OPGTR

[newburns]

How many lessons should you finish by the end of kindergarten? I assume it's not designed to finish by the end of the year since there are over 200 lessons in the book? Is it designed for kindergarten and 1st grade? Just curious, thanks.

[Linda]

.

[Beth in Central TX]

When my youngest was in K last year, I had planned to do 144 lessons in OPGTR (4 lessons per week for 36 weeks). However, some of the lessons went slower than I expected and/or required more work via Phonic Pathways. He is in 1st grade now and should finish up OPGTR soon. I would definintely plan for 1 1/2 years for this program if not longer depending on the needs and progression of your child.

HTH!

[Goldilocks]

We just worked though it at the pace that my children wanted to. My K daughter has finished the book. My 2nd grade DS is about half way through.

I think that the standard for the K year is to learn to read CVC words. Maybe a few blends. If I didn't have a sleeping baby in my arms I would go see what lesson that would be. :D

[CookieMonster]

newburns,

First of all, hello!

Secondly, I would emphatically say that OPGTR is supposed to last you longer than one school year. If I think about standard curriculum, which is designed for 36 weeks of school, I remember that comes to about 180 lessons. OPGTR has 231 lessons.

However, the program is very straightforward. It tells you what to teach and expects you, the parent, to review lessons and sections as is necessary. Any and all days you choose to do review add to the number of lessons in the program.

Also, by Lesson 64 (the end of Section 6), you have covered everything that is typically covered in a Kindergarten reading curriculum. Once you move beyond that, you have gotten into concepts that are typically not taught until first grade.

So, yes, by content and by number of lessons, OPGTR easily takes you through the Kindergarten and first grade levels.

HTH

[pbajgrow]

Some phonics programs teach phonics and review phonics over and over through 2nd grade. Even my 3rd grader reviewed phonics rules for a while with Abeka. There is nothing wrong with going at the pace of the child! I have one child that does 15 lessons a week (Abeka) (This is obviously a gifted child, and btw he's the one that chooses how much he wants to do!) and one that can only learn about 4 a week. Different strokes for diffent folks (kids)! Jen

[MeganP]

I'm just taking it at my dd's pace. Some lessons take one day. Sometimes it takes 2 days to get through a lesson. Sometimes I break from OPG to read Bob Books or do review in PP. If you try to set a schedule for learning to read, you could end up very frustrated. I'm teaching my 3rd dc to read, and I've learned that they all learn at their own pace. There's not much you can do to successfully push them through faster than they're capable of. At least that's been my experience. YMMV.

[Alice]

I would agree about going at your child's pace. Some lessons I split to do over more than one day. I add in readers and games as well and probably do somewhere around 3 lessons a week. This works for my young 5 yr old. I can tell we are at the point where he could go faster as he is getting the concepts very quickly but it's nice to still keep it light and easy. We're on Lesson 80 now. There have been times where I go slower or put it away for awhile and just practice with readers or take a break.

I am much more of a schedule/checklist kind of person and initially I tried to approach this from scheduling how many lessons we'd do each week, but I would get frustrated or feel behind if we hadn't finished that list. Now I just do the next thing and go slower or faster depending on him and on what else is going on in our lives.

[Cadam]

At the completion of OPG your child will be reading at a 4th grade level. I think K could be just the letter sounds and you would be ahead of the curve.

[CookieMonster]

At the completion of OPG your child will be reading at a 4th grade level.

Really???? That was not something I was expecting (but I'll take it).

Really? A general fourth grade reading level? I'm stunned.

[Cadam]

Really???? That was not something I was expecting (but I'll take it).

Really? A general fourth grade reading level? I'm stunned.

The back of the book "... from beginning vowel sounds through words on a fourth grade level..." Here are a few words from the last lessons: organization, supplementary, archeological, extraterrestrial, and just for fun supercalifrgilisticexpialidocious.

After mastering those a kid could pretty much read whatever they wished, and more.

[newburns]

Thanks for the responses! I felt like we were doing okay, just curious what everyone else thought. I definitely think my dd (4) will take a bit longer than my ds (6) to get through it. I appreciate the help!

[herbalgirl]

I feel sort of dumb asking this, but what does OPGTR stand for? Thanks!:blush:

[tuckabella]

I feel sort of dumb asking this, but what does OPGTR stand for? Thanks!:blush:
Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading

[Cadam]

Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading

By Jessie Wise, co-author of The Well Trained Mind, homeschooling pioneer, and mom to Susan (the Over-mind) and Bob (web-master man)

[mrsdrcook]

Jessie Wise seems to assume in WTM that you will be about half way through OPG by the beginning of 1st grade in order to take on the rest of her language arts recommendations for that year.

[Cadam]

Jessie Wise seems to assume in WTM that you will be about half way through OPG by the beginning of 1st grade in order to take on the rest of her language arts recommendations for that year.

Remember that levels are arbitrary things invented by the ps schools to measure progress. Just because OPG goes to 4th grade, does that mean we should take that long to complete it? Certainly not, but I didn't want anyone to feel rushed. My "5th grade" student in my hs is on lesson 218, has been passed form one grade to the next and reads well enough to function just fine. He is even managing to read the historical fiction I assign. My dd (7 yo) is reading chapter books (Charlotte's web at the moment) and is only on lesson 195. She hasn't done OPG in years but I see her not progressing to more difficult materials so we are picking it back up.

You see, it doesn't have to be finished for fluency to be achieved, but don't drop it like I did! There is still much to learn and confidence to gain by finishing OPG even with an older child.

[CookieMonster]

You see, it doesn't have to be finished for fluency to be achieved, but don't drop it like I did! There is still much to learn and confidence to gain by finishing OPG even with an older child.

Thanks for the insight.