Help! Need info on Saxon phonics or other combination type reading program

[bjwilk]

I'm looking for a good beginning reading program for my ds (6). He is a left handed, right brained, imaginative child, and has had a problem with memorizing even the letters of the alphabet. Things seem to take a long time to stick. I set the alphabet work aside and began with an old Dick and Jane primer, and he can memorize sight words quite easily, and loves it. I think he needs a combination of phonics and sight words, however. Also, I really need a program that tells me steps to go through so I don't feel like all I'm doing is hit or miss.

 

Someone told me that Saxon phonics is a good combination of the two, but their website does not show a single picture of a page or anything that is included in the program. I hate to buy without even seeing it.

 

Please help! Anyone out there using Saxon phonics? Anyone know of a better curriculum to use?

 

Thanks!

[lotsofpumpkins]

I don't know anything about saxon, but wanted to tell you that Rod & Staff uses phonics and sight words. My son sounds like yours. He can memorize sight words very easily, but the phonics portion isn't clicking yet (he's only 5, so we are taking a break from R&S and trying some other phonics).

 

The teacher's manual tells you exactly what to do and what to say, so it's very easy to use.

[Alison in KY]

I've used Saxon Phonics K and 1. It's been awhile since I had the grade 1 around. I used the K with two of my kids, and my third child will soon be going through it.

 

Alot of the Saxon K was cooky. That's the only way I have to describe some of the stuff. So I just ignored some of it and did what I thought was most important. I really liked it, especially the workbook portions. With my first I did it mostly by the book (except the cooky parts) but with my 2nd child, because I was busier, I basically just did the workbook and didn't do the activities. It probably would have been more fun to her to do the activities...but I just didn't feel like I had enough time in the day.

 

For my last child I'll do the K workbook and then probably do OPGTR, which is what I'm currently using with her bigger sister. I really like the progression in K. When my son was 5 and working through it I did alot of the writing for him...it was minimal but he still hated having to make even a letter at that time.

 

I would recommend this. Try to google Saxon phonics samples and maybe you'll come up with something. The readers are good but the pictures aren't so good...some of the women look really manly. My son one time asked if it was a boy or girl...it was like women on lots of testosterone. That was one thing that bothered me, but again, I just had to ignore it because the readers helped us so much.

 

HTH

Alison in KY

[bjwilk]

Thanks for the information. While searching out more reviews on Saxon, I came across a lot of information on GoPhonics. It looks very good for my situation, but again, I'd rather have the word from someone who has used it rather than the promotional materials or professional reviews. Know anything about it?

[bjwilk]

To Lotsofpumpkins:

 

Wow! To me, you are a queen and an inspiration. I am exhausted keeping up with homeschooling and parenting just 2 kids. How do you do it?

[ElizabethB]

I'm looking for a good beginning reading program for my ds (6). He is a left handed, right brained, imaginative child, and has had a problem with memorizing even the letters of the alphabet. Things seem to take a long time to stick. I set the alphabet work aside and began with an old Dick and Jane primer, and he can memorize sight words quite easily, and loves it. I think he needs a combination of phonics and sight words, however. Also, I really need a program that tells me steps to go through so I don't feel like all I'm doing is hit or miss.

 

Someone told me that Saxon phonics is a good combination of the two, but their website does not show a single picture of a page or anything that is included in the program. I hate to buy without even seeing it.

 

Please help! Anyone out there using Saxon phonics? Anyone know of a better curriculum to use?

 

Thanks!

 

I would stop the sight words, here's why: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/sightwords.html

 

Children learn them easily, but they can cause a lot of problems in the long run. I've remediated dozens of children harmed by learning too many sight words, it makes the phonics a lot harder to learn.

 

For some children, the phonics does take a long time, that's why sight words were started, it seems to make more progress in the short run, but produces a much poorer reader in the long run--and, generally, a reader who doesn't enjoy reading. (Although some children do fine with sight words, but, about 30% of children who get the 220 Dolch sight words and 60% of children who get pure sight words a la Dick and Jane have trouble reading. They especially start to have trouble in the 4th grade when the words get a lot harder--there is a specific name for this problem, it's called the 4th grade slump.)

 

The talking letter factory DVD is a great way to teach the letter names and sounds.

[Alison in KY]

If you want to just order the k workbook for saxon phonics, I'll email you how to use it. I think the readers come along with it. It would probably be cheap enough then for you to buy something else also.

 

Alison in KY