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Hello,

I am having some concerns picking a phonics program. My son just turned 6 in April. He has done explode the code & will be starting book 2 soon. He reads to me every day from readers I have. He knows all his short vowels & we are just starting long vowels & so far so good. He is doing well but not taking off yet. I used MFW K phonics to start him off but now I don't know what to use to continue his progress aside from explode the code books. With my other 2 older girls I was using MFW 1st grade but I sold that. Anyone have any idea where I should pick up? Do I need a full program? Any thoughts?? He will be using Little Hearts in the fall. He also has speech issues & so blends & some letters are hard for him so he learns it but pronouncing some words is difficult. I feel that is why he isn't picking it up too quick. make sense?? I hope so!

Please help!

Thanks!!

anyone?

Great question. I don't know the answer but would like to bump your question back to the top of the page to be seen by others.

I used and loved The Reading Lesson. I used it with a child that was delayed but could read short vowels. I used it with a child that was quick to learn. And I used it with an average reader. It worked great for all. I would recommend going through that. Maybe starting where they are comfortable and proceeding or giving them a little overlap to build confidence. That has hands down been the best program we have used.

Oh and then from there you will fit perfectly into the Emerging Readers!

You may want to look into the book Phonics Pathways. It's not divided into lessons but I have loved using it for my son after completing 100 Easy Lessons with him in the fall. My son is 6 1/2 and reading at a 3rd grade level now.

We skipped the first 60 pages or so (you can read about what to skip in the intro if your child knows letter sounds and short & long vowels). The book breaks down "the phonics rules" and we usually go over a new one every day (or every few days) depending on his ability to grasp it. It will state the rule and then give a variety of examples for your child to read. It does not use worksheets which I am happy about! Some game ideas are listed throughout the book, but we haven't used any of these. My son enjoys picking books off the shelf to read instead.

Well, both of the phonics programs HOD carries are good, so I think it comes down to preference. I am thinking this past thread where Carrie talks about each of the programs and explains how they work may help you decide which fits your ds better:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2503

If you are wanting to clip along, "The Reading Lesson" is easy to use and excellent. If you are wanting more information for yourself, and more exercises for ds, "Reading Made Easy" is the ticket. That's just my 2 cents though. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

Thanks everyone. I just needed to be pointed in the right direction!!

Georgette,

It sounds like your little guy will be needing the second half of phonics. If you choose to go with The Reading Lesson, you would likely start at the beginning and move more quickly through what he already knows (or you could begin mid-way through the book instead). If you choose to go with Reading Made Easy, you would definitely need to begin at the beginning of the book in order to have the foundation that she lays in the opening lessons (and the cards you'll need for future lessons). You could do lessons 5 days a week, rather than 3 days a week to move more quickly through Reading Made Easy if desired. Either way, you'll definitely want to cover the last half of phonics instruction prior to moving on to the Emerging Reader's Set.

Blessings,
Carrie