jenL Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I'm currently using PP with my K ds, but I'm concerned that I may be short-changing him, so I wanted some opinions, please. This is my first year hsing so I feel awkward in many ways... Do you think it's okay to immediately move on when ds gets a concept the first time he tries (ie. digraphs, etc)? Or should I be staying on the page to have him read things over and over again for practice? He already has good fluency when he reads aloud from readers, so I'm not concerned about that. I'm not stressing the spelling part of PP although it says to make the child spell because my main focus right now is making sure he can read for the upcoming year. I'm just worried that I'm not letting the rule/concept sink in well enough by moving too quickly, if that makes sense... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lakeside Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I'm currently using PP with my K ds, but I'm concerned that I may be short-changing him, so I wanted some opinions, please. This is my first year hsing so I feel awkward in many ways... Do you think it's okay to immediately move on when ds gets a concept the first time he tries (ie. digraphs, etc)? Or should I be staying on the page to have him read things over and over again for practice? He already has good fluency when he reads aloud from readers, so I'm not concerned about that. I'm not stressing the spelling part of PP although it says to make the child spell because my main focus right now is making sure he can read for the upcoming year. I'm just worried that I'm not letting the rule/concept sink in well enough by moving too quickly, if that makes sense... I would not spend lots of time on something he seems to have a handle on, especially since you say that his fluency is good when he reads aloud. If you notice that he seems to be struggling with something, you can always go back and review it again later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacqui in mo Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I've used Phonics Pathways for all my kids. I feel the spelling recommendations are too advanced for the reading ability. I think kids can read much sooner than they can spell. For the reading, I don't think you need to go over & over a page if you think the child has the concept. My 6yo gets bored if we do a whole page so we tend to do only 1/2 page a day. That way he has practice on that concept for more than 1 day. He's about 3/4ths through the book. In the earliest parts of the book we did do just one page per day. Reading from other books constantly reinforces these concepts too so I wouldn't worry about moving too quickly, as long as you're not actually skipping pages. hth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbajgrow Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Once they got it, they got it! Reading is review in itself. I was the same way in my first year! I even switched curriculums and am now back to PP! They review the diagraphs as they read bigger words. If they forget, just remind them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vrouwtje Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 When we did Phonics Pathways I just did one or at times maybe more pages a day, but we never reviewed anything and my ds has never had any problems reading. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I, too, wondered if I was short-changing dd by the way I used PP. I didn't make her review any rules at all--we only used it as a reading program. We also didn't finish it. I set it down for a while in 1st grade, because she leaped ahead several grade levels and I felt she didn't need the content of the rest of the book (because she somehow was already reading -tion words, etc.). What I found was that I needed to make sure we covered the concepts that come after fluency--like syllabication. We chose to use SWO, and did some review of phonics in Adventures in Phonics, in 2nd grade. I love PP, but I just used it to get those first few steps in reading. Then, as a previous poster said, reading became review, and we used spelling to cement the rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted March 17, 2009 Author Share Posted March 17, 2009 What I found was that I needed to make sure we covered the concepts that come after fluency--like syllabication. We chose to use SWO, and did some review of phonics in Adventures in Phonics, in 2nd grade. I love PP, but I just used it to get those first few steps in reading. Then, as a previous poster said, reading became review, and we used spelling to cement the rules. This is where I'm now struggling. Did you feel SWO was enough? I ask since I've heard mixed reviews about it. I'm not sure how to choose a spelling program for a child who already knows how to read. He seemed to just get the reading part, but I'm concerned that won't translate to spelling which I feel is such an important skill too. I've read as many posts on here about spelling curriculum as I can, and I'm still confused. How do I know if my child is a natural speller? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicianmom Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I'm just having dd read through one page a day in Phonics Pathways. My plan is to go back to it in the future when she's learned to write and use it all over again as a spelling curriculum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I'm not sure how to define natural speller. All I know is that dd can learn lists of words very well, and I think she spells a lot by sight--because she's such a good reader and reads so much, I think it just sort of ingrains the words in her mind! lol I liked SWO--we used it for first and second grade. She uses something else in public school now. Her teacher also pulls words from her journal and from the other subjects, but I don't like that, because it's just higgly-piggly! not rule-based and therefore not very transferable, iykwim. We did SWO A and nearly all of B in first grade--easy. The we finished B and did about half of C in second. I found it to be easy to implement, helpful, and quick. What I really, really liked in our second grade curriculum was Adventures in Phonics C. It reviewed a lot of phonics spelling rules, and paired with SWO to provide an excellent foundation. We didn't quite finish it and may even pull it out again in 4th grade next year. I've heard SWO goes pretty deep into roots and things as you get higher up into the curriculum. I want to see where dd is at, then place her in SWO again. A friend said she may be able to skip to F, but that I should look at all the scope/sequence in the others to find where would be best for her. I also looked at Spelling Power, and may go that route, but I like the format and the old-fashioned "spelling book" appeal of SWO. Isn't it funny how we sometimes want the comfort of something similar to what we used as children? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alanae Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I'm using PP with my son who is almost 5. We do a page a day and review when needed. As a supplement, and for a bit of "fun" in the world of phonics, we supplement with some online time using Explode the Code Online. The Homeschool Buyers Coop currently has it for $35 and I just couldn't pass it up. He loves his ETC and asks to play it all the time. He is using the phonics he's learned using PP as well as learning to spell which I think is great! Might be worth checking out. ETC online covers books 1-8. You can start anywhere you like in the program so it's tailored for "your" child. The $35 covers a year subscription to use the site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted March 17, 2009 Author Share Posted March 17, 2009 (edited) I also looked at Spelling Power, and may go that route, but I like the format and the old-fashioned "spelling book" appeal of SWO. Isn't it funny how we sometimes want the comfort of something similar to what we used as children? lol Funny that you say this because I'm finding myself drawn to SWO for next year for this very reason! I had no problem with this way of learning as a kid, and DS seems to be following this pattern in many ways; I just want to make sure it's enough though since boys are notorious for having more difficulty with spelling than girls (just the way their brains are made unfortunately). I don't want him to have difficulty in the future when I could have prevented it now, KWIM? I think that is why I'm doubting how I'm using PP since I'm not having him do the spelling part right now rather I'm concentrating on reading which is what SWB suggests. Edited March 17, 2009 by jenL Wanted to add more information to my post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted March 17, 2009 Author Share Posted March 17, 2009 Thank you everyone! You've helped put my mind at ease! I think I'm going to love it here on TWTM forums! :D And Kinsa, God Bless you for having 6 boys!!! I have 2 and my life is crazy with them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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