SS in MD Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Well, I'm starting K with our youngest, and while I've used a variety of different phonics programs with the older dc, none were my absolute favorites. Any suggestions on your favorite phonics program? Ds already recognizes letter and initial sounds. (I used MFW K w/his older sister a two years ago, while I liked the overall curriculum. I feel since he already knows his letters and initials sounds it would move too slowly and bore him. I know I can modify, but for once I would love to buy something I don't have to modify!! LOL!) Thanks so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I use ETC and love it. Dd is about to finish book 3 (and Kind.) I do use OPGTTR also for reading. She is much further ahead in OPGTTR than ETC on skills, but I find that it is good because ETC reinforces the things we haven't done as recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS in MD Posted April 10, 2009 Author Share Posted April 10, 2009 athena1277 - thanks for the post. My John just finished the "get ready for the code, get set..., go for the code.." A,B,C books. Which ETC books are appropriate for K? (there are so many!) I looked online on the EPS website, but didn't find help there. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
way2cross Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 We have stuck with ETC for my six-year old and MCP Plaid phonics for the older children. I really like ETC to help with reading. MCP Plaid has helped with spelling a lot! They really like the colored pictures and it's been something they work on independently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alison in KY Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Saxon phonics K is great. Just skip the unneccessary stuff though. The meat is the worksheets and the little activities, IMHO. Study Dog phonics is nice, it's online. Starfall. We use OPGTR after and in conjunction with the above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 athena1277 - thanks for the post. My John just finished the "get ready for the code, get set..., go for the code.." A,B,C books. Which ETC books are appropriate for K? (there are so many!) I looked online on the EPS website, but didn't find help there. Thank you! We did ETC 1 as pre-K, but depending on where your child is, you may want to start there for K. We have done ETC 2, 2 1/2, and 3 this year. It would be easy to move quickly through these, but I have dd do only 2 pages per school day. That way we don't go too fast and she doesn't get burned out. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 We use All About Spelling as our main spelling and phonics program. We love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumping In Puddles Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I like ABeCeDarian for kindergarten phonics. I didn't like OPGTR and my ds didn't like ETC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paula in PA Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Ours is OPGTTR by Jessie Wise. It worked very well for my dd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linders Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Phonics Pathways worked great as our main program. No fuss, no frills, no scripting (I'm no good with that), but it captured all the key phonics elements and by the end both boys were reading well at a 2nd+ level. I used ETC as reinforcement, lagging a bit compared to where we were in PP, and often me writing the words rather than them. Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geo Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 (edited) Reading Reflex, hands down. It's gentle and very effective. DD went from no letter sounds to reading at a 1st grade level in about 12 weeks. Everything you need is in the book...and that only costs $15. It uses letter tiles that you can photocopy from the book. There are bingo-type games as well. A very solid program. Geo Edited April 10, 2009 by Geo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 We use explode the code and explode the code online for phonics. At the same time, we have used LLATL Blue and will be using LLATL red to finish phonics. It has worked well for ds 5.5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Phonics Pathways worked great as our main program. No fuss, no frills, no scripting (I'm no good with that), but it captured all the key phonics elements and by the end both boys were reading well at a 2nd+ level. I used ETC as reinforcement, lagging a bit compared to where we were in PP, and often me writing the words rather than them. Hope that helps! Phonics Pathways is my favorite. My older 3 did PP and some of the ETC series. My 4th son is doing PP, Hooked on Phonics (he likes the stickers and the stories), and Plaid Phonics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy7 Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 What does ETC stand for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen sn Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 If I would have known about All About Spelling years ago - I would have done that with dd. I will definitely use it when this baby is older. It is spelling and phonics all in one which makes complete sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 What does ETC stand for? Explode the Code Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebra Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I love Alphaphonics. I started out with MFW K, and it bombed. We switched to Alphaphonics (when my daughter had just turned 5, in July) and it was much simpler to use. DD knew all her letters and sounds, and had found the ETC primer books pretty tedious so I didn't want to use those. DD has about 10 pages left in Alphaphonics, and is reading at a 3rd/4th grade reading level. I think my daughter is a born reader, but I have to give Alphaphonics a lot of credit. I think OPGTR and PP are similar, and I would go with whichever you can find the cheapest :D! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaof2andtwins Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 We liked Phonics Pathways the best of all that we used. It has been few years since I have had to teach phonics to beginners though. Jennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I have no other basis of comparison, but I've been happy with Explode the Code. The Leapfrog DVDs (worth their weight in gold IMO) taught him the basics of letters sounds and blends. And the 3 "Get Ready for the Code" primers served several purposes. They reinforced some things he already knew, but they also got my son used to work-books in a fun way, and helped set up the expectation of learning time with Mom or Dad. We did the Primers before he could write, so we had him use his finger instead of a pencil. These were "no-stress" and fun, and got him used to the pictographs used in ETC 1. I've also found that "Bob Books" have been a wonderful accompaniment to ETC, as the "I read it myself" aspect of these books isn't just "marketing hype". Reading these Bob Books successfully really inspires beaming confidence, and inspires increased interest in ETC, which if it can be faulted in some measure, doesn't have a lot of those: "Mommy (or Daddy) look what I can do!!!" moments. So it's a good combo. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laylamcb Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Phonics Pathways. Love it. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommyInTraining Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narrow Gate Academy Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 We love Phonics Pathways with Bob books and other readers. It simple and to the point. I've used it successfully with both girls and am now working through it with DS1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I've used 20+ different programs, the best is Webster's Speller. The 2 letter syllables directly transfer to 2+ syllable words by the end of K. After using it in K, my daughter could read out of the KJV of the Bible. My mom went from being a homeschool skeptic to bragging that her granddaughter could read War and Peace! How to use it in my signature below and this thread: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70153 My favorite before that was PP. I have not used it, but a lot of friends use OPG with good success, it covers about the same material in the same way but with more detailed explanations how to use it. Whatever you use, I would recommend working from a white board instead of a book for that age. My daughter loved working from the whiteboard, she also liked choosing the marker colors! Also, whatever you choose, here's a fun game to supplement with: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Phonics/concentrationgam.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Reading Reflex, hands down. It's gentle and very effective. DD went from no letter sounds to reading at a 1st grade level in about 12 weeks. Everything you need is in the book...and that only costs $15. It uses letter tiles that you can photocopy from the book. There are bingo-type games as well. A very solid program. :iagree: I used this with great success with all 3 of my kids. I just found out that ABeCeDarian uses the same basic methodology, but with a workbook model. Costs more, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary in GA Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Phonics Pathways plus some ETC. Lots of readers. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama2two Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Letter of the Week to very first start off and ETC A-C then ETC and lots of readers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Our favorite phonics program is The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading and Explode the Code. We started the year with WinterPromise's vertical phonics program and it was horrible for us. ETC and OPG has been great! ETA: The kids LOVE Bob Books too to reinforce what they are learning. They love that they can read a book on their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraJ Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 We LOVE Sing, Spell, Read and Write here. I have gone through two kids with success beyond my expectations. No doubt that I will continue to use it again for my other two! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Such wonderful results with the Spalding Method (Writing Road to Reading is the manual), and since it covers everything--reading, spelling, penmanship, capitalization and punctuation, simple writing--I don't have to use anything else for several years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usetoschool Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 We have successfully used, over the years, Alphaphonics, ETC, and RightTrack but the one I prefer and am still using is Jolly Phonics/Grammar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 How about skipping a traditional phonics program right now and teaching him to read? http://www.teacherweb.com/CA/PomeloDriveElementary/Mrssakamoto/printap2.stm These are the books that I used to teach my kids to read. You can print them out for free. http://www.roadstoeverywhere.com/3RsPlusRead.html is the website that sells the books if you like them. Read the getting started information, etc. to see how to use the books. The basic jist of the matter is that you teach them to blend the sounds into the words and that is it. For see you teach the /s/ sound and /ee/ (the 2 e together as the long sound). Kids usually like reading books much more than doing the worksheets but they will be learning the phonics as they learn to read. http://www.piperbooks.co.uk/index.htm is the UK site for the books and has more samples, downloads, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imeverywoman Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 Not an Abeka fan, but it works like magic! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherdear Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 It's been around for ages, it's very plain with no bells and whistles and it works! Back when I used it, it just came out with cassette tapes LOL! It's now updated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoo Keeper Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 Another vote for Phonics Pathways--cost is low, and the book has pages to copy for games, and other ideas for review. No need to buy the all the extras some programs make you think you need. I've taught two of my guys with Pathways and used it to tutor my public schooled nephew. Highly recommended! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBP Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 Spell to Write and Read or similar program. No workbooks to buy, and buy, and buy, and the child gets the tools to attack new words forevermore. It's definitely one of the things I'd do all over again. SBP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbpaulie Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Well, I'm starting K with our youngest, and while I've used a variety of different phonics programs with the older dc, none were my absolute favorites. Any suggestions on your favorite phonics program? Ds already recognizes letter and initial sounds. (I used MFW K w/his older sister a two years ago, while I liked the overall curriculum. I feel since he already knows his letters and initials sounds it would move too slowly and bore him. I know I can modify, but for once I would love to buy something I don't have to modify!! LOL!) Thanks so much. ETC and Phonics Pathways (which we found at the library) worked really well for us. We didn't do spelling with Phonics Pathways, just reading. It started out with my son puching back on just reading a page a day and ended up with an advanced reader. HTH. KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephanie/MO Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 We have enjoyed First Reader by Phylis Shaffley, but I am very interesting in checking out All About Spelling! Stephanie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeinfl Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Tatras Let's Read, A Linguistic Approach Reading Reflex I love these three sooooo much. Reading Reflex was the only thing that worked for one of my children and he took to it in 1-2-3. This same child still doesn't get phonics today and I don't think he ever will, but he reads beautifully and spells better every day. Tatras is similar to WRTR and Wanda Sanseri's program, where you learn a list of phonograms and then read word lists as you memorize the phonograms. There are no worksheets at all, and no numbering the phongrams. This is extremely simple to use and the author is wonderful about giving advice and getting back to you. Let's Read a linguistic Approach is a book that was originally written in the fifties by a linguist for his own son. It's similar to Alpha Phonics but goes soooo much further. We enjoyed this so much! Here you have it, my favorites! Blessings!! Dee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyAberlin Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 McRuffy. I've used tons of programs and this is finally the one I'm sticking with:hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 I like the Leapfrog Letter and Word Factory videos and ABeCeDarian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gevs4him Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 We are R&S phonics/reading fans! Our son has done well with them and enjoys that he knows what to do when he opens his workbooks. They teach them early on how to read the directions. :auto: Of course it is a plain no frills program but does a good job and does not cost much. Blessings Lisa wife of 23 years to Guy and mother to dd18 and ds6:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommyInTraining Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 It's been around for ages, it's very plain with no bells and whistles and it works! Back when I used it, it just came out with cassette tapes LOL! It's now updated. Play N Talk??? Does anyone still sell this? Do you have a link? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS in MD Posted May 13, 2009 Author Share Posted May 13, 2009 Thank you all for your help!! I'll check these favorites out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlessedMom Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Here's a link to Play N Talk: http://www.play-n-talk.com/playntalk/index.htm Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free Indeed Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 I didn't read all the replies, but hands down my favorite is Reading Made Easy be Valerie Bendt. I have used it with 3 children so far- 2 are done and great readers, the other is still using it. I highly recommend this program. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Phonics Pathways with Explode the Code for continued practice. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the floating cottage Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 We have tried just about every phonics program there is. The best one I have found is OPGTR. It is very simple and straight forward. Very teacher friendly, and with the extras they have it is adaptable to the kids taste. I have found simple is better for us. All the bells and whistles only serve as a distraction for us. Tracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aloha2U Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 Spell to Write and Read or similar program. No workbooks to buy, and buy, and buy, and the child gets the tools to attack new words forevermore. :iagree: We love Spell to Write and Read here! BTW... one could just use the SWR phonograms and not use the whole language arts program. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skaterbabs Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 We started out with the "Letter Factory" DVD from Leapfrog. Then we added in www.starfall.com. A few months later I bought the complete set of BOB books, and DD blew through them. During this time, DD discovered "Between the Lions" on PBS, which teaches many of the more advanced phonics rules. We just bought OPG, and we'll give it a try, but DD is fighting formal phonics instruction because "I already KNOW how to read, Mom!" :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3byzaz Posted May 13, 2009 Share Posted May 13, 2009 I have used 100 Easy Lessons with three boys--pure torture, but produced excellent readers. The first two did some Pathway Readers, but not much else phonics instruction. My youngest did 100 EL, and now we are working our way slowly through Phonics Pathways - which is some torture also--but really helped with blending! We have also used ETC 1-3 1/2--which is probably my favorite! Most days, just using it and reading from Pathway readers too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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