What's the difference between pathway readers and R&S first/second phonics curiculum?

[A home for their hearts]

I was looking into R&S first grade phonics until someone suggested to me Pathway Readers. Is one better than the other? I'm looking into these for my struggling reader and now I'm not sure which is better!

[Ellie]

I have to say that I wouldn't use either one with a "struggling" reader.

 

R&S's Bible Nurture and Reader series is very comprehensive. There is a teacher manual that has scripted lessons, and the dc have a ton of workbooks and flashcards. Pathway readers just has...a little workbook, and so not nearly as much actual instruction as R&S does.

 

However, both publishers have a sight-reading element, R&S moreso, and IMHO, phonics wins over sight reading any day. There are many excellent sight-reading products/methods: AlphaPhonics, Phonics Pathways, Victory Drill Book, Spalding, SWR. I would choose one of those *any* day.

 

R&S's readers and Pathway readers are sweet little books, but I wouldn't use them to *teach* reading.

[Robin in Tx]

Well, for one, the Pathway readers won't have pictures of any people/children to go with the stories (part of the religious belief re: not allowing pictures, etc.). Rod and Staff has pictures of the children (drawings, not photos). This made a difference to us, because (for example) there would be a R&S story about children doing farm work and you'd see a picture of the children doing the farm work. Almost the same story in Pathway would show the farm and the animals and the equipment but the children were never in the picture, and to my daughter it had an "abandoned" look to it... it really kind of creeped her out (like they had been beamed up or something). She's very visual and pictures were what engaged her in the story and held her interest.

 

I like R&S better for other reasons, and we used it for grade 1 and 2, but did so after completing Phonics Pathways (then we began with unit 2 of grade one).

 

HTH,

Robin