Phonics Pathways: Clear Steps to Easy Reading and Perfect Spelling

I bought this to replace the copy I gave to a friend. This book has helped all of my children learn to read and become better spellers. Each lesson builds on the previous one--very logical and organized.

I spent a lot of time researching different phonics programs and found this to be one of the best. Not putting down other programs, but this one's format is designed to be used from the very beginning of learning phonics all the way up through 12th grade and beyond. It's very easy to use and read and gives parents, teachers, tutors and students the tools to understand phonics and refer back to this as a reference in the future.Very happy with my purchase and I love that I can use the same book for both of my children. Price-wise, that is a VERY good deal...12 years worth of phonics for under $20 when purchased here on Amazon. :-) (Actually, since we've decided to homeschool our children we will get 24 years worth, since our 2nd child will also be able to use it.) If we do send our kids to public school down the road it will be great to have this on hand. A very worthwhile purchase.

i have twin boys and tried using this book based on the glowing recommendation from the book 'well-trained mind'. we have several other books to help emergent readers (bob books, and the 'word family tales' series from scholastic). this book teaches kids to recognize the quirky letter combinations that are common throughout the english language, and associate them with the sounds they make. the book starts with each letter of the alphabet and the sounds it makes (e.g., D says 'de') and moves through DE, DA, DO, DI and DU consonant/vowel combinations. then it adds an ending consonant (e.g., den, dan, don, din, dun), and builts consonant combinations on top of that (e..g, dent, dant, dont, dint, dunt). i'm approximating becuase phonics pathways uses only 'real' words.while this method is effective in teaching the basic concept, my 5yo boys found the word lists incredibly boring and began to complain every time this book came out. they strongly preferred the words to be used in the context of a story (like the bob books - 'Jig the Pig'). While the bob books are great, they are also rather short. A good transition from the bob books to work families was the 'word family tales' from scholastic (e.g., 'Spend a Day in Backwards Bay'). This book has its place in the home curriculum, but it's not the end-all resource that some may be looking for.UPDATE 11/2011 - now almost 7yo, my boys are getting a lot more out of this book mostly for the spelling instruction it provides. i thought i was putting this book away forever, but with de-emphasis on spelling used by thier school's writing program, i took it out again to drill my boys on correct spelling. pretty good longevity considering most workbooks are good for only a year or so. ;)

I have taught 3 children to read with this book. My first son, when he was seven, was having such trouble reading in first grade, his teacher recommended remedial help for dyslexia. That was day 1. Day 2 I happened upon this book. I immediately followed the instructions and by Day 25 my son got a reading award for "most improved" by day 40 he was in 2nd and 3rd grade books. Because of this foundation, he is a 10 year old reading at a 12th grade level. Daughter learned just as fast and now reads off the charts. She is 8. My 2nd son just started this book. Wow! I have some friends whose kids were having the same dyslexia issues as my son. I told them about this book but they opted for expensive "tutors" and remedial reading groups and therapy. 3 years later their kids are still in those same classes with the same issues. I'm not saying this is a cure but this is worth trying first. Buy the "Bob Books" along with this. I think you can use the search "Bob Books" and find them. They work great along with the Phonics Pathways. Instead of purchasing expensive Phonics programs, buy this $20 book and the first two sets of "Bob Books". Follow the instructions, don't rush it, and you will see results.

My oldest son learned to read by sight at a very young age and could read most first grade books by the time he turned three, so it wasn't until I started homeschooling him this year that I realized he could not read by sounding out words. He is very good at memorizing words by their shape and guessing words based on context. After using this book for just a couple weeks, my son is already improving in his ability to read words instead of just guess or say them from memory. This book begins very simply with practicing hearing the individual sounds or each letter and then moves on to blending two sounds at a time, and then three, and so on until the child is able to sound out long, unfamiliar words using the rules of phonics. The lessons are adaptable for any age child who needs to learn the basics of phonetic reading and spelling. I am currently using this book with my seven year old and my three year old, and I am beginning to use the concepts with my two year old as well. I would recommend this book for anyone who desires to give their child a good foundation for reading and spelling. Many schools today are allowing children to use 'inventive' spelling (making up their own way to spell words)and do not begin to teach the rules of phonics until the third grade. By then, some of those who have not picked up on how to spell and read on their own or who have not had parents who could teach them, are too far behind the rest of the class to catch up easily.

Nice, cheap phonics curriculum. Nice and simple and my 6 year old says it's fun.