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I have a question about the recommended phonics program. My son will be in first grade next year and I am planning on using LHFHG. The problem I am having is deciding on phonics. We used CLP last year, and he is reading short and long vowel words. However, it was like pulling teeth to get him to do all the workbook pages, review exercises, and reading assignments. It was just a little dry and too redundant for him. I am thinking about using The Reading Lesson. Is this a complete phonics program? When you use this book from beginning to end would you be done with phonics? I am having him read some of the Abeka summer readers to make sure he does not forget the short and long vowel rules. If I go with The Reading Lesson could I skip this part, or should I just use it as a quick review? Any help or recommendations would be appreciated. I am so happy I found HOD and I am excited about using it next year. It is exactly what I am looking for!

Hi Jennifer,

We are going to use REading Made Easy as our phonics program. I also have some workbooks from Explode the Code that I picked up coincidentallly at the homeschool convention, but for the most part, Reading made easy is our full phonics curriculum. I don't know much about the reading lesson, but with RME, by the end of it they should be done with phonics and ready for emerging readers, etc... probably with some special sounds review, etc...

Yes at the end of The Reading Lesson you are done. I'm sure you could start later in the book or let him breeze through the begining building confidence. I do feel that my son needs more phonic instruction after this to reinforce rules so I'm using Explode the code this year along with the Emerging readers in BLHFHG. My son loved the CD-ROM. I would definately get that to go with it.

Your son should be able to move into the emerging readers by the end of The Reading Lesson, but you would still continue learning the more advanced special sounds (i.e. when to use -sion or -tion) and this is the point at which phonics morphs into spelling.
I like Amey's suggestion of using the first part as a review, and that would also help your son become familiar with the book. I have only heard good things about The Reading Lesson and I know there are others on here that have used it very successfully!

Thank you so much for the suggestions. I think I will use The Reading Lesson and then go from there with something else for the more advanced phonics. Thanks again!