my dd is reading all 3 letter words very well, some sight words (not many) and several 4 letter words that are easy. (stop, step, etc.) i haven't taught her any of the "two letter combinations" (like th, ph, ch, etc. - are these dipthongs? LOL) although, i think she knows the "ch" from reading "chips" on the bag at chipotle. i've laid off reading and phonics for a while and we've just been reviewing and reading some small readers. she has shown interest in learning more. i want to use abeka phonics from here on out. based on this info, would you recommend abeka k phonics or 1st grade phonics?
Well, my ds is in K right now. they have gone over all the individual letters, and are now learning the long vowel rules, and the 2 letter combos like st, ch, th, sh, etc. We have about 6 weeks left in the year. And my dd is in 2nd grade. I will tell you my opinion. It is going to depend on your dd. In 1st grade, they will review everything all over again, such as individual sounds, right from the beginning. The abeka phonics teaches children to learn to read blends first starting in K. Like in Cat, the blend is ca, etc. They have them read blend ladders, like ba, be, bi, bo, bu. They have also learned a few other rules like the vowels i and e usually follow K and the other 3 a, o, u usually follow C. But everything they have learned in K will be gone over more in 1st. The difference is in 1st, they may move through stuff a little quicker, so they can get on with more special sounds, such as ou, augh, and lots others. its all going to depend on your dd. 1st grade does include a little more workbook pages, and for some they are expected to know how to write fairly well. My thoughts are, if she is at K level writing, I would get the K, there isnt a ton of writing involved in the phonics. you could skip what she already knows, or just speed through it. And just read read read. She may well be ready for 1st grade phonics, but my fear is the writing could overwhelm her. you could go through the worksheets, and let her do the more written work orally? good luck. we really like abeka
3Peas covered it very well, I have nothing to add except: Be sure to follow the parent/teacher curriculum with regard to the Abeka reading program. I have seen some parents who didnt feel the need to follow the daily lesson plan and really confused their kids. It is an EXCELLENT reading program and I think your child will do very well. The blend cards and the phonics cards are highly recommended. Stick with it, she will do well.
I agree that A Beka is an excellent reading program, at least in the younger years. We loved their phonics. Ems was already reading before K so we went ahead and ordered K5. It was easy enough. I could have gotten away with purchasing 1st grade but didn't know at the time.
thanks for the info! i was curious if the first grade reviewed the k information . it's good to know that it does. it's hard to know what to do...i really try to follow the "don't push too hard" advice (she has her whole childhood ahead of her!), but i don't want her to be bored either. when we started this year, she already was reading 3 letter words, but we went ahead and ordered sonlight's LAK curriculum, which has all been review for her. it has been good review and i'm glad we did it, but i can't see going through it all again. (how many times must a child read "cat"? LOL) the handwriting in this language has been really good for her, though. she has progressed a lot in that area. anyway, i plan to still use sonlight for history and literature, but from what i have read (and what you all have confirmed!) is that you just can't beat abeka's reading/phonics!! all that rambling is to say that i'll probably order the first grade and see how it goes. if it's too much, i'll shelve it for the next year and order kindergarten. thanks ladies!! ETA: i noticed the run on sentences, etc. after i posted it. there is no time to truly edit, though, so i apologize!!
