Undecided about phonics - 1st grade

[mamamindy]

DD2 will turn 6 next week.  We started OPG, oh about 1.5 yr ago.  We are pretty spotty using it though since she's a great reader.  (Full disclosure I discontinued using it someway through with DD1 since it she clearly did NOT need the instruction.)  Is this a time when it's okay to not finish a book?  For some reason, not completing a phonics program gives me icky feelings.  Also, DD2 is bored and unchallenged by it, although she'll do it without much fuss.  She's easy-going.  And another thing, I have pretty limited time for the teacher-directed studies...so if I can completely drop phonics, that would be helpful and I could divert my attention elsewhere.  (Like teaching the almost 4yo to read!  :))  So, I feel like I'm rambling, but my questions...

 

Is it okay to stop with the phonics instruction?

 

If so, should we move on to spelling?  (I'm using Rod and Staff with DD1.)

 

Should I use some other way of getting some phonics practice in?  (She is already read to, reads quietly to herself, and reads aloud to her siblings.)  Maybe McGuffey or something?  (We have the 3rd reader siting around here.)

 

And I know about and really like the idea of using the Spalding method - and keep considering just using that for her - but like I said, my time is limited.  I'm ready for something independent.  I know, she's young...

 

I appreciate any advice!  I'm really going in circles here!

[Tanikit]

This is hard to answer without knowing at what level your child is reading and what phonics she knows and doesn't know. Can you not check the phonics in OPGTR by writing out a few words from each word list and getting her to read them and then doing any sections she gets stuck on? Many children do struggle with the move to multisyllable words - the rules for long and short vowels, doubling consonants and so on are rules that many parents do not just know.

 

Spelling is a good option but will not help her to read better - its is basically phonics review, but since reading is usually ahead of spelling you still need to touch on those final phonics aspects. You can do this by giving her books to read that stretch her and teaching her the phonics of the words she is stuck on. At 6 advanced reading often becomes a vocabulary issue - they seem to get stuck on words they do not know - which means you need to spend time having her read aloud to you.

 

What has your not quite 4 year old done so far? You could teach the 6 year old spelling at the same time as you teach the 4 year old reading as the two should then line up reasonably well. If he is beyond cvc words you could also teach him the more advanced phonics that your 6 year old is missing at the same time as you teach it to her and then go back and teach him the other phonics to save you some time - while there is a reason for the order in which phonics is taught it is not the end of the world to start with R controlled vowels ("ar" says R - it just does, same as SH and CH say what they say).

 

I doubt a nearly 6 year old is ready for independent - letting her read to herself is fine, but she still needs plenty of teaching time even if the reading teaching essentially becomes vocabulary training. How independent is your 7 year old?

[mamamindy]

First of all, thank you so much for your thoughtful response!

This is hard to answer without knowing at what level your child is reading and what phonics she knows and doesn't know. Can you not check the phonics in OPGTR by writing out a few words from each word list and getting her to read them and then doing any sections she gets stuck on? Many children do struggle with the move to multisyllable words - the rules for long and short vowels, doubling consonants and so on are rules that many parents do not just know.

 

So far, we're never stuck.  But you are right, I should flip to the end and the rules I am unsure of.  Thank you.

 

Spelling is a good option but will not help her to read better - its is basically phonics review, but since reading is usually ahead of spelling you still need to touch on those final phonics aspects. You can do this by giving her books to read that stretch her and teaching her the phonics of the words she is stuck on. At 6 advanced reading often becomes a vocabulary issue - they seem to get stuck on words they do not know - which means you need to spend time having her read aloud to you.

 

What has your not quite 4 year old done so far? We haven't done any formal schooling yet.  You could teach the 6 year old spelling at the same time as you teach the 4 year old reading as the two should then line up reasonably well.  Maybe I could do this with Spalding? If he is beyond cvc words you could also teach him the more advanced phonics that your 6 year old is missing at the same time as you teach it to her and then go back and teach him the other phonics to save you some time - while there is a reason for the order in which phonics is taught it is not the end of the world to start with R controlled vowels ("ar" says R - it just does, same as SH and CH say what they say).

 

I doubt a nearly 6 year old is ready for independent - letting her read to herself is fine, but she still needs plenty of teaching time even if the reading teaching essentially becomes vocabulary training. How independent is your 7 year old?

 

No one is independent in this house yet. :)  DD1 turned 7 in May.  She would like to be more independent, but some things I don't think she's ready, I don't know how to move in that direction, etc.  She does SM WB mostly independently, Spelling is independent, and copy work.

 

[SilverMoon]

Here's a recent thread on the same first grade issue.

 

I don't make fluent readers trudge through the end of phonics books just because. :001_smile:

 

If you're having her read to you from a real book regularly, just for ten minutes a day even, any missed phonics will come up. If they make a blunder I just matter of factly tell them something like "There's an I after that C. I and E make C say /s/," and we continue the story.