Kindergarten Reading

[katkostur]

So, I am planning out Kindergarten for a 5.5 year old (come the fall). This is my first kid so my first time doing K. I love every suggestion from WTM but have tried to narrow it down... I am stuck though, and need help deciding what is best to try. Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons? Or Phonics Pathways? Or a combo of those? And also...I was going to get Modern Curriculum Press Phonics workbook, but now I don't know if I'm overthinking this whole teaching reading thing, and making too many plans... or if there's a good mix anyone can recommend me. I am really loving what I see from Phonics Pathways, but I know some people do combine it with 100 Easy Lessons. Also... The MCP Phonics i can't tell with, b/c very little samples available online... Can someone guide me in what would be a good decision here, please? Thanks so much in advance. (Background info: My kid is currently learning to read in Russian, so I'm going to be starting "from scratch" completely with English in the fall..I haven't taught him anything reading-wise in English yet).

Edited March 2, 2016 by katkostur

[smarson]

For us it was a little bit trial and error.  I purchased The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading and my daughter hated it.  She also hated Teach Your Child to Read in 100 EZ lessons.  I own Phonics Pathways but only used it a tiny bit as it just didn't make any sense to me.  

 

Then I found the Logic of English Foundations.  It came highly recommended to me by and English major who was also homeschooling.  I was immediately sold.  It's not cheap by any means, but I got it and it worked very well for us.  We're currently in book D and I'm very much impressed with what my daughter has learned.  There were times when it seemed like she wasn't 'getting it' but we just continued on and now everything is finally clicking with her.  She is NOT a natural reader and really knew nothing when we started.  

 

So I'd say if you're liking the looks of Phonics Pathways, give it a try!  It's not very expensive and you could probably find it used on homeschoolclassifieds.com or something like that.  Our local library even has it so you could use a borrowed copy for a few weeks and see if you and your child like it.  If not, switch to something else.  That's the beauty of homeschooling - you can just figure out things together as you go. :)

 

Enjoy and good luck with Kindergarten!!!!  My only recommendation would be to keep Kindergarten simple.  Do reading, math and some fun stuff together.  

[chicagoshannon]

I used Ordinary Parents Guide with DD.  We tried 100 Easy Lessons but she hated it.  For DS, this year, we are using Ordinary Parents Guide and Abeka's little books for K4 and K5.  They actually correspond pretty well if you start with the K4 books and work your way up.

 

Each child is different so you might have to try a few different things or just adapt what you have to make it work.

[rwilk]

I also found that teaching reading was a bit of trial and error.  We started with 100EZ and stopped at lesson 9.  My kid hated it.  Luckily, we just got it out of the library and returned it quickly.  I'm sure it works for some kids, but it was a no go here.  

 

We changed to Logic of English, and DD LOVES it.  She calls it Dragon reading, and she is reading very comfortably now.  We are continuing with the program (which is currently a bit behind where she's reading) to make sure she has a great foundation in phonics. 

 

The nice thing is that many programs have the first few lessons free online as samples.  So you can try out a bit and see what works well for your child.  

 

 

[tm919]

Neither of my kids liked Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

 

My older one popped up knowing how to read one day (still a mystery, she attends a Montessori part-time but they didn't teach her there either) and then learned phonics through AAS. 

 

The younger one got to the point where she read CVC words on her own, then asked me to teach her because she couldn't get the rest of the way on her own, "mysteriously" like her sister. She liked The Reading Lesson (first 3 lessons are free as a sample, at http://media.wix.com/ugd/fb055d_79baca3cdee542e48b90da057b17f1fb.pdf)but I think the disadvantage is that it doesn't teach everything they will eventually need. Some kids can intuit a lot of the extra stuff, until they formally learn it in spelling, but some can't. For my younger daughter, I ended up circling back and doing AAR. The reading lesson was still worth it IMO because it got her so that she could read for enjoyment within a few weeks.

Edited March 3, 2016 by tm919

[kalusignan]

I don't know anything about Teach Your Child to Read or Phonics Pathways, but we have LOVED All About Reading. Given your situation, you may want to start with their Pre-reading program, but definitely take a look at the products and placement test. My oldest dd has done all 4 levels, and it's been FUN and thorough.

[Rachel]

So, I am planning out Kindergarten for a 5.5 year old (come the fall). This is my first kid so my first time doing K. I love every suggestion from WTM but have tried to narrow it down... I am stuck though, and need help deciding what is best to try. Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons? Or Phonics Pathways? Or a combo of those? And also...I was going to get Modern Curriculum Press Phonics workbook, but now I don't know if I'm overthinking this whole teaching reading thing, and making too many plans... or if there's a good mix anyone can recommend me. I am really loving what I see from Phonics Pathways, but I know some people do combine it with 100 Easy Lessons. Also... The MCP Phonics i can't tell with, b/c very little samples available online... Can someone guide me in what would be a good decision here, please? Thanks so much in advance. (Background info: My kid is currently learning to read in Russian, so I'm going to be starting "from scratch" completely with English in the fall..I haven't taught him anything reading-wise in English yet).

. Teaching reading really worried me with my oldest. I started out with Bob Books as an introduction and OPGTR, but my son basically taught himself at age 5. I kept skipping ahead in OPGTR to find a lesson at his level but ended up ditching it. He was a bit of an anomaly and just needed some basic guidance, language has always been his thing and it comes easily to him.

 

I'm now working with my 2nd kindergartener who recently turned 6. She sort of knew her alphabet sounds back in August but wasn't solid on them and frequently mixed up sounds. I again used OPGTR but this time as more of a guide as to how to teach certain sounds. Mostly I have used Bob books and I See Sam books (free online) and it's working well for us. We do one new Bob Book and one review every day. Now that she is more confident I've added in simple books from the library or that we have around the house and have her read with me a couple additional times each day for very short periods of time.

 

This method won't work with every child, but it is pretty easy and low stress. I have one more kid to go and he may require something very different. I guess what I'm saying is just to pick something you think you like and give it a try, I don't see any reason to use multiple programs. (All this is assuming your child is bilingual or a native English speaker).

[desertflower]

Progressive phonics is free online. My dd is using it and loves it.

[908874]

When I started I was intimidated too! I started my son out playing with Starfall online. That helped a lot with the basics. I tried and disliked 100 EZ. I own OPGTTR and used it for about 6 months. It is very boring and I really hope to not have to use it again. But it's a good budget option. I've seen many posts of people who really like 100 EZ and people who like OPG. It really depends on your teaching style. When I was using OPG I felt that my son needed a lot more practice. I used yet another curriculum before I finally tried a program that worked for us.

 

That being said, I am going to give another vote for all about reading - check to see what level you need - they have placement tests on their website. I use the free AAR phonogram sounds app to have my son repeat certain sounds. We also use Explode the Code and really like it. 

 

Teaching my son to read - using a scripted/semi-scripted curriculum has turned out to be very simple and rewarding. Tomorrow we start AAR2! For some weird reason I'm very excited. Even though it is March lol.

[barnwife]

We are using Webster's Speller.

I love that it's simple, no frills. I don't want lots of pieces. We read through the tables we already know (or at least some of them), practice a new row or two in a table, and then use letter tiles for spelling. Sometimes we do the spelling orally or skip it for the day. 

If I run across a syllable or word that DS knows as we read a book, I pause and wait for him to read it.

I am so glad I read about Webster's here on WTM.

 

[SilverMoon]

My older kids all learned with Phonics Pathways and BOB Books. The middle two added Leapfrog videos. They're all strong readers.

 

Kiddo #5 started with PP and really, really didn't like the format. She used Writing Road to Reading for K/1st, and switched to Rod and Staff spelling in 2nd. Great little reader.

 

Somewhere between #5 and #6 I gave PP to a young homeschool family that needed it more than we did.

 

#6 has had a unique blend of Sing, Spell, Read, & Write level K, BOB Books, and WRTR phonograms. SSRW is his primary course. We practice reading in BOB Books, and he memorizes the WRTR phonogram cards. There was a time when SSRW moved faster than he could. We shelved it and reverse engineered the BOB Books for a month or two. We used the words in the BOB Books for drill on a whiteboard, going through the rules used ala WRTR. Then he went back to his SSRW book and soared. He'll start SSRW level 1 next week.

[ExcitedMama]

Another vote for AAR. Its a great program. It has everything done for you so it's open and go every lesson has something fun built in as a short activity. DS is doing AAR3 now and they still manage to have fun and unique activities. Their readers are great too.

 

If you wanted to add in something that has a writing component check out Memoria Press' First Start Reading which has simple lessons in a workbook. It starts with tracing bubble letters and slowly works up to writing the words as the child learns to read them.

 

I tried to start with DS with The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading but it was very dry and would have required a lot of effort to make it more interesting and fun for DS. I haven't used the books you mentioned but I would think they could have the same problem. If you are nervous about it or don't want to have to prep check out AAR. I haven't used MCP Phonics but I wouldn't think you'd need it to get started. If you haven't done anything for English yet and you need some extra foundation work so he understands the differences in letter sounds since he's gotten started in Russian check out Explode The Code.

[MrsWeasley]

If I could start again with my middle, I would have gone with All About Reading. We used Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, and it worked.

[AggieMama]

My girls love Saxon Phonics. It's a little pricier, but I think it's a well-rounded. It is scripted, which is a plus in my book. We tried 100 EZ and did not like it. I finally sold the book because I knew I would not use it.

[bensonduck]

I'm using Saxon Phonics as well with DS. I'm very impressed with the gentleness of the program and the weaving in of new and old concepts. It's LONG if you do everything in the lesson, but we tend to skip some of the flash cards I know he knows and we take 2 days to do each lesson (the worksheets have 2 sides and we do one side per day). It's working and DS enjoys his reading time.

[Holly]

I use MCP K or ETC Primers to teach letter sounds (usually at age 4 or 5, depending on the child).  Once they have that down, we start going through the blue & gold McGuffey Readers (starting with the Primer).  I usually add in another workbook or two, mostly just to give them some handwriting practice.  My current new reader is using Starfall's Writing Journal and writing new phonics words in their "Dictionary" booklet.  My older DC used ETC or MCP.  I also have them use R&S Preschool or Kumon cutting & pasting workbooks to work on fine motor skills. 

 

I tried 100 EZ lessons with my oldest and she hated it.  I thought Writing Road to Reading was a much better resource, but I ended up coming up with my own thing after going through the basic phonemes.  

[keirin]

I'm using printing with letter stories and then memoria press first start reading. I'm planning on doing all about reading once we finish it.

[Suzanne115]

I used A Beka with both of my girls and they are both great readers.  I know a lot of people don't care for A Beka, but their beginning reading program is really strong.

 

Suzanne

[LMCme]

I started with handmade flashcards with letters on them, then started in the Ordinary Parent's Guide at about lesson 27 after he knew his letters.  I didn't like the approach to the initial introduction of letters in lessons 1-25 or so.  It was just too much made of something that could be taught quickly with a few flashcards.  We did that through about lesson 54, then needed a change of pace so are doing Dancing Bear A, which my son loves.  If you haven't looked at Dancing Bear from Sound Foundations, it's worth a look -- all of their books, and the entire book, are available for free online preview at their web site.  They have multiple versions of the same material depending on where your kid is right now.  Dancing Bear is nice because there are no moving parts like Saxon, lessons are short at simple, and they are a bit more engaging than OPGTR.

 

Best, 

LMC

[Cake and Pi]

You might see if you can get a copy of 100EZ Lessons from the library to try out.  It really seems to be a love-it or hate-it program, but if it turns out you're in the love-it camp, it's a easy and inexpensive start to reading.  It worked for us.  My older two learned to read from it, and though my #3 taught himself beginning reading independently, I've been doing 100EZ Lessons with him to try to fill in gaps and correct some bad habits he made while teaching himself.  He LOVES 100EZ Lessons and asks to do his reading lesson daily.  Sometimes he wants to do two in a row.  But every child is different, so you will have to see what works for you guys.

 

I also really like the free stuff from Starfall and BOB books (but only 2 of 3 kids so far have liked them).  We have enjoyed Primary Phonics early readers and the readers from Sing Spell Read and Write (but never touched the rest of the program).  I loved the idea of Progressive Phonics, but so far none of my boys have liked that program.  And we own OPGTR, but DS#3 detested it, though maybe that was because I was trying to teach him letter sounds without realizing that he could already read quite a bit... unobservant bad mom of the year award over here.

[FO4UR]

After teaching 2 dyslexics to read, I wrote my own program.

 

I've got the Pre-Primer & TM (kindergarten), 2nd and 3rd grades (3rd in cursive) done.  I'm currently finishing the 1st grade level. (I hope to be done soon! Before summer!)

 

The Pre-Primer starts at the very beginning. I pull the order of letter introduction from Word Mastery so that children are learning to blend and decode as they learn the letters and their sounds.  I leave room in the day, and in the year, to stop and master letters and review as needed.  I think it's vitally important to build up each sub-skill of reading together (hearing, seeing, saying, writing), explicitly coordinating the senses in a manner that is developmentally wise.  So the kindergarten year focuses heavily on over-learning the letters & sounds, blending and decoding, and mastering the simplest long vowel patterns (open syllable words and when the silent e at the end of a word makes a vowel say its name).  Once these things are 2nd nature to the child, the rest of the phonics patterns come along much easier.

 

In the 1st grade level that I'm writing now, I use the Treadwell Primer and First Reader as the base of my lessons.  Poetry memorization is the skeleton upon which I teach most of the phonics patterns, so the lessons see-saw between the Primer and First Reader.  The stories are high repetition and limited (growing) vocabulary, but nothing like phonetically controlled readers.  They are real folk tales and vivid stories from the start.  I don't like children to associate "torture reading" with real books.  I like for all the hard work to be done in the work book and on the white board so that the child can enjoy their books.