Name: CHEC Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-06-12T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-06-14T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Denver, CO

Tagged: delightful reading, phonics

This topic has 12 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 1 month ago by erin.kate.

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

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February 25, 2011 at 12:35 pm
alice
Participant
I just wanted to say that we’ve done several lessons with this program, and I am really loving it! I’ve tried both 100 Easy Lessons and At Last! A Reading Method for Every Child, and I got frustrated with both of those. I do not dread phonics time, and am so very thankful to have a little stress taken out of our school day! YAY! I am teaching two of my children so I’m getting to see how it works with with one child who picks up the words very qickly and one who needs a lot of repetition. At first look, I thought there weren’t a lot of words covered, but I see that I was wrong. We’re loving it!
Also, I did get the book spiral bound at a local office store for around $5. The books lays flat and makes it much easier to use.
Thank you, thank you!
Alice
February 25, 2011 at 2:07 pm
JennNC
Participant
Hi Alice,
I am considering using this program with my daughter next year… I have used 100EZ with my other children successfully, but can’t say I loved it. What do you like better about Delightful Reading?
Jenn
February 25, 2011 at 2:18 pm
alice
Participant
With 100EZ, it just went way too fast for my son. We got to lesson 30/40 and he started to hate it. Also, 100EZ doesn’t really provide you with enough lessons. Meaning, after you’ve finished you may need to continue with Explode the Code. Delightful Reading, I believe, is much more complete. I don’t think I’ll need to do anything beyond it. I also love how the lessons are sooo simple. Now, with the two children I’m teaching we jumped right into the reading section, since they already knew how to read some. I’ll be starting it from the very beginning with my youngest, who’s only 2 1/2 right now. But that’s not for a while yet!
I also really like how you’ll ask your child if he can spell the word (whatever it may be). This way I have a chance to see which of my children will most likely need a spelling program in a couple years or so. I think you’re either born with the “spelling gene” or not. I was not!
Hope that helps some.
Alice
April 13, 2011 at 5:55 am
sweetmamajoy9
Participant
Alice-Now that you’ve used this for a while, what are your thoughts? I am considering purchasing it to use with my struggling 8yo reader and my ready to start reading 5yo and other siblings later. We have tried what seems like all of the reading programs out there on my 10yo and somehow he learned how to read, although has a terrible time spelling (looking at Spelling Wisdom for that). But my 8yo just hasn’t been able to take off running yet (with reading). I’ve used My Fathers World 1st and Explode the Code with him so far and he still is not able to read on his own. I’m hoping since this is so different it will help him take off. How long do you think it will take to go through the whole program?
thanks!
April 13, 2011 at 1:13 pm
erin.kate
Participant
I’m also curious … my 5yo is a “natural” reader. She whizzes through easy readers, but she’s never been instructed. I’d like to try this with her as it seems to be a nice fit for all ranges of reading readiness … new, emerging, struggling.
Thoughts on that? Thank you!
April 13, 2011 at 2:35 pm
Britney
Member
How does this program teach phonics? I am looking at it for a 5/6 year old and was wondering about the “how”.
April 13, 2011 at 8:34 pm
LillyLou
Participant
Britney,
Have you seen this http://simplycharlottemason.com/scmforum/topic/new-scm-free-online-videos yet? There are three links there: one for the Delightful Reading program, one explaining intensive vs. basic phonics, and one about the curriculum guide. I watched them last night. I’m struggling with teaching reading to my 8yo too. She was a “slow” reader from the beginning, still struggling with reversals, etc. (but not consistently) and wants to read more advanced books. I think this will help a lot.
HTH,
Lindsey
April 14, 2011 at 3:00 am
alice
Participant
Sweetmamajoy5 – Ok, we’ve had Delightful Reading for a while now, but I’ve not been consistant lately. Actually, we’ve not done a lesson in a few weeks. Ahh…been overwhelmed by other stuff recently.
Anyway, I got to the second lesson and worked through the word building and then realized that he wasn’t getting enough repetition with the new words. Someone suggested I use the new words we were working on in sentences. I have to admit we’ve only worked on it once though.
erin.kate – I also have a “natural reader”, my 5 1/2 yo daughter. I started using this phonics program with her, when it occurred to me that I didn’t need to do anything! She’s in the second reader and I am planning on just having her read some each day…I’ll just tell her the words she doesn’t know. I figure we’ll talk about phonics rules when/if she needs a spelling lessons. If you’re daughter is already reading, I’d would not teach a formal phonics lessons. But that’s just me! 🙂 I’m trying to simplify my schooling, not wanting to do things that are not really necessary.
Well, I hope that helps you!
April 14, 2011 at 2:19 pm
MamaSnow
Participant
erin.kate – I just started using this with my 5-1/2 year old who is also a fairly natural reader. While she already can read many of the words (so we aren’t starting from the ground floor), I am finding it helpful for filling in the gaps and reinforcing certain sounds/word families that are still a struggle. I also really like how it has the spelling, word building, and sentence building worked into the lessons – IMO, it’s a good (and very gentle) first step from just reading/copywork towards writing on her own. And she is REALLY enjoying it. While it’s probably not totally necessary, it pulled together a lot of other things I was trying to piece together on my own, so it’s working well for us.
HTH,
Jen
April 14, 2011 at 2:36 pm
suzukimom
Participant
Any ideas how it would work for a child that is already reading, but tends to mix up words (could and cloud, or where and what for instance) and otherwise just seems to stumble a lot? We did a couple of online reading tests, and on one they said he read at a 4th grade, 9 month level (just reading words out loud), and another said 2nd grade, 4 months… (pick out the word in the sentance which doesn’t make sense)… He is finishing “2nd grade” (ie, he would be in 2nd grade in school….)
I learned to read fluently almost instantly when I was 3… (tested with an official test at a 5th grade reading level) – and so I don’t remember the process, and have a hard time knowing what is normal development, and what is a problem….
April 15, 2011 at 4:09 pm
erin.kate
Participant
I watched one of the videos that Sonya did for Delightful Reading, and it really piqued my curiousity more. I have to be honest that I am a devotee of systematic phonics, but I can see where blending multiple approaches to reading can be beneficial (once the child has learned phonics first … IMHO).
Something that really resonated with me is encouraging that shift from sounding out words to fluently reading, which is where my 7yo (first grade) seems to struggle. She’s had two years of intensive phonics with MFW and I am pleased with the results. She can sound out words and she knows many rules, but she does not read smoothly enough to always comprehend what she’s reading, since it takes her a while to get through the reader. I feel that DR would complement her needs and abilities well.
I think that for my “natural”, 5yo reader I will work with her on DR with her sis, but do more intensive phonics alongside, so she gets the best of both worlds. I think that the decoding (phonics) skills are so important but so are the encoding. There is value to teaching reading through several approaches. I am going to marry DR with All About Spelling with my 7yo next year, as well. Maybe even let my 5yo daughter sit in as well to sharpen her natural reading skills.
April 15, 2011 at 5:47 pm
MamaSnow
Participant
erin.kate – I started out as a “pure systematic phonics is the way to go” kind of girl myself…but have found that the combination approach has worked really well for us. I think that the decoding skills are really important too, but have found that the fluency gained through more of a sight words approach is what kept the phonics from getting boring for us (mostly because it opened up all kinds of books we couldn’t read yet when all we had learned in phonics was short vowel words.) Have fun. =)
Jen
April 15, 2011 at 8:45 pm
erin.kate
Participant
Jen …. completely agree. I’m really relieved to have come to this realization through SCM. I have two other kids coming up and plan to teach reading through both avenues with MFW and DR. Love it when the lightbulb goes off. One of my kids will speak NO English when he comes home this July, so I think that MFWK and then DR once he is confident on sounds and their letter names will be a good fit. Hopefully. 🙂