what I'm reading, it's best to just start with the reading, and she really does seem ready to start on that! But it seems like a lot of her little friends (who are just in daycare, not being homeschooled) already know how to write their letters at 3 1/2 or 4. Perhaps I need to stop comparing! I probably will get the HWT & some of the manipulatives and just go her pace.

[Stellalarella]

Also, please know that the publisher gives you permission to copy the pages from a book for that one student so that the child can do a page more than once. This is especially handy for the pre-K book and sometimes for the K book, I've found.

The concept of HWT is that students do a small amount of HWT practice each day--Day one: build with the wooden blocks, Day Two: practice with the slate and chalk using the Wet-Dry-Try method, then eventually move the student into the workbook once they are doing well with the hands-on materials.

[raceNzanesmom]

We love HWT! At age 3.5 I recommend the wooden pieces and letter cards. I'd get the TM too. It will explain HWT, and it also has the patterns to make the wooden pieces. Once she has that down, move to the chalkboard.

[socody]

I have heard that you can use the TM to make your own "wooden" pieces, out of craft foam or some other material-- is that true, or do I NEED the wooden pieces. They seem so expensive. And couldn't I use any old chalkboard or dry erase board or does it need to be a specific size?

[Tawlas]

I don't think you'd want the chalk board too big or too small. Maybe 4x8 inches? Soemthing like that. And it has a raised frame to use as a guide. it really helps prevent reversals! But beyond that, any dollar store chalkboard would probably do. Put a sticker in the upper left corner to indicated the "start" place.

[BrandonMommy]

I have heard that you can use the TM to make your own "wooden" pieces, out of craft foam or some other material-- is that true, or do I NEED the wooden pieces. They seem so expensive. And couldn't I use any old chalkboard or dry erase board or does it need to be a specific size?

 

I made my own "wooden blocks" with the pattern in the teacher's guide. I used laminated cardstock and put some of them on magnetic sheeting which made them thicker and we could use them on our board too. I also made a few capital letter cards just tracing the patterns onto paper.

 

I got a pack of smiley face stickers too for both our boards, the blue mat I made and whatever else she writes on, as a reminder.