Phonics

[threegreatkids]

Hi,
We just started LHFHG (love it!!!!!!!!!) and are finishing some things from MFW K for phonics right now with ds who just turned 6. When I placed my order i ordered The Reading lesson for next year's phonics. But...the scope and sequence is just not going to work well for us. Ds has spent a whole year on short vowels and basic consonant sounds. TRL is quite different in it's approach, so if we use it we would either be skipping stuff or reviewing stuff. There are a few other things that make me think it's not the best fit, either.
Does anyone have a recommendation for a phonics program that would pick up where ds is at? I wondered about Explode the Code, but it looks like it takes a long time to get through b/c there are so many books. I'd like to finish phonics with him next year (or a little into his 2nd grade year).
I have the manual for MFW 1st so i could also use just the phonics portion of that. And I have a million or so little phonics readers, phonics bingo and such, magnetic letters, etc. I have the Ordinary Parents guide to Teaching Reading which my oldest loved, but I don't think it's a good fit for ds.
He loves pages that you interact with, like x-ing out something or drawing lines from a picture to it's first sound.
I'll take another look at the other phonics program that HOD sells, but I think there will be the same issue of scope and sequence not matching with what we've done.
Thanks,

[moedertje]

Hello threegreatkids,

Could you let us know his reading level? What books can he read himself. This will help in guiding you through what might be a better fit.
Success!

[WigglesMom]

A good phonincs workbook and teacher's guide is CLP's Adventures in Phonics. You would probably need book B or C. It quickly reviews in the first so many pages. You can use it with any readers you already have bought. The teacher's manual is really great and it sounds like the type of work your child would love. Lots of finding and x'ing first sounds or matching the word to the picture. It isn't very colorful it is mainly either black and red (B book) or black and another color print (we have not done the C book. We did the A book in kindergarten and it is very thorough.
It is inexpensive also. You can get them from pennywiselearning.com http://www.pennywiselearning.com/Advent ... kbook.html This is the C book it is their final phonics book. You could probably start with it b/c like I said it goes through a quick review in the first 30 or so pages.
If you would like, pm me, and I can show you some samples (I'll scan them in) of Adventures in Phonics B and the teacher's guide.
Val

[pollo_la]

Based on what you have said, I actually would recommend ETC. You could start at book 2 and then just get as far as you get this year. Honestly, I would NOT rush into finishing phonics just for the sake of finishing. If you end up skipping parts, yes, your child will learn how to read most likely, but you want a child who can read with ease, fluently, and fully comprehending! ETC is not really a stand along program though... I would 100% recommend the program that I am doing with my dd, but it is not available for sale online yet. Hopefully it will be published in the next few months. We do the Complete Mastry Reading and Spelling Program. Anyway, those are my thoughts.

[Mom2Monkeys]

I think you could use Reading Made Easy, Carrie's other suggestion for phonics. There are also new workbooks that go with it that are similar to ETC. You do the short lesson and some fun worksheets. You start at whatever lesson you need to and just review or skip those he has had before. It's quick and easy and quite effective, especially now that there are worksheets to go with it! You can finish it in a year as well and end up with a solid reader. My ds loves it! (as do I!)

[threegreatkids]

Thanks to you all!
In terms of what he can read...just little CVC readers like those little Nora Gaydos ones (level 1). He is still sounding them out, gaining speed. I've had good results with my other 2 kiddos keeping them at this level until they are comfortably reading CVC words plus a few sight words. Then they seem to pick up all the other sounds very quickly. But my girls learned to read much earlier and much more quickly, so I'm really a bit uncertain about how to proceed.
Thanks again,

[Patience]

I used MFW -K phonics with both my children and had a very smooth transition with both using Reading Made Easy. (I started at maybe lesson 17 or something, since they didn't need some of the earlier lessons). Reading Made Easy worked well for both of my children! I used Pathway Readers with my son once he hit around lesson 80. This was a real help for him. Both are strong readers for their ages.

[moedertje]

RME now has workbook pages so that may be great for your son. They are very similar to the style that ETC uses. What I heard from another friend who used RME with two of her children that they were ready for the Emergent Reader program that is in Beyond when they finished!
Succes and you might be able to sell your TRL or trade it for RME with someone.

[threegreatkids]

It sounds like lots of people really like Reading made Easy. I looked at the workbook samples and they look great. The thing I'm a bit confused about is all the different fonts and circles and notations in the manual. I've not seen that before. Could someone explain what this is all about? Is it hard for children to transition to regular books without all the clues?

I might be able to exchange TRL for RME since we haven't used it yet, but before I call the HOD office tomorrow I thought it would be nice to know a bit more about RME. I looked at the samples online, and I like the variety of activities, the cute stories, the sight word worm, etc.

Decisions, decisions

[threegreatkids]

Hmm, I just took another look at TRL and now i'm wondering if we should give it a try since we have it. It looks like we could speed through some of the early lessons as review, and then slow down. I think ds would like the CD-ROM, too. That was part of why we ordered it.
It looks to me like some words are introduced in TRL without any explanation, like the word "come" in lesson 4. Does anyone know if that just means it is a sight word?

It seems like TRL is less scripted and less hands-on than RME. How else would you compare these two programs? I assume they both prepare the child for the Emergent readers program. How do I choose?

[Mom4Him]

Hello! I wish I would have read your posts before posting mine about very similar questions!!
Just wanted to say "Hi!" and let you know that I'm wondering a lot of the same things!

[Kathleen]

I can't compare the 2 for you, but I can tell you that we are happy users of The Reading Lesson. We're on Lesson 8 and my little gal is doing great with it! We're taking it slowly as she just turned 5, but she loves that she can read now! I love the simplicity of the Reading Lesson, and the CD is a hit with my daughter.

I know that there are just TONS of great phonics programs out there as I was looking last year. (I used Saxon with my oldest and it was very thorough...but TOO much for us in the time committment.) I decided to give TRL a try. It looked simple and was inexpensive, and if it did the job was just what I needed. So far I'm very happy with it! So, if you already have it, I'd sure give it a try. Like you mentioned, you can breeze through the parts he already knows. You could let him know that because of all the hard work he's already done with learning sounds of letters this year, he's going to be an expert for some of this reading book. (My kids love to be "experts" and work extra hard when I point out how great they do. ) Just slow down when you get to the new parts. The book even says that how many pages you do per day is dependent on the child's age and ability. We only do 2 pages a day...but since your son is 6, you could easily do more. I also bought the 1st ETC book for Allison. She loves to write, and has enjoyed all that we've done in it so far. So a combo could work well for you, too.

Kathleen

[Carrie]

threegreatkids,

I'm so glad that you're getting a chance to use LHFHG and are enjoying it! As far as phonics goes, it can be tough to decide between The Reading Lesson and Reading Made Easy as they both do a good job of covering phonics instruction and do it in a manageable way for both mom and child. Often when choosing a phonics program, the available time the parent has to devote to phonics and the teaching style of the parent has as much to do with finding "the right phonics choice" as your kiddo's learning style. This is true because if the parent does not get the phonics teaching done in the day-to-day, the child isn't getting the phonics he/she needs to be a successful reader.

So, in looking at the two programs you must first of all weigh which one you will consistently get done in the day-to-day. Phonics is one of those subjects that requires consistency for kiddos to get over the reading hump. You can dabble in teaching it for awhile (I always do) but at some point there does need to be the daily, consistent "let's finish phonics" push. It sounds to me like you're in the gear up to finish phonics stage, so then the thought of which program will really get done daily, makes a big difference.

Next, it's good to weigh how much time you have to devote to phonics. This will also impact which programs fits best.

Then, it's good to weigh whether or not you'd like a written component to the program.

Last, it's important to weigh what your child will find motivating and what you will look forward to teaching each day.

Reading Made Easy takes 30 minutes a day or less 3 times a week, with review of the word cards on the off days twice a week. The Reading Lesson takes 15 minutes daily of reading and then another 15 min. or so on the computer (if you use that component).

Reading Made Easy has the option of a new written component. The Reading Lesson would require you to add your own written component if you desire to have that part.

Reading Made Easy has word building cards, a sight word worm, some telling from a picture and dictation. These do take some preparation. The Reading Lesson is a very no-nonsense, cuddle on the couch and read type program. It includes the option of a solid computer CD that reinforces the learning.

The two programs approach phonics very differently and will feel very different in their presentation. Often moms can tell pretty quickly which one fits their style best. And, if one doesn't happen to be "it" for them once they get going, then they often find the other program fits beautifully.

The good news is that you are choosing from two excellent choices!

Blessings,
Carrie

[threegreatkids]

Carrie,
Thanks so much for writing a comparison of the two programs! You bless us all in so many ways
It has been so helpful to hear from many of you ladies about what has worked in your families!
We did a sample lesson today from TRL. I printed off 2 sample lessons from RME to try this week. In both cases it will be review for him, but I hope we'll get a sense of which is a better fit for him (and me )
Thanks,