blue daisy Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Who has used this program? Pros/cons? I'm thinking it might be a good fit for my almost 5 year old. She is showing a lot of interest in finding sounds and letters in words, can recognize a handful of words, can identify beginning/ending sounds of a given word. She is not the type to sit for worksheets (and she's young anyway, so I wouldn't use them yet), but I thought this would be good to sit and work through for a few minutes at a time on the couch. I picked up an older edition from the library and we just went through the first lesson using two letters and she did great at blending them. (A few times, she suggested a letter to add to the end to make a real word, lol.) Anyway, do you think it matters what edition we use? A new copy of the most recent edition is about $23 on amazon, but there are used copies of the older ones for under $10 (incl shipping). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I've used it. I liked it, and DS liked the games. He did fine at the beginning of the book. After awhile (maybe around pages 80-100), there began to be too much on a page, and he got intimidated. For a while, I photocopied pages and cut them apart. Eventually I switched to Logic of English Foundations B and then C--but if PP works for your child, it's a much less expensive choice. We're going to use the rest of it as review this spring/summer (between LOE Foundations C and Essentials). It works best if you can photocopy the game pages to cut them apart. I appreciate that everything is in one book; that it goes in an order that makes sense; that it's straightforward (no strange markings like 100 EL). It's similar to OPGTR, but a bit more fun. I don't think the edition will make much difference. By all means, go for the older one if it's half the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I used the 8th edition will all my boys (it was the most current edition when I purchased). I tried other things periodically, but always came back to PP. It worked very well (all of my boys have been able to decode anything I put in front of them from the time we were about halfway through the book). We never did any games (I don't recall if my edition had any), but I liked it because we could sit down and do phonics work until they got too wiggly and started spending more time with their feet above their heads--some days this was 5 minutes, other days we could do a whole page or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue daisy Posted February 10, 2015 Author Share Posted February 10, 2015 Great, thanks for the feedback! I have the 8th edition from the library, and there aren't really any games, but the progression of skills looks good and I like that it's open and go, something we can just sit and work through for a few minutes here and there. That's all she will be able to manage for a while. We have other reading and phonics games and resources, so I think this will fit in nicely with the rest of what I'm doing with her. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyNellen Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Yes, it is the only phonics program I've ever used. Picked it up in 2001 and took five kids through it from start to finish. It is open and go, thorough, simple, and cheap. I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Yes, it is the only phonics program I've ever used. Picked it up in 2001 and took five kids through it from start to finish. It is open and go, thorough, simple, and cheap. I love it. I second Nancy! I think my copy is 8th edition. Works like a charm every time (in my house!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2hunangirls Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I started with this...switched to AAS part way through...back again....started second dd with it....tried LOE...and now back to PP. I see so much of what the other programs had now and realize it is just what works for us. I suppose I use it better having seen the other programs too. But for $20 it's what I recommend to most new families. And we've never done the games, but I still have our very first Dewey bookmark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Love PP! Simple, big print, open and go and inexpensive. We have used the Reading Pathways book for reinforcement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertflower Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 PP is fantastic! Unfortunately, I forgot that it had games in it and thought I needed another program that was more geared towards kinesthetic learners. So, I tried AAR. That worked for a little bit until he realized that it was faster just reading the words. lol Fortunately for me, I was far enough into it (p 100? like whitehawk) that I just started him on some readers. Love the pathway reader btw. Found out that my son also likes something more visually appealing, so that may be something to consider for your child as well. I started putting the words/sentences on a dry erase board with color markers. Every child is different. :) But it is an excellent program. Very thorough. Good luck and have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeegal Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I love Phonics Pathways! :001_tt1: It takes a while (@2years) for us to complete it, we started at 4 and finished when they were 6, but they were awesome readers by the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WahM Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 (edited) I like it. It does get the job done. I like OPGTR as well, but I like how PP teaches blending. Edited March 16, 2017 by WahM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I used it with youngest. I used Ruth Beechick's Homestart in Reading and real books to each the older two to read. I was swamped with many things when youngest was ready to read, so I needed a curriculum. Phonics Pathways is outstanding and breathtaklingly efficient. It's designed to incorporate spellling along the way if you choose. The pyramid books that go with it are worth the time and money. We didn't do the games. I'm not a games person and youngest was taking to it just fine without them. Some people say the number of words on the page is overwhelming to children with certain personality types. If that's the case, you can just use a blank piece of paper to cover up any print the child isn't acutally reading at that moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellalarella Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I've used it to successfully teach 4 children how to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy to monkeys Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 It's my favorite resource for teaching kids to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue daisy Posted February 12, 2015 Author Share Posted February 12, 2015 Thanks everyone! I just ordered a used copy for $7 (incl shipping!). It's not my only resource,but I like the systematic introduction of new phonics skills, and it will help me to not have to think of word lists, lol. We did today's lesson (from my library copy) using letter tiles, then reading the two letter words in the book. She did great, so I think it will be a great fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTVKath Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 We're using it right for my oldest, a 5 year old. It seems to be working just fine. I really like that it is open and go and we can do as much or as little as my daughter's attention span can handle. Sometimes that is a half a page. Sometimes it is just 2 lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Cheap, fast, effective. It is up to you to make it fun. :-) At some point my kids needed more practice, though (somewhere in the multi-letter phonograms). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diaperjoys Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I really like Phonics Pathways. Simple and effective. Most importantly....lessons are not scripted! For some reason I despise scripted lessons - so this book is just the ticket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest thetford Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 We love Phonics Pathways. I love how easy it is to go back and review if I notice a problem. My only con is that the pages are cluttered toward the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stm4him Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 Does it teach dictionary markings beyond the macron and the breve (short and long vowel markings)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Umlaut and circumflex are introduced in the middle of the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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