phonetic zoo

[helena]

please tell me what you liked or disliked about this program. how many days a week did you use it, and did it take a year to complete?
thanks-

[Mom2MLA]

We use it here with my dd12 and dd10 but we have only been using it for a few months. We try to do it every day but don't necessarily accomplish that. The girls like it and it does seem to be producing positive results. It takes just a few minutes a day and can be done completely independently. However, I find that I do need to double check my 10 year old's "self-evaluation" because she has visual weaknesses and sometimes she misgrades her own work.

However, I have reservations about the program which I have recently posted about. I am really interested in seeing if there are any long-term users who stuck with the program. My concern relates to the nature of the "rules" being taught. They seem very contrived/complicated and I wonder if my dds are merely learning the words on the list as opposed to learning "how" to spell. My thoughts at this time are to stick with PZ (it is popular around here and I do see improved spelling) and perhaps incorporate Apples into my middle dds spelling routine. She, in particular, really needs straight-forward phonics-based instruction and reinforcement.

Meredith