Help with phonics

[jahall2000]

My ds did a full year of phonics wih MFW-K and additional work in a MCP Plaid phonics book, but this only covered consonant sounds and short vowels for decoding CVC words. He is reading above grade level (around middle of 2nd grade level) however he still needs to finish covering phonics. I'm thinking of doing Beyond this fall because I love that I can use whatever reading and math are appropriate for his level. I was considering doing the Emerging Reader sets along with Explode the Code workbooks, but I realize now that ETC is better for review. I want to be able to move through the phonics at a quick pace. Should I use something more formal for phonics, like Reading Made Easy. With RME, can I skip past the stuff that he's already covered? Can I do the Emerging Readers at the same time as the phonics, or should I wait?
Help would be appreciated.

[momof3kids]

Hi...i am new to HOD as well, but your situation is similiar to mine...so thought i would share what was recommended to me....
i have a 5, almost 6 yo..in K now is ps....i am looking to start Beyond with him this fall with the Emerging Readers set...but, in the same boat as you..i wanted to make SURE he had covered all his phonics before moving forward. I had posted a question about this...what phonics are in Beyond or if I would need to add...Carrie actually answered and suggested using the Reading Lesson now..and through the summer (its 15 min/day from what i understand)..to make sure he has all his basics covered...then doing the ER set with the Beyond manual in the fall. So, that is my plan....this suggestion has actually helped me a great deal...i was back and forth between different programs/guides and wasn't sure what to do..but felt like he really "fit"well in Beyond....so this way i think he will be where he needs to be for next yr without missing anything. i think i have read where others actually do the Reading Lesson along with the ER set....but i think it will be easier for me for cover it first.....i am probably not the one to be giving advice since we are new to this.... but i do feel good about our plan of action!
hope this helps!....hard to know what to do, but i have gotten lots of great advice here to help us find our path!

[SCStxRN]

I use all about spelling as my spelling and phonics curriculum. I tried going the reading then spelling road - and reading has been a fight for us for a year and a half. Through teaching spelling first, reading has come for my 7 year old for the first time in a year and a half that I stopped trying to teach it.

[amysue277]

my question is:how domyounknow if your child hasn't covered all the phonics if you use an alternate program? My son just finished AAR 2. I was going to just start him on the ERs in the fall, but now I'm wondering if I should do more phonics? AAR hasn4 levels altogether but 3 and 4 are not out yet, and I was under the impression that they are,not necessary if your child is reading pretty well. I'd estimate mine is reading at a 2nd grade level if I had to guess. He is definitely reading books equivalent to the ERs if not beyond..thoughts?

[jahall2000]

my question is:how domyounknow if your child hasn't covered all the phonics if you use an alternate program? My son just finished AAR 2. I was going to just start him on the ERs in the fall, but now I'm wondering if I should do more phonics? AAR hasn4 levels altogether but 3 and 4 are not out yet, and I was under the impression that they are,not necessary if your child is reading pretty well. I'd estimate mine is reading at a 2nd grade level if I had to guess. He is definitely reading books equivalent to the ERs if not beyond..thoughts?

I actually used to teach in an elementary school before my son was born, which seems so long ago now. There are main parts of phonics to be covered which include: consonant sounds, short vowel sounds, long vowel sounds, consonant blends (beginning and ending), y as a vowel, endings (ed and ing), digraphs (th, wh, sh) contractions, other vowel sounds, other consonant sounds (soft c, soft g), and compound words. This is what I think needs to be covered, though there may be some additional stuff that I haven't included here.
I think that I may just try using the Hooked on Phonics kits that our library has available for checkout now and through the summer. I'll also use the next level of MCP Plaid Phonics book that I already have as well. I think that doing all of that should help get most of the phonics covered. I'll continue with this into his 1st grade grade year when he'll be doing Beyond. As we're finishing HOP and MCP, I may have him start on the Emerging Readers. I may also do some phonics review later with the Explode the Code workbooks later.

[jahall2000]

Thanks for the help everyone!

[twoxcell]

Personally I would get Phonics Pathways and skip ahead in the book to where he is at. PP is inexpensive and extremely thorough. My library even has a copy.

[jahall2000]

Personally I would get Phonics Pathways and skip ahead in the book to where he is at. PP is inexpensive and extremely thorough. My library even has a copy.

Thanks. I've never seen this book before. I looked in up and it does look really thorough. I also just found out that the first grade level of HOP doesn't even touch on long vowels. My library doesn't have the 2nd grade level, so I think I'll look into Phonics Pathways.

[jahall2000]

Personally I would get Phonics Pathways and skip ahead in the book to where he is at. PP is inexpensive and extremely thorough. My library even has a copy.

Thanks. I've never seen this book before. I looked in up and it does look really thorough. I also just found out that the first grade level of HOP doesn't even touch on long vowels. My library doesn't have the 2nd grade level, so I think I'll look into Phonics Pathways.

I saw that the Phonics Pathways has a Booster Pack. Have you used it? Is it worth the extra money?

[my3sons]

I actually thought I was rereading the same post I read yesterday as I read your words here, and then I realized that this is actually a different post with an extremely similar situation! The other lady had done MFW Phonics and a few other phonics workbook type things as well, and Carrie gave a great response to it! I thought I'd post Carrie's suggestions here, as they seem pertinent to your concerns as well...

Thanks so much for taking time to come back and share more about your son. It really helps to gain a clearer picture of where he is reading-wise. From what you've shared, I'd say that it is possible that your son has never actually gotten to the 2nd grade phonics-instruction level. What I mean is that by doing MFW 1st grade and then switching to Time4Learning, it is pretty likely that your son got a solid introduction to typical first grade skills, but may not have gotten through all the phonics he needs to know in order to read well. In actuality, phonics instruction typically runs through K, 1st, and 2nd grades (increasing in difficulty and adding sound combinations as you go). Kiddos often don't need to take all 3 years to go through all needed sounds, but they do need to go through all the needed sounds and know them before "graduating" from formal phonics instruction.

With this in mind, often when we change phonics programs mid-stream, you can end up missing the typical "2nd" grade level of phonics instruction. Since you own Sing, Spell, Read, Write, you could go from the beginning of that program (skipping much of the writing and doing the singing, spelling, and reading or whatever pieces help him learn and practice using the sounds). Just make sure to go through all needed sounds to the very end of the program. Or, if that feels too lengthy (which to me it would, since it is a full K-2nd grade program), you could instead choose any 2nd grade level phonics/reading program and take him through just that level for the rest of his phonics instruction. There are many out there to choose from, however I'd lean away from those that will bog you down with a lot of writing (and spelling) and instead just worry about getting the phonics down. He'll need more than just drilling the sounds, as he'll actually need to read controlled books or stories that practice those new sound combinations, which is why it would be good to have a program for that. Bigger will cover your needed writing, copywork, spelling, and English skills. So, you're truly looking for a reading only type program and only for the last chunk of sounds more typical to 2nd grade. Another thing that you could look into is a book called Reading Reflex. It is helpful in making sure kiddos have all the sound pictures/phonograms they need to read well. It takes a different approach than a purely phonetic approach, but we used it during my school teaching days for third/fourth grade to help kiddos who were struggling as readers and it does work. There are many reviews out there on it too.

I would definitely get your son's eyes checked too. Third and fourth grade are the most common years for a child's eyesight to take a turn and for him/her to need glasses. This could be another huge factor in your son's reading. I'd make an appointment for him as soon as possible to rule this out.

Next, as far as Bigger Hearts goes, I wouldn't stop the daily pace you are on, since it sounds like your son is handling all of the other areas well except for the reading. I would just keep going doing a day in a day. When you take your summer break, I would work on only reading for the summer. Then, in the fall, I'd pick Bigger back up where you left off and keep on going. Don't worry about Preparing Hearts right now. Kiddos can change so much over time, and even if you took no summer break from Bigger, you'd still have a minimum of 14 weeks left (which is 4 and 1/2 months, or half a calendar school year). With any kind of a break, you're 6 months away from finishing Bigger now. That is a long time in the world of kids!

Finishing at a 2.4 Reading Level would put him at the beginning of the Emerging Reader's Set. If he made it all the way to Prairie School that's quite good! That is where many kiddos begin to hit a bump in the road, as the text gets longer and harder and the pictures begin to go away.

One thing that has helped my kiddos at the Emerging Reader's Level is to practice reading their pages to themselves (reading it aloud) before they come and read to me. This gives them confidence, allows them practice time to sort out their words they're not sure of, and makes their reading time with me more enjoyable. When you finish your formal tour through phonics, I'd pick the Emerging Reader's Set up again. You may have to back up to get him reading more confidently in the Emerging Reader's Set, so you'll have to weigh how far you want to back up. Also, it is good to add in any of the extra books suggested for each week. These are great for practicing more on a similar reading level.

I hope something here helps as you're pondering.

Blessings,
Carrie

HTH!
In Christ,
Julie

[rockridgegal]

Amen Julie !!

I am the other mother and am following Carrie's advise and WOW !!! What a difference it has made I am in my Summer break now and actually am focusing only on reading and math and have found that he missed the 2nd grade phonics and teaching those now, I am seeing improvement in his daily read alouds !!! Love you gals and hope that this helps knowing that it does help to go back and reinforce those phonics... I am currently using Reading Reflex and loving it !!!!

Good Luck !!

Kim

[my3sons]

Thanks for responding, rockridgegal! I used the "Reading Reflex" when tutoring and LOVED it. I am so glad Carrie's suggestions are working, and PTL ds is moving along in a good direction! This was a great update to read.

In Christ,
Julie