If you could start at the beginning?

[bnwhitaker]

If you could start at the beginning (maybe 4 or 5 year old) again and teach reading, phonics, handwriting, spelling & grammar HOW WOULD YOU DO IT? Which materials / curriculum would you use? How would you lay out the schedule or plan for the next few years?

[Lily_Grace]

I will be. :)

 

By age group...

 

3-5yo:

Writing - no curriculum. Ferby colored pencils, Ikea/golf pencils, tweezers, eye-droppers, paintbrushes, table washing. Focus on learning proper grip with small instruments and learning counter-clockwise circles.

Reading - tactile letters, introducing one by one until sounds are learned, then introducing a mat with a large arrow on it - taking the best of the 100EZ lesson book and making it multi-sensorial. Fast/slow games, building words...

Math - different manipulatives that show relation and value, eventually building up to Decimal Street-type manipulatives that show place value up to the hundreds.

 

6yo:

Writing- D'nealian or cursive, using the same pencils. Copywork that corresponds to reading lessons.

Reading - easy readers

Language arts - Montessori parts-of-speech manipulatives, word tiles, other types of writing (poems, plays,..) and dictation.

Math - MUS Alpha/Beta alternate lessons

Social studies - world awareness, using Looking Down and building the pink tower into a hands on model (universe -> self), maybe something like Little Passports, too.

 

At 7, I'd continue with MUS, but switch to Moving Beyond The Page for Language Arts components and start science (BFSU) and history (SOTW)

[SilverMoon]

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Edited May 11, 2022 by SilverMoon

[bnwhitaker]

Thanks for all you input! Give me lots of good ideas. I really feel like I messed the beginning up with my older two & we have had to play catch up. Would like to be a bit more wise with my next. I see so many people getting their children to begin reading early and Im thinking, "hey how did they do that" :) I did 100ez lessons with my two and it seems confusing because then we start over with something else that then begins to show them the phonics?? I like the phonics idea early I think? I love seeing others plan.

[almondbutterandjelly]

I would use Abeka (with all the whistles and bells and flashcards) for reading, phonics, and spelling. Handwriting without Tears for handwriting. Language Smarts by Critical Thinking Company for grammar.

[PachiSusan]

If I had it to do over, I wouldn't start any formal training (ie textbooks, workbooks, tests) in K and 1st and just go with interests and reading.

 

I thought I was doing right by accelerating her at her speed. It was really my perception of what her speed was - and it was deliciously average.

[Aurelia]

Depending on the child's interest:

 

Age 4 or 5: WRTR or Bear Necessities w/Zaner-Bloser Manuscript K/1, lots of reading aloud, probably using SL's P4/5 list.

Age 6: continue WRTR or Dancing Bears with Apples & Pears. Reading books on her level, plus read-alouds.

Age 7-9: Apples & Pears, Galore Park Jr English. Use books from the English curriculum plus some of my own choosing.

[bnwhitaker]

If I had it to do over, I wouldn't start any formal training (ie textbooks, workbooks, tests) in K and 1st and just go with interests and reading.

 

I thought I was doing right by accelerating her at her speed. It was really my perception of what her speed was - and it was deliciously average.

So would you not start her learning to read until 2nd grade? I think im still confused on the reading. By the time I got my boys reading they were way over ready for it. Which was nice for teaching but felt bad that they could of read so much earlier. They really did want to be reading earlier and did not like when people asked them things about reading that they didn't know how. It was really just me and my confusion on teaching. I went with rod and staff and realized it was not sticking for us and we drudged our way through it. We have since moved to PAL & ETC online and its been awesome. But Im confused on how you begin all this with a clean slate. Because with my older two they already knew lots of different pieces before beginning pal & from rod & staff and just being older.

[Tracy]

This is my second time around. I am using SWR for K and then continuing SWR and adding WWE for grades 1-4.

[PachiSusan]

So would you not start her learning to read until 2nd grade? I think im still confused on the reading. By the time I got my boys reading they were way over ready for it. Which was nice for teaching but felt bad that they could of read so much earlier. They really did want to be reading earlier and did not like when people asked them things about reading that they didn't know how. It was really just me and my confusion on teaching. I went with rod and staff and realized it was not sticking for us and we drudged our way through it. We have since moved to PAL & ETC online and its been awesome. But Im confused on how you begin all this with a clean slate. Because with my older two they already knew lots of different pieces before beginning pal & from rod & staff and just being older.

 

 

No, I said I would not do anything formal before 1st grade EXCEPT child lead interests and reading. :) I would most certainly be teaching reading as early as she was ready.

[bnwhitaker]

No, I said I would not do anything formal before 1st grade EXCEPT child lead interests and reading. :) I would most certainly be teaching reading as early as she was ready.

I see now what you meant :)

[Holly]

I seem to "tweak" our plans each time I have a new reader and it gets a bit better (for us) each time. My schedule would be:

 

3/4yo--HOD's LHTH to work on letter sounds. There is a variety of letter writing with painting, ice cubes on construction paper, tracing in applesauce/rice/sand/etc. My youngest loves the fingerplays, but my 6yo wasn't a fan...I'd probably skip them if that was the case.

4/5yo--ETC primers...very simple, not too much writing. We also play "letter sound Bingo" and some other phonics games. After they've gone through ETC primers, we work on blending. Usually I place 3 flashcards together and they try to sound out the word. I repeat this until they catch on. One of my DC caught on immediately, but my other two readers took a couple weeks.

5/6yo--MCP A or ETC 1 and 2...I'm using MCP with my current 6yo, but it has quite a bit of writing. We simplify or skip some of the writing. She absolutely loves the letter flashcards that came with the books (for building words) as well as the tear-out mini-readers. We also use McGuffey Primer and Pathway Readers for phonics instruction as well as these books: http://www.cph.org/p...m=bible readers

6/7yo--Continue with phonics wb and readers, also add in extra readers for variety (Frog and Toad, Christian Liberty Nature Readers, etc.).

7/8yo--Same plan, add cursive this year or next. Also add basic grammar (we've used a variety: R&S, PLL, Grammar Land)

 

We start copywork with the McGuffey readers and they are required to do a bit more each year (based on their abilities). Their copywork comes mostly from the readers, but sometimes I give them a Bible verse, quote, hymn verse, or poem for variety. If we do a notebooking page or lab write-up, I may skip copywork for the day. We start spelling with prepared dictation in the 4th grade (or late 3rd). I've generally started cursive in 3rd grade...they do cursive 3x/week and manuscript copywork 2x/week. After cursive is learned, they do their copywork in cursive.

 

I listed a variety of ages for each step because my DC have learned to read at different paces. One of my DC was reading fairly well at age 4, but my other two weren't until closer to 6. My youngest is picking it up at a quicker pace, so she may be reading at 4 as well. I try at the earlier ages, but if they aren't ready for the next step, I don't push it.

[Aloha2U]

I'd do the same all over again.

 

K4: SWR 70 basic phonograms and Cursive First (w/salt box and white board), unofficially begin lists in the second semester (3 to 5 words per day, without markings or syllable breaks)

K5: Officially begin SWR Lists in Primary Learning Log, FLL 1, and WWE 1 (begin the 1st half in the second semester), VP Lit.

G1: SWR, McCall-Harby comprehension, FLL 2 and WWE 1/2... possibly with some Shurley English 2 mixed in, VP Lit.

G2: SWR, McCall-Crabbs A, FLL 3 and WWE 2/3... with some MCT Island mixed in, VP Lit.

G3: SWR, McCall-Crabbs B, FLL 4 and WWE 3/4... with some MCT Town mixed in, VP Lit.

[momaof3]

I love reading everyone's choices. I have a 4 year old and we are doing HWT some ETC and HOP for reading. She just started asking to learn to read so here we go. HOP worked for my oldest then my middle one started PS and didn't get it so we are catching up so youngest will get it. We also use Leapfrog videos to learn letter sounds first so we can just dive into HOP. The each loved Tad.