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first graders using ETC


momma aimee
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if your first grader is useing ETC can you tell me what book you are in?

 

We are in Book 2 (after doing book on and 1.5 both) and I am just wanting to 'compare' to his peers -- and see where we stand. :001_smile: i know it doesn't matter but i have to fight this constant fear he is behind. :001_smile:

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We started first grade in ETC 3. We did 1 and 2 in K, but not any 1/2 books. It isn't a race. It is important for them to get as much practice as they need.

 

 

This is like my ds 6. We did 1 and 2 in K and he is now working through 3 in first grade. I have slowed him down a little bit (1 page a day now) because the words are getting a little tougher and I like how it is currently about the same level as he is in for AAS so it compliments is well. I'm not sure if we will get done two full books this year or not.

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Book 2 is great for first grade, he isn't behind. I think we started in Book 1, but then we skipped to Book 3 during the year.

 

It totally depends on their reading level, so one first grader could be way ahead of another. It really doesn't matter. Does it seem right for him? Not way over his head but not too easy?

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My oldest is 6 and in her first grade year. She is currently on ETC6. HOWEVER, she adores the books and LOVES to write. She even started writing in cursive at the end of book 5 and now completes each page in it. I do not expect my other children to follow suit. She started ETC when she was 5 (maybe even right before...)

 

Her younger sister is a completely different breed of learner. Not work-bookey and doesn't like to sit still for any length of time. She is not doing what her older sister was doing at her age but I have learned to shrug and go with it.

 

The joy of homeschooling is that we can tailor it for each child. If you feel you are making sufficient progress with your son then don't sweat it! If he's happily learning and progressing then you are doing great!

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Generally speaking, the levels correspond to grades like this:

Books 1-3 --> K-1

Books 4-6 --> 1-2

Books 7-8 --> 2-3 (even grade 4 is not unreasonable, if a child had a bit of a slow start with reading)

 

I would say you're right on track. But I also agree with others that it's all about providing an individual child with the right level of challenge (hard, but doable) regardless of "level".

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Generally speaking, the levels correspond to grades like this:

Books 1-3 --> K-1

Books 4-6 --> 1-2

Books 7-8 --> 2-3 (even grade 4 is not unreasonable, if a child had a bit of a slow start with reading)

 

I would say you're right on track. But I also agree with others that it's all about providing an individual child with the right level of challenge (hard, but doable) regardless of "level".

 

:iagree: My third graders are finishing up 7 & 8. One of them could have been done awhile ago, but I slowed him down and took some breaks. The last two books have a different feel. In 1st grade, one of them finished through 3 and the other finished through 6.

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We did ETC books 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 5, and 5.5 in K.

 

We did the first 3 lessons of ETC4 in K, but ended up skipping it b/c the concepts were a bit too much for DD.

 

In first grade (this year), we're working on book 6. We do one lesson per week (split into 4 days) and should be done around Christmas. In January, we'll go back and do ETC4 then move on to books 7 and 8. I don't think we'll get to 7 and 8 until 2nd grade.

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Agreed- it doesn't matter where other kids are- they will be all over the board. :)

 

:iagree: As long as your child is progressing, keep going. You can't rush this type of thing. If he isn't ready to read beyond that level, he isn't ready. No amount of "doing more" in ETC will make him go faster. And first graders vary so much in reading ability, from not reading at all to reading at high school level. In my son's first grade class at school a couple years ago, of 17 kids, 3 could not read at the beginning of the year - at all. The rest of the class was all over the map in ability.

 

If other kids on this forum are doing a higher book number, what would you do differently? Or would it just cause you more angst? It just doesn't seem like a productive question for you. The question you should be asking is, "Is my child making forward progress? Or do I think there is a learning disability involved?" If it's the latter, look into testing. If it's the former, keep doing what you're doing. Some kids take longer to get up to speed with reading. My dad was put in special ed classes as a young child because he didn't learn to read in 1st grade like all the other kids did. A few years later, his reading clicked and he took off. He was highly intelligent and an excellent reader. He did great in high school. Not reading in 1st grade did not adversely affect his long term success one iota!

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My 2nd grader started book 1 in K but really struggled with it ... I don't think we got past book 1 and took a different approach because he does not like workbooks (still doesn't) ... my K'er who is 5 is in book 3.5 and loves it ... begs to do page after page (loves every workbook I give her and is working on a 1st grade level in LA). I don't know why but each kid is different. My son still doesn't work as quickly (especially in LA). I think it really depends on the kids. I found that PAL-R/PAL-W worked much better for my son (less writing and more playing "games" but really taught him what he needs to know).

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My Kinder is doing Book 1. He did the A, B ,C books last year. He's doing well, but I'm not sure I'm seeing the skills translate to other areas. That's more important imo. To work with phonics readers, handwriting, simple copywork, simple memory work, lots of literacy activities, spelling. ETC on it's own isn't really a good gauge imo of how a child is doing.

 

My oldest ds completed maybe 3 of those books--I think books 3, 4 and 5--sometime in 2nd grade. They were unessential to his learning to read. My Kinder seems to like them, so I'll stay with him. But I'll likely take breaks from ETC because too much workbook would begin to feel tedious. My Kinder has complained about the format a few times.

 

I also wouldn't even consider adding the half books unless a child seemed to really need the practice. And if a child was struggling with concepts in ETC I would try to find a different way of presenting them.

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We did 2 and 3 and then took a big, long break and did 1. I know that sounds weird, but it was really helpful. I have come to think phonics is excellent when used as somewhat of a review in the reading process. I think it's best when it's not painful and slightly below their reading level. That seems to be somewhat of how the schools use it. It's one of MANY tools to teach reading, and used as a stand alone it's rather insufficient. That's just my experience though. I think DD got the most out of it when she wasn't at the painfully sounding out words stage.

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My daughter also has speech/learning issues. She has repeated books 2 or 3 times and done the half books too. Just keep trucking. They are where they are. We do it 6-7 days a week. Using more than one program has really helped my daughter. With my different little tyke, hitting her from more than one angle is imperative. I totally understand your concern about keeping up, especially when your kiddo has some late blooming and learning issues. It's scary to have the responsibility of making sure they are okay and constantly questioning whether you are doing enough or too much or the wrong stuff, or... ARGGGGG! And I thought this homeschooling thing was going to be easy...:willy_nilly:

Take Care, you are not alone:grouphug:

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Generally speaking, the levels correspond to grades like this:

Books 1-3 --> K-1

Books 4-6 --> 1-2

Books 7-8 --> 2-3 (even grade 4 is not unreasonable, if a child had a bit of a slow start with reading)

 

I would say you're right on track. But I also agree with others that it's all about providing an individual child with the right level of challenge (hard, but doable) regardless of "level".

 

Thats good to know- thanks :)

 

We JUST started ETC for my 1st/2nd grader. She is finishing ETC 1 and BTC 1. She is breezing through it and could be on ETC 2 but i only let her do 2pages a day.

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:iagree:

My daughter also has speech/learning issues. She has repeated books 2 or 3 times and done the half books too. Just keep trucking. They are where they are. We do it 6-7 days a week. Using more than one program has really helped my daughter. With my different little tyke, hitting her from more than one angle is imperative. I totally understand your concern about keeping up, especially when your kiddo has some late blooming and learning issues. It's scary to have the responsibility of making sure they are okay and constantly questioning whether you are doing enough or too much or the wrong stuff, or... ARGGGGG! And I thought this homeschooling thing was going to be easy...:willy_nilly:

Take Care, you are not alone:grouphug:

 

:iagree:

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Generally speaking, the levels correspond to grades like this:

Books 1-3 --> K-1

Books 4-6 --> 1-2

Books 7-8 --> 2-3 (even grade 4 is not unreasonable, if a child had a bit of a slow start with reading)

 

I would say you're right on track. But I also agree with others that it's all about providing an individual child with the right level of challenge (hard, but doable) regardless of "level".

 

that does make me feel better, i get that every child is different and <3 that is my we homeschool...but at the same time i line the personal accountability that we are not too far behind "peer average"

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DS is officially first grade this year and he finished ETC book 8 this summer. He was doing them for review as he'd already finished a complete phonics program the year before. However, he is working a grade level ahead and he is even farther ahead in his reading. So, last year, when he was doing mostly first grade work, he did books 4-6 and then books 7 and 8 over the break.

Edited by kebg11
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