Phonics Pathways Home School Reading Program
by Mamela
The book takes a step-by-step approach, beginning with the short "a" sound, building two letter sounds (a consonant plus the letter "a") and then moving in a similar way through all short vowel sounds. The system breaks reading down into its smallest building blocks and makes putting the blocks together into words a piece of cake. I used it with my firstborn when he was 4 and a half. We spent about 10 minutes a day, one page at a time, and he was reading words in no time and short sentences within a few weeks. The thing that amazed me about this home school reading program is when my then 3 year old, who is strictly an auditory learner, came to the table one day while his older brother and I were doing the lesson, and proceeded to read everything on the page. While I thought he was playing and not paying attention at all, he was learning to read from across the room! From then on I included him in the lessons, and both boys are currently in 5th grade yet reading at a high school level. The book is not flashy. It's black and white, and the pictures and platitudes are not particularly engaging. However, my kids are great readers, and able to sound out unfamiliar words based on the principles of phonics they have learned. I have a friend who uses this curriculum almost exclusively when tutoring dyslexics, and has found the concept of treating the letters as pictures that stand for words helpful in teaching reading even to adults with learning difficulties. At about $30, this method is worth a try if you have a beginning reader or a child who has struggled to grasp reading. Thanks for the Phonics Pathways review, Mamela! I am not familiar with this book, but it sounds like a wonderful, easy-to-use and affordable home school reading program. I am sure your story will be very helpful to other parents of beginning readers. Blessings, Heather :) Would you like to leave a comment, or write your own homeschool curriculum review? Use the links below... |
