A bit confused about where to start....

[Kris982]

Hello! Looking for some help. :) My son is getting close to 5.5 years. We have about 20 lessons left in Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. He is reading very well. That is the only "formal" teaching we have done. Plan to start officially homeschooling next month.

 

That said, I have two issues...

 

1. I struggle between using curriculum for Kindergarten or 1st grade. I have not started with much writing, so I know there are things that I can't do until he is writing. But, could I start with Saxon Math 1? And should I start with spelling?

 

 

2. The Well-Trained Mind says he should know the "major phonics rules" before 1st grade. Is there a book that teaches these to him? I am torn between Modern Curriculum Press and Explode the Code, but also not even sure if I need them b/c he can read. Do these teach phonics rules? I wish I could open them up and look at them before I buy! :/

 

 

I am trying to get things ordered and in order, but feeling a little lost!

 

 

~Kristina

[Tanikit]

With your child I would start with writing - HWOT is usually recommended though there are many other options. I would not start spelling til you have got the handwriting under control since the point of spelling is to be able to write correctly - not stand in front of people and spout off spelling.

 

What math does he know - from what I understand you can start with Saxon 1 - is it definitely Saxon that you want to go with or have you considered other options? You could do Singapore Essentials for K. I used Horizons K but it is a fair amount of writing.

 

If he has done Teach your child to read then he already knows some phonics rules. You could try OPGTR to learn the rest of the rules yourself and then teach them to him in his reading - point them out to him when he reads a word with that rule and point them out in the books you read to him. You could also just start teaching him with OPGTR at the point that he is at (you should be able to skip ahead quite far if you have finished 100 easy lessons).

[Kris982]

I was considering Zaner-Bloser, as opposed to HWOT... but don't have experience with either. Thanks for the tip on Spelling.

 

He knows how to count to 100+, count by tens, some addition, etc. I think he would do well skipping a kindergarten level math. I have considered some other options....I didn't know if I would like Singapore or if it would be too abstract. Was considering doing that when he got older. 

 

Would OPGTR be similar to what I'm already using? I think I would just like to finish what I have started....so I guess I could just teach him the phonics rules myself. Or do you know if Writing with Ease teaches the phonics rules?

 

Thanks for your help!

[Rosie_0801]

There are lots of things you can do whether he is writing or not. Instead of writing, you talk about it. Or he can tell you what to write. :)

[ladydusk]

Would OPGTR be similar to what I'm already using? I think I would just like to finish what I have started....so I guess I could just teach him the phonics rules myself. Or do you know if Writing with Ease teaches the phonics rules?

 

Thanks for your help!

 

 

WWE doesn't teach phonics rules.  It's narration/copywork writing.  It's my understanding that 100EZ (which I've not used) goes through a second grade reading level.  OPG is fourth grade.  I think Tanikit is suggesting you could finish 100EZ, then delve into OPG to finish the phonics rules.  Or use a phonics based spelling program.

[jennynd]

 

1. I struggle between using curriculum for Kindergarten or 1st grade. I have not started with much writing, so I know there are things that I can't do until he is writing. But, could I start with Saxon Math 1? And should I start with spelling?

 

YES YES and YES

 

 

2. The Well-Trained Mind says he should know the "major phonics rules" before 1st grade. Is there a book that teaches these to him? I am torn between Modern Curriculum Press and Explode the Code, but also not even sure if I need them b/c he can read. Do these teach phonics rules? I wish I could open them up and look at them before I buy! :/

 

 

I will not do ETC if he is reading. I will do spelling and just read good books

 

My DD is aslo almost 5.5 yo. She also reads well. We now focus on building vocaburary and reading comprehensive. I think it is more improtant than decoding if he already reads well.

I second that OPG is much suprior than 100EZ. But if you said he already know the rules and reads well. I probably will not do it. Reading "real" story is much more fun than decoding.

 

If he can count to 100 , understand 1-1 corrsponding and simple add/sub. I will do 1st grade math with him  instead of K. Are you sure you want to use SAXON math??? :)  I have the books but ditched it in few days. It is to me too boring. If you do not like SM, did you look at Miquon?? DD did 1st grade math with Miquon and then switched to SM and that works out really well

[StartingOver]

Reading, you have that covered. I would add math, and writing. Along with anything else that interests him. We do Zaner Bloser. We love Singapore, Miquon, and Life of Fred. Tons of read alouds. I adore Bernstein Bears Book of Science and Nature. Also Usborne Beginners Science books, caterpillars to Butterflies, Eggs to Chicks, & etc.

 

We never let writing hold us back, just write for the child until he is ready to do it on his own.

 

Saxon was the best of its time, but there are much better options IMO. 

[craftyerin]

Meet him where he is, and don't worry about the number on the outside of the book.  If I were in your shoes, I might...

 

 

1. I struggle between using curriculum for Kindergarten or 1st grade. I have not started with much writing, so I know there are things that I can't do until he is writing. But, could I start with Saxon Math 1? And should I start with spelling?

 

 

I bet you could start with Saxon 1, as Saxon K is pretty simplistic, although you might need to do some scribing for him until he's comfortable with doing the writing.  Saxon K has almost no writing at all.  We have been very happily using Singapore Essential Math for K, which is not writing heavy, but (IMO) is very rich conceptually.  

 

I am not starting spelling with my Kers who are reading well until we finish our phonics program.  Yes, that means I'll probably start spelling at some point mid-year this year.  I'm cool with that.  If you really want to start everything NOW, then yes, you should probably go ahead and get spelling. 

 

2. The Well-Trained Mind says he should know the "major phonics rules" before 1st grade. Is there a book that teaches these to him? I am torn between Modern Curriculum Press and Explode the Code, but also not even sure if I need them b/c he can read. Do these teach phonics rules? I wish I could open them up and look at them before I buy! :/

 

I think the work you've been doing in 100 Easy Lessons qualifies for the bolded above. We ditched ETC at some point in the late spring when my twins were burning through it and bored by it.  If your son is reading well, he'll probably be bored by it, too. On the other hand, if you're wishing for something that gives all those "phonics rules" and works on basic spelling, ETC could fill in the gaps.  I would start in book 2 at least, and maybe 3.  You'd have to look at samples.  I have never seen MCP's language arts. so I can't help there.  

[Walking-Iris]

Another option is WRTR. Then you would be able to beef up the phonics like you want and also have spelling and handwriting covered. ETC would be great for a child who can read but also needs to work on handwriting and spelling. 

 

OPGTR is also good for oral reading work.

 

IMHO you want to teach reading/phonics along with handwriting and spelling, not as separate subjects, so I would work on the writing. 

 

WWE wouldn't be appropriate for a child who isn't writing yet. Do that next year when he is able to form his letters correctly and fluently. I would work on the handwriting and phonetically controlled spelling. Have him practice reading aloud each day, also continue to read books aloud to him each day, picture books as well as chapter books.  

 

I'm also not a fan of the Saxon books in the early grades. My Kinder worked through SM Essentials and it was really good. That combined with Miquon and c-rods would be good. MEP is another good option. Most K level math books or 1st grade level math books will have children review or practice writing numbers, so will most handwriting programs. 

 

 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Hello!

 

A cheap phonics book that can also be used to start teachign spelling is Phonics Pathways. Just rush trhough it until you find a section where he is less comfortable, and stop and work on that phonics rule for a bit.  Another phonics rules based spelling program is All About Spelling, but it costs a lot more!

 

Singapore math is NOT abstract if you use it correctly.  You always move from concrete to abstract bit by bit, and manipulatives are encouraged.  We loved it.  We also used Right Start B, and loved it.  We went straight into a 1st grade math program in K because the K ones seemed unnecessary. 

 

Handwriting held us up a bit too, but after a year of daily copywork, we are really making great progress and I think we'll move into a lot of 2nd grade material this fall, despite DS being a 1st grader.  Letting him do handwriting at a K pace did not mess up anything else at all. 

[Kris982]

Wow...thank you! You guys are a wealth of information! Good to know about Saxon Math, too....will be considering Singapore and the Miquon and c-rods.

 

Thank you all so much....you have helped me not to feel so lost! :)

[StartingOver]

Be sure to check out Rosie's Videos linked in my signature for more fun with C-Rods. No matter what math you choose.

[Mergath]

We're in much the same situation.  My dd is almost exactly the same age, and also reads well.

 

As far as grade level for materials, we're using a lot of stuff that's for a range of ages, usually K-2.  For math, we're going to start Math Mammoth.  It begins with a K review and then goes into beginning addition, so it should be right at dd's level, and because it covers multiple grade levels and is divided up by both level and subject, we can jump around if we need to.

 

We've decided to drop phonics because dd is a natural reader and it would be pretty pointless. At the point where I was beginning to teach her silent e words, she took off on her own and was reading at a fourth grade level within a few months.  If I try to force her to sit in a chair each day and learn rules about words she can decode by instinct, she's going to go crazy.  We're going to start AAS1 this year, instead.  We've already done some handwriting, but we'll be doing that along with the spelling.

 

The bigger bookstores like Barnes and Noble carry quite a range of hsing supplies now, so if there's one near you, you could pop in and flip through some of the books.  The one I usually go to, for example, has all the PHP materials, including the OPGtR.