Name: Great Homeschool Conventions (Columbus)
Start: 2025-04-24T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-04-26T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Columbus, OH

This topic has 4 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 14 years ago by Tia.

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

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January 5, 2011 at 4:59 pm
Tia
Participant
We just finished up phonics! i’m glad to be done (only to have just started with sister number 2 lol), but now i feel kind of unprepared for what’s next. i am in the process of reading Home Education by CM, i have read countless books and essays about CM methodology, but i still find myself saying, “now what?” During our normal phonics time in the morning, should she read? we already have schedule reading time. Should we start a gentle lang program, such as English For the Thoughtful Child? No spelling for a couple years, right? (she just turned 7). we have phonics every morning and the girls take turns…i’m not sure what to do when it’s her “turn”! lol
January 5, 2011 at 5:12 pm
suzukimom
Participant
I would say she should be reading. How is she doing at reading? Is she reading fluently?
If so – I would have her read to herself during phonics time.
If not – I would have her read to you during phonics time.
To me – phonics is a means to an end, which is reading.
January 5, 2011 at 5:34 pm
Tia
Participant
she is reading quite well. she really has taken off over the last couple months, reading whatever she can get her hands on in her spare time. i have always had her read aloud to me at least once a day. maybe i’ll have her read once silently (and narrate) and once aloud to me so i can keep track of how she is doing for at least a little while longer…
January 5, 2011 at 8:03 pm
Sonya Shafer
Moderator
With my girls, I had them read aloud to me once a day until we got through a third-grade level reader. (We loved the Pathway Readers.) At that point I was confident that they were reading fluently, and they were begging to be allowed to just “read it on my own” because they could read faster silently. So after they finished that level, regardless of their age, I turned them loose and didn’t require daily reading aloud to Mom anymore. That’s when we started English for the Thoughtful Child — mostly done orally. Combine that with copywork/transcription and oral narration, plus the good literature and poetry you’re doing together anyway, and you have a good language arts program for that age.

January 5, 2011 at 8:53 pm
Tia
Participant
thanks, sonya, that helps! and thanks to suzukimom also for reminding me the purpose of phonics. sometimes i felt like phonics was a subject in and of itself and lose sight of the purpose for teaching it. i am doing better with my second one. those poor first children!! lol
so, i think i’ll have her do her copywork during her phonics time (one less thing i have to find time for later!) and have her read aloud to me during our normal reading time and she can continue to read to herself as often as she likes during the rest of the day. after we finish our readers, we’ll begin English for the Thoughtful Child. i imagine this will be next fall (2nd grade level). i feel good about this. thanks again!
ETA: i noticed after i posted this the grammatical incorectness and run on sentences. i have too much laundry to worry about editing it properly…please forgive me!