OPGTR knowing the words or learn all the sounds?

[energy2c]

We are on section 16 of the book and it seems my daughter knows a lot if not most of the words. She even knows some of the words at the end of the book. Is the point to have them reading or to learn every possible sounds combination and memorize it? I'm struggling with which direction to go. Thanks in advance.

[Mama Anna]

I'm not sure I'm reading your post right, but it sounds like your dd is doing very well with reading. I've used OPGTR with my oldest two now, and we've gone through the whole thing with each for different reasons. For dd-now-9 it was just to make sure all the holes were plugged. I think the only lesson in the whole book that she really needed was the one about soft c and g vs. the hard sounds. Dd-now-6 needed the whole book in order to have a step-by-step progression towards confidence in reading multi-syllable words.

 

If your dd is having no problem and you're impatient to finish the book, one possibility is to do more than one lesson per day. As long as it's not too much for the child, there's no reason you have to plod through.

 

HTH!

Mama Anna

[energy2c]

Thanks for helping me out with this.

 

I'm not impatient to finish the book. I am just wondering if I should have her memorize every "rule" or sound combination. In order that when she comes upon a word she doesn't know she will remember all the combinations from the book. We do go through a lot of lessons per day and I'm afraid of not cementing all the sounds to memory.

[Melenie]

It sounds like she is doing just fine, as long as you are doing the review suggested in the book she will remember the sounds. The review is what cements it for them. Have you tried letting her read other books on a similar level to see if she is applying what she has learned?

 

To answer your question about remembering the rule or the sounds. I think it is a combination of the two. In the beginning I stress the rule, but as they get more familiar with reading, they remember the letter combination. OPGTR gets them reading, but continued reading is what will make it more "natural" and as important as the rules are, you do not use them daily in your reading.

[Mama Anna]

I am just wondering if I should have her memorize every "rule" or sound combination. In order that when she comes upon a word she doesn't know she will remember all the combinations from the book. We do go through a lot of lessons per day and I'm afraid of not cementing all the sounds to memory.

 

Again, I don't know if this will help, but I just usually remind my girls of the rule when they make a mistake while reading aloud (we're into McGuffy's 3rd reader now with dd6, whence she reads daily portions) and then go on. I considered OPGTR to lay the groundwork by introducing the rules. We never memorized them by rote. If the child needed it such a practice might come in handy, though.

 

Mama Anna

[chicagoshannon]

 

 

Again, I don't know if this will help, but I just usually remind my girls of the rule when they make a mistake while reading aloud (we're into McGuffy's 3rd reader now with dd6, whence she reads daily portions) and then go on. I considered OPGTR to lay the groundwork by introducing the rules. We never memorized them by rote. If the child needed it such a practice might come in handy, though.

 

Mama Anna

 

This is what I do also. I never had her memorize the rules but do remind her of them if she makes a mistake.

[energy2c]

Thanks for the response ladies!!

That's great about telling her the rules when she makes a mistake. Lately if she makes a mistake we review that lesson again to refresh our memory. I just found out about McGuffy's readers and found them free online.

Shannon I'm from Chicago too.