Reading Programs for 1st/2nd graders?

This is only partly tongue in cheek…..I suspect that if you try Phono-Graphix, your kids will end up moving too fast for Wilson.

By way of example, I spent the weekend with a couple who have a kindergartner. He was comfortable with letter names, and would say “tee!” when I said the sound /t/, but he couldn’t tell me what sounds the word “mop” was composed of (/m/o/p/.)

In three very informal five-minute sessions, using Phono-Graphix techniques, he got to the point where he could blend each of the sounds in “nut” and could then read the word. Then I put a “b” in place of the “n” and he said “but!”

Not to overstate here….he wasn’t reading in 15 minutes time, but he was clearly becoming comfortable with the fact that words are made up of sounds, and was beginning to associate letters with sounds, instead of just letter names. Too bad someone didn’t take the time to tell him that in a whole year of kindergarten….

My son is 9 in special ed third grade but reading at 1-1/2 grade level. How do I get this Phono-Graphic program so I can work with him at home?

P.S. Last summer when I had him tutored he was reading 2nd grade level. Don’t know if his teacher isn’t giving him enough challenge.

Thanks.

Just buy the book Reading Reflex, read it through yourself so you have a good understanding of how everything works, and then teach your son yourself. Reading Reflex is the parent book for Phono-graphix and you can call their 800 number or go to their web-site www,readamerica.com

They also have support manuals that would help you work with your son. It is such a great program, it makes so much sense!

Good Luck!

Hi Marion,

Pat gave you the book’s name. The authors are Geoffrey and Carmen McGuinness, and it’s available at Amazon.com or at Barnes and Noble, among others. If you pick up the book, you might also want to order about $16 worth of manipulatives from ReadAmerica so that you don’t have to go to the bother of cutting up the manipulatives in the book itself.

The website is not a .com site, but is a .net site, so go to www.readamerica.net for further information. The book is a very faithful version of the Phono-Graphix curriculum, and is intended to be used by a parent at home. There’s also a lot of help in the Frequently Asked Questions section of the website.

Your son may be one of the many children who start off with a sight word strategy, then hit a wall when they realize they can’t memorize every new word they encounter. The Phono-Graphix curriculum is easy to use, and is a good way to instill the phonetic knowledge and skills that he will need to become a decent reader.

Incidentally, pay close attention to the part of the book where the authors describe the working environment you need to establish to work with your son. Some parents have commented in the past that until they established a formal work area, they had trouble getting their child to take the process seriously. If you do have trouble getting him to understand the curriculum you might want to see if you can locate someone trained in the method and let them work with your son.

One final note: your child may have a visual problem that is making it difficult for him to read print effectively. This might be keeping him from doing the work necessary to learn the phonetic nature of our language. My rule of thumb is that if a child is understanding what I’m teaching and can apply it relatively easily in short sentences, but falls apart when reading two or three pages of print, then I refer to a behavioral optometrist who has a vision therapy department.

Hope this helps…..Rod

Hello Rod and Mary. It sounds like you are pretty familiar with phonographics. What do you think of their new website for children? Could my 9yo benefit? I’ve been using the book and he seems to be catching on. Would the games and activities on the website be overkill? Thanks for any advice you can offer.

The Wilson Program is an excellent program. If it moves too fast, the teacher may be moving to fast. Just slow down and go at the students’ pace. The first steps must go slowly to establish automaticity.

Another program that compliments The Wilson Program very well is the LiPS program by Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes. Both programs work very well for young kids. Personally, I use Wilson for my older students, high school to adult, and I use LiPS for my K5-6 grades.Mary wrote:
>
> I will be teaching 1st and 2nd graders in reading/language
> arts next year. The system uses the Wilson method, but the
> teacher who has been working with these students this year,
> says it moves too fast for them.
>
> What do you recommend?
>
> Thanks!

The Wilson Program is an excellent program. If it moves too fast, the teacher may be moving too fast. Just slow down and go at the students’ pace. The first steps must go slowly to establish automaticity.

Another program that compliments The Wilson Program very well is the LiPS program by Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes. Both programs work very well for young kids. Personally, I use Wilson for my older students, high school to adult, and I use LiPS for my K5-6 grades.Mary wrote:
>
> I will be teaching 1st and 2nd graders in reading/language
> arts next year. The system uses the Wilson method, but the
> teacher who has been working with these students this year,
> says it moves too fast for them.
>
> What do you recommend?
>
> Thanks!

From what I hear, Wilson is a good program. The suggestions to slow down and develop automaticity are a MUST. Phonographix/Reading Reflex is well spoken-of and seems to be an excellent phonics program, so if you get the inexpensive RR book and use it to infiorm and enrich the other class work, that can be very good (twenty minutes a day, a few games, and some wall posters can work wonders.)

Phonics is the key — kids with a good grounding in phonics can read anything and will become independent surprisingly fast given any sort of incentive at all.

*However* never lose sight of the fact that the purpose of a reading program is to teach children to read real books, for interest and entertainment and information. Any program that makes kids work for a year or two before they get their hands on a real book is a year or two too late. I swear by the British Ladybird *Key Words* series # 1 to 6 for those difficult first steps, where the idea of reading is forming but the known vocabulary is frustratingly low. These are extremely low vocabulary but rich in language structure and beautifully illustrated. They have recently been re-issued by Penguin in Britain (available online) — if your school board will let you, do get them.

After level 1.5, fill your classroom with books — from Dr. Seuss to Little Golden books to old basal readers (often resting in the storage closet.) Kids with a good grounding will vacuum them up.