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DS doesn't want school to start due to AAR
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DS will be starting 1st grade. We’ve had a hard time finding a good phonics/intro-to-reading program. Here is the path we’ve followed, as it may give some insights if there is another style of program we haven’t considered:
We’ve tried Sing, Spell, Read, and Write and it had many problems for us…..not incremental enough, long boring readers, too much repetition in what you do each day, too much time required each day.
We used Phonics Pathways to actually get him reading because SSRW wasn’t getting him there. I loved the simplicity of it, but it was very boring for DS, so we went back to SSRW and finished the K level.
We did just a couple lessons of Progressive Phonics and it didn’t seem to really click with him. I’m not sure, but I’m not completely convinced that it’s a thorough as i’d like either.
When we landed on AAR Level 1, I thought we had found our fit. I appreciated the variety of the lessons, thoroughness of phonics rules, and lots of practice that it provided. It was sooo much better than the other programs we had tried, and I think DS really did like it for awhile. But now DS has decided he hates it and doesn’t want school to start mainly because he doesn’t want to do AAR….specifically the fluency sheets (which I’ve tried all kinds of tricks to make more fun) and the readers. I think he doesn’t like the readers just because he’s a bit lazy and has to work harder at them than with some of the more early readers. I personally like them the best of everything we have.
So I made him a deal today that if he can get through Level 2, I will not make him continue on with Levels 3 and 4, but that we will find another program. But I’m wondering if i should even push Level 2. Maybe I should keep looking for our perfect fit? But the other side of me thinks there isn’t a perfect fit and that DS just really doesn’t like learning to read and really doesn’t want to push himself with more complex readers. I feel that is a very real possibility.
So what do you think…..is there another style of program we haven’t hit on? Do we just need to push through? He does fine with the level he’s at. I mean, he’s a little choppy, but he does well with comprehension and can read the words without sounding out each of their sounds. For what it’s worth, he does like worksheets…..if that’s helpful at all in recommending a different program…..
I had a son like that….we went through so many programs. What finally clicked for him was Happy Phonics. We used Leap Frog videos, games from Starfall, and the Now I’m Reading series of books by Nora Gaydos. Once he was through with those he moved into Dr. Suess/P.D. Eastman type books, then Billy and Blaze and other ‘easy readers’. Then he took off and reads whatever he wants now.
My youngest, who is 7 now, would prefer to never read in his life. He’s happy to listen, but doesn’t want to do a program. We do the above, with AAR Level 1. He’s just a kid that doesn’t want to do it but we do anyway. He especially loves Happy Phonics (mostly, there are some activities he hates) and wants to play those games outside of school time….the rest he just accepts that he has to do. And he’s excited to have the astronaut ice cream at the end! Since the first child we’ve added Meet the Sight Words dvds and Explode the Code workbooks to the ‘learn to read’ program as well.
I don’t really have him drill the fluency sheets. I tell him to pick perhaps 4 things on each page (meaning either a full row, or a set of sentences that work together). We put little x’s on the ones he reads and then the next day he chooses a few more. We work on the sheet over a period of days, doing other activities (listed above) before moving on. I think he’d melt into a puddle of quivering goo if I asked him to read the whole page in one day….but he’ll read an entire Cat in the Hat or 5 books from Now I’m Reading at one go.
Oh, I forgot about trying Starfall and REading Eggs…Leap Frog videos too…and Explode the Code! DS actually oved Explode the Code, but I stopped it when we started AAR because it just seemed like overkill. Maybe we should go back. Hmmm….that’s a thought.
DS did want to try some Dr. Seuss/pd Eastman books this summer, but got a little frustrated with them as there are still too many rules he doesn’t know.
We often team read Dr. Suess type books. He reads the words he knows…and that I know he can figure out. I read the words that he hasn’t learned the rules to. If it’s a word that will repeat multiple times in the book we’ll look at it, ‘take a picture in our heads’, talk about the rule, then I expect him to read it for the rest of the book. Then we re-read the same book a few days later. Oh, he LOVES the Elephant & Piggie books by Mo Willems.
Do you think Explode the Code needs supplemented with anything other than level appropriate readers?
I still need to look into Happy Phonics…..
Sorry, no program specific advice here, but, I would suggest following your reading lesson with something really fun that would be like a reward for getting through the hard-not-so-fun part. It could be that he picks something for you to read to him, ten minutes of Starfall or game on his favorite educational website. You might give him time to play with Lego, draw or play with play doh, play Go Fish or a board game together, ride his bike, or have reading lesson happen right before morning snack. I hope to incorporate more of these “fun” breaks with my boys this year.
I do not know much about those reading programs. What worked for my two was mostly the readers in Sonlight including their word lists book in their I Can Read It! series which is the same word families they learn in that week’s Explode the Code lesson. They all work together on the same words to re-inforce the new words in that week’s lesson. I supplemented some with Starfall, Leapfrog dvds, and letters to play with at bath time. We have used levels 1-7 of ETC and never had a need for an ETC teacher guide. They also did copywork daily and are fairly good at spelling now as a plus.
We used Explode the Code for a while. I believe it can stand alone, especially if your ds is already reading some. You could use it along with some readers on his level for fluency. We also tried several different phonics programs. My dd was reading some, but there just seemed to be a glitch. She just didn’t seem to be moving forward. It turns out that she has dyslexia. So, we are now working in the Barton Reading System.
Are you sure it is laziness that is keeping your ds from reading? I have heard many accounts of children having problems with eye tracking (convergence). That is a condition that is not detected unless the child is tested for it. Some have said after vision therapy their child could read very well. Just something to consider if his reading continues to lack. HTH
I tried SSRW with my youngest and he HATED it. I ended up using Hooked on Phonics and it worked for him! (pun intended if you remember the old commericals). Anyway, he liked it because it was short and not much fluff. I think it’s hard and you just have to find what works for your child. Also, I think it’s important that they are ready and eager to learn. We also tried Learning to Read in 100 Easy Lessons and he hated that too.
I really don’t think he has any learning issues. Every program we’ve tried he has learned and progressed well with (with the exception of SSRW getting him going with reading). He just hates the process.
There is no magic age for learning to read. Sometimes the gift of time – a month, 6 months, etc. can make all the difference. My first advice would be to back off for a time while reading exciting stories and stopping each day at an exciting part. Sometimes that’s the push to want to read.
You might also want to take a look at our Basic and Intensive Phonics and Delightful Reading Overview videos to see how Charlotte Mason taught reading. The techniques are useful even if you don’t use our products.
The important thing is to build the layers of foundational skills as your child is ready and don’t feel like you need to rush it.
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