OK Ladies and Gents (for those Gents here!) I am new here, just signed up today but I am sooooo needing some help in the phonics department. I am currently using Saxon Phonics 1 with my 7yo and he is doing ok. He isn't retaining it. He can do the coding and such but when it comes to actually reading it all goes out the window. One of my issues here is I dread doing phonics every day. My son doesn't...both my kids are pretty much easy going with whatever I am using but me on the other hand am not. I hate dragging out that big ole book and cards and adding new cards (to four different stacks!) and all that jazz. Not make excuses but I have a very active (more than my first two put together!) 13 month old that makes doing anything longer than 10-15 minutes a challenge. That being said are there any suggestions for a different curriculum? I have looked at Explode the Code and it looks good. I am a Sonlight user anyway. I just don't know. Is there a way to perhaps truncate the Saxon program. So that he gets the meat but not the fluff? I already quit doing the alphabet thing at the beginning of every lesson. After 35 lessons if he doesn't know his alphabet he never will! I see that the program is a good one and teaches a lot but it seems to go a little fast and he doesn't retain all he learns. For instance he has trouble with the c & k rules. Anyhow...any suggestions on phonics programs or what to do with Saxon? Thank you in advance! Rachel
I know what you mean. Last year, we had all these cards all over the place and so much going on, it was annoying. This year, we are doing Christian Liberty Press (CLP) for grammar/phonics. 1st grade uses Adventures in Phonics, and for 2nd and up, there is a choice of ABeka or BJU. There is definitely not a lot of fluff. It's perfect. I have made a lot of last minute changes to what we are going to do this year, but I have not touched that. I love it. Also, it helps that it is very affordable.
One more thing, I am using Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessonsfor "summer school". It has greatly improved my daughters speed.
I used the book "Phonics Pathways" and I loved it! No cards, no papers, no nothing, just you and the book. We did 1-2 pages a day and my daughter was reading in about 4 weeks. I recommend it to everyone. It was super affordable too. Good Luck! ONce they can read it is so much easier.
Ok after the last few posts I have a few more bits of info. He can read. I just have to coach him a lot more than I think I should. I know he is smart and I know he can do it but he likes to give up easily. For instance if you are familiar with "The Beginner's Bible" he can muscle his way through it. For instance when I had him read today he tried to read the word "turned" as tur-ned. Even though we have gone over root words and the suffix -ed. Perhaps it isn't even him but me? I don't like all the extra that Saxon makes you do. I like it really simple. I like workbooks too. My kids like workbooks. They seem to learn more with them. I really hope I am making sense! Rachel
Im going to check out CLP now.... Oh and we did the 100 easy lessons year before last, he kinda groaned when we got it out but he did it! Rachel
I'd look into Explode the Code online. You subscribe for a year and your child can be more independent. You can view it here http://www.explodethecode.com/ I used Explode the Code workbooks before and was pleased, although it was a lot of writing for my little guy. I am using MCP phonics and don't like it as much as Explode the Code so this year I am using Explode the Code online with my Kindergartener. He tried out the demo and really liked it.
Okay, great. That's what I was wondering... if he could read or just needs help with the phonics. I guess you said that in the OP, but I just wanted to clarify! Is he is 2nd grade? I highly reccommend CLP grammar (English).
LOL, yeah, my daughter can only tolerate reading the stories. Since she already knows how to read (we are just working on speed), we do not do the actual lesson.
I use Color Phonics. Its a computer program through alpha omega publications. My kids love it because it is set up like a game. I like that I can go to the teachers center and track their progress. Its a 5 disc set and they can do it without any instruction on your part. You can set the amount of time they spend doing it as well. Mine only do it in 20 minute sessions 2 times a week. We use a traditional phonics curriculum the other 3 days. My sons reading skills have greatly improved since we started it.
To make a long story short he is in 1st/2nd. We are using 1st grade stuff for some things and 2nd grade stuff for others.
Isn't that the great thing about homeschooling? You can teach what is needed, not just one grade! I think any of the suggestions so far look like good ones.
We do Explode the Code with my 7 year old. He started on the books towards the end of K, and we are almost finished with book 4 now. He does 2-3 pages a day. I truncate the writing, and let him write about 3-4 of the 10 things he's supposed to. He's doing Handwriting Without Tears in addition, so I don't push lots of extra handwriting practice. It will come when it comes. But Explode the Code is good! It's fast, straight forward, incremental, and it really helped us with his reading and knowledge of phonics. I wish my DD had done something similar in her early years in public school. The only thing I can complain about is sometimes he can't identify what the picture is. So I tell him! Good Luck!
We used www.starfall.com Free. My two oldest used it to learn to read. My oldest, we tried several things first, it clicked with starfall. My middle, he came to me already reading after playing on starfall on his own. Getting ready to start up starfall with my youngest this year! Nice program. Free. That's my favorite part. Good luck!!!
My kids love to play computer games so I splurged on a program that I can use for a few years. It is Hooked on Phonics Master Reader. The program is about $250.00 but is 2nd-6th grade material. It has been helping my reluctant reader because she enjoys it and is actually willing to do it. I have one of my kids playing the game while I read with the other and then we switch. It is nice that they can get some practice in without my help.
Voting Explode the Code too. Explode the Code is online too; it's available at a reduced price at http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/ . I think the subscription through the co-op expires in March, so you wouldn't get a full year of it, but I think they reduced the price accordingly. It might be a fun way to practice what you are teaching him, so that his retention improves.
This year we are using Explode the Code. I know that is has some handwriting but our main curriculum for Handwriting is HWT. For reading we are using a mixture of reading level books and Christian Liberty Press Nature Readers.
We use explode the code and love it. I've got 6yr old boy girl twins. Addison is really learning to read but it's just not clicking with Ayden yet. He knows all his sounds but has a really hard time putting them together to read. ETC seems to really be working for us.
