Phonics or Vocabulary?

[bethelmommy]

My 7 yr. old has started DITHOR and I am not sure if he should be doing phonics or vocabulary work for his age. He seems to be reading OK and usually only struggles with names of people and places. For example, we are reading Amelia Earhart and he has needed help with Atchison and Des Moines. Occasionally we run into a rule/word he doesn't know, like reading striped as stripped, but I have just been explaining the rule and moving on. We have done vocabulary work so far (I do most of the writing), but I am wondering if we should be doing phonics instead and learning some of the rules he doesn't know yet. Any ideas? Thanks!

[MelInKansas]

It sounds like he is pretty strong in phonics. I think the phonics practice time is if they still need help with basic rules. If you have something that will help you practice more advanced rules and you want to use that, great. I think the vocabulary practice is really good. Since my DD is in Bigger she is already making a vocabulary notebook and so she adds to it from DITHR vocab time also. For younger children they suggest getting the large note cards and having the child copy the definition of the word and a sentence (often from the reading itself) on that card and storing them in a box. It also helps build the mindset that when you don't understand a word you are reading you can (and should) look it up. My DD struggled a lot with finding the words herself in the dictionary. If your son has trouble I would suggest you help him with this. Maybe have him find the section for the first letter of the word and then help him hone it down to find the actual word.

[mrsrandolph]

Sounds like his phonetic struggles are VERY age appropriate and require no added phonics work.

[bethelmommy]

OK, thanks ladies. I don't have an additional phonics program handy and wasn't looking forward to hunting for one. Glad to know vocabulary will work. I really like the idea of the notecards. I had read that suggestion somewhere here before, but thought it only applied to the vocabulary work starting in Bigger. Doing notecards would be be way easier than the worksheets listed in the back of DITHOR, at least until ds's writing advances.

On a side note, can DITHOR be done orally with young readers? Just asking because dd is not yet 6 and will finish up the ER's this winter or early spring and I really don't want to be writing for 2 kiddos. I'd rather just do mostly discussion with her until ds can handle his own writing in DITHOR.

[TrueGRIT]

On a side note, can DITHOR be done orally with young readers? Just asking because dd is not yet 6 and will finish up the ER's this winter or early spring and I really don't want to be writing for 2 kiddos. I'd rather just do mostly discussion with her until ds can handle his own writing in DITHOR.

At her age especially, and ending in the middle of the year, I believe I would have her read more books on that same level. Then answers questions like she did for the ER's.
Later, in the fall I would start her in DITHOR. That way they can both have a chance to grow into it, without it being on you at the same time.
Others may differ in opinion, but I prefer for them to be at least 6 before they start DITHOR. Extra 'practice' with level 4, beginning chapter books should not hurt.

I am sure someone else will have good suggestions as well.