hooked on phonics...

L

lorren05

Cathlete
Have any of you ever used this program for your kids?i have a 3 yr.old that i am getting it for-he is pretty advanced -and i really think with a little guideance he could learn to read easily.I was just curious if any of you have had good results with it?
 
I'm a homeschooler, but I've never tried that particular program. I've been extremely happy with the Explode the Code series and they have books for preschoolers, too (IIRC they're called Get Ready, Get Set, and Go for the Code). For a straight reading program, I use Reading Made Easy. Just my two cents ;-)

Carol
 
I have used the kindergarden program with my 4 year old. He was "ready", identifying letters and their sounds. I have nothing but good things to say about the program. He ate it up, it makes it VERY easy to read and be successful. It breaks it down in a way that I never would have thought to do. Good luck!

Sally

BTW, I got mine at sams club for far less than you can get it direct, about $30.00.
 
I don't have the entire program. Someone gave me the HOP readers. I don't really use them since I have a lot of early readers. I really like the Nora Gaydos early readers. Those come in different levels starting with pre-reader. Pre-Readers are read along books with strong picture clues, predicatble patterned text and letter/sound recognition. Level 1 has short vowel and simple consonant sounds, and introduces beginning sight words. Most book stores sells them. I think there are two sets for each level. Each set comes with 10 little books and stickers to place inside each book read.

I use the Nora Gaydos readers with my twins along with Spell to Read and Write. Spell to Read and Write by Wanda Sanseri is similar to The Writing Road to Reading. Spell to Read and Write doesn't have sight words. They teach all the sounds each letter (phonogram) and letter combination (multi-letter phonogram) can make. I tell my girls, "If you can spell a word, you can read it." When they were little, I used magnetic letters instead of having them use a pencil. SWR teaches pull, mother and father using phonograms instead of as a sight word. My twins do better with explicit phonics and spelling rules though. Now, my other dd excelled way beyond her grade level using a simple phonics program similar to HOP. But, don't ask about her spelling. ;-)
 
I am a First Grade teacher and have taught elementary school (various grades) for 15 years. In my opinion (and please don't get upset with me), you should NOT do any formal phonics teaching at such a young age.!!!!!!! Even if your child is a "genius," it is developmentally inappropriate! Please continue to read to your child daily and enjoy books together. THat is the single most wonderful thing a parent can do. I've seen so many children being taught phonics at a very early age and then when Kindergarten approaches they are BORED and often become "burnt out" at an early age. Reading should be a joyous experience! Most children are "ripe" for learning phonics between 5 and years old. I'm not saying that some 3 year olds are not capable of learning phonics at such a young age. But, what's the point????? I seriously do not think any child at 3 has an inherent interest in learning the sounds of letters. I don't mean to sound harsh, it's just that I've witnessed so many parents trying to "rush" their children into formal learning and it often backfires.
 
>I am a First Grade teacher and have taught elementary school
>(various grades) for 15 years. In my opinion (and please
>don't get upset with me), you should NOT do any formal phonics
>teaching at such a young age.

I'm not upset with you. :) My gf used to teach K-5 in a private school and parents would expect her to write a whole 'nother curriculum plan for just for their child. However, I've read about children who do not burn out when learning to read early. Granted, these children are homeschooled and generally have a more individualized curriculum. I am curious though about public schools. Couldn't a parent request an IEP if their child reads/comprehends well above grade level so their child doesn't become bored?

Even if my children were showing reading readiness signs, I was too lazy to start teaching them to read before 5. }( I wished that I had found Spell to Read and Write and their yahoo group earlier though. They have a lot of age appropriate preschool and pre-reading suggestions. Reading aloud is one of them. Many recommend to continue reading aloud to your children even after they learn how to read.
 
I agree with the first grade teacher.She has many years of experience and has been taught how to teach reading which I think is one of the MOST valuable skills in our education.
Ellen
 
I teach in New York State and IEP's are for children who have been classified. I don't think parents can request a "formal" IEP. However, most public school teachers have learned to differentiate curriculum according to individual student needs. I have about 7 children who are reading way above grade level. I provide literature that is on their advanced level so they continue to be challenged. However, strong reading comprehension often requires a certain amount of prior knowledge and background. I've had so many parents who want their very young children to read very advanced books. Granted, they can read the words, but have no clue as to what the story is about.
 
Thanks for explaining upperwest. Parents could request an evaluation, but aren't automatically given an IEP. That makes sense. I understand what you mean about reading advanced words without comprehension. She often has several questions when she reads books written long ago.

I also think it's great that you provide more challenging work for your advanced students. My gf tried, but her student's parents wanted more. It must be difficult being a teacher.
 
Thanks all for your feedback-
I will clarify that i am not intending to push my son into anything-just simply want to give him something to do for a little education just 15-20 min. out of a day.He already knows his abc's(he learned those before he was 2),knows how to count to 20,knows his colors,and counts to 10 in spanish,as well as alot more words in spanish.So he already has a head start-and most of this has come just by be going over the alphabet with him,and he loves the brainy baby videos.One of his favorite things to do (as well as his 1yr old sister)is for me to read books to them.So i just thought that would be something fun we could do together.....i guess we will see how it goes-but i am definitely not planning on pushing him into school-i am going to homeschool him-so i am VERY glad to still have a few more free years!!I have enjoyed reading all the feedback tho-THanks!!
 
Another problem that we've experienced with early readers is that the subject matter becomes too mature for their reading level. When you have a child in first grade reading at a much higher level, it's harder to find books that are age-appropriate for them.

Erica
 
You sound like a wonderful mom, I'm glad you weren't offended by my input. Learning to read is so crazy.....some children, with no "formal" teaching (such as my best friend's son) just pick it up naturally......they have no idea about phonics, rules, etc., just are able to "get it".....other children struggle and struggle, no matter how much they practice. Thanks for listening to me go on and on!!!!
 
I agree with the points made about children who can read words, but have very little reading comprehension. To me, what's the point if you can read all these words and not understand what the heck you're reading. My son is very smart, but I try not to keep pushing him to the next book because I want him to enjoy being a child just as much as advancing in his academics. A friend of ours would brag about how her preschool son could read at a third grade reading level, but when he got into kindergarten, the teacher held him back because his reading comprehension was really poor. So it's not always just being able to "read" that's important, but getting the bigger picture of what and why they're learning what they're learning, if that makes any sense. If your child is 3, I don't think it would hurt him to learn his phonics, but maybe focus on things that interest a 3 year old that is a learning process. Like for example, grow a plant with him and show him how you first plant a seed, water it, give it sun, etc... It's fun for a 3 year old and they're learning at the same time about order, science, etc...

Lisa
 
Lisa,
yep that makes sense-and like i said before i have absolutely no intentions of pushing him beyond his level.Believe me-i dont have him sitting around all day studying (actually hardly at all-except for wen i am reading w/them)-otherwise he is an extremely active 3 yr old.i dont want to give the impression that i am going to just drive him beyond his years-they grow up too fast as it is.Just sometimes ,especially when its so cold and we are inside all day-i just think it would be nice for him to have something to do -if that makes sense.:)
 
It makes total sense and you sound like a very proactive parent which is wonderful. I'm probably speaking more out of personal experience because I can tend to feel like, Oh my gosh, my son should start this, start that, but through the years, I've kind of relaxed a little. I try to step back and see, okay, my kids are 4 and 7, and they have all the time in the world to master a lot of different things! Good luck and have fun with it!

Lisa
 
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