Help me choose ONE reading curriculum!!

[cseitter]

I am a reading curriculum junkie and a researcher at heart. I have 3 children I am teaching to read. My 4.5 year old is reading cvc words but my 6 year old DS (has expressive/receptive language disorder) has to have a picture association (reading sight words, extremely visual learner) and my 6 year old DD whom I believe also have expressive/receptive language disorder, is reading cvc words.

 

I started using PAL last year but felt my kids were learning to many sight words. I switched over to HOP K and did the whole book. I didn't feel that it stuck with them. Went back to PAL and again worried about sight words. Now I am using Reading Reflex. My son has trouble with the Auditory processing lesson but as soon as I whip out the picture from the word building lesson he can build the words all day. The girls can both do the word building and auditory processing lessons fine and we are working on the word lists.

 

But here is my problem. I keep doubting what I am doing and switching programs. Now I am thinking of switching to OPGTR even though I found that and 100 EZ lessons SO boring!! My DH is not 100% for homeschooling next year and I feel pressure to get them reading. And then to add to it, I am am in church today and ALL of the kids in their class (5-6 year olds) that attend PS are reading (some better than others).

 

So help me pick ONE program!!! I was reading WTM last night and they talk about RR for remediating older kids, phonics pathways and OPGTR. I don't want to buy another curriculum so AAR is out. I do have access to OPGTR and phonics pathways if necessary.

 

Thanks!!

[alisoncooks]

Ah, you sound a LOT like me. I'm also a chronic researcher and reading curriculum junkie. My oldest daughter has been slow-to-read, and I've bounced through a lot of different programs (I won't embarrass myself by listing them all!) :eek: :eek:

I am not familiar with PAL, though....

 

And then to add to it, I am in church today and ALL of the kids in their class (5-6 year olds) that attend PS are reading (some better than others).

I know how this feels! Most of my daughter's church peers are reading well ... even her best pal who is nearly a year younger. It's hard not to compare!

 

I'll share our current set-up: Phonics Pathways + Reading Reflex + ETC

We've been using this for the past few months... and finally seeing some progress beyond the CVC-wasteland we were stuck in. :p I like Phonics Pathways because I feel it is more comprehensive and systematic than RR... but I use RR to remind me to include hands-on, word-building activities. (For example, we were introducing ending blends in PP, so I turned to those lessons in RR and used the letter tiles and did the sound building/auditory processing lessons for CVCC words.)

 

I use ETC for our "spelling" lessons because I'm not using any other formal handwriting or spelling. It gives DD extra reading practice (we're a book behind in ETC -- currently in book 1 -- so it's also a good confidence builder for her). Plus (and this is something mentioned a bit in Reading Reflex when they "map" the words) but I find her retention is increased when there is a writing component to her reading lesson.

 

Anyway, I just wanted to chime in with a "you're-not-alone". :)

[lexi]

I tried 100 EZ. Boring! My dd was frustrated with the weird font. I didn't like it.

 

Tried PAL. It felt totally disorganized to me. Random sight word here, random (difficult) sight word there. No blending. No rhyme or reason to the introduction of phonograms-other than to fit with the poems. Jumbled! My son was lost and frustrated.

 

Now we use All About Reading. It's easy to use and makes sense to me. It introduces the phonograms in a logical order. Lots of blending practice. Has some hands on things that my son loves. He's making awesome progress with it. Really happy with it.

 

I still drool over Logic of English though....

 

I did look at OPG but it didn't seem super exciting. My son needed the few activities included in AAR.

 

He also does Reading Eggs but that's more for fun (and to give me a short break).

 

All that to say, I make myself nuts over this too. And I can't keep buying stuff!

 

What if you did a combo of RR with OPG? I've never looked at Phonics Pathways so not sure on that one. I combine 2 math programs and it works for us and I feel better thinking I'm covering my bases and avoiding gaps. But I think the main thing is to keep moving forward. I though my oldest would never read but I just kept slot moving forward and finally it all came together for her. Then she was reading almost overnight. Some kids take a while. But it sounds like you should combine the one he likes with the one you think is the most thorough and just keep going.

 

Why is it so hard to keep from looking at everything else out there and to keep from comparing? Ugh!

[MeaganS]

I'm a researcher too, and my DD is autistic with language issues. OPGTR is working for us, but I definitely do it with my own twist. I recently wrote a blog post about how I use it, in case you want to see how I've made it work.

 

I hope that helps and I hope you find what you are looking for. :grouphug:

[Hunter]

Hmmm, I remember teaching a 6th grade Sunday School class where more than half of my students couldn't read. But some of those non-readers could do some amazing things. Others were just overwhelmed with surviving. I've never seen, never mind taught, such an advanced group of Sunday School students.

 

Every student is unique and comparisons mean nothing. We can't help it though, can we? :grouphug:

 

Even with my most disabled students I don't use sight words and pictures as my core phonics curriculum. I personally like How to Tutor/Alpha-Phonics, but... the most important thing is for the TEACHER to be comfortable with the program she uses, no matter what the student's gifts and disabilities are, or everyone else is doing.

 

Don Potter's Alpha-Phonics page. There are more Alpha-Phonics resources sprinkled all over his site.

[mo2]

I'm a researcher too, and my DD is autistic with language issues. OPGTR is working for us, but I definitely do it with my own twist. I recently wrote a blog post about how I use it, in case you want to see how I've made it work.

 

I hope that helps and I hope you find what you are looking for. :grouphug:

 

I enjoyed your blog post. I use OPGTR also but never with my son reading from the book. I always copy it off onto the whiteboard or, in a pinch, even just a piece of scrap paper. There is too much other text on the pages in the book, and it makes it confusing for the student, in my opinion.

 

the most important thing is for the TEACHER to be comfortable with the program she uses, no matter what the student's gifts and disabilities are, or everyone else is doing.

:iagree:

[journey00]

Every student is unique and comparisons mean nothing. We can't help it though, can we? :grouphug:

NOPE

 

but... the most important thing is for the TEACHER to be comfortable with the program she uses, no matter what the student's gifts and disabilities are, or everyone else is doing.

AMEN, SISTAH!

[delaney]

I really like Phonics Road for the basic instruction but once he got the basic vowel teams and stuff down I am working more with McRuffy reading. Cheap and simple!

[serendipitous journey]

If you have Phonics Pathways, I'd try that. Even if the child detests it (as Button did) you can break it up into short chunks, and work for 5-10 minutes a day.

 

Once the child is able, try the Free & Treadwell readers which are available online -- much preferred here to the Bob-style books, as the stories are INTERESTING. I started by reading a sentence or a page, then having Button read that sentence or page. We did this for a few minutes at the beginning, and the next day I'd have him do the same material, perhaps going a bit further, until he could read it. At some point I stopped reading it for him first, and then he would just read to me for 5 minutes or so, and if he struggled then the next day we'd try that section again. We went from Primer through 2nd reader and at that point the content was too complicated (he was 6 yo) so I got Frog & Toad style books from the library, then small chapter books, & so on.

[Aspasia]

 

 

I enjoyed your blog post. I use OPGTR also but never with my son reading from the book. I always copy it off onto the whiteboard or, in a pinch, even just a piece of scrap paper. There is too much other text on the pages in the book, and it makes it confusing for the student, in my opinion.

 

 

:iagree:

 

 

This is what we do. All the other text is overwhelming.

 

OPGTR does include quite few little games. They're simple and quick to make (all you need is index cards), and my dd5 really enjoys them.

 

I bounced around a little in the beginning and finally just decided to tough it out with OPGTR. At some point, things just clicked with my dd. I honestly think Bob books made a big difference for us. I know everyone thinks they're lame and boring, but the pictures fill in a lot of the narrative that the words don't explore, so my dd really liked them. Being able to actually enjoy reading--however simple--and feel confident about it really improved her reading. Hating reading instruction makes progress very difficult. CVC words are kind of limiting, but I think the Bob books are great for them.