Using OPGTR with an advanced reader: where do I start him?!?!

[CarrieF]

I have a very bright 6yo son who started reading at the age of 3. My concern is that he has never been "formally" trained in phonics/reading and I would like to make sure we have covered the bases/not left any gaps in his reading/decoding knowledge. I really like the format and content of OPGTR, but have no idea where to start him (he'd be so insulted if we started at the beginning!) - any thoughts/advice/opinions?! We have done some Explode the Code, but not regularly or long enough to feel like this is enough; however, I am thinking about using ETC to supplement what we cover in OPG . . . I just need help knowing where to start in OPG. :001_smile:

Thanks so much!

Carrie

[starlashine]

I think there are notes on that in the back of the book, but off the top of my head I would say you could maybe skip the opening section on individual letter sounds and then go right into sound combinations? If you want to be sure he is clear on all the sounds, there is a poem for both vowels and consonants, so you could have him memorize them without doing the actual lessons. HTH

[CarrieF]

Thank you for your input - I need to check the back of OPG and make sure I'm not missing more critical information. : ) I know he's got the vowels and consonants down (in his sleep!), so do you think I could start even further along?!

Also, can you clue me in on all the differenct references to Bees, hives, etc.?! I've got to be missing something important here! : )

Thanks again!

Carrie

[StephanieF]

I would start at the blends. You can always go straight to the bit where they have to read the text after you have explained what blend you are looking at. If he can read it straight off and understand that the blend relates to the sound then just move on. You can cover several lessons in one sitting.

With my ds I just say look at this blend on the page, read these words-I highlight the blend by covering the rest of the word so he reads the blend first and then the other letters. He reads the words like this (without me having to go through them first) and we read the text. It is clear very quickly if he gets it or knows it already and we move on or take it slow depending. I know that although we are only on lesson 62, there are several lessons further in the book where he already knows it so I'll just do them a bit quicker, perhaps just read the text making sure he realises the point we are trying to cover but I won't miss them out-all reading is good practice!

Stephanie

[Oak Knoll Mom]

I would sit down with the consonant rhyme and tell him you're going to play a little game. Tell him you're going to read a poem about letter names and their sounds, BUT you're only going to say the letter name, and he has to fill in the sound. Make it fun and playful! It would go something like this:

You: B stands for

Him: /b/

You: as in

Him: /b/, /b/

You: bat

You: C stands for

Him: /k/

You: as in

Him: /k/, /k/

You: cat

 

It would make reviewing the letters a fun interactive game and you may realize that there's some letter sounds he's missing. I thought my kid knew them all, but after doing a similar activity with him, I realized that he was shaky on a few and had no idea what W or X sounded like.

 

After that, I would just have him start reading the stories and point out the rules when you come across them. With my oldest, I would read him the rule, have him read the word list and story. We'd get through 5+ lessons in 15 minutes like this and finished the book in less than a school year. (My youngest is a different kid, different story!)

[Susie in CA]

I would propably not use OPG in this case. You may want to check out Reading Reflex. This may fit your bill.

 

Susie