Jump to content

Menu

OPGTR - love or not?


StaceyinLA
 Share

Recommended Posts

Looking through a few phonics programs to suggest to my dds so they can review them and see which they like. I'm just getting some input here. I taught phonics to mine a LONG time ago with Alpha-phonics; I know there are a lot of programs now!

 

How does this one stack up? If you love it, why? If you don't love it, why not? What other program would be your pick and why?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We're just starting out, and my son is young (4 years old) and active and all boy.  We initially had problems because he was very distracted by all the extra type on the page, and the type of the parts that he was supposed to look at was too small for me to cover up and uncover the letters one at a time as the book suggests.  I was ready to give up on it when I posted here and someone suggested writing out the words that are his part to read, and it worked very well.  My son likes it a lot, and after just a few lessons (we skipped the first 26 because he knows his letters already and the rhyme thing was ... weird and annoying is I guess how I would describe it), he is able to read his first Bob books and is very excited about learning to read.

 

I like the simplicity and the fact that he doesn't have to write to learn to read, which would be a serious limitation.  It's scripted but not rigid so while I do read lessons ahead, I don't feel like I'm trying to earn a degree in Early Childhood Reading.  I also like that it doesn't use the DISTAR orthography like 100 Easy Lessions.  I feel like it's just a solid, regular phonics curriculum without a ton of bells and whistles, which is what I like.  All of that said, we're pretty early in it, so I'll read along with you and see what everyone else has to say.

 

LMC

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love it. I've taught all five of my children with it and I've never been sorry. I think the best thing about it is it's so simple to use. If I want to add more to it it's easy to get readers or letters to use to suppliment. I don't think teaching reading should be complicated or expensive.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I loved OPGTR, but my DS did not. He cringed when I got the book out. It was easy to follow for me, but not my DS. He was confused and overwhelmed by all the type in the page. I tried writing the lesson in a white board and typing out the sentences in white paper. It was better for him, but we have moved to MP's First Start Reading. It's going so much better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used it for all three of my kids. I'm not sure I'd say I LOVED it but I liked it and felt like it did a good job. I'd say it's more like a basic white T-shirt. It's comfortable, you like to wear it when you exercise or hang out at home and it works for what you need it to be. But it's not the item in your closet that inspires great passion (either that you LOVE for it's stylishness or HATE for it's lack of comfort). You use it, and don't really think about it  much. 

 

Liked:

Simple

Cheap 

Systematic phonics

Worked well for us, all three kids learned to read easily with it.  

 

Didn't Like: 

The "scripted" nature. But I just didn't use it that way.

 

All three of my kids found it too much type on the page and too small to read and would rebel when I brought it out. My oldest really hated it for awhile and there were tears. My middle son hated it less but I think that's because I had figured out what to do faster. My daughter was ok with it but didn't love it. They were fine if I wrote the lesson on a white board or if I typed it on the computer. My middle son actually loved it when I typed it, I used different colors and fonts and that was fun for him. The extra work wasn't that much, maybe 15 minutes each day but well worth it. I found that when they got about halfway through they were able to read out of the book. Sometimes they still liked me to write it out, but I didn't always do it since I knew they didn't need in as much. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a similar experience to Alice. I've finished it once and am halfway through for our second go. I use it as a guide, although I do have the girls read all the exercises. I have never read the script. Usually I scan it to see what is being taught and say it naturally. We also have never done the 1 new, 2 review. I just haven't found it necessary. I typed most of the first half up and use it in PDF format on our iPad in the Notability App. This seems to make it more exciting somehow. Especially when I let them highlight each word or sentence as they go. I have written lessons on the dry-erase board, too, and also have them read out of the book, especially once they start gaining some fluency. It isn't exciting, but it is effective and simple. It fits my personality. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've used it with both of my kids now (M is finished; j is more than halfway through), and I like it a lot.  I didn't use the beginning lessons because I thought it was easier to teach the letters and their basic sounds myself through flashcards and play.  We also used Starfall (which I know is not liked by some here...) and loved that too.

 

Both of my kids read very well for their age.  This is probably from a mix of genetics, OPGTR, and my amazing teaching.   ;)

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really like it!  I'm a former kindergarten teacher but I taught bilingual, so this has been my first time to teach a child to read in English!  I used magnet letters and a cookie sheet to form the words, then showed the sentences on the page while covering up the other text with a bookmark or other paper.  I like that it's simple and it progresses very clearly.  Some other programs I looked at made huge leaps that don't make sense with beginning phonics knowledge.  I don't read the script verbatim but I like that it's an option!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really like it!  I'm a former kindergarten teacher but I taught bilingual, so this has been my first time to teach a child to read in English!  I used magnet letters and a cookie sheet to form the words, then showed the sentences on the page while covering up the other text with a bookmark or other paper.  I like that it's simple and it progresses very clearly.  Some other programs I looked at made huge leaps that don't make sense with beginning phonics knowledge.  I don't read the script verbatim but I like that it's an option!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since you are taking suggestions, I really, really love The Reading Lesson. Its the best "open and go, don't prep a thing" reading book that I've looked at/used.

 

That looks really good also. What parts did you use? I see they have a huge set that's a bit pricey. Could you use just the book and cd? What is really necessary?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That looks really good also. What parts did you use? I see they have a huge set that's a bit pricey. Could you use just the book and cd? What is really necessary?

I have ONLY the book titled The Reading Lesson--no CD, no supplements, nothing.

 

I have used it several times over and its a great book--very easy to use and it more than gets the job done. The only thing that I supplement TRL with is sight words by sound. I coordinate the words with the chapters/sections.

 

Feel free to ask or PM me any time--I love TRL and I love to help others with TRL.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought opgrt and thought I was going to use it.  I just couldn't get into in the scripted and I am not a rhyming, singing mom.  I found Reading Lessons Through Literature and loved what I saw.  I've been very happy with it, although we are only a few weeks in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love OPGTR so much because I like the scripts when I need them but it is easy to modify if I'm not in the mood. I will say that I find the rhymes and songs annoying, so we just use flash cards. I had the book spiral bound and I was so nervous handing the book to the young man at Office Max and leaving it for a couple of days!

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We're using it and finding it fairly unremarkable. It's effective, and easy to use. We skipped lessons 1 - 26 and don't always do the "two review, one new" thing, if the lessons are already review - sometimes we do a few new lessons in one go.

 

I'd recommend it to anyone wishing to spend 5 - 10 minutes a day on phonics, without busywork or fun extras.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We liked it for Dd.  She loved to rhymes, and went all the way through, though she was officially reading at about lesson 115.  It was very, very easy to use.

 

That said, it was just a very simple, easy-on-me curriculum.  It did not teach her: I did.  When it got hard or she didn't get a concept, I was able to back up, get some letter tiles out, and help her move more slowly.  I guess it seems to me that some reading programs guaranty ease or absolute effectiveness, and I don't think that is realistic. 

 

In addition to the book, the couch and a 3x5" card, we used magnetic letter tiles on a whiteboard and 3x5 cards with all the letters and letter-combos, which we'd flip through most days. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I taught my older kids with Abeka but now having to do school with my older boys and the fact that my youngest already knew beyond what Abeka does for 4 yr. olds I knew it wouldn't work for him.  I love the simplicity of OPGTR no games and all the extras that I don't have time for.  My youngest is just "get to it" type of learning he wants to do it and then be done.  He likes playing games but I could tell for us Abeka would be hard to place him correctly without worrying of missing something.  So with OPGTR I can review the lesson and make sure he has got the concept and move on.  I have used Memoria Press readers along side with the Bob books and it has worked well.  We are 1/3 of he way through but it is going well for us. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My children did OPGTR at 3 and 4 years of age which required some adjustments - I basically taught the lesson with only the word lists (which I wrote out in much bigger print) and then since they had some sight reading (which is why the phonics was added as I didn't want them to miss phonics totally) I would just point to words in picture books I was reading them or other early readers  that fitted the sounds they had just learned and get them to sound them out. It was a very natural progression to fluent reading. 

 

I like that OPGTR is a single book that covers the phonics needed so is cost effective. I also like that the phonics is taught in a sensible order.

 

 I am not keen on pure phonics sentences myself (I know many people disagree here) but I find the sentences do not sound natural and that the sentence is created to fit the phonics instead of a meaningful sentence that can then have all its phonics taught - since the definition of reading is to derive meaning from text, I find it simpler for the author to have meant something when she/he wrote it and this is why I did not use the sentences in the book for reading practice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So if you were using it for the first time, and teaching for the first time, how would you use it without the scripted parts?

 

I agree with MeaganS, the scripts are very obvious, at least where I'm at now.  Since I'm writing everything out that he will read to avoid distraction, I just read over the script for myself right before the lesson to figure out what I'm supposed to get accross, then say it in a way that makes sense when we hit that part.  I like having the scripts available, but I'm relieved that unlike Saxon Math, for example, it's not like I need to have the book open next to me and keep track of where I am in the lesson.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am using it now with my 5.5 year old. I bought it about 7 years ago and had it tucked away. When I started out with it at the beginning of August, we would sit with the book and I would read the script word for word. The five vowels poem was NOT catchy to me and I found myself struggling to get it right. Then I remembered, the set I bought came with a CD. I found my CD and I play each lesson for my son. I begin each lesson with the flash cards and have him tell me the letter and it's sound, then I push play on the CD player for him to learn the new letter of the day. I set the CD player to repeat and the lesson repeats over and over while he traces the letter of the day (I use the free letter tracers from Jan Brett).

 

So far this is working for us.  

 

I am also using ETC Book A at the moment to give him extra letter work and activities. The activities in this book are really easy for him but I think he likes it because it's easy and gives him a sense of accomplishment. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've owned and tried OPGTR, Memoria Press First Start Reading, Alphaphonics, and Phonics Pathways. None worked well for us. What did work was All About Reading. I LOVE this program. the only complaint is that some lessons are much longer than others, so you shouldn't try to do a lesson a day or you will go nuts when you start hitting fluency pages. We break those up over a few days. But it's been amazing, and so easy to teach.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We also skipped lesson 1-26. We learned our sounds through the leap frog letter factory and he had them down by age 3. I tried really hard to get the vowel song they have in there, but I could never get it right. Lol. So at age 4 we started OPGTR, we are only at lesson 56 a year later, but he can read books well beyond that lesson. Totally love it.

Like others have said, we had to write out the words on a separate page with bigger type, but that wasn't that time consuming. I no longer have to do that, now we go straight from the book.

I also skipped a lot of the follow up exercises. They were too difficult for him at the time. Also, it seems more like a spelling exercise than reading. And expecting a beginning reader to be able to form a word from scratch seems unrealistic to me.

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So if you were using it for the first time, and teaching for the first time, how would you use it without the scripted parts?

I point to the new sounds and explain what they mean. We have our own sayings that help the kids remember some of them. For my oldest I usually wrote whatever was being taught on our white board so that it was larger and held her attention better. Then we could review it later in the day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used it for the two boys and loved it - it worked extremely well - both boys are excellent, speedy readers. BUT I didn't do the teaching - I passed that job along to my oldest dd (who asked to do it). So she liked the scripted nature and the boys responded very well to her teaching them. It's very sweet now to hear them mention, from time to time, that dd taught them to read. :001_wub:

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

We're using it with our three year old now. I wasn't sure repeating the letter poem six times per lesson was worth it, but we're only on T so far and she's already begun sounding out simple words herself so it must be working. To get through the whole long poem so many times we say it as a race, whisper it, shout it, clap to it, really anything I can think of to keep things interesting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm in my second and third trip through OPGTR right now. Ds did great, finished up the book at the end of first grade and was reading Harry Potter shortly thereafter. Dd1 has been slow going and finds the number of words on the page overwhelming. She feels the same about all the other ones I've tried. Dd2 is doing much better with it.

 

In all three cases, we skipped the first several lessons and did the Leapfrog DVD. With dd2, I followed the Leapfrog DVDs with some BOB books and then we started OPGTR. With dd1, I've had to supplement OPGTR with worksheets, ETC Online, and a few other games/resources.

 

I'm looking forward to being done with the teaching to read thing. I'd really like to outsource it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I found it effective.  I didn't use the 'script', but used the letter sounds and words plus a whiteboard to create short lessons for my son.  Once he was reading fluently, we just stopped--we never finished the book.  There was no point.  I liked that it was inexpensive and re-usable!  We also started after the letter sounds--he already knew them--but with my daughter, we are working through those pages. 

 

My son also did ETC in first and second grades--until he hit that fluency point, and then I decided he could be a free man.  :)  HTH!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My oldest is finishing it up now, although I don't think he needs it anymore since his reading has taken off. I love it. I read the script at first, but after a while you just know what you need/want to read from the script and what you don't. It's very simple and I hate having extra parts of I don't need them.

I do love having the magnetic alphabet board, and found that it helps mix things up and gets my child excited (along with some of the other activities they have in the book).

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We loved that it worked really really well. DS did not enjoy the lessons, but they were short and when we finished he could read almost anything under a third grade level. So not entirely enjoyable, but short and very effective.

 

We did 100 EZ Lessons before starting OPGTR. DS enjoyed that more, but it only got him to level 1 readers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...