Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading

[Pata]

Hey all, I'm wondering if I should bother purchasing the OPGTR? A little backround...My dd has just finished HOP red level and I suspect that she will finish the final blue level before this year is done. She will be 6yo next year, so technically it will be first grade. Next year we are going to use early readers and ETC (she will finish book 3 at the end of this year).

What I'm wondering is would it be worth purchasing OPGTR for next year to reinforce her reading skills or is ETC going to be enough? Our library doesn't have a copy so I can't check it out to see what I think and the samples aren't enought for me to make a decision, but I do like what I see. Thanks for your input!

[Sue G in PA]

OPG starts out with learning letters and sounds and then gets into simple CVC words, moves into beginning blends, ending blends, long vowel sounds, etc. From the sound of it, she'd be halfway through OPG already. My ds6 is a strong reader and runs and hides every time I bring out OPG for a little reinforcement and review. Your dd might be different. My ds6 does much better just reading and learning "rules" as we go along. For example, we come to a word her doesn't know (he does NOT like sounding them out although we try). So, I'll say, "Oh, this word has an 'ai" together that makes the long a sound". He can then say the word based on that. We did ETC but he found it extremely boring. I think I just started him out at a level much too easy for him :) No he's ruined for ETC. We do SWO as well, but same thing...he's bored. I'm starting to pre-test him and go from there. In a nutshell, OPG is a great book but depending on her current level, might not be worth it (unless she has siblings that might use it! :)) Just my 2 cents. HTH

[Beth in Central TX]

I'm not sure what the different levels of HOP represent, but if she's reading well, I would just continue with ETC.

[Marsha SC]

Do not bother with OPG. There is nothing it can offer if she is on the blue book in HOP, especially if you have the original version with the review book.

Marsha

[Pata]

I didn't know there was a review book for HOP, we must have a newer version. Thanks ladies, I was thinking that she was past OPGTR, but I really liked what I saw. Maybe someday we will have another!