Planning to use SWR but considering starting with 100EL...

[BlessedMom]

Has anyone started with 100EL to get their child reading & then transitioned into SWR as a core reading & spelling curriculium?
I understand they are very different approaches to reading, is it hard to transition from one to the other?
I would sure appreciate any personal experience, opinions, or recommendations anyone is willing to share with me.
TIA

[Alana in Canada]

Edited: I took out my original comments. Please accept my apologies for the original post. If the programs can be as easily meshed as the poster indicates below, then I had no basis for my comments. And, on second reading, they came across as snarky.

[Pongo]

Old Post (http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3909&highlight=swr)

Just to update to that post, we are nearly finished with 100 EZ. On lesson 80 of 100EZ ,I did the vowel/consonant chart and then the multi-letter phonogram chart. I reviewed the chart from SWR 3 times a week for two weeks. Then we started list A ( I only dictate 5 a day 4 x a week), it went like a breeze. Smooth , easy transition. By the time we finish 100EZ she will be somewhere in list E.

[Kim in Appalachia]

I have used SWR with 3 of my children, for one of them I started with Reading Pathways first. That program is straightforward, but still there was some transition issues.

I have found that SWR works great for reading, there is no reason for another program. You teach using phonics, but "exception" or sight words are also taught. All of my children have caught on quickly, and even got excited when they noticed their phonograms in words elsewhere. You don't have to do all of the writing. If your child is not ready for all of the writing you can do some on a white board, or in a rice/salt box, or some people make tile letters/phonograms. It is a great program.

Why do you want to buy an extra program? If you have 100EZ and you like it, why go to SWR?

I have found that with all curriculum children seem to do better if you stick with one approach and not switch around.

just my $.02

Kim

[periwinklemommy]

I don't even know what SWR is without looking at the abbreviations list. But I was given 100 EL and HOP so I used those to teach my 2 kids to read. I loved 100 EL and I don't think I would have done HOP or anything else for that matter if it hadn't been given to me. We did the HOP after 100 EL just because we had it and the boys really wanted to (they got all excited about the posters and stickers and books). They breezed right through it (well, ds5 is on level 4 now).

So I'm certainly not an expert or anything, but there's what I know for what it's worth. :)

Lisa

[SBP]

Yes, this is what I did, even though I didn't plan it that way on purpose. I taught my kids to read as preschoolers using 100EL, and then we started SWR when they were 5 and 6, after they were already reading pretty well. No transition issues whatsoever that I recall, other than the normal learning curve with SWR, which I think we'd have had anyway.

Would I do it that way again? I probably would if I had another young preschooler who wanted to learn to read. SWR requires way more writing than my DD, especially, would have been capable of when I used 100EL with her, but she was able to follow my finger under those funny 100EL letters just fine. And I think 100EL does an awesome job of teaching blending. I'm a big, big fan of SWR as a spelling program - I'm in my fourth year of using it - but I have never thought my kids "missed" anything by learning to read using 100EL. I think both programs are worth every penny I paid for them.

SBP

[Pongo]

I taught my first 2 without 100EZ and it took much longer for them to get off an reading. They both read wonderfully it just took a little longer. My pre-ker wanted to read at night when everyone else was and so to get her off to reading without the wait we started with 100EZ. It only takes a few months to go through and now she is reading well and ready to start writing more as SWR requires. If I had known about 100EZ before I would have used it.

[BlessedMom]

Ladies, thank you so much for your willingness to share your opinions & experiences. You have been very helpful.

I am very thankful for your time & your wisdom.