Yet again...another phonics/reading question :)

[Homeschoolmom3]

You all are the greatest and since I am tired of debating I came to the hive to get your advice.  :-)

 

My youngest learned to read very early and has been reading for a couple of years now without any instruction from me.  (Granted he has played on starfall and readingeggs through out the years.  He loves to read but not a huge fan of "doing school".  He is reading books that are considered (2nd grade level).  We just started about two months ago using OPGTR we started from the beginning and we are now on lesson 80, he is doing okay with it we do a few lessons a week but he does not like the book.  When I get it out he complains (we really only do it for about 5 minutes or so.) I think if I just used it as a guide and did it more with games or other manipulatives he wouldn't mind it.

 

I am debating as to what to use for him next year he will be about 5 1/2 when we start in the fall.  I want him to have a good solid phonics foundation and want him to know all of the phonograms well to help with spelling down the road.

 

I am looking for something open and go and not too teacher intensive.  I am debating between using OPGTR (continuing on where we are) and maybe reinforce the phonograms with the game book of LOE or using RLTL started from the beginning I guess but I wonder how far I would go or should do within a year?  Any other thoughts or recommendations?

 

Thanks everyone!

Edited March 13, 2016 by Homeschoolmom3

[HomeAgain]

If he is reading well, I'd offer spelling instead of phonics, or possibly use something that has him just reading/you correcting as you go.  Leveled readers (Pathways?  AAR?) or getting books from the library based on his lexile score.

[Homeschoolmom3]

If he is reading well, I'd offer spelling instead of phonics, or possibly use something that has him just reading/you correcting as you go.  Leveled readers (Pathways?  AAR?) or getting books from the library based on his lexile score.

 

We have been reading various readers.  Hard to gauge exactly what he does not know?  Anyhow, we have been using Pathways and just going through each book that we have.  He seems to like those pretty well (still trying to see where he at though).  I am a curriculum junkie so he is also reading or has read:  Bob Books, Primary Phonics sets, Dr Seuss books, Frog and Toad series, Little Bear, (all beginning readers, etc.)

 

Still though, I don't know how he knows everything and I know how important phonics is to deciphering big words later on and spelling.  What would you use then?

 

Thanks!

[HomeAgain]

 

 

Still though, I don't know how he knows everything and I know how important phonics is to deciphering big words later on and spelling.  What would you use then?

 

 

 

We covered basic phonics with a curriculum, and then extended with spelling for ones he had not come across on his own (pt-, y's various sounds, 'ch' as 'k').  Most times as he read I'd mark down ones he seemed to forget and then we'd just review on our own.  I made up long words to chunk with our magnetic letters and used an index card monster to teach how to take bites in books.  It really did not take much, just reading together.

Next year I plan to introduce Latin's Not So Tough.  Their level one book is mostly Latin phonics getting to a few words toward the end.  Being able to decipher words based on their origin/definitions is our next step after learning phonics and beginning spelling rules. 

[ByGrace3]

With a 5 year old reading at a 2nd grade level, I would probably teach whatever phonograms he didn't know and take him through AAS.

[Ellie]

 

 

Still though, I don't know how he knows everything and I know how important phonics is to deciphering big words later on and spelling.  What would you use then?

 

 

 

Phonics and spelling are different. :-)

 

I know you said you wanted something not teacher intensive, but I have to throw this out there for your consideration: Spalding. It teaches children to read by teaching them to spell, and simultaneously does penmanship, capitalization and punctuation, and simple writing. It can also be more comprehensive writing and grammar, but most people like to take a break, lol. Spalding is infinitely flexible: although the goal is to teach 30 words a week, you can break it up into smaller portions during the day. A one-time purchase of the manual (Writing Road to Reading) and a set of phonogram cards is all you need forever (not counting the child's individual spelling notebook beginning when he's 8/3rd grade).

 

Spalding spin-offs include AAS, LOE, Spell to Write and Read, and two or three others that are less well known. :-)

[Carrie12345]

I'm devoted to AAS, though I don't necessarily follow the script.  *I* learned more about phonics than I ever knew before.

[Syllieann]

I would do aas. It has everything you want and nothing you don't. Aas covers all the reading rules AND all the spelling rules. Then just keep on going with reading books.

[Homeschoolmom3]

I have seen AAS on the boards but am not familiar with that one at all.  Will have to look into it.  Thanks for everyone's suggestions!

[Kiara.I]

I honestly don't understand why you're trying to teach a child to read who is already reading.  He reads.  Let him read.

 

Could you just buddy read and leave it at that?  (You read a page out loud, he reads the next page out loud...)

 

And then teach spelling later.  Like in grade 2 or so.

 

I hear that you're concerned about him knowing "all the things" but really, exposure will fix that.  You don't need curriculum.  You especially don't need curriculum that tries to teach him what he has already mastered, that he is hating.  I fear that continuing to teach below his level will backfire badly.

[Homeschoolmom3]

I honestly don't understand why you're trying to teach a child to read who is already reading.  He reads.  Let him read.

 

Could you just buddy read and leave it at that?  (You read a page out loud, he reads the next page out loud...)

 

And then teach spelling later.  Like in grade 2 or so.

 

I hear that you're concerned about him knowing "all the things" but really, exposure will fix that.  You don't need curriculum.  You especially don't need curriculum that tries to teach him what he has already mastered, that he is hating.  I fear that continuing to teach below his level will backfire badly.

 

Yes, you are probably right.  It is just so hard to let it go and honestly I just can't wrap my head around how he learned to read by himself, except exposure to reading (we do read alot).  I have a hard time just letting be, however I do not want him to hate learning and my sister (who is a Kindergarten teacher) is still wondering why I feel the need to complete a "curriculum" to check the box.  Thanks for all of your thoughts a bunch to ponder.  :)

[Kiara.I]

Yes, you are probably right.  It is just so hard to let it go and honestly I just can't wrap my head around how he learned to read by himself, except exposure to reading (we do read alot).  I have a hard time just letting be, however I do not want him to hate learning and my sister (who is a Kindergarten teacher) is still wondering why I feel the need to complete a "curriculum" to check the box.  Thanks for all of your thoughts a bunch to ponder.   :)

 

Hugs.

 

I was an early reader.  Nobody "taught me" to read.  Mom did a bit of "sound out the words" stuff with letter magnets on the freezer, but that's it--and it was long, long before Starfall and Reading Eggs.  Sesame Street?  LOL

 

He learned to read by seeing it done, matching up the sounds with the words, and figuring it out.  Early readers do that.  Arguably, so would later readers except we teach it much earlier than that.  ;)  Also, Reading Eggs IS a reading curriculum.  If he was using it, he went through the lessons on the computer, and clearly learned them.

 

There are articles on how early readers figure it out (without curriculum like Reading Eggs), and they're very interesting.  Except when I tried to search for some I got results in two categories: don't teach children to read so early, and how to teach your child to read really early.  Neither of which is at all helpful for this conversation!  LOL

[tm919]

Yes, you are probably right.  It is just so hard to let it go and honestly I just can't wrap my head around how he learned to read by himself, except exposure to reading (we do read alot).  I have a hard time just letting be, however I do not want him to hate learning and my sister (who is a Kindergarten teacher) is still wondering why I feel the need to complete a "curriculum" to check the box.  Thanks for all of your thoughts a bunch to ponder.   :)

Yes, I guess this is my reaction... I think you need to be sure why you think he needs this.

 

If it's just that you can't let it go, let it go. For my older daughter, she read on her own and seemed to be able to figure out the phonograms -- for her, I am going through AAS and Evan Moore reading comprehension. It doesn't matter how long it takes to get through 7 levels of AAS because she doesn't really need it to advance in reading.. it just seems to help with gaps.

 

If you have some intuitive sense that something is missing, but can't put your finger on it, that's a different situation. I felt this way about my younger daughter. She just didn't figure out the later phonograms on her own, and got frustrated/guessed and generally developed bad habits -- such as not wanting to read. We were doing AAS level 1, but AAS takes a long time -- too long for a frustrated kid who just wants to read new books. I finally just broke down and bought AAR for her.

Edited March 14, 2016 by tm919

[Ms.Ivy]

I had my advanced early reader do the Adventures in Phonics C workbook when she was about 6 or 7. It turned out to be a good decision, since it cemented her phonics enough to assist with decoding very hard words later on, and it helped her with spelling. My daughter did the worksheets mostly independently.

[blondeviolin]

FWIW, my #4 is in a similar place. (4yo and doing Little Bear and Frog and Toad.). He's also had no instruction, really. Next school year I will run him through LOE Foundations (B on). We'll use it for "spelling," but it should fill in whatever gaps he may have.

[Homeschoolmom3]

Wow, thanks everyone!  It's so helpful to talk with those that have been there or have experience.  :)  To put my mind at ease I probably will just quiz him a little at a time on all of the phonograms and if there are any he does not know work on those with fun games.  I didn't really want to buy a "whole" curriculum but just need a little hand holding.   :p   I guess from there will decide later on a spelling route, decisions decisions!