OPG questions

[kama]

My daughter is 6 1/2 and we are going to officially start first grade on Monday. She knows all her letter sounds (but she does still struggle with b/d reversal) She has been reading cvc words for about a year. She had a bad experience at public school after learning to read at home and what she learned there was mostly sight reading, so now she wants to guess every single word. She has some issues going on (Severe sensory problems, possible aspergers or autisim, possible add/adhd, severe anxiety issues) we are waiting on testing to figure out exactly what is going on.

 

This is my question, we are officially on lesson 53 of OPG. In order to make OPG work for us I have had to make some modifications, I write the words on a white board and I let her sound them out after I explain the sound the new blend makes. She can not stand doing the I read, read together, you read method. She has no problem sounding out the words the first try doing it this way, but I know it means she gets less practice. She can sound out the words during the lesson but applying that knowledge to a book is hard, she can read off the white board or off a piece of paper I have written on just fine, but if it is in a book she gets anxious and struggles with simple cvc words that she would not even need to sound out on the white board. If we did lesson 53 today I know she would sound out most of the words on the first try if I explained the blends, she might struggle with a few words. The lesson would likely take at least an hour because she constantly interrupts and goes off on tangents, asks the definition of every word, uses it in a sentence tells stories ect ect, and with her it is not as simple as just not letting her do it. We end up ending every lesson on a bad note because it has taken 3 or 4 times longer than it had to because she can't focus long enough to read 2 words in a row without changing the subject.

 

I have been considering going back to lesson 28 or 29 to help build her confidence. She should read most of the words with ease and I am hoping it will set up a habit of just quickly reading through the words without going off on tangents (I believe she does this in part to avoid the anxiety of sounding out a new word). So that she can see how fast and fun the lessons can be, and build her confidence in herself as a reader. My worry is that because she already reads these words well she is going to get bored and it will not have the effect I am hoping for, and she will end up about a month behind where she would be if we had just kept on going (and she is already "behind" right? If I had kept her home last year and done OPG she would be on around lesson 180 or so, it just seems "late" to be just starting OPG in first grade, especially with an older first grader). If I go with this plan I will also use explode the code book 1 which is also mostly review for her but I think she will find it fun, and then also try to get her to read one bob book or mcp reader from the library every day.

[kama]

I do my best to prevent the rabbit trails but sometimes with my daughters issues there is only so much I can do.

 

Does anyone have any input whether it would be better to go back, keep forging ahead as is, or maybe split a single lesson over multiple days?

[staceyobu]

I do my best to prevent the rabbit trails but sometimes with my daughters issues there is only so much I can do.

 

Does anyone have any input whether it would be better to go back, keep forging ahead as is, or maybe split a single lesson over multiple days?

 

I tell my kids they can only tell me a story when they get to a period. No middle sentence stories. :tongue_smilie:

 

We do a little of all of that. We go back and practice easy things to build confidence and split longer or harder lessons over two days. We also use Bob Books and other early readers to give some additional practice on the same level. I also like easy readers like Bob Books because the child gets to read a "whole book" instead of just a little bit off of a page. I think it gives a bigger sense of accomplishment.

[kwg]

If it were me, I would split the lesson up, either over a couple days or just throughout the day.. I think it will be more important, given her history, for her to enjoy learning to read. So I might also go back (you could try it and if she is bored just skip ahead again).

 

FWIW, we are doing 100 lessons with my ds and stopped for a while- just got busy with life. I can not believe how easy it is for him now! Sometimes they just have to chew on it a little while i think.

 

SHe isn't behind at all! Lots of kids do not read well into the later grades; she is still little. My older ds reads very well now but really wasn't into it much until he was older than yours.

[IsabelC]

Firstly, I think you are wise to put the emphasis on not giving her any more of a negative experience with reading. Better she take a year longer to read fluently than tackle it faster but have every session a struggle. I know it's easier said than done, but try not to worry about her being "behind". If one kid starts reading at 4 and another starts at 8, they will both likely be reading adult level stuff by the time they are 12, as long as they haven't been (inadvertently) taught not to like reading.

 

I'd feel free to modify OPGTR to your hearts content. I have never done the "I'll read it first" technique, mainly because if I read something my kids would just recite the word list or sentence back from memory instead of trying to read it for themselves.

 

Two of my three kids found OPGTR boring and unpleasant. I dealt with that mainly by a system where after a certain number of lessons in there they got to read our "fun" phonic readers or other things they enjoyed. You could do the same with ETC, Bob or whatever you have that she likes.