Customer Reviews

Phonics Pathways

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a phonics tutor and as the Virginia Director for the National Right to Read Foundation, I have used many programs over the years. Phonics Pathways is the best! The practice sentences are 100% decodable and it teaches blending - features not usually included in other programs. It is complete, contains all spelling rules, is very affordable, and easy to use. You can buy the book and start teaching the same day. I had no idea how to teach phonics, yet in about six weeks my 3-1/2 and 5-year-old children were reading and spelling. I always recommend Phonics Pathways - it is my favorite program!

-- Sandra S. Elam, Tutor and Virginia Director, The National Right to Read Foundation

I homeschool four daughters. We began using Phonics Pathways when my eldest was five. She is a very intelligent child, and caught on quickly to the simple format in which the reading and spelling skills are presented. In half a year she has begun reading books at a much harder level than what we are studying in Phonics Pathways, and is already reading at a second grade level in the tutorial. We also use the book to teach spelling, since it includes spelling rules. My second daughter does not have her sister's knack for the written word. I hesitantly began using Phonics Pathways with her just shy of age four to teach her letter sounds and simple blending. She has also been successful with this no frills, straight-forward approach to phonics tutoring. I have even begun using it with my two-year-old to reenforce letter identification. The layout of the book allows each girl to go at her own speed, without frustration. There are adequate reviews, although you may wish to check out some of the author's support material for further reenforcement. Have a ready supply of easy readers on hand, because in a limited time your child will be able to read simple books, such as the Bob books and basic Dr. Seuss. Some children need extra stimuli (songs, etc.) to help them learn. For those that don't (and even some that do, like my second daughter) we have found that the Phonics Pathways approach offers a simple, slow and steady method that can serve as an entire phonics/spelling program, without muddling the process with too many extras. All learning types can benefit from this book. It is also an excellent boost for remedial readers, and I, as an avid reader and freelance writer, have appreciated the spelling refresher! One note: the author recommends learning to read and write each word from dictation before moving on. We found this to hinder the speed at which my first child could move along in her reading, since children naturally develop faster in some areas than others, so, although we use the book for spelling and phonics, we move her ahead in each area at different speeds. This has caused no difficulties whatsoever!

When I first purchased this book I had no idea what to expect. The reviews here were mixed, as were the testimonials I received from other sources. I went ahead and made the purchase, just to satisfy my own curiosity, and I can say confidently that it is worth TEN times the price.

Think of this as a complete, self-contained phonics kit. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING you need to teach your beginning, emerging and remedial reader is jammed into this gigantic 238-page workbook. Don't be dismayed by the lack of the usual visual components we homeschoolers always like to see (i.e., flashcards, tapes and CDs). If you have them and would feel more productive using them, then be my guest, but they are totally unnecessary, and may cramp your style (not to mention eat away precious time) if you purchase this book!

The power of this award-winning book lies in its simple graduated learning approach. Letters and spelling patterns are introduced one at a time through a sequential methodology. Students are first introduced to the short vowel sounds, then move on to learning the consonants. Next they learn the fine art of blending (explained thoroughly in a language even the most beginning reader will clearly be able to retain). The consonants are then combined with the vowels to make two-letter words and then three-word phrases and sentences which gradually increase in length and complexity. Blending utilizes what the author calls "eye-robics" -- the practice of training your eye muscles to track together smoothly from left to right across the page as you read sentences. It is an exercise that needs to be practiced daily.

This multi-sensory book has proven to be the single most valuable resource we have used in our homeschool. It is easy-to-use, self-teaching and lots of fun. You can also use the sentences given for dictation exercises.

This is a great find for those who are looking for a workbook-based phonics program but don't want to shell out big bucks.

5 Stars for its practical, resourceful and sound approach to teaching reading.

I've taught three children to read with this book. After reviewing a host of phonics programs, I settled on Phonics Pathways because it is designed to GET KIDS READING as quickly and simply as possible. It's affordable (no complicated tapes, jingles, games, or flashcards needed). It's straightforward -- I was able to use it with a minimum of preparation time. Best of all, it WORKED. I now have three excited, fluent readers. Can't recommend this highly enough!

I have tried a dozen reading programs and spent a lot of money on them-100 Easy Lessons, Home Run Reading, computer softwares, phonics books, early readers etc. Phonics Pathways is perfect. No bells and whistles-straight drills. My son has special needs and needed something that was not too distractible and with large print. He is reading now-not just during reading time but recognizing print in normal life. I wanted something simple and did not require a ton of preparation. I also have a 3 and 2 yr olds as well and they tend to make things a little more complicated. This books is perfect for us. I wish I found it years ago. It would have save me lots of money and grief.

Having no experience whatsoever, the thought of teaching my 5-year-old son to read was a little intimidating to say the least. We started from scratch; my son hadn't yet learned the letter sounds, and "his" alphabet had 2 'R's and no 'N'. That was three months ago, and he is now reading simple books. I am truly excited about his progress! When I expressed surprise at how easily he learned the long 'a' sound, he said "reading lessons are always easy for me!"

The pages of PP have large print for young eyes, and are uncluttered. Simple pictures add interest without distracting. There is review built into each page, so kids will retain what they have learned. It is so complete that we won't need any additional or supplimental phonics materials. The book also gives simple suggestions for organizing your lesson times. We spend only 10 minutes per lesson (unless my son wants to do more!) It is the most complete program I have seen, and the cost can't be beat!

I got this because it was so highly recommended by the authors of "The Well-Trained Mind (TWTM)." I have since realized that TWTM isn't always going to be a reality for all people. Not all children, particularly the preschooler, learn the same way. The ladies who wrote TWTM seem to learn well with basic, no-frills approaches. It's no wonder that a classical approach, and straightforward books like this one would appeal to them. But this dry method does not work for all. As a homeschooling mother with quite a bit of experience, and from listening to others, I now know that this book would not be suitable for most preschoolers. It's more suited for remedial and older learners, and for those who thrive on a no-frills, "just tell me and I know it" kind of approach.
This book did not work on my children - even though they both have completely different learning styles and approaches. My children absolutely hate this book and groan every time they see it.
My other problem with this book is that it takes the letter-ladder approach (be, bi, ba, bo, bu), as opposed to the word family approach (bat, mat, fat, cat). The ladder approach to phonics builds words from the front. The word family approach is considered to be linguistically superior for learning English, apparently corresponding to syllabification of words. All I know is it makes sense to me and to most of us. Try as I might, I just cannot get comfortable with the front-end approach of PP.
Just be cautious, Phonics Pathways does not work for all children, especially young ones. It would be better used as a reference for a child when they hit the age of six or seven. And that's just a maybe.

This book was recommended to me in the Well Trained Mind. My not-quite-three year old and I are, very casually, very much for fun, going through the book. We are only on the fourth consonant (short vowels were first), but I can tell he's already starting to figure it out. He blended the "se" set all by himself. I didn't prompt or anything and we were on a new page. I don't call it reading but it's pretty exciting.
I recommend only doing this for fun with a kid that young. I ask if he wants to learn to read. If he jumps in my lap, we do a page or so (kiss after every effort, right or wrong); if he says no then we just go on about our business. I hope for a yes at least every day, though.
In the book, flipping ahead, it looks like by page 28 (we're on 12) he'll be reading several three letter words. That's crazy. That's like 14 days from now (instr. to mom in there, as well).
It's a lovely layout, if the graphics are a bit pixilated. I like how great a value it is. You also don't need cards, worksheets, pens, pencils, or anything. I'm doing this the way WTM suggests and ignoring the bit about you can't proceed unless you can write the letter, too. I'm not going to let low coordination in fine motor skills stop a kid from reading.
Other phonics programs cost way way way way more and have tons of little pieces and parts and tapes. This is just a book and it blows all those other programs away.

Please remember to have fun teaching reading. These are impressionable years for these early readers.

Okay, so he'll be four in a month, but I still can't get over how quickly he picked up reading. We began using Phonics Pathways a month ago. I knew a lot about it, as the private school I once taught at used it in teaching their Kindergarten students to read (with a high success rate).

The layout and progression is very simple, nothing complicated about it. Children begin by learning their short vowel sounds, one at a time. After these have been mastered (it is assumed that the child already knows his/her hard consonants), the child learns to make initial blends with a hard consonant and each short vowel sound (i.e. ba be bi bo bu). Eventually, the book will add an ending consonant, and the child learns like this: u, bu - g, bug!

If a child has developed phonemic awareness (usually sometime between ages 4-6), s/he will be able to quickly begin decoding one syllable, three letter words. The book progresses to four-letter words, diagraphs, -ing endings, long vowels, etc. It is a complete reading program, with no writing required. As a parent and homeschooler, I found this format very useful and easy to use. I also recommend the Bob Books series for very beginning readers.

This book is great! I hemmed and hawed over what phonics program to use for my son's kindergarten homeschool. I had looked at Alphaphonics, but that bored both of us. Phonics Pathways is great for my kind of kid. He likes games and pictures and this has enough to keep him engaged but not so much that it defeats the purpose of educating. (I don't want to go the "bells and whistles" route.) This book is systematic but not uptight. I highly recommend this book.