tammyw Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 DS6 is doing really well with learning to read. Probably too early, we tried online programs, but he wasn't really interested much. He recently picked up some good stuff from The Electric Company. Of course we read to him a lot. He's played a few iPad games. Now I'm not sure what to do next. DD9 was a natural reader, when she was ready - we read a lot to her and she enjoyed online reading programs (Reading Eggs, Starfall, ETC). Should we try those programs again, now that he's more interested in learning to read? I'm not sure what we should do next to help him continue the reading process. Here's an example of something he read aloud today - I am underlining the words he had a little trouble with, though when I had him stop and sound those particular words out, he was usually able to figure them out. To clarify, I think he's doing great. I'm just wondering what we might do next. "The Bear family is decorating its tree house for Christmas. Mama, Brother, and Sister are all busy. "Open the door!" calls Papa Bear. "I have our Christmas tree!" But where is Honey Bear?" "Here are the boxes of Christmas tree ornaments," says Papa. "Help me carry them downstairs." "Look!" says sister. "Here is my old dollhouse!" "And here is my old model airplane!" says Brother." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 I would just keep reading. You might do Reading Eggs (they've added higher levels recently) or you might do something like ETC to "sweep up" and make sure you've covered everything and give a little intensive practice. That's how we use ETC. But you might also just keep reading aloud and practicing. Sounds like he could read all those wonderful Cynthia Rylant books and fun things like Amelia Bedelia and Dodsworth and so forth independently. Sounds like you're doing a great job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted August 20, 2012 Author Share Posted August 20, 2012 I would just keep reading. You might do Reading Eggs (they've added higher levels recently) or you might do something like ETC to "sweep up" and make sure you've covered everything and give a little intensive practice. That's how we use ETC. But you might also just keep reading aloud and practicing. Sounds like he could read all those wonderful Cynthia Rylant books and fun things like Amelia Bedelia and Dodsworth and so forth independently. Sounds like you're doing a great job! Thank you! He is reading quite a bit and there are many books he can read completely, but I do think he could learn quite a bit with some online program (especially as it would give dd9 and I time to do things we need to do). I just am not sure on which program to try. DD was easy to please. I read a lot of people complaining about Reading Eggs and ETC, and knowing how particular DS6 is, I hesitate to invest more money in these programs, like I did the first time. Any suggestion as to which is the best online program? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StartingOver Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Find subjects he loves and just keep doing what you are doing. For my son it was Usborne Beginner Science books, I have tons. Now it is children's encyclopedias of science. hehe He also loves mystery, or detective books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 What about taking him to the library and letting him check out readers that he chooses? That way, he could read at his level and give you some time with your daughter. You could even set them aside until his "reading time." My kids are always so excited about reading the books they have checked out. Another idea would be Draw Write Now. My kids spend hours with those. Does Reading Eggs offer a free trial? We really didn't like it. We had something like 180 days free from some codes and used 2 days of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4peanuts Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 If you are looking for something low-key to help "fill in the gaps" you might consider using phonogram flashcards from SWR (they are very helpful even if you are not utilizing the whole program). You can roll them out a few at a time or start drilling them all....you'll know best what he's ready for. If he's got the idea of blending and a good foundation of sound/symbol correlation, this could give him a boost. The other suggestion I'd make is that before he reads a new book/story, you can go through it ahead of time and make a list of words you think he might have difficulty with. Have him read through the list of potential problem words ahead of time, working with him to help him sound them out as necessary. Then when he encounters them in the context of the story, he's less likely to stumble over them and won't lose the flow of story comprehension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4peanuts Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 I meant to include a link for those SWR phonogram cards. http://www.swrtraining.com/id51.html $17. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonlight Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 You should be able to follow 4 week trial codes online for reading eggs after you sign up for the initial 2 weeks. They allow you to use two of them so that would give you 2 1/2 months ti figure out if it will work... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 As far as programs with an online element, Hooked on Phonics has a Master Reader program that's Grds.2+, I think. If you're looking for some hands-on activities to build phonics skills w/ larger (multisyllabic) words, what about something like Making Big Words, Grades 3 - 6: Multilevel, Hands-On Spelling and Phonics Activities (Patricia M. Cunningham). I used the beginner levels of Making Words with my 1st graders and found it really helpful.... Making Big Words focuses on: learn new words and sort them by letter patterns, prefixes, suffixes, and big word parts. With each lesson, students use pre-selected letters to make 15-20 words, starting with short words and building up to longer words. The will also discover that changing just one letter or the sequence of letters in a word can change its meaning. It also includes guidelines for creating lessons to suit your specific needs! All you need is a book and letter tiles... I can't find samples, but if he's reading well and just needs help with the larger, more complicated words, this might be appropriate for his level... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted August 20, 2012 Author Share Posted August 20, 2012 Thanks for the ideas so far! I'm going to look into these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 (edited) I wouldn't do ETC Online, by the way - I was referring to the workbooks. We had a terrible experience with the online - though it's possible it would work for you guys. I've always heard that Reading Eggs is the best online option, but I have only limited experience with it and haven't used some of the others. Edited August 20, 2012 by farrarwilliams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted August 20, 2012 Author Share Posted August 20, 2012 I wouldn't do ETC Online, by the way - I was referring to the workbooks. We had a terrible experience with the online - though it's possible it would work for you guys. I've always heard that Reading Eggs is the best online option, but I have only limited experience with it and haven't used some of the others. I never thought about the hard copy version of ETC. This is something to look into. Is it quite different from the Bob books? We have all of those and have worked through a couple sets but haven't done them in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 I think he's beyond the reading portion of reading eggs, and the comprehension section wasn't all that fun, except that my DS1 made a cat army lead by Commander Jellyfish. He didn't enjoy the actual comprehension work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Texican Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Reading eggs really only gets you to where you're at now. There is a new section beyond that which is very similar to an elementary reading textbook. It has passages and short stories with multiple choice comprehension questions after them. We're at where you're at right now after finishing reading eggs reading section. AFAIK from here on it's just "guided reading" where you help them out a little. I wouldn't mind hearing some options. We're easing into grammer and spelling and I ask my son to read at least 3x a week and gladly listen if he wants to read more. If your library has the weekly reader Math Monster series in the math section they're the perfect reading level for right now, they have cute stories, they're just the right length to be read in one sitting. They're in the math section. They explain the reasons for math such as planting watermelons or building a treehouse. They don't include arithmatic problems but they have comprehension and critical thinking questions built into the story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 Reading eggs really only gets you to where you're at now. There is a new section beyond that which is very similar to an elementary reading textbook. It has passages and short stories with multiple choice comprehension questions after them. We're at where you're at right now after finishing reading eggs reading section. AFAIK from here on it's just "guided reading" where you help them out a little. I wouldn't mind hearing some options. We're easing into grammer and spelling and I ask my son to read at least 3x a week and gladly listen if he wants to read more. If your library has the weekly reader Math Monster series in the math section they're the perfect reading level for right now, they have cute stories, they're just the right length to be read in one sitting. They're in the math section. They explain the reasons for math such as planting watermelons or building a treehouse. They don't include arithmatic problems but they have comprehension and critical thinking questions built into the story. Just to make sure I'm looking at the right books, are they by Grace Maccarone? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 I never thought about the hard copy version of ETC. This is something to look into. Is it quite different from the Bob books? We have all of those and have worked through a couple sets but haven't done them in a while. It's not at all like the BOB books. It's all just phonics worksheets - on some you fill in the blank, on some you answer yes or no to funny questions, on some you circle the word in the picture or write the word in the picture. Since he's already reading pretty well, you could start with book 4, I would think. It would still cover a number of things he knows, but serve as reinforcement. It may or may not be what you want though. I think it's fine to just keep reading books. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 It's not at all like the BOB books. It's all just phonics worksheets - on some you fill in the blank, on some you answer yes or no to funny questions, on some you circle the word in the picture or write the word in the picture. Since he's already reading pretty well, you could start with book 4, I would think. It would still cover a number of things he knows, but serve as reinforcement. It may or may not be what you want though. I think it's fine to just keep reading books. :) No actually, those sound pretty perfect. He has decided in the last couple days that he is in "school" mode, which is kind of funny. He's having me create all kinds of tests, and yesterday I did one similar to what you just explained. I think I'll order book 4 to start and see how it goes. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
La Texican Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 http://www.mathmonsters.com/mm_episodes.htm I found them in the library, in the childrens section, in the non-fiction math section of the library (ask the librarian). I was browsing trying to preview the Sir Cumference series while my son was selecting Curious George and Blues Clues from the ez reader section when I found the math monsters series. It's living math stories for the k-2 crowd, by weekly reader. That's good because some books are easier and some books are denser with words. Like any series the sentence structure is similar from book to book which builds confidence for new readers. Plus the stories were really good stories; that was kind of surprising for a math book or an early reader book. I guess that's what they're called beyond the ez readers, before the chapter books. Also we bought the boxcar children box set 1-4 from amazon and we're taking turns reading every other page. There's no set goal with that, just when I feel like pulling it out and for as long as he feels like reading in one sitting. It's also the right level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CrunchyBKTN Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Hi! Can someone tell me what ETC stands for? I have a 6 yo in this same predicament Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incognito Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Explode the Code Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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