How many of you use a specific reading program??

[Amy+2]

Do I need one? Or do most of you all just consider the books that your children read for other subjects enough?? I have a friend who uses a specific reading curriculum and loves it. So, I thought I would put it out there and ask what most do/don't do in that area. I always just thought if he was reading a book and or books in our other subject areas, that pretty much covered his reading and comprehension. Am I way out there with this line of thinking??? I have to admit I was kind of scared to even post this question:o!

[nutmeg]

We will be using something next year for 7th grade. (Lightning Lit)

Up until this point, simply reading together and discussing has worked fine for us.

[BizyPenguin]

but dropped it after Christmas in favor of a more natural approach...Just reading good books. I require a 30 minute minimum per day. This along with reading during school time (which is what you're doing) is plenty. Those BJ workbook sheets drove us crazy. I'm hoping the natural approach works, b/c I really don't want to return to using a reading curriculum.

[chiguirre]

I use a reading curriculum, in fact, I've used a couple this year. You don't really need one, though. I find that for my beginning reader, I needed controlled reading to work on fluency and confidence. Other kids might be okay with seeing a lot of words they can't read yet on a page, but for ds that was overwhelming. OTOH, a month of controlled reading (Pathway Readers) has given him the confidence to buddy read with me. Yesterday we read Hill of Fire together and he read almost half of it, even though it's well above his reading level.

Reading worksheets do provide lots of handwriting practice and that makes them worthwhile for us. I don't imagine that we'll still use an independent reading program once ds is a fluent reader. I'd rather transition to a more classical approach. For now though, a reading program that includes workbooks with comprehension and phonics is a great fit for us. You'll have to see if those advantages are worth it for you.

[Closeacademy]

I just let her read what ever she is interested in. But I do use McCall-Harby Test Lessons in Reading once a week to check on comprehension skills. I kind of like it and I think it will help with testing down the road.

[angela in ohio]

I have just about every reading comprehension resource out there, I have a whole blog about doing literature study with dc, I read everything they read and plan lessons by the boatload, but...

I still absolutely use a standard reading program on top of all that (BJU.)

So, yes, I do think it is important.

[Suzybearybake]

I have 3 boys. The 12 yo has read grade appropriate historically tied in literature and has done well. This approach has also worked with the 10 yo. My youngest uses BJU reading because he struggles and I want to make sure he understands what he is reading. He is just starting to read some things independently. We do, however, plan on using Omnibus and Literature Lessons in Lord of the Rings for the upper grades.

[Michelle T]

I have used some of the SRA Specific Skills book for reading comprehension, things like Main Idea, Inferences, Words in Context, Reading for Information.

But my DS has some severe LD's that cause problems in these areas, and needs the extra help. I don't think I would bother with a reading program in elementary grades otherwise.

Now, when he is high school level, I will probably use some sort of literature/reading program to discuss and study such things as plot, types of literature, character study, etc.
Michelle T

[Plaid Dad]

No, after phonics my dd went right into reading real books. I found reading programs the worst of drudgery as a kid, and I swore I would never inflict one on my kid. :p

[Sweetest]

The only formal reading instruction I did with my dd was 100ez lessons...after that she went straight into reading real books. She definitely would have been bored by a reading program but I can see how some kids might be helped if they are struggling with basics. My daughter loves to read and I would be afraid that "reading instructions" would crush the joy! I do plan to have her read "How to Read a Book" sometime in her middle school years (before she starts the heavy High School reading) but that is the extent of my formal reading instruction plan :)

[CalicoKat]

No, after phonics my dd went right into reading real books. I found reading programs the worst of drudgery as a kid, and I swore I would never inflict one on my kid. :p

But my kids aren't lovers of reading--any kind of book! So it's back to a reading program for us. We're using Pathway Readers & workbooks. Ironically they love this approach.

Following my student's preferred learning paths, hoping not to be bald at the end of the journey,
Calico

[Beth in Central TX]

I don't think you can go wrong as long as the child continues to read. I prefer a more formal approach and continue reading/Bible with R&S; however, I think an informal approach would work just as well. I think the problem occurs when a child is taught to read, but then never reinforces the concepts learned through daily practice.

[chiguirre]

Following my student's preferred learning paths, hoping not to be bald at the end of the journey,
Calico

:D, Now I have to clean my computer screen, but I got my laugh for the afternoon. Thanks!

[Mrs Mungo]

I think they books they read for history and such is enough. However, I majored in Literature and it's a subject I know how to handle. I could completely understand using a program if you're not comfortable with the subject.

[GreenKitty]

We use CLE, only because we really like it. I also use LL. I don't suppose you need a reading curriculum.

[AnointedHsMom]

We will use Drawn Into the Heart of Reading. I love it because it uses literature for their reading. Living literature in fact. www.heartofdakota.com (http://www.heartofdakota.com)

ETA: I just realized this was a very old thread. Sorry!

[Karen in CO]

Once my kids learned to read, they just read books. In the beginning, I would require a certain amount of reading.

I think that for the early years, a reading program would have held their reading abilities back. By using books and watching their progress myself, I was able to slow down when they needed it, work on a specific skill that was needed or let them speed ahead when they were ready. When they are older, we will probably use a literature program, but that is different than a reading program. I am able to watch both fluency and comprehension by letting my dd just read.

Right now I'm not even assigning reading, but we discuss what she reads frequently.

[Testimony]

I do not have a reading program because my opinion is that reading history and science and literature, they are using a reading program.

Once they learn phonics, they are OK to start reading on their own.

Blessings,
Karen
www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[Carol in Cal.]

It is Literary Lessons from 'The Lord of the Rings.'

In the past Dd has been in a co-op that went through Junior Great Books. I liked that well enough during the early years, because they were reading and thinking about good children's literature and folk tales and fairy tales, but the middle school levels contain more modern works, and I really don't want to go there in a value-neutral curriculum. I'm fine with modern works if we can talk about right and wrong as it applies to them, but if not, then I think it inures kids to all kinds of bad behavior ranging from minor cruelty to great evil. I don't say that lightly--some of the selections are quite shocking in their endings, and no moral assessment is really allowed for in the curriculum.

Anyway, I didn't really consider JGB a reading curriculum as it did not teach literature at her level, nor did it teach any literary analysis in the standard sense of the word. It was great, though, in that it did give the kids a framework to discuss these works, and also pushed them to come up with interpretive questions about each work to discuss. The practice over the years in generating interpretive questions is really helping DD come up with thesis statements, which I have started to have her work on this year in 7th grade.

So all these years, we have just read and discussed books. She reads them, I read them to her, her dad reads them to her, it's all good and grist for the mill. I have always looked for good fiction and non-fiction to support her history studies, and assigned some reading that met that criteria; and also looked for just good books for her to read regardless of her current history studies. We have used 'Figuratively Speaking' somewhat to learn literary elements, although I have not had her do all the exercises--just learn the terms and start incorporating them into our discussions. Last year I hosted a middle school book club that met every 3 or 4 weeks and discussed one significant work each time--an entire novel, or a tough poem. I didn't use a curriculum for that, though--I just figured it out myself.

So in parallel with doing LLLOTR, I expect that we will continue a monthly book club starting in January, and continue some history-related reading, and continue to attend plays from time to time, and maybe read them as well.

I don't think that DD has to answer contrived reading comprehension questions to show that she has understood the material. Being able to summarize it thoroughly and discuss it intelligently are much more important and demonstrative skills than digging around looking for little picky bit of information.

I do like "Windows on the World," though, and we might use that after LLLOTR.

[Peela]

I suggest reading TWTM about this.
I am having my kids do a reading comprehension program this year but only so that they are familiar with the format, which threw them on recent national testing.
Most of the time, we just read, and do oral and/or written narrations, and this has shown me that my kids have good comprehension and understanding- and when they dont, I can see it.

For me, the thing is that we can cover a lot of books if we "just" read and discuss here and there. If we were to do "work" as in workbooks, worksheets, comprehension exercises etc, we wouldn't have time to read anywhere near as much, and to me, reading and enjoying more books is more important than producing something tangible.

[arcara]

We don't use a program, but my kids are only in 1st and 3rd grade. My kids each have 30 minutes of assigned reading time each day. For the older one, I've chosen books to go along with our history reading (there's not much to go along with chemistry), but I've also picked some classics for her and some saint novels. She also has free reading time, and we read during history, and we're usually working on a read-aloud before bed. The younger one reads to me, usually something from history or science. It's easier to find science books for her to read since she's studying animals this year. I agree with another poster who said that a program would hold my kids back and wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable for them!