Here’s Nate working on his spelling – He’s Almost 6 feet tall and Almost 13. Middle School . He’s been using the Phonetic Zoo from Excellence in Writing for the last few weeks with great success.  Now that he is used to the timing and structure of the program he is getting 100% more quickly. He’ll start Lesson 11 this week.

When I wrote the review for Phonetic Zoo I wanted to share WHY we liked it so much – but it was hard to be specific, as one of our rules of the Crew is not to mention other companies in our original review. 

Let me take a moment now – to share with you our journey –

We started out with a lapbook created out of The Writing Road to Reading. I still have it, but, I’m too cozy right now to drag it out and take a photo of it – so a photo of the book will have to do.  We started when Nate was 5. I had such excited hopes of giving him these simple tools and having a little boy to snuggle on the couch and read with.  I experienced a lot more struggle than snuggle. I had great mentors – they gave me the courage to move forward, giving Nate the tools of phonics, and convinced me that when he was ready  – maybe not even until he was between 9-12 he would read. 

At first – reading wasn’t even an issue. It took the entire school year for him to learn the first 26 sounds of the 72 phonograms. (That’s the Alphabet for you non phonics pholks). Even at the end of the year, he would leave out L, or R, randomly.  I questioned my work as a teacher, I received more encouragement from my mentors.

I added a small spiral book by Wanda Senseri – that helped the laymen teach the Writing Road to Reading – titled Teaching Reading at Home. We continued through the Phonograms, word lists, and spelling rules. At this point, Nate could slowly but very accurately spell just about any word, however, he had NO desire to read those words in a book. Encouraged all the more by “those who had gone before” that this was normal, we kept on. However, I was a bit concerned that he was learning spelling, but not really learning Reading.

We started using three books  – Phonics Pathways, McGuffy’s Readers and Teach your Child to Read in 100 easy lessons.

The 100 easy lessons was torture. Phonics Pathways was a bit better, yet we both didn’t get where they were going with countless random word reading. So – we moved to McGuffy Readers. I would sit with him, the most painful tearful part of my day – and tried to at least read a paragraph. Oh. It was hard. Each word had to be sounded out. Each sound had to be remembered. He was getting older. I was getting tired. I cried out to the Lord – I had no thought that putting him in a school would make it any easier for him – but it was the first time that I put my thoughts that he had disabilities to words out loud. He really just didn’t take it in like any kid I knew.

I went to a training for kids with dyslexia – and learned quite a bit – more than I’d like to write about in this post – but we learned tools on how to present the phonics differently – that Nate had more of a “Learning Difference than a Learning Disability”. After we changed the way we taught – he almost instantly became a reader. He as 9 and a half. Now, I gotta tell you, when “those who had gone before” had said that a kid will start reading on his own between 9 and 12 and not to worry – it is easier to take in when they are 6 or 7, but it becomes something you don’t talk about at the park any more when they are nearing 10.

So – the question has come up around the boards and blogs – Should you teach spelling? Phonograms? Grammar? Reading? Writing? Which one? I say – Yes. What? I know that’s not helpful. But we had to teach the simple Phonogram sounds so he could understand English Words. We had to teach Spelling Rules so that he knew why those sounds were put together. We had to teach Grammar (using ACE and Daily Grams) to teach him how to put those words together – and this year he has been taking two different writing courses to get his thoughts down on paper.

This year – We went back to the Spell to Write and Read to help the spelling get going a bit better – but seriously, we have been doing this same book for years, and both of us are a bit tired of it.  When the opportunity came up to see The Phonetic Zoo – we both got excited. I love how the words are on a CD, it really keeps a quick pace, so they are forced to recall the word quickly. Both Jon and Nate are doing great with The Phonetic Zoo, I think Nate will zip through this current level.

Now – at 12, almost 13, he can read any word he wants. He can sound them out, his memory word bank is increasing, and he “tests” at his age grade level and above. I am glad I listened to “those who had gone before”, and with Jon, my second child, I’m REALLY taking their advice – give them the tools, be consistent with the training – they will read when they want or need to. I wish I had been as laid back with Nate as I am with Jon.  Jon, by the way, didn’t really start reading til he was 9 also. He did almost all of the 100 easy lessons, but really didn’t want to read anything, just wanted to be read to. Now, he needs to read for his games and fun books.  

So – if you are  a mom, new to teaching reading to your young homeschooled child, or your child is struggling in a private or public reading program, take heart. It will come together. Be careful with labels and pressure and stress. Give them the tools of phonogram recognition! Then teach them how to use those tools.