Phonics with LHFHG

tiffanieh · Post by **tiffanieh** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 11:59 am

Hi...I am doing LHFHG with my two boys (one that is an early kindergardener and the other is 1st grader)...I love it and am so excited. My oldest son learned to read while in kindergarden and is getting better and better each day. He can read Level 1 books pretty well. However, he most definitely needs more phonics lessons including special sounds, special rules, etc...

I purchased RME for my youngest to teach him to read but wasn't sure if this is something I should review for my oldest son or if the emerging readers that is part of Beyond has some phonics that goes along with it? Or if there is something all together different that I should be doing. I don't want to bore him with RME since he does know how to read, but I also don't want to skip over some vital info he still needs by not doing it.

BTW...he learned to read in a private christian school last year. This is my first year homeschooling.

What does anyone think?

inHistiming · Post by **inHistiming** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 12:19 pm

RME does teach letter sounds and blends, as well as sight words, so it may be beneficial if your ds still needs help with those things. I used it with my dd when she was a struggling reader in 1st grade. She did very well with it and I enjoyed using it. It takes a bit of preparation, but nothing too difficult, and it was easy to implement. I plan to use it with my youngest ds (5) who will be a K'er in the fall.

The emergent reader's schedule in Beyond...does not include phonics; it is set up to use with children who have completed a phonics program.

HTH

mom2fiveboysnc · Post by **mom2fiveboysnc** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 7:45 pm

This too is my problem, is there any way to "place" your child in phonics? I have a rising 1st grader who just finished kindergarten in ps and I have no clue how proficient he is in phonics. He is reading at a beginning level and to me does a good job of sounding out his words but I have no idea which reading level he is on. Most of the books he brought from school do say Level 1 at the top so I guess that is his level also. I am struggling with putting him in Beyond... or LHFHG. I am leaning toward LHFHG. He also has articulation problems and had an IEP in ps. He met with the speech teacher 2x a week. Would phonics instruction help in this area also? Thanks for any and all advice. You ladies are wonderful and I just love reading about all of your experiences

I only hope that my foray into homeschooling is half as successful as what you experience

amysconfections · Post by **amysconfections** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 6:16 am

I've struggled with this too. We did LHFHG last year for Kindergarden. We used The Reading Lesson for learning to read. Now we are using Beyond and the Emerging Readers, which are great. I did buy a Explode the Code book to help with phonics, but we haven't used it much. I was told that spelling is where the rules come into play more. That is where they will learn most of their phonic rules. THe Early Reader's Bible has been great for reading practice for my son. The short stories are really nice since he hasn't wanted to take off with his reading yet.

my3sons · Post by **my3sons** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 9:15 pm

Hi there! Welcome to the board!!!

Since you have RME anyway, I think you could just use it as a review as needed with your older son. It is an excellent phonics program. You could also do Explode the Code workbooks with him. They're fun, short, and a good reinforcement. Levels 1-2-3 are great - Level 4...

takes a leap! I'd steer clear of that one for awhile.

My ds LOVED the Emerging Reader's Schedule. They are wonderful books, and they're done at a nice pace. I think you and your ds will really enjoy them, and find them to be a great transition between phonics and chapter books.

In Christ,
Julie

my3sons · Post by **my3sons** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 9:21 pm

mom2fiveboysnc wrote:This too is my problem, is there any way to "place" your child in phonics? I have a rising 1st grader who just finished kindergarten in ps and I have no clue how proficient he is in phonics. He is reading at a beginning level and to me does a good job of sounding out his words but I have no idea which reading level he is on. Most of the books he brought from school do say Level 1 at the top so I guess that is his level also. I am struggling with putting him in Beyond... or LHFHG. I am leaning toward LHFHG. He also has articulation problems and had an IEP in ps. He met with the speech teacher 2x a week. Would phonics instruction help in this area also? Thanks for any and all advice. You ladies are wonderful and I just love reading about all of your experiences I only hope that my foray into homeschooling is half as successful as what you experience

My son had speech problems too, and he saw a speech therapist for 2 years. He's now 8 and reads very well - just to encourage you - I know that I needed encouragement then, as I was a new homeschool mom then. I think phonics instruction would help - we loved the Explode the Code workbooks, once my ds was writing and had finished beginning phonics. You may want to check those out - they're cheap, quick, fun, and easy to do.

As far as deciding where to place him, if you haven't checked out the placement chart yet, that's a great place to start. It always helps me to decide when to start the Emerging Reader's by just pulling out some of the earliest books in that schedule... like the Early Reader's Bible or Frog and Toad, etc. If they can read those fairly well without frustration, they're ready for the set. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie