Phonics... phonics... phonics... driving me batty

[AimeeM]

I never realized how difficult it was to choose a phonics program! I'm intrigued by LOE and AAR. LOE sounds like it would better fit my son, but geez - there's so much out there!

Hubby's no help. He gets glassy eyed and says "we used plaid phonics in catholic grade school - it worked fine for EVERYONE. Don't over complicate this". Lol!

 

Is there really a huge difference between the programs? I'm so confused, lol.

[xixstar]

I understand. I just went through looking at all this stuff. I was soooooo very sold on AAR and then at a convention I saw PAL and was suddenly thinking --ooh, I should check that out. But being able to check out PAL in person, I was able to see that it probably wasn't for us. I didn't like the order things were presented in right from the beginning and I knew if I had an 'off' feeling about it, it'd never get done.

 

I still think AAR looks awesome and if I was buying a phonics program, I'd go for it. But it looks very much right up my dd's alley with the projects.

 

But in the end, we're sticking with OPGTR and will do some ETC books and I just picked up Happy Phonics that has a lot of games too. Oh and one impulse purchase at the homeschool convention for Phonics Rummy card game set. I like games -- well, I should clarify, I like buying games. I'm not sure that we actually play as many as I buy. But we'll give it a go and see how it works and I'll stop pining for AAR. Instead, now excited to add in AAS at some point.

[hands-on-mama]

We went with AAR. We are loving it so far. The samples of LOE seemed full of scripting that would bore my child to death. Just my .02.

[IceFairy]

I am using Veritas Press Phonics Museum with DD(almost 5) and she loves it....so do I. Its fun, thorough, multisensory, covers handrwriting, and throws in art study. Its a perfect fit.

[AimeeM]

I am using Veritas Press Phonics Museum with DD(almost 5) and she loves it....so do I. Its fun, thorough, multisensory, covers handrwriting, and throws in art study. Its a perfect fit.

I looked at that! It looks beautiful.

When I read Cathy Duffy's review on it, she does specify that it incorporated a reformed protestant pov into the readers and phonics instruction. Could you possibly tell me how prevalent that pov is in the program? (we're Catholic)

[kristi26]

We use Explode the Code here and love it! I don't know anything about the other programs you've listed as we found what worked and went with it. :)

[Chris in VA]

I loved Phonics Pathways. I had always heard of phonics taught with word families, and with initial sounds changing to make new words. PP teaches reading from left to right, introducing short vowels first. So you learn the short sounds, then you put a consonant on the front (ma, me, mi,mo,mu), THEN you add an ending consonant. I didn't like it at first, but it worked really well for dd.

 

The other thing I liked about PP is that it did not give the children an extra step of learning to associate a picture or object with each consonant (A is for Apple, B is for ball). You just learned the sound and the letter, essentially naming the sound. It seemed easier for my dd.

 

I also loved not having the markings, like in 100 Easy Lessons (or whatever that 100 book is called). I did not want to teach something that would then need to be "untaught." I had a friend who marked all the things her child read, and the child could not transition to unmarked words easily. I know it works well for some, I just prefered something else.

 

I truly think many things work to teach reading. I think the brain kicks in at some point and the pathways are established, and reading becomes easier--it's a much more complex brain activity than simply naming sounds, but that's a good place to start, imo.

[Syllieann]

We have loved aar level 1 and 2 this yr. for us, the lack of handwriting was a selling point. For next yr we're ready to include writing so were moving to sound beginnings. Not sure if you've already ruled that out but it has a montessori flavor with the command cards and obviously incorporates handwriting (manuscript). There is some basic grammar but not as much as loe. I honestly think you're kind of splitting hairs here. The programs you're considering are head and shoulders above what most kids learn with. I think you'll be quite happy with any of them.

[craftyerin]

 

 

Is there really a huge difference between the programs? I'm so confused, lol.

 

No, IMO, there is not. I own several, and they might introduce things in a slightly different order, or use more or less games/activities/flashcards/worksheets, but a good phonics program is a good phonics program. Really, pick the one you like the samples of the most, and go for it. You'll be fine.

 

We are using a mish mash of Phonics Pathways, Explode the Code, and some Happy Phonics games.

[AimeeM]

We have loved aar level 1 and 2 this yr. for us, the lack of handwriting was a selling point. For next yr we're ready to include writing so were moving to sound beginnings. Not sure if you've already ruled that out but it has a montessori flavor with the command cards and obviously incorporates handwriting (manuscript). There is some basic grammar but not as much as loe. I honestly think you're kind of splitting hairs here. The programs you're considering are head and shoulders above what most kids learn with. I think you'll be quite happy with any of them.

 

Lol - I'm not trying to split hairs. Promise. I'm just worried. I've never taught anyone to read, lol.

I guess I'm wondering if there's some huge defining difference between a $30 program and the flashy $200 programs - for a mom who needs significant handholding here. Lol.

[Freckles]

I love the Abeka phonics program. Yes, it's intensive, but my dd is such a good reader and speller from being taught the Abeka way. I know it's not for everyone, but we loved it.

[hjffkj]

i'm doing Phonics Pathways with my 2 children (4 and 3 next week.) And I love how ridiculously easy it is to 1. teach 2. understand (for the child) Once my almost 3 year old learned her letter sounds watching Letter Factory she said she was ready to do phonics (because she watches her brother.) Since they start with short vowel sounds and just add a letter in front its easy for her to understand blending just 2 sounds at first. Ex. s-a to sa. Also, at $7 used you can't really beat the price. My son is halfway through the book and is reading very well and because of the way they teach from reading left to right he is also a pretty good speller without me ever having to talk about spelling.

[MeaganS]

Lol - I'm not trying to split hairs. Promise. I'm just worried. I've never taught anyone to read, lol.

I guess I'm wondering if there's some huge defining difference between a $30 program and the flashy $200 programs - for a mom who needs significant handholding here. Lol.

 

The main difference, that I can tell, is mostly bells and whistles. We use OPGTR and it has everything you need with very little extra stuff. I also have Phonics Pathways and it is very similar in that you just teach the words. From what I can tell about the programs you are looking at, they teach the exact same things, they just have more activities and ways of approaching it than the simpler programs (worksheets, flashcards, puppets, games, etc.). You can't go wrong with any that have been mentioned. Pick what you like best and with what you think your dc will need, and your dc will learn to read.

 

I chose OPGTR because my dd is autistic and I really needed more of a guide than a program with little stories and games. She doesn't respond to stories and games, but is very good at straight to the point learning. But I do add a lot of extras into her reading practice, mostly iPad apps that she enjoys practicing with. Here is a blog post I wrote about how I use OPGTR, just to give you an idea. I also plan on using OPGTR for my neuro-typical dd in a year or two. She loves little games and stories, and I will be able to facilitate that for her myself using extra resources. If she were my only, though, I might do a more built-in program because it will require me to go find things for her. Luckily, I feel very comfortable finding what I need.

[HS Mom in NC]

With my older two (now 15 and 17) I used Ruth Beechick's 30 page pamphlet "Homestart in Reading" to teach my kids to read using real books and no curriculum. It's also very helpful in giving you a good understanding of what to look for if you choose to use a phonics program-that is, the difference between what's essential and what's extra.

 

I used Phonics Pathways (and the companion book with the sentence pyramids) with my youngest child (now 7) because I was juggling 3 kids in a wide age range. I liked that it was very simple, systematic, thorough and stunningly efficient.

 

I hate bells, whistles, fussy assignments and busy work. I want just the essentials so we can get on to reading real books ASAP. I considered any time spent on a reader to be a waste if we could be reading a real book instead. So, Phonics Pathways fit my strong CM leanings.

[JudoMom]

I agree with your dh. Don't over complicate it.

 

I am a huge fan of Phonics Pathways. I strayed here and there (mostly because I was teaching someone to read for years), but I always came back and it did the job. All of my boys can decode anything--even the 7 year old. I stopped phonics with him when he decoded "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" during a Writing with Ease lesson. He's now reading Redwall.

 

It doesn't have bells or whistles, but it works. And you can make the lessons as long or as short as can be handled in one day.

[AimeeM]

I see Phonics Pathways being recommended a lot (lol).

How is this program for a very active little boy? I think that's what attracts me to the bells and whistles in the other programs - the activities. I'm afraid that "boring" will shut him down.

[Staceyshoe]

Is there really a huge difference between the programs?

 

For my oldest, I would have said that it didn't really matter--just pick something cheap and thorough. He was highly motivated and didn't need any bells and whistles. He hated holding a pencil or crayon. My youngest was not interested until we found the "right" program--lots of interactive things that he can cut and paste, color, draw lines to connect, etc. He adores games. We tried a few things that flopped. When we hit on the "right" one, he would bring me the book and beg me to do a lesson with him. I'm sure there are many programs that would fall within the interactive, pencil-loving category. Others that are for pencil-avoiders. Some kids are attracted to color. Others are distracted by it. I would recommend trying some of the less expensive options, find some little phonics activities on Pinterest or somewhere, try a variety of things---after that, you'll have a very clear idea what is the right program for your dc, even if the only thing you have to go on is the online sample.

[boscopup]

I see Phonics Pathways being recommended a lot (lol).

How is this program for a very active little boy? I think that's what attracts me to the bells and whistles in the other programs - the activities. I'm afraid that "boring" will shut him down.

 

 

My 6 year old K'er is an active little boy who has to work hard to read. I started using Phonics Pathways in January, and I wish I'd started with that to begin with!!! I use it for about 10 minutes a day - we do one section of a page or a half of a page or a whole page, depending on what's on the page. We sit together, and if he wants to run around between rows of words, that's fine. :D But really, it's such a SHORT time, that he's worked up to sitting (or standing) still during the reading lesson.

 

My 3 year old (turning 4 in a few weeks) has been using it as well, and I have him do however much he wants in a sitting. Sometimes that's 4 words. Sometimes that's a whole page. Again, depends on the page, but also depends on his mood. ;) He loves it though.

 

The reason I wish I'd started with PP is because my 6 year old has been able to blend since he was just turned 4, but he was stuck in the sounding out stage for what seemed like forever (a good 2 years!!!). He could be reading "The cat is big. The cat is little.", and he'd have to sound out "cat" in the second sentence, even though he had just sounded it out in the first sentence on the same line. My 3 year old could sound out the first cat and remember it for the second one. Well, we started PP in January, and sometime in February or March, there was this one week that BOTH kids suddenly stopped sounding out everything. Instead, they were quickly blending as PP has you do: cat is read as /ca/-/t/. If it had just been my 6 year old, I would have chalked it up to maturity and reading naturally clicking, but since both kids did it the very same week after having used the program for the same amount of time, I'm pretty sure that was the method used in the program. This was the first program I used that blended in that manner, and I'm really seeing the genius of it now.

 

As far as the difference between the $20 programs and the $200 programs... About $180. :lol: At least, as far as what is being taught. Of course, I'm one that switched from AAS to R&S Spelling, realizing that my kid didn't need all the tiles and such (and the $40/level), and they teach the same things. I needed simple, no pieces, just something straight forward to get 'er done. Likewise, PP does that for us for reading. Actually, my 6 year old likes PP. The sentences are silly. One sentence was something like, "Gus held a mint in his hand." He got done reading that and said, "Pigs don't have hands!" :lol: Earlier in the book, we learned that Gus is a pig. It hadn't said it on that page, and I didn't even realize what it was saying, then my son noticed it. Ha! So that made both of us laugh. :)

 

See if your local library has PP. You could try it out and see for yourself. That's what I did. My library had an older version, but they're basically the same. The newest version has a few more games added in (yes, there ARE games!). I haven't even used the games yet. As I said, we do 10 minutes of phonics each day. Short and sweet, very consistent. If a child isn't ready to sit down and read for 5-10 minutes, I'd wonder if they aren't ready (maturity wise) for formal school. When I first started with phonics lessons for this child, we did 5 minutes, then worked up to 10 minutes. Set a timer for yourself the first few times, so you can get a feel for how much you can do in that time. Then as you see the child is ready, you gradually increase the time you spend. I usually do our 10 minute phonics lesson, then I let my son pick a Star Wars Phonics reader to read to me. He loves those. :) So in reality, we're "reading" for 15 minutes. He just doesn't realize it. ;) It's amazing how far they can go in such a short time, as long as you are consistent.

[Ellie]

Yes, there is a difference, but they all work if you stick with 'em. :-)

 

Spalding and its spin-offs (LOE, AAS, SWR, Phonics Road, Yes Phonics) teach children to read by teaching them to spell. (All except AAS incorporate handwriting.) OPGTR, Phonics Pathways, Alpha Phonics, ABeka's phonics, ETC, and others teach phonics without spelling. All of them are better than any sight-reading-based methods. :-)

 

Spalding costs less than its spin-offs--a manual (WRTR) and a set of phonogram cards are the basic needs.

[IceFairy]

I looked at that! It looks beautiful.

When I read Cathy Duffy's review on it, she does specify that it incorporated a reformed protestant pov into the readers and phonics instruction. Could you possibly tell me how prevalent that pov is in the program? (we're Catholic)

 

We are 28 lessons in and the most I have seen is "God gave us the ability to speak. Or "God gaves us letters", whis I have glossed over.

[Tanikit]

Lol, sometimes choosing the programme is much harder than actually teaching them to read - I think any programme can be used to teach a child to read - in fact in the 60s when someone was studying parents who had taught their children to read, he found that no matter what the parents had done they had succeeded - possibly because they were motivated to get it right and possibly because they were using no method that was scripted so they had to follow their child's lead. I think whatever programme you choose you should still follow your child's lead. I used OPGTR to some extent with my eldest. I have looked at numerous other programmes, but I suspect with my youngest I will teach her with no programme and just do what works.

[alisoncooks]

I see Phonics Pathways being recommended a lot (lol).

How is this program for a very active little boy? I think that's what attracts me to the bells and whistles in the other programs - the activities. I'm afraid that "boring" will shut him down.

We have been through several (okay, MANY) phonics programs.

 

My oldest DD did not do well with Phonics Pathways. She was fine using it for a while, but the pages got to be pretty full of word lists and fluency lists -- they were overwhelming. She missed having a "fun" component (games, etc)...I and missed having coordinating readers.

[joyfulmomSDG]

I have used Phonics Pathways for all my littles so far. A friend recommended that I have it spiral-bound at an office supply store. That way we can flip the pages to the back and not overwhelm my little ones so they see only one page at a time. I have even gone further and used a scrap paper to cover what we are not immediately working on on the page. Both of these have helped curb the discouragement drastically! I also only do a page at a time & sometimes even just a section of a page. My goal is proficiency not "getting through the book".

 

PP is the best resource I have tried for teaching reading...particularly if the child isn't ready for tons of writing! HTH :)

[Incognito]

I looked at that! It looks beautiful.

When I read Cathy Duffy's review on it, she does specify that it incorporated a reformed protestant pov into the readers and phonics instruction. Could you possibly tell me how prevalent that pov is in the program? (we're Catholic)

 

I recall a long passage about God and Thanksgiving when we did the TH sound. There is a book about Pepin the Short (Pepin the Not Big) where the king goes to live with the "men of God" (monks). One reader is Dan of the Den - Daniel in the lion's den. In a couple of the books the people pray. There is one story where a native american is called a "red man". That isn't a religious thing, but it is one thing I have not liked that I feel I should mention...

I'm not Catholic, so it's hard for me to recall if anything would have bothered a Catholic sensibility. I can't think of anything.

I have enjoyed the cirriculum. It suits me, and adapts to the kids well enough. We have about 5 lessons left. I'll be using the grade 1 level next year/possibly over the summer (unless I change my mind... :)).

One thing, it is not a laid-back K cirriculum. Lots of writing practice. An example from the last reader:

 

Will hitches an ox to the wagon. The ox pulls him from the combat. The ox pulls him to a lot at Appomattox. There Will can set up a cabin that will not be by the Feds and the Rebs. There cannons will not bash his wall, and he will not get shot.

 

Oh, and it does hold your hand. It's scripted if you want to use it that way. Tells you word games, what to write on a board, etc.

 

HTH

[Kathie in VA]

I never realized how difficult it was to choose a phonics program! I'm intrigued by LOE and AAR. LOE sounds like it would better fit my son, but geez - there's so much out there!

Hubby's no help. He gets glassy eyed and says "we used plaid phonics in catholic grade school - it worked fine for EVERYONE. Don't over complicate this". Lol!

 

Is there really a huge difference between the programs? I'm so confused, lol.

 

 

Differences in phonics programs? Yes but once you reach your goal.. they are reading.. and the path used becomes mostly irrelevant. Some also teach spelling and/or handwriting so if your choice didn't then you need to start it... otherwise you're continuing. I think once you choose to teach reading with phonics, as opposed to using a sight reading program, then they will probably be well prepared to learn spelling.

 

ETA: So the choice doesn't seem to affect the end result only the journey to get there.

 

The differences:

order:

--word families (hat, cat, sat)

--ladder (ma, me, mi, mo, mu)

--by phonogram (all sounds for A = ah, A, a)

reader (like Alpha Phonics or Phonics Pathways)

workbook (like ETC)

tiles (like AAS)

flash cards (SWR, WRTR)

music (like Sing, Spell, and Write)

combined with spelling and or handwriting

color or black/white

time per lesson

Teacher Manual (and it's size) aka learning curve?

PRICE

number of kids you will be teaching phonics to (choice might differ if this is your last phonics student or first of many)

number of kids in your homeschool (distractions make a difference)

 

ETA: Oh and I can relate to the hubby getting 'glassy eyed' and saying "Don't over complicate this" LOL!

[Mom-ninja.]

So far I plan on using ABeCeDarian. It teaches all the sounds associated with a phonogram at a time. The workbooks can either include writing or not. I have the teacher books because I used it for my two older dc. This program worked great to teach my dyslexic to read. My youngest is showing some dyslexia signs so I figure I'll go ahead and use what worked before.

 

I bought AAR pre-level and I'm not a big fan. The games are good, but I do not like the teaching of the letter names and not the sound(s) at all. I also don't like that it splits the upper case and lower case letters. First the child is supposed to learn the names (not sounds) of all the upper case letters and then move on to learn the lower case letters with sound. Eh. I don't like it.

[Mergath]

We jumped around with dd a bit. She picked up the letter sounds from Starfall (like a week after I spent a ton of money for AAR pre-level :glare: ) then used Funnix for awhile, which helped her learn how to blend. She hit a wall so we took a break, then we went through Jolly Phonics to help cement letter sounds and blending, then we went through a good chunk of Phonics Pathways up to silent e stuff, at which point she pretty much just started reading everything in the house on her own.

 

And I just realized that I have absolutely nothing useful to offer. :p Honestly though, I think any of those programs will work. And, if your house is like mine, the cats will teach your child at night when everyone else is sleeping, rendering everything you do during the day a complete waste of time anyway.

[Sherri in MI]

Used & oved OPGTR with my son who is an excellent reader! He was a typical wiggly boy. The lessons were simple, short (just 10 minutes a day), easy to implement (just open the book & read to your child) & VERY effective. Uncomplicated. The other programs looked too complicated. I looked at Phonics Museum because it looks so beautiful and fun but I didn't like the readers & it looked too complicated for me.

 

We also used ETC books just because my son enjoyed doing them so much. And we read lots of books together.

[Courtney_Ostaff]

Finishing 100 EZ Lessons(yes, I'm aware people hate it, but she loves it--and hates the BOB books with the passion of 1,000 fiery suns, so, whatever ), concurrently doing a page a day in Phonics Pathways for reinforcement, and then picking up with the OPGTR. We'll be continuing Phonics Pathways alongside, for reinforcement.

[Ellie]

Finishing 100 EZ Lessons(yes, I'm aware people hate it, but she loves it--and hates the BOB books with the passion of 1,000 fiery suns, so, whatever ), concurrently doing a page a day in Phonics Pathways for reinforcement, and then picking up with the OPGTR. We'll be continuing Phonics Pathways alongside, for reinforcement.

 

There are people who "hate"...whatever it is you're talking about. :-) Never make disclaimers when you're discussing the thing that works best for you. :-)