LOE Foundations fluency problems

[TriciaT]

Hello hive. I am in need of a little advice.  My dd, who just turned 6, has been really enjoying LOE. We are just over half way through B. We love the games.  She is able to memorize the phonograms and spelling rules with ease. She does really well at all the activities- spelling, phonograms, etc. BUT, she struggles with the actual reading.  She can decode things, but it is slow (expected since it is a new skill) and she has trouble telling when to sound out each letter or when is is a two or more letters phonogram. To put is shortly, she is not gaining fluency.

 

I am afraid if we continue on with Foundations she will get more and more overwhelmed.  What I don't know is what to do now.  Should we continue on just hoping that eventually fluency will catch up with decoding and spelling skills? Should we just take a break from LOE and read lots of Bob books, Nora Gaydos, and other easily decodable books?  Should I use something else... AAR... RLTL?  

 

This is feeling super sad for me, because we have both been enjoying the LOE lessons so much.  However, reading well is the goal, and I am willing to try something different if that is what will help us meet that goal.

 

[sunshineslp]

This is sorta be right now, too. I've used LOE for both my boys, it worked for one but the other is also having fluency issues. I think it depends on the child. I've been considering having him use RLTL but I'm not sure what level he'd need, since he's finishing up LOE C right now. He does not have all the phonograms memorized though, but most.

 

 

Homeschooling mama of 4... Preschool 3, preschool 4, 1st, and 2nd:)

[Bookworm4]

When we used LOE Foundations, I would make some of my own practice words or games with words with the multiple letter phonograms. I would put the multiple letter phonogram in a different color than the rest of the letters. Other times I would just underline the multiple letter phonograms. After enough practice I could remove the extra help of color coding or underlining. That said, eventually LOE just moved too fast for my DD and she stopped retaining. It was too much work for me to modify what she needed and we switched back to AAR. She needed even more than what AAR had built into lessons and we evetually dropped it during level 2 and switched to Barton. I don't have time to come up with all my own extra things for the extra practice that DD needed and so Barton has been a good fit for us as it is all laid out and all extra practice is already planned for me.

 

I am not suggesting that you may need Barton. It may just be that slowing down and doing extra practice will be enough for your DD. You could take time off from the lessons and try going through the games to practice the words she needs to be more fluent with. You could even use the game book that AAR sells to go with LOE if desired.

[lorisuewho]

I'm on my second child using LOE Foundations.  With my first child, after level B we took a break to read books and readers to gain fluency.  She read from the McGuffey, Art-Literature Readers, Pathway books, CLE Readers, and the Victory Drill Book.

 

I'm now on lesson 79 of LOE Foundations B with my second child.  We are not going on to C at this time because she cannot read fluently.  This time we are going to take a break and use the Victory Drill Book and Pathway readers.  The Victory Drill book totally helped all my children gain fluency.  I'm not sure why the end of Level B seems to be the point where we can't keep up, but it is best to get the fluency in order before adding on more phonetic rules.

[klaw]

I have the same situation as you...I have  a six year old (almost seven) who finished level B earlier this week.  He can sound out most words, but still doesn't think he can read yet...he has the tools, and I feel like he just needs lots and lots of practice.  I've decided to wait to start level C until next September, and in the meantime we will review the frequently used words from level B and just have him read every day.  I pulled out the "I Can Read" books from Sonlight I bought a few years ago, and he's enjoying those a lot.  I love LOE for introducing the skills kids need for learning phonics and how to put words together, but my guy needs more practice to get his skills up.  So we will pause and then go back to C (or maybe even repeat parts of B) when he's ready.

 

[rwilk]

Somewhere around the middle of LOE B, I started adding daily reading practice.  Usually that meant finding an easy reader for her to read to me.  We read through the whole library's very easy reader section.  We continued through LOE B as we did this, and it worked really well.  We did all the supplemental reading suggested in LOE too.  Its hard to say exactly when the switch to smooth fluency occurred but we hit it sometime around the last few lessons of B.

 

We also went through the lessons themselves pretty slowly.  We'd do about 3 a week max.

[TriciaT]

So, it seems like this is not an uncommon problem, which helps me relax about it. It also seems like both of the options I mentioned (stopping for a break and reading a lot, or switching to a new curriculum at this point) have worked for several of you.

I have already had her doing extra reading practice with Nora Gaydos books and the Sonlight I Can Read books. I think she needs some more practice just reading individual words though.

I am thinking we may give RLTL a go when we finish B. It isn't a real high investment, and we can always switch back to LOE for level C if we need/want to. Seems like RLTL is kind of built around fluency practice in reading and spelling.

 

 

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[2ndGenHomeschooler]

We're having the same issue. I'm on lesson 71 in level B with my 6yo. He can decode the words, usually remembers the 2 letter phonograms (if he doesn't I just underline them to remind him), and does a pretty good job of figuring out which vowel sound to use. It's just really slow going when he reads. The past week he's seemed faster but it's still slow. I'm planning to slow down the last 10 lessons of B. We've been doing about 3 lessons a week but I'm thinking of slowing down even more and taking time to review the high frequency words each day. I'm also planning to have him read from a reader each day. I have a couple sets of Bob books, Abeka K readers, and I thought we could go through the LOE readers again. I'm planning to finish B this way and if we need to take a break and just practice reading before starting C we'll do that too. I already have C and D so I can look through them before we start and decide if he's ready for it.

[Plateau Mama]

My son did not gain fluency until the middle of C. One day it just clicked.

 

When she is struggling with a word tell her it's a two letter phonogram, or the sounds of the phonogram etc. the goal is for her to be able to decipher that, but it takes time. Keep feeding her hints and guiding her. Take it slow and she will get it. Like I said, my son didn't click till midway thru C and he was almost 7. Fast forward, he turned 8 in February and is currently on the 5th Harry Potter book.

[FromA2Z]

My first DS just breezed through Foundations. My 2nd DS has problems with fluency. His understanding, decoding, & spelling are excellent. I did take a break in B because of the fluency but he got so bored reading the same things he didn't want to do anything. So I slowly started back up. He really needs the stimulation of learning new phonograms and rules, but we needed to add in lots of reading practice. I use AAR readers and word cards. I did do a few lessons out of AAR since I had it but he hated it (esp...the fluency sheets). So we keep going on, I do think that it will just click with him and he will then already have a solid foundation. I do also have an eye appointment set up for next week.

[BusyMom5]

LOE is great for the games, but I agree they don't have as much reading practice as many kids need.  I would look at the library for emerging readers, and take a break to just read.  You could use AAR readers if you want an actual curriculum book, they seem to follow the same pattern for teaching reading sounds.  It sounds like LOE is working, you just need more reading practice- use the games or make up some of your own with high frequency words or words you notice her missing a lot.

[Heathermomster]

Prior to reading a list of high frequency words that I knew DD would struggle with, I would have DD underline all the phonograms and mark the long vowels, silent "e"s, and the number of the sound over the phonogram. The /ough/ phonogram has 6 sounds, and I didn't want her guessing. I spoke with a reading specialist friend and she seemed very surprised that certain multi-letter phonograms were introduced so early. We went through the high freq words lists repeatedly and erased all the marked words until she read them fluently. DD also knows all of the phonograms we covered, and we still review them for spelling

 

Like others, I supplemented the LOE readers from multiple sources such as McGuffey, Pathway, Elson, Free and Treadwell, and quality children's literature. We stopped at LOE D a handful of lessons in. DD could read all the LOE D supplemental books fluently. During the first timed reading exercise, she read with zero mistakes at a 6th grade level. We stopped LOE and then transitioned to regular books.

Edited April 15, 2016 by Heathermomster

[smarson]

We've made it to level D but my daughter had the same problem.  In my opinion, the program doesn't incorporate enough reading.  So we implemented 20 minutes of her reading to me every day.  We didn't do it every day but when I was super consistent I saw lots of improvement.  Also, we struggled with recognizing the phonograms within the words.  So when we'd hit a word that she struggled with, I'd underline the phonograms.  Then she could suddenly see what the sounds were, if that makes sense.  For us it was just needing more practice with the reading.   Hang in there, it will get better, I assure you!!

[kristin0713]

I loved LOE for both my kids, although it did take a lot longer for my DS to read fluently. He is at the end of second grade now and finally can read through a beginning chapter book with ease. One thing that I did in addition to the recommendations in LOE was to have them write the spelling words from the lists everyday, and in Foudnations we did all 5 words. I think writing out the words is an extrememly important component--they are spelling their way into reading. LOE is based on the Spell to Write and Read program after all.

[Guest]

Knowing what you all know now, would you still choose to have used LOE Foundations?  Or, would you went with something else first?

[lorisuewho]

Knowing what you all know now, would you still choose to have used LOE Foundations?  Or, would you went with something else first?

 

I would (and did!) choose it again.  I love the games and hands-on activities that build phonemic awareness, phonics, spelling, fine motor skills, and so much more.  I knew that my older daughter needed to stop and break after Level B, so it was no surprise when my second child had to do so also.  Logic of English is so thorough and enjoyable, that taking a break does not damper my enthusiasm for the curriculum. 

[BusyMom5]

I would definately choose it again- and am!  We are starting LOE A next year w/ my Kindergartener.  I have several emerging readers that I will use, too, as well as Starfall.  You cannot beat the game-based learning! 

[kristin0713]

Yes, I would definitely use it again, I just think the spelling words need to be written by the child everyday and i would add a little more reading as they are able.

[greyseal]

We are using it again, and supplementing with BOB Books, I See Sam, and Treadwell & Free readers. I agree with those who encourage extra reading to promote fluency. Feel free to slow down and work on a lesson for a week or two if it is challenging. What I've learned with my oldest is that the program is incredibly robust, and slowing the pace is sometimes needed. Sometimes even a week or two off with just practice.

[TriciaT]

Yes, I will use it again! It is so fun, and my dd is learning the phonograms and spelling rules quite easily with it. She is also loved the variety in the lessons. For me a break after B to do more practice does not turn me off of the program- we enjoy it to much for that.

 

 

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[Heathermomster]

I would not. Given the lack of readers especially in level D and the cost, no  Just no.  

Edited April 17, 2016 by Heathermomster

[ktgrok]

I'm using AAR, not LOE, but we still have the same issue. I think there are two kinds of reading practice...the readings where they stretch to read words, which are part of the lessons, and then reading easier things to increase fluency. I add in Bob Books that are easy for her, and we read the same one a few times in a row, to increase fluency, and that is helping. So we do a few days of AAR, then a day or two of Bob books, or do Bob books on the weekends to "impress Dad with your reading", etc. 

 

I think the problem is all the reading programs stress learning new skills, but don't do the part where you read under your skill level to get faster. 

[Soror]

dd1 ended up taking a break practicing with various readers sometime in B and/or C(can't remember details now but I remember it taking way longer than I planned). We are actually finishing D now that she is in 3rd, she can do the reading easy at this point but I figure it is good practice. With dd2 she is doing better with fluency but we are still going pretty slow. It seems she is catching on much faster but I'm ready for a break if need be.

Edited April 17, 2016 by soror

[rwilk]

I would use it again, without question.  Different kids need different amounts of practice with reading to become fluent, and I have no problem finding extra readers at the library.

 

Overall DD went from not knowing letter/sounds to reading at a mid second grade level in about 14 months.  

[ReadingMama1214]

I'm using AAR, not LOE, but we still have the same issue. I think there are two kinds of reading practice...the readings where they stretch to read words, which are part of the lessons, and then reading easier things to increase fluency. I add in Bob Books that are easy for her, and we read the same one a few times in a row, to increase fluency, and that is helping. So we do a few days of AAR, then a day or two of Bob books, or do Bob books on the weekends to "impress Dad with your reading", etc.

 

I think the problem is all the reading programs stress learning new skills, but don't do the part where you read under your skill level to get faster.

I'm using Ordinary Parents Guide, but we follow a similar routine. We read BOB books that are a level or two below her phonics instruction. So she'll be learning long vowels and digraphs, but we mostly read BOB books on CVC and CVCC words. We often take a week long break from new material to work on fluency. I will review concepts, but our lesson time during weeks off is spent on BOB books, phonics games, or other readers.

[Coco_Clark]

I've used LOE to teach three kids to read now. We adore the program. But I use it sloooowly, with LOTS of other reading practice sprinkled in. And when we have to we sit tight and do extra LOE type games too.

 

We do 1-3 lessons a week and finish around a level a year. A while 5, B while 6, C while 7, and D (if needed) while 8. Give or take 6 months, of course. Some books go faster of slower than others for different kids.

[Bookworm4]

I am planning on using it with my 5 year old, but will give it time and extra practice to see if it is a good fit for her or if she will need something more intensive like DD8.