pehp Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 My son, who will turn 8 in June, exploded with his reading last summer (when we weren't doing formal lessons, incidentally :)). This year I have chugged along with OPGTR--mostly I let him breeze through about 5 lessons at a time, a couple of days a week (I don't follow it to the letter at all--I mostly use the word lists, make sure we understand them, and get on with it). He is also doing ETC book 4, and doing just fine w/ that. He reads one chapter aloud to me each day (usually from a Clyde Robert Bulla book b/c we like him). We have started spelling this year and I am using R&S, rather slowly and gently. He's on lesson 175ish out of about 230ish in OPGTR, and he can really read anything I can throw at him (he can't COMPREHEND everything, of course, but he can read very well). He reads constantly to himself--when I woke this morning he was on the sofa reading a book--the Boxcar Children, I think. I have no idea how long he had been there. He reads fiction, simple science books from the library, etc. constantly. I am not sure there is any reason to continue going through the book, even with our 'accelerated-yet-relaxed' approach. Would it be okay to just drop it, or should we continue through these last 50 lessons? I don't want to miss anything, but my minimalist approach suggests that since he is reading well, perhaps it's extraneous at this point. TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwickimom Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 My son did the same, but I made him finish. There were some words here and there that he didn't know or couldn't sound out. I just did a bunch of lessons at a time and finished it. Plus he got a kick out of the last lesson :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maela Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 My son did the same, but I made him finish. There were some words here and there that he didn't know or couldn't sound out. I just did a bunch of lessons at a time and finished it. Plus he got a kick out of the last lesson :) Same with my daughter. Now my son is just about at this point, and I'm so tempted to give it up at the end of the year. However, I remember how proud my daughter was when she finished the whole book! We'll keep chugging along... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 You have my permission to drop it. ;) I'm sure there are benefits to finishing the book, but I've always moved on to reading real books, once my children have mastered enough phonics to do so. They will continue to learn new words as they encounter them, and their previous phonics lessons will help them sound out unfamiliar words. I'm still learning new words myself. Reading Greek myths or classic literature aloud to your kids can be a very humbling experience! ("Hold on a second guys...I need to figure out how to pronounce this word...") :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamamindy Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 For my two oldest, we stopped when it just wasn't necessary anymore and spent more time reading real books. However, I have found it beneficial to utilize a phonics-based spelling program. For some reason, this is way more appealing to them than reading out of the phonics book, and I'm satisfied that the phonics rules stay fresh, helping them to read new words when they encounter them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aprilleigh Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Reading Greek myths or classic literature aloud to your kids can be a very humbling experience! ("Hold on a second guys...I need to figure out how to pronounce this word...") :D My husband just asks me when he runs across a word he doesn't know how to pronounce. Now that my son is obsessed with robots and robotics that doesn't happen as often (my husband is an electrical engineer). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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