A "complete" phonics program

[cobluegirl]

you should list and sell it...

[Ellen]

Originally Posted by IslandMama

Phonics Pathways teaches phonics then spelling along with rules... we use it in a CM'ish way.

Can you say more about that? How do you use it?

Originally Posted by Ellen

Can you say more about that? How do you use it?

Bear with me...I think this is gonna be a long post!

Let me just start by saying that I taught 9 yo dd phonics using a bunch of different curriculum...I also did not teach any formal spelling until 3rd grade. We did copywork since 1st grade and added dictation this past year only, using CM methods. If dd doesn't know how to spell a word, I never tell her to guess. Then, when I felt that she had her phonics down (and as Phonics Pathways suggests) I went back to learn spelling rules. This is how we do it using Phonics Pathways...

1. Review the rule
2. Have dd read aloud the words that follow that rule from the book
3. Copywork of 5-10 words (depending on how long they are), then "study" those words (look at word, visualize in mind, repeat, cover word, then write it--erase if wrong, then repeat until correct)
4. review rule and words with dd, having her spell words out loud (our "test" at the end of the week)...if she isn't sure about a word, I let her look...then she goes back to step #3 to "study" the word...the whole point is NOT to let her spell the word wrong and only see it spelled correctly
5. do this (steps #1-4) with all words in this section (if dd says she knows them without doing the copywork, I let her skip copywork--surprisingly, she knows how to spell a lot of words, just by reading good literature and copywork/dictation)
6. the book uses the words in phrases... I have dd read those out loud to me (by now, this is probably the 4th time or so she has seen this word)
7. the book has a review section, utilizing words that follow the rule in sentences... dd reads these out loud to me (this is the 5th time or more that she has seen this word spelled correctly)
8. I choose a few sentences to use for dictation, and this becomes our "final test," and I also ask her if she remembers the rule (if she doesn't remember, I tell her)

That's it! Actually, the book suggests many of these steps, I just kinda tweaked it... The whole section can be stretched out over a week, or several weeks.

For the most part, dd has done well and knows how to spell the words by the end of this process...it sounds kinda long, but it really isn't...most of the time, she skips a lot of the copywork because she already knows the words, or catches on to the rule quickly... You kinda have to see the format of the book in order to really get what I'm saying.

I don't expect her to memorize the rules, just be familiar with it and know how to apply it...

In the meantime, we are still continuing with regular copywork/dictation from literature and history. Now that we are studying rules and she is grasping that concept, we will look up any words she has difficulty with in our book, and very briefly review the rule...(it has an index to spelling rules)

I'm teaching my 4 yo to read using Phonics Pathways, and really like it more than anything else I've used...

Crystal clear, right?!? If you have more questions to clarify, feel free to pm me!

[abh5e8]

Originally Posted by Titus2Momof4

I was about to post this same thing. Abeka's phonics program is complete. As far as the rules, there's a huge emphasis on the word "usually."

-"When there's only one vowel in a word, that vowel usually says it's short sound."

-"When two vowels are together, the first one usually says it's long sound while the second one is silent."

-"When there's a silent 'e' on the end of a word, the first vowel usually says it's long sound."

This is because toward the end of 1st grade and then again in 2nd, it is revealed that that isn't ALWAYS the case, so having drilled them with "usually" for the past couple of years lets them know from the get-go that there are exceptions.

AFA "The Writing Road to Reading," I just threw that book out yesterday. I'd had it sitting in my supply closet for a few years and just cleaned the closet out. I actually still have it (because I'm slowly cleaning out the classroom, etc. getting ready for next year, so the trash bags are all still in the classroom until we're ready to do one big trash haul).

because its a bad method? or you just never used it....

[erh384]

[knitlove]

Originally Posted by IslandMama

the whole point is NOT to let her spell the word wrong and only see it spelled correctly

This makes perfect sence to me and also terifies me I spell all sorts of things wrong. That is the main reason I have been thinking about getting a curriculum for me to go thought before Early Bird is reading things I write to help my spelling.

Originally Posted by knitlove

This makes perfect sence to me and also terifies me I spell all sorts of things wrong. That is the main reason I have been thinking about getting a curriculum for me to go thought before Early Bird is reading things I write to help my spelling.

It's totally ok to use a dictionary for spelling! Not everybody is a perfect speller... You can learn rules right along side your dc!

[knitlove]

Originally Posted by knitlove

This makes perfect sence to me and also terifies me I spell all sorts of things wrong. That is the main reason I have been thinking about getting a curriculum for me to go thought before Early Bird is reading things I write to help my spelling.

Originally Posted by IslandMama

It's totally ok to use a dictionary for spelling! Not everybody is a perfect speller... You can learn rules right along side your dc!

I can't use a dictionary for spelling I am so far off. The Google spelling algorithm helps a great deal but I am always taking a couple of guesses and then having to go look up words to see if it is the one I want. I don't know if I could get any better but for the first tiem in my life it is important to me to try to improve my spelling. If I get some thing and end up in tears like I did all the way through school then I will have to carry my Franklin speller around with me all the time.