Can read ER books, but needs more phonics

[Mumkins]

My DD will be home for 3rd grade in the fall and will be 9 shortly after. She was held back due to reading. She has auditory and visual processing deficits. The book she is currently reading at home with me is "owl at home". The books she brings home from resource are considered 'early fluent' and the first trimester of 2nd grade. She reads those flawlessly.

We've been working through Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching reading, but it's not sticking. She's in resource at school and loves the games the most. I think she needs hands on.

She needs more instruction, the tail end of phonics.

Would one of the Phonics books HOD uses be helpful? Not sure if she's beyond them.

[MomtoJGJE]

I know my opinion likely will differ greatly from a lot of people just from the fact that we don't do phonics.

However, if she can read the ER books then I would say she wouldn't need phonics but would just need more practice reading.

[Nealewill]

I agree that she probably doesn't need more phonics either. If she can read the early readers well, then she is probably set with her instruction. I think time and practice are what make it sink. Praying for you though. My oldest was a lot like your dd that you are describing. She STRUGGLED! But through much practice it has finally come. At this age, I was having her read to me for about 45 minutes total per day to help her get the practice she needed. So she would read 20 minutes in the AM, 15 in the PM and then 10-15 at bed time. It helped to spread it out. And through just practice, practice, practice, she got it.

Now my son has language delays and we did use All About Reading with him. However, he was messing up the Emerging Reader books. He had missed a major decoding skills and struggled with language in general.

[StephanieU]

How fluently is she reading Owl at Home? That is one of the first emerging reader books. If she is doing okay with that, I would just work on the ER books. Personally, I don't think memorizing a bunch of phonics rules is absolutely necessary. Knowing some is obviously important, but there are just so many exceptions to most of the rules that they are almost not helpful at all.
Now, if she is having a hard time reading Owl at Home, then adding something would be helpful.

[MelInKansas]

Let me clarify something, especially since you are bringing her home from school so this may not be clear.

People are saying "she doesn't need any more phonics instruction." I don't think this is accurate. What they aren't saying is that the ER is the continuation of learning to read and phonics instruction. It's really ingenius and this is part of the CM way - as soon as possible start reading living books that capture the imagination and inspire a love of reading. Phonics lessons are boring. Living books are exciting. But the key to this is that the child is reading to you and so you are helping them cement their skills and helping point out new rules they may not have already learned. There are some that are pretty common that aren't in the phonics lessons (that HOD uses), like "kn" "ph" "ough" "eigh" and I'm sure there are others. So my suggestion is to jump into Emerging Readers and give that a try for a year. If she is able to get through those books in progression (and you can use the supplemental titles to draw it out a little bit if you wish) then her phonics will be strengthened and she should grow. If 3/4 the way through ER you don't see her growing in phonics you may need to take a step back and focus on drilling it a little more. But some kids do just take a little longer to start reading fluently, and now with the personal focus you can put on it I bet she will thrive!

My 2nd has struggled more with reading and phonics than my first and I suspect mild dyslexia. But ER is really helping her grow and now she is over 1/2 way through them and has started picking up books and reading on her own which I am so thrilled to see!

I hope this helps.

[my3sons]

Great advice here already! I like the idea of several short reading sessions, spread out through the day. The ERS will continue to help dd build her reading skills, and its accompanying questions will help her develop better reading comprehension. To schedule several short reading sessions throughout the day, you could also use the supplemental books suggested each unit. They are also wonderful, and will help dd practice reading at a certain level a bit longer before moving on. If you would like additional phonics work, you could always have dd do Explode the Code. These are fun and short, not expensive, and dd could do just a few pages a day. Probably Level 2 would be good to start with if you go that route. Take heart though - dd is doing fairly well and with your love, encouragement, and singular attention at home, I believe she will blossom!

In Christ,
Julie

[Mumkins]

Thank you for the encouraging words Julie.

She can read "Owl at home" almost flawlessly. We skipped the bible ahead of it as we didn't have it. I own every other ER except 1 near the end, which I'll get. Maybe dropping formal phonics would be good. She gets frustrated because she doesn't understand why phonograms make different sounds. IDK if she's be best served by more instruction, or just more opportunities to read, with me there to help her. She hates reading right now, but she'll read short bits like directed in the TM.I have an online subscription to ETC. It wasn't moving her on because she wasn't doing well enough with the typing. Maybe workbook would be better.

[MelInKansas]

I think as you go on through it you will see if she needs more phonics instruction or if she is catching on just by doing. It is against what we are told children should learn, but both of my readers have learned it well without having to have the rules defined for them, just by reading and reading some more. What is so great to see is the love of reading that is fostered by this method! And it works!

[Carrie]

Mumkins,

The ladies are doing a wonderful job of helping you talk through your options, so I'll just pop-in to share one really significant thing that may help! I would definitely get one of the Bibles that are scheduled first in the Emerging Reader's Set and begin there. The reason this is so important is that the Bibles are scheduled for the first 9 weeks of the Emerging Reader. They are meant to be a child's first transition into reading real books (and the Bibles are also at a lower reading level coming in at a beginning second grade to mid-second grade reading level). This makes them an integral first step into the Emerging Reader's Set. The Bibles makes up a whole quarter of the school year for a reason! It is because we fully intend to devote that length of time to that particular reading level with its shorter, more familiar stories as an excellent tradition to harder/longer books. So, definitely pick up one of the Bibles and begin there. You will help your daughter's transition into the Emerging Reader's Set go so much better. Otherwise, you will quickly find that the set will progress too quickly and get too hard too fast (and you will end up filling with other books instead).

Blessings,
Carrie

[Tidbits of Learning]

Does your child's current school test for reading issues or just place them in resource? I ask b/c here it is commonplace to not test for dyslexia or other similar issues until 4th grade or 9 yrs old even if the child shows signs of it. How is your student's spelling? Does your child struggle with writing and spelling also? My ds11 struggled to read in school and then after we brought him home. Phonics has helped him to "see" the English language for spelling and writing better. I would probably find a game like program to finish off and cement some phonics skills. Have you looked at Reading Eggs? At 9 years old, I would look for other issues at hand as well with struggling to read.

[Mumkins]

I'm not sure about backing up to the bible. She's been in resource all year and is definitely beyond that. She'll be 9 this fall and I'd like to get moving on quicker.

I am wondering about spelling with her as well. She's very creative. I'm wondering if All About Spelling would be good for her since she needs phonics and spelling help.

She does have both auditory and visual processing issues. She will begin vision therapy late summer.

[Tidbits of Learning]

My ds that has dyslexia/dysgraphia had vision issues as well. When we bought those colored overlays that would highlight one line of print at a time, we had a reading breakthrough. It really helped him and it was inexpensive. A few dollars for an overlay from the School Aid store.
I would like to encourage you though that most late bloomers make leaps and bounds quickly. My ds was 8 turning 9 the year we did Bigger with Emerging Readers and he tested on grade level with reading in 4th grade the following year.

[StephanieU]

Although the Bibles might be "simple" I would probably still have her read them. You could do those WITH the next books in the ER schedule. I like the idea of having my kids read "through the Bible" even at a young age. We might read it through again soon even, just to study God's Word more on her level (maybe have her read in the Beginner's Bible and then I will read in our "real" Bible).

[Mumkins]

Having her do both sounds good. I like the idea of her reading through the bible. I also really feel like she's on the verge of a break through. She's reading late grade 2 books. I don't want to back track her and lose our progress.

[Gwenny]

My son did the Early Reader's Bible. I didn't think it was that easy. There are a lot of words in there that don't follow the "rules". If she is just reading Owl at Home well and is in level 2 books, she's not beyond the Bible. It's important for them to read lots of books, even if you think they are a tad "easy". She will probably start enjoying reading more if it isn't always a struggle and she can be successful. She will learn a lot from reading books where she knows most of the words. Reading those kinds of books is not backtracking.