I am new to homeschooling and I belong to a charter school. I am trying to find the right phonics curriculum for my 2nd grader. I am researching Saxon phonics and the reviews are pretty divided. Any suggestions? The curriculum has to be secular. All information greatly appreciated!
This probably isn't helpful....but I don't think any amount of exposure to a formal Phonics program is as effective as reading to your kids and listening to them read a couple times every day.
Crazy is right. The best way to raise readers is to read, read, and read some more to them. However, phonics is important, too! I used Spectrum reading workbooks. Cheap, and pretty decent.
I agree that phonics is important. I learned to read by being read to, and sort of "intuited" a lot of phonics, but I did not learn how to sound out unknown words or spell by intuition. There's Explode the Code. Hooked on Phonics. All About Reading. The Logic of English. Beyond Phonics (there's a Christian edition and a secular edition - this one has always intrigued me although I've never used it). There's Modern Curriculum Press Plaid phonics which has been used very successfully for a long time. I'm sorry that I can't really recommend one more than another -- I've only used Christian phonics programs to teach with. If you go to Rainbow Resource Center online catalog, you'll find 36 pages of choices, some secular and some Christian. http://www.rainbowresource.com. They are a Christian company but handle both kinds of materials. They're also very helpful if you need to call them. Most things have a few sample pages you can look at on the site. If your student has never done phonics before, I suggest that you start with a kindy or first grade level, rather than jumping in on a second grade level. Move quickly through the easier stuff, at his speed of acquisition, to be sure there's a foundation to build on without gaps. WELCOME to the Spot! We're quite the eclectic group here, so surely someone will have something to suggest for you on almost any question.
We read a ton here. We tried Explode the Code and my daughter hated it! We now use Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons and we love it!!It has really bridged the gap for my girl. We are only on lesson 24 and she is sounding out EVERYTHING! Shes reading street signs all of a sudden!! I highly recommend it.
We read a lot and we used Spectrum Phonics http://www.amazon.com/Phonics-Grade...ords=spectrum+phonics+and+word+studyb+grade+2
