Name: Thrive! NCHE Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-05-22T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-05-24T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Winston-Salem, NC

This topic has 12 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 2 months ago by my3boys.

Viewing 13 posts - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)

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February 14, 2010 at 4:54 am
mrskatie
Participant
I am looking for a way to teach phonics that is similar in style to “Math-U-See”, and “Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons”. I would like something that doesn’t take much, if any, prep work for the teacher, and one that is multisensory for the student.
My 6 yr old is picking up reading great, but I as a teacher feel very inadequate in the phonics arena.
We are just finishing up the, “Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons” and I feel it lacks in teaching any of they “why”s to reading. I don’t think it ever addressed the “why” we have a silent “e” at the end of words, or when you pronounce _c_ as a “k” or a “s”. What would work good for supplementing this?
February 14, 2010 at 6:11 am
crazy4boys
Participant
All About Spelling teaches all of those rules. It is fantastic. She is developing a reading program to go along with the spelling program and it should be ready in April (I think). You could use the spelling part to teach the rules though. No prep at all!!!
I like Happy Phonics for teaching my kids to read. Initially you have to cut everything out, but after that there is no prep. Just play lots of games every day and read a few pages. My boys have loved it.
Heather

February 14, 2010 at 1:07 pm
wearejenandkev
Participant
I will second All About Spelling! I have used lots of phonics programs. Obviously, they all cover the same content. But, All About Spelling is the most teacher friendly I have seen! And, the format helps the kids retain it so much better than any other program I have used.
Jennifer
February 14, 2010 at 2:06 pm
missceegee
Participant
I will third the All-About-Spelling suggestion. It is as easy to use to teach reading as it is spelling and her first reader – The Beehive Reader is just lovely. You start the reader after step 15 in level 1. I have to say, however, that because it was written as a spelling program, it moves more slowly than I would like for just reading. We just throw in Alpha-Phonics to keep going forward more quickly with reading and it’s working out great!
Blessings,
Christie
February 14, 2010 at 2:34 pm
wearejenandkev
Participant
Yes, I forgot to mention the reading part…….we use the Beehive Reader, also. It is so great! Plus, I throw in Reading Pathways by Dolores Hiskes.
February 14, 2010 at 11:07 pm
mrskatie
Participant
The reason I started this dicussion is because I learned about All-About-Spelling from a review (http://raisingolives.com/2009/12/all-about-spelling-review/) and I realllllly liked what I saw.
But I don’t feel my son needs spelling instruction, just reading. Do you think using the All-About-Spelling for phonics in reading would work?
February 15, 2010 at 1:22 am
crazy4boys
Participant
Yes. You can just use the ideas for teaching the rules. He doesn’t really need to use the tiles or write it out if you don’t want. Doing those things would reinforce the ideas, but you don’t absolutely need to do that. I’m starting it with my 6-yr-old who reads fairly well, but I want him to know the rules better. We’re doing a lot of it verbally because he doesn’t write well yet. In a few months I’ll have him go over it all again while doing the spelling part.
I like to use the Nora Gaydos Now I’m Reading Series with it, then the Beehive Reader. The second Reader will be out in April. They are great because they follow the program so you have stories to go with each spelling/phonics rule taught. The Reading Program for the first level will be out in December of this year. I hope it comes out sooner though!!!!
Heather

February 15, 2010 at 6:40 pm
wearejenandkev
Participant
I agree with Heather. I just focus more on the rules and less on the spelling aspect with my 6yo. He never writes a spelling word. Although, I do have him spell some words out loud to me to reinforce the rules in that particular lesson. But, I continue progressing through the steps based on whether he understands the rules as applied to his reading, not his spelling. The spelling is just icing for us. Although, I will say that you really will want to get the Beehive Reader if you are wanting to focus on reading.
Jennifer
February 18, 2010 at 4:42 pm
my3boys
Participant
One of my favorites is Reading Reflex. I have not used the others but they sound great, as well.
I started to teach my 7yo to read using the program Sing, Spell, Read, and Write which is expensive and probably not worth the money (most was given to us), and we use the work books for coloring, cutting, glueing, well, for the fun stuff. But to actually teach myself to teach my kids and especially the “why’s” I found that I needed something more. I happened upon a book called Reading Reflex and it was FREE. It has helped the most, for me, to teach my kids. I feel it has given me the tools needed. It did take some prep, but after that, it’s pretty self explanatory. I find myself utilizing the tools/verbal cues daily, even if we haven’t used the program for awhile.
Good luck.
February 19, 2010 at 8:58 pm
mrskatie
Participant
Thanks my3boys for the recommendation. My library has Reading Reflex, so I’m going to check it out.
February 19, 2010 at 9:45 pm
my3boys
Participant
When you check it out don’t fall out of your chair when you see the prep work that would/could be required:) I got the book for free from a box of give aways so I was able to use it all with out having to make any copies, that you would obviously have to do if it’s borrowed. But, what I found most helpful was the way they explained how to teach their program (the why’s). It made perfect sense to me, but just like anything else, it works with my brain and may not work for your’s. If anything, I’m glad I used it for as long as I did. I am still using it little by little with my 7yo when I feel he needs it or just when I want to. I feel it has helped him tremendously. My oldest has benefitted from it also, he used to ask if we could do that *reading/book thing* and of course I would use it even though he was already 9 or so and could read. He came from a public school educational background, so in some ways we HAD to start from scratch, so I didn’t mind giving him much needed skills that I assumed he was getting in ps.
Now, they do have a website, it is http://www.readamerica.net and you can purchase their book (although I would go through amazon, myself) and other supplies. Some things have been useful, others, not so, you could just design your own material based off of the sample you can view. But, since I only spent .97 cents on a container, used about 70 envelopes for the sound pictures to be stored in and .5 cents on a notebook, I feel I got a pretty good deal. Especially when you consider that I have a program worth appr. 350.00 that I don’t think has been near as beneficial:)
Just for an FYI, I will use the same foundation for my 4 yo when it is time. I hope this helps and is not overwhelming:) Good luck with whatever you chose.
February 19, 2010 at 9:46 pm
richpond
Participant
Hey guys, Thanks for posting this question.
I use All About Spelling for my older two children and forgot about the readers. I could really use that portion for my 5 yr. old (will be six tomorrow!!!). I need to look into the reader. I didn’t know they were coming out with a teaching to read portion either. You guys are on top of things. Thanks.
Shelly
February 20, 2010 at 5:03 am
my3boys
Participant
I meant to say *choose*, oops…