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Suggestions for phonics/reading


sweetpea3829
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Hello everyone! I'm fairly certain I've asked this question before, but we are now actually in a better position to move on this so I figured I'd ask again.

 

We need some suggestions for good reading/phonics programs. Here's where we're at. My oldest two used HOP to initially learn to read. Once we got to level 2, I realized that the program was really not going to continue to work for us, as it just wasn't enough information, enough of anything really.

 

DD6 is likely dyslexic, but she reads "ok." I wouldn't say she needs a specialized reading/phonics curriculum.

 

DS5 is accelerated and a natural reader and speller. He flew through HOP and was reading early chapter books by late spring this past year.

 

I was all set to purchase something like Phonics Road, ETC, etc, but hadn't really settled. And then DH fell early this year and broke his leg, we lost our income, and everything went up in smoke.

 

So...long story longer, we've been using the free Progressive Phonics in the meantime. DS is on Advanced Book 2 and DD is in the middle of the Intermediate Books.

 

I'm not finding it to be enough, though! Not enough practice, not enough explanation of the rules, not enough retention, just not enough of anything!

 

So...DH finally returned to work this week (yay) and now we're finally able to start thinking about purchasing the rest of what we need for the homeschool year.

 

Any suggestions on good, solid phonics/reading programs? I don't think we need something like OPGTR or 100EZ. All About Reading doesn't seem like it's got enough levels out yet to meet our needs. And we'd be all over the place in ETC. Phonics Road is out because it's too expensive right now for us.

 

Other thoughts? Or suggestions on ways to supplement Progressive Phonics?

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ETA: Duh, just reread your post for clarification. Your children are probably above the 2 phonics levels that R&S put out. If I were in your situation, I would then just go for a phonics/rules-based spelling program (like mentioned below).... I don't know of any advanced phonics programs out there (well, HOP has Master Reader).

 

ETA2: I like the games at this site, and they do have a section with advanced phonics... (they level their phonics centers K-1, 2-3, 4-5).

 

I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for, but we just started R&S Phonics 1 and DD is really enjoying it. I can't speak for long-term results (again, just started) but I did a lot of curriculum hopping for phonics/reading (CLE, AAR, HOP, MFW, ETC, OPTGR, AiP) before I found R&S and it was love-at-first-sight. :D (Funny, b/c I resisted it for so long....) ETA: I totally understand what you're saying about HOP not being enough... We used it for a week b/f I returned it for a refund. Nothing but reading and rereading word family lists. That's it. (We found it incredibly boring...)

 

Anyway, they have 2-years of phonics (grd. 1 & 2). After that, I guess they assume you get instruction through their rule-based spelling program (which I currently plan to use).

 

Anyway, I can elaborate if you're at all interested (just don't want to type it all out if you're not :p). One plus with R&S is it is very affordable, IMO!

 

Good luck finding something that fits your kiddos!

Edited by alisoncooks
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ETA: Duh, just reread your post for clarification. Your children are probably above the 2 phonics levels that R&S put out. If I were in your situation, I would then just go for a phonics/rules-based spelling program (like mentioned below).... I don't know of any advanced phonics programs out there (well, HOP has Master Reader).

 

ETA2: I like the games at this site, and they do have a section with advanced phonics... (they level their phonics centers K-1, 2-3, 4-5).

 

I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for, but we just started R&S Phonics 1 and DD is really enjoying it. I can't speak for long-term results (again, just started) but I did a lot of curriculum hopping for phonics/reading (CLE, AAR, HOP, MFW, ETC, OPTGR, AiP) before I found R&S and it was love-at-first-sight. :D (Funny, b/c I resisted it for so long....) ETA: I totally understand what you're saying about HOP not being enough... We used it for a week b/f I returned it for a refund. Nothing but reading and rereading word family lists. That's it. (We found it incredibly boring...)

 

Anyway, they have 2-years of phonics (grd. 1 & 2). After that, I guess they assume you get instruction through their rule-based spelling program (which I currently plan to use).

 

Anyway, I can elaborate if you're at all interested (just don't want to type it all out if you're not :p). One plus with R&S is it is very affordable, IMO!

 

Good luck finding something that fits your kiddos!

 

I'm interested in hearing more about it.

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I think it would be entirely fair to say, I'm not really even sure WHAT we're looking for! DS, honestly, could go without phonics instruction. He'd pick it all up via osmosis, just from reading.

 

DD, on the other hand, really does need the instruction and practice, but again, not because she's struggling, just because she doesn't absorb the info like her brother does. Her struggles with reading are entirely unrelated to her ability to understand phonics, which she understands very well. She has word attack issues, but not because she doesn't know how, but because she sees a larger word and panics and then throws out a random guess based on the first letter.

 

I kind of feel like I'm in that no-man's land of "just learned how to read" and "advanced, solid reader." I'm not really sure WHAT comes next. Except perhaps for DD, who would probably benefit from continued systematic phonics instruction.

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I have found that the way to master reading is to read read read. I find the subjects my kids like and that helps. I read aloud to them a few grade levels above where they read. I let them read really easy books as well, books I know are "too easy" for them, just for enjoyment. Honestly, after basic phonics it's all about practice and moving on to grammar.

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She has word attack issues, but not because she doesn't know how, but because she sees a larger word and panics and then throws out a random guess based on the first letter.

 

How much larger are these larger words? Do you need to start working on syllabification rules instead of just phonograms? Or is she intimidated by longer one-syllable words?

 

Just trying to get a better sense, here, for the people who do know their stuff. I'm certainly not informed enough about phonics programs to help you--I'm doing 100EZ and AAS to get my phonics covered, so far. The former's fairly cheap, but I can certainly see why anyone might stay away from the latter for budgetary reasons! (I consider the money I spend on that one to be from my teaching resources budget, because I enjoy the program so much and it keeps me motivated. My son may, sadly, feel somewhat differently. Oh, well.)

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Hmmm, it's kind of hard to say. She is working on syllabication rules in AAS2. DD is memorizing the rules and usually able to apply them, but conceptually...I don't think she really "gets" it.

 

In reading...she *usually* struggles with words that have blends in them. Especially l blends. But also, when she encounters a word that she is unfamiliar with, she freezes, stumbles at the first sound or two, transposes the next few sounds and then throws out a random word or sometimes even a mumble, which vaguely resembles the word she's looking at.

 

For example, today she encountered the word "Jessica" for the first time. She pronounced the /j/ and then stumbled from there. She eventually mumbled a nonsense word that sounded something like, "jetskiss."

 

She CAN decode this word, and has the skills to do so! But when she sees a word like this, any word that she's not familiar with...she stumbles, panics, and throws out something random.

 

With learning the syllabication rules in AAS2, I am slowing her down in reading and asking her to think about those rules. Slowly, she's able to get over the panic of a larger word and effectively sound it out.

 

Anyways, I digress...lol!

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I'm not sure if it's what you are looking for, but we really like Sing Spell Read Write. It is a comprehensive program, and has worked very well for 3 of my children (all very different learners). I'm getting ready to start my 4th child in the program. My third child has some dsylexic tendencies (I hesitate to call it that, but there doesn't seem to be an "appropriate label" for her issues.), and it has been very good with her. Although she isn't a fast or completely fluent reader, she can figure out almost anything she comes across.

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I would suggest trying Elizabeth B's phonics lessons, which are free online, click on the phonics lessons tab on the top of the page. They are simple and are based on the syllabary, so syllabication is covered off the bat. They would be an easy and free place to start while you investigate other options. The lesssons do include a Bible reading at the end of each lesson, if you are secular it is easy to skip.

 

I use them with my 7 yo son. He is a struggling reader, and they have really helped him progress. He is not a natural reader and really needs help cracking the code. This is basically what we are doing. We also are using Spell by Color, which is free online, along with another phonetic spelling workbook. My son hated AAS, but he is loving spelling and phonics now.

 

My oldest son was a natural reader, but he hit a wall when he was about 10, and so we used Writing Road to Reading as our spelling to help remediate phonics. We only used it for a year, he is at a private middle school now, but it really helped him continue to advance. Spalding is a solid method for any learner, but people often find it difficult to implement.

 

HTH!

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I think it would be entirely fair to say, I'm not really even sure WHAT we're looking for! DS, honestly, could go without phonics instruction. He'd pick it all up via osmosis, just from reading.

 

DD, on the other hand, really does need the instruction and practice, but again, not because she's struggling, just because she doesn't absorb the info like her brother does. Her struggles with reading are entirely unrelated to her ability to understand phonics, which she understands very well. She has word attack issues, but not because she doesn't know how, but because she sees a larger word and panics and then throws out a random guess based on the first letter.

 

I kind of feel like I'm in that no-man's land of "just learned how to read" and "advanced, solid reader." I'm not really sure WHAT comes next. Except perhaps for DD, who would probably benefit from continued systematic phonics instruction.

 

I would get the book Reading Pathways. http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Pathways-Exercises-Improve-Jossey-Bass/dp/0787992895/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348110114&sr=8-1&keywords=reading+pathways

It's the book to follow Phonics Pathways. It has stories written in pyramids and it's great for building fluency.

Along with that I would start doing syllables through Webster's Speller and giving them (especially DD) 15 or so nonsense words each day. I made my own nonsense words lists by mixing up the words in Webster's Speller.

 

I would suggest trying Elizabeth B's phonics lessons, which are free online, click on the phonics lessons tab on the top of the page. They are simple and are based on the syllabary, so syllabication is covered off the bat. They would be an easy and free place to start while you investigate other options. The lesssons do include a Bible reading at the end of each lesson, if you are secular it is easy to skip.

 

Definitely check out Elizabeth's site. She has great stuff there!

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Spalding.

 

I'm so predictable. :D

 

I think Spalding would be better for a child who might or might not be dyslexic, because of the writing involved and the emphasis on directionality. It would also help your other dc with spelling, and fill in any gaps he might have with his reading, besides which it also covers penmanship, basic capitalization and punctuation, and simple writing.

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Hmmm, it's kind of hard to say. She is working on syllabication rules in AAS2. DD is memorizing the rules and usually able to apply them, but conceptually...I don't think she really "gets" it.

 

In reading...she *usually* struggles with words that have blends in them. Especially l blends. But also, when she encounters a word that she is unfamiliar with, she freezes, stumbles at the first sound or two, transposes the next few sounds and then throws out a random word or sometimes even a mumble, which vaguely resembles the word she's looking at.

 

For example, today she encountered the word "Jessica" for the first time. She pronounced the /j/ and then stumbled from there. She eventually mumbled a nonsense word that sounded something like, "jetskiss."

 

She CAN decode this word, and has the skills to do so! But when she sees a word like this, any word that she's not familiar with...she stumbles, panics, and throws out something random.

 

With learning the syllabication rules in AAS2, I am slowing her down in reading and asking her to think about those rules. Slowly, she's able to get over the panic of a larger word and effectively sound it out.

 

Anyways, I digress...lol!

 

I would recommend R&S Phonics 1 for your daughter, then. It might boost her confidence to start back with smaller words and slowly build up to longer words, as well as re-emphasizing the rules. And unless your 5yo is a perfect speller, I wouldn't forgo phonics instructions with him. Learning to read, and understanding phonics rules and how to apply them when reading and spelling are two different things.

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I'm probably going to have to give that notched card idea a go. We already do similar, when she encounters a longer word, I'll cover it with my finger, but she won't do this independently.

 

How does the notched card idea affect fluency? Her fluency is already a bit off, if only because she totally skips ahead of punctuation and blends her sentences together. I've been addressing this by pointing out the skipped period, and then demonstrating how it *should* be read, with a pause for punctuation.

 

Of course, then she started reading like this: "The little cat is gray. <verbally spoken PAUSE> He likes to drink milk. <verbally spoken PAUSE>

 

:banghead:

 

I went ahead and ordered several ETC workbooks from CBD. DS is a natural speller, but he's far from perfect with it. I also ordered a few of the Spectrum series. *fingers crossed*

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Hmmm, it's kind of hard to say. She is working on syllabication rules in AAS2. DD is memorizing the rules and usually able to apply them, but conceptually...I don't think she really "gets" it.

 

In reading...she *usually* struggles with words that have blends in them. Especially l blends. But also, when she encounters a word that she is unfamiliar with, she freezes, stumbles at the first sound or two, transposes the next few sounds and then throws out a random word or sometimes even a mumble, which vaguely resembles the word she's looking at.

 

For example, today she encountered the word "Jessica" for the first time. She pronounced the /j/ and then stumbled from there. She eventually mumbled a nonsense word that sounded something like, "jetskiss."

 

She CAN decode this word, and has the skills to do so! But when she sees a word like this, any word that she's not familiar with...she stumbles, panics, and throws out something random.

 

With learning the syllabication rules in AAS2, I am slowing her down in reading and asking her to think about those rules. Slowly, she's able to get over the panic of a larger word and effectively sound it out.

 

Anyways, I digress...lol!

 

I think it would be entirely fair to say, I'm not really even sure WHAT we're looking for! DS, honestly, could go without phonics instruction. He'd pick it all up via osmosis, just from reading.

 

DD, on the other hand, really does need the instruction and practice, but again, not because she's struggling, just because she doesn't absorb the info like her brother does. Her struggles with reading are entirely unrelated to her ability to understand phonics, which she understands very well. She has word attack issues, but not because she doesn't know how, but because she sees a larger word and panics and then throws out a random guess based on the first letter.

 

I kind of feel like I'm in that no-man's land of "just learned how to read" and "advanced, solid reader." I'm not really sure WHAT comes next. Except perhaps for DD, who would probably benefit from continued systematic phonics instruction.

 

I'm probably going to have to give that notched card idea a go. We already do similar, when she encounters a longer word, I'll cover it with my finger, but she won't do this independently.

 

How does the notched card idea affect fluency? Her fluency is already a bit off, if only because she totally skips ahead of punctuation and blends her sentences together. I've been addressing this by pointing out the skipped period, and then demonstrating how it *should* be read, with a pause for punctuation.

 

Of course, then she started reading like this: "The little cat is gray. <verbally spoken PAUSE> He likes to drink milk. <verbally spoken PAUSE>

 

:banghead:

 

I went ahead and ordered several ETC workbooks from CBD. DS is a natural speller, but he's far from perfect with it. I also ordered a few of the Spectrum series. *fingers crossed*

She's only 6.75, it sounds like she's doing GREAT. Honestly, I don't think it sounds like she's struggling at all.

What are you seeing that makes you think she is dyslexic?

 

If you're worried about her guessing, I would do a list of nonsense words every day.

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