Reading Programs We Like

Caveat: I'm a Montessorian (and an AMI keys-based one at that) - so I'm not keen on any reading program in its entirety.

See this blog post over at Montessori Nuggets about learning to read steps for children without severe other issues going on.

Keys of the World will soon be offering a keys-based Montessori guide to reading (i.e. it does not use the pink/blue/green (and now purple?) reading series - which can be used as a supplement if you so choose ;) ).

However, I have found the following resources quite helpful in particular situations:

• Catholic Heritage Curricula - Little Stories for Little Folks
  
  
  
  • Each story focuses on specific skill sets - so little bits at a time. There are word/letter games as well as opportunities for drawing, coloring and vocabulary-building.
  
  
  • If you're not Catholic, they're still great in their step by step, keys-approach to reading. The stories more intrinsic to the Catholic faith that can be modified or removed, assuring you cover the "new" material in another way.
  
  
  • Follow up with their supplemental readers if you like (corresponding with specific levels) as children plateau at the various stages, then Bigger Stories for Little Folks, Devotional Stories for Little Folks, Devotional Stories for Little Folks Too, all of which follow a Catholic homeschooling family through the usual experiences of family life.
  
  
  • Scripture and church life are included.
  
  
  • These are great for learning to read, moving ahead pretty quickly, then going back to "review" but have the child read the earlier levels aloud to ensure pronunciation and practice voice tones, inflections and other read-aloud skills - with words they already know and understand.
  
  
  
  


• Christian Light Publications - Learning to Read and Reading to Learn series
  
  
  
  • Gentle faith-based stories without being preachy in any way; illustrations are of Mennonites; can be used by families of any faith
  
  
  • Includes poetry, stories and Bible passages
  
  
  • Vocabulary sections teach dictionary pronunciation in the earliest levels - a very nice feature, especially from a Montessori perspective
  
  
  • The included light-units are easily modified for use by a Montessori student using these only as a supplement, or can be completed in their entirety (my son did them all! He loved them!)
  
  
  • Heavy emphasis is placed on reading comprehension not just reading skill - also a nice feature from a Montessori perspective - children may be able to read and understand the stories of upper levels with ease, but the light-units encourage the child to really think about what is going on.
  
  
  
  


• My son and I even used the Bob Books (I thought I'd never use them! But I'll admit - Montessori-wise, they use the line drawings, they entice a kindergartner's sense of humor and they are easy for the child to re-create).
  
  
  
  • We modified them a bit and turned them into a reading *activity*.
  
  
  • I photocopied them onto plain paper, and cut the words from the picture.
  
  
  • He would read through the booklet; then take the copies and match up each line of words to the corresponding picture.
  
  
  • This is a very Montessori-like activity done much more inexpensively (we bought the Bob books used)
  
  
  • While it helps with reading comprehension, even adding this activity, does not make the Bob books a complete learning to read series on its own. The child could memorize the shape of the words or have a photographic memory to know the length of the lines on each page. So this is where reading-aloud after some silent reading practice with the booklet comes into play.
  
  
  
  

Would I recommend anything else? No not really. I've used other programs, series, games, curricula, and never been satisfied. They are all too gimmicky or chore-like, inappropriate for the ages intended, and modifications are difficult.

While none of the above are complete-enough in my estimation, they serve a very strong purpose and I can recommend them in their entirety, without qualms; but I do not say they are complete by themselves; they all must be part of a life that includes daily life experiences in reading: recipes, lists, notes from parents and siblings, cards from relatives and friends, street signs, reading for enjoyment, and any other reading that takes place in a typical daily life for that particular child. Combined with the tips at Montessori Nuggets, and a solid keys-based approach to reading, there is no reason a normally developing child should not be reading at a second grade reading level or higher within 2 months of starting to put two sounds together in the same word.