Readiness for 1st - How big of a jump is it to MFW-1?

[cbollin]

I'm considering the 1st grade curriculum for my ds next year. Right now, he can sound out letters and he's starting to put it together and "read" three letter words after he sounds out the letters, kwim?

So, how big of a "jump" is it from where he's currently at to reading the 1st gr. Bible reader? I know it's really hard to discern where he'll be next fall, but I'm trying to get a "feel" for if the phonics for 1st would be too difficult for him. I looked at the MFW website and checked out a couple "sample" lessons and it looks like the bible reader is pretty "advanced".

Thanks for input!!
Peace,
Chanda

There is a jump between K and 1st. I suggest that you consider using MFW K during the summer. Three big placement considerations before entering 1st grade: age/maturity, ability to write 3-4 word sentences (but spelling is not an issue), and able to read/blend consonant vowel consonant words.

Don't feel like you have to start a first grade program on September 1. You could start in the summer with MFW K and work through it at a quicker pace (there is a suggestion in the K teacher's manual for doing that). Just an idea to fill in those gaps and help your son not hit a wall too early in the program.

But to encourage you a bit.... those samples are from day 111 out of 160 in the first grade year. That's about 22 weeks or so into the school year and not at the beginning of the year. :)

--crystal

[momakhomeschool]

Chanda,
I remember feeling the same way when I looked at the sample lesson. My dd was sounding out simple words like cat, pig, hat, etc. at the beginning of the year. She would see the word and sound it out in the first sentence and then sound it out all over again in the next sentence. However, MFW 1st has been GREAT for her. Usually the TM says to read one page of the Bible reader if it is a 3-4 page story, but she reads the whole story. She doesn't have to sound out every single word anymore, her fluency has improved so much.

OTOH, I have read posts by others that say it moved too fast for their child(ren). I think alot of it just depends on if the child is ready or not. It really is a great program though.

Karen

[kfrench]

The reader looks harder because it has those big bible words but usually the kids don't have much trouble with them because they are reviewed before reading the story and the parent reads the bible story in full before the student reads the simpler story in the reader. So the child usually knows what the story is about and that helps them figure out the big words. It make them feel really smart and less wary of big words.

The bible reader does not start until after lesson 40. There are lots of reveiw games included and each child learns at a different rate. With my daughter we took 2 days for each lesson and did some review games this actually make it quite fun for her because she loved all the review games. I just took it at her speed. We did stop for a while and did other things because she didn't seem ready. It is hard to judge when a child will be ready because some kids get reading very quickly and just take off and others need lots of repetition. My older daughter actually ended up using first in second grade because I jhad just found MFW and she wasn't really reading well yet and she really liked the look of 1 with all the bible stories. It worked great for her and she really enjoyed it. So with my second child I haven't worried about how long it takes to get through it because we are doing Adventures at the same time so she is not getting behind or anything. I figure that is what home schooling is all about making the curriculum work for my child.

As far as the way first is set up it starts with a review of the alphabet and a quick review of cvc words and then it starts with the long vowels sounds from there. There is usually a reveiw of the last lesson about 10 words and then a new sound and then about 20 words to read with the new sound and sometimes a sentence at the bottom then some kind of fun activitiy like drawing a picture to fit a sentence.

The Reader does not start until lesson 40 something. Then the child is learning a new sound one day and then the next day the parent reads the bible story and then the student reads from the reader and writes a little summary and picture in the bible notebook. People handle the writing different ways some have child dictate and copy and some have child write on their own and correct etc depending on the child's ability and comfort level with writing. Overall they learn a lot of writing skills. But each day is pretty short and that makes it more enjoyable for everyone.
Kris

[rachel]

Hi- and welcome-

Just wanted to chime in- We are currently using MFW1 and have found that it moves at a gradual pace. In the beginning, because my daughter was already reading well, it was mostly review but as she has come to new phonics rules, she is picking it up well.

The TM includes practical teaching that you can just read to your student so you can explain new rules in child friendly ways. Then, the concepts are reviewed... The reader, as I think already stated, moves to a more challenging level along with the phonics teaching.

Rachel
MFW1 with daughter, 6; and pre-K with boys-5 and 4(twins)

[mamamouse]

Thanks ladies for all of your input. Kris, you really hit the nail on the head of what I was looking for, thanks!

[mom2woii]

My ds (turned 5 in December 07) is finishing up with MFW k. He has done very well over-all with K and has learned tons. His handwriting has greatly improved, but still has a long way to go. He is doing great with reading, math and science. But he has not done well with drawing/ coloring, crafts and refuses to act-out a story book or retell the story.

If I understand the 1st curriculum correctly, he may not be ready for 1st with the notebook and such. I'm considering doing mfw 1st slowly -OR- giving him a year to mature while doing a second k curriculum. I appreciate your suggestions.

Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 4:12 pm
I was in the same dilemma with my dd at the end of MFW-K. She knew her letters and sounds and could print them. She hit a wall by the time April of that school year came along and she was done with school. I decided to stop where we were and pick it up again in the fall. I did continue to read to her everyday and she liked that.

When it came time for 1st grade, I decided that we would not do MFW. I chose another phonics program and we did that and math everyday. We read a lot of books together and that's about all I did. My focus was to keep her math up and to get her to read by the beginning of 2nd grade.

I wished I would have stayed with MFW-1st because I read so many good posts about it. She probably would have enjoyed it. We are doing 2nd grade Adventures this year and we love it. My dd is reading well on her own now and she is happy about it. I don't get the resistance I used to get.

Your ds would probably get a lot out of MFW-1st and you could just go at his pace. I'll bet you'll be glad you did it at the end of the year.
Lana

[mgardenh]

Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 11:12 pm

We currently use MFW first and the Bible notebook doesn't happen till like around day 50(not sure about exact day because not home). It is still a long way till the fall. He is young and so will have time to mature. I think if you wait till the fall and start mfw slowly that you will be ok. MFW first builds up to doing more and more.

Another thing about the bible notebook is it is mostly drawing and very little writing in the beginning and you are encouraged to do one too so they can see yours.

[Mom2MnS]

Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2008 2:46 pm

I think waiting is a good idea. Maybe you could gather some things you like for fall, reinforcing what you've learned in K, and do lots and lots of read aloud time. See how he is doing by Christmas and begin MFW 1 in January. I think it is wisdom to wait and practice :)

Maybe you could involve him by asking for some topics he would like to study for a fall curriculum. Pattern them after the MFWK (we loved it, too - so much!), and enjoy!

MFW 1st is a super year - it definitely has its challenges, but we are enjoying it! I will be praying with you as you make your decisions.

[TammyB]

Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2008 4:59 pm

I would definitely advise to wait on MFW first. I would not begin it until he is fluently reading cvc, ccvc (like frog), and cvcc (like long) words. By fluently I mean NOT sounding them out. The phonics instruction moves rapidly, and if you have to slow that down, then you have to slow the Bible study down as well (since it is interconnected).

It took my son 20 months to complete the first grade program. We would have been much better off to have waited until he was truly ready to begin it. We would have saved ourselves a lot of frustration.

Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 5:11 pm

An interesting observation: I did not discover MFW until my son was in first grade, so he did not use their K program. I am using it with my daughter, and it definitely has the child doing much more blending than I did with my son. (I was doing my own thing with him using Reading Reflex and the Explode the Code Primers.) Perhaps if I had used the K program with Chandler, he would have been better prepared for the first grade material.

Regardless, I know I started him in first before he was ready.

Best wishes as you prayerfully seek what is best for your child.
Tammy

[RachelT]

Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2008 9:50 pm

I was wondering the same thing about my dd who turned 5 in December,too! She is doing well with K, but I'm teaching my ds 1st this year, too, and I keep thinking, "Is she really going to do this next year?" When we chose to go ahead with K this year, I was a bit unsure about that, but it has been the right thing for her.

My ds who is doing 1st gr. now is challenged in the same areas as yours (writing, coloring, crafts). But, he does well making the Bible Notebook. We did do the Drawing With Children lessons (from the deluxe package) at the beginning of the year and I know that is what helped him to feel like he could draw successfully, because he hated it before the DWC lessons. The notebook is his work of art and I have to label things in some of his drawings, so I will remember what they are later, but it is so precious! Sometimes we use stickers or coloring pages from a good Bible story coloring book and tape them into the notebook. He is not yet ready to write out sentences by himself, so we brainstorm out loud, I write down the sentences as he dictates them to me, and then I write them in the notebook and he traces/copies over them. So, what I'm saying is that the Bible Notebook project can be modified or adapted to where your child is at the moment.

My dd is just the opposite, I know she will love all the drawing and writing. I'm just thinking that some of the phonics lessons might need to be slowed down for her over 2 days instead of one, but I feel like that will be okay if we need to do that. I am like you in thinking that she could do another K program and then do MFW 1st the following year, but I definitely don't want her to miss out on MFW1st. It's really a great base of Bible knowledge. She's already getting a lot of it this year with ds, so we'll mostly review it next year as we go through the Bible reader portion of 1st.

Rachel

Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 6:05 pm

Like you, I thought I would want to stretch K out and now we have about 4 units left, so I'm trying to figure out if I should squeeze them in before our "summer" or finish in the summer or next fall.

I spoke to Bret at the MFW booth at our convention last weekend and in my case he told me to go ahead and begin the 1st grade phonics/reading next year -- whenever we are done with K -- with just the LA of MFW-1st grade and have her do as much of Adventures as she wants.

I'm thinking that we could do 1st every other day when we get into the more intense phonics work, if needed, and maybe add in ETC or Bob books as we go, to stretch out the 1st grade work.

[cbollin]

Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 7:36 am

I was almost in that situation. My 2nd dd started MFW K right after turning age 5. She finished MFW K in early spring right after she turned 6, and I knew we were not ready to move into 1st until fall. So we took off from formal academic stuff with her for 6 months.

In between spring and fall, we read lots of books together. She practiced reading from phonics readers (some from library, some we just had around the house). She played around with K level workbooks for "fun" because she likes that. Lots of outdoor play. She was also receiving speech/language therapy at the time. Tagged along with older sibling. Played various educational computer games. Enjoyed play-do. Enjoyed the library’s children’s programs that summer. Lots of pretend play.

She was ahead of the curve on reading when we did MFW K and stayed ahead of the curve in 1st. She didn’t lose any skills in reading while waiting to get older.

Rox, your son turns 6 in Dec. of 2008. I’m with the others who suggest to try to hold off on starting 1st grade curriculum with him until he is closer to 6 instead of it having to be in the fall. I’d work on letting him enjoy hearing lots of fun stories that appeal to him. I’d work on encouraging pretend play in some form even if it is just letting him pretend based on a TV show that he likes. Help him to expand and change the story line so that it isn't just repeating the episode exactly. Get dress up clothes to help with that. If he likes watching Go Diego Go or something like that, then make a pretend camera and help him to pretend he is rescuing stuffed animals. (Or get a real digital camera and let him take pictures and make stories. Just sit back and enjoy it.) In the ideal setting he would be acting stories from books, but it is ok to use TV of favorite videos (like Veggie Tales or something) to help with it. Pretend play and acting part of stories are good skills to have for reading and enjoying a book. I say that as someone who has endured many of a Rosy Tea party (ala the Wiggles) while teaching my autistic child to play. Anyway.... she is *now* playing simple stories from books. anyway....

I’m in the camp that says don’t worry about formal curriculum right now at his age (just turned 5 in Dec.) as a filler between MFW K and MFW 1st grade. Use structured play time, let him learn how to cook and clean, even if that means lots of dress-up to do all of the cleaning and cooking. Read to him and just enjoy the book. Don’t try to make lessons out of it. Pray with him. Read children’s Bible stories with him. Play music and dance around. Let him fingerpaint, draw with chalk. It’ll be ok to let him be 5 years old.

-crystal

[cbollin]

Also, the reading rules seems pretty advanced to me. They are doing fine now, in K, and keeping right along, so I probably should have faith that they will do fine, but it seems like such a big jump from short vowel words to a bunch of abnormal reading rules. Like spoon and look and the ay sound and aw....

*Marie makes it simple as you transition. The first 18 or so days in 1st grade will be review. You'll learn those phonograms /oo/ (ew...) and /oo/ (look) a little at time. there are games involved.

to get ready after K: I'd still recommend that you read to your child every day for 15-20 minutes or so. Just read to your child out loud. Have them practice with simple short vowel readers. check the library. check starfall.com

and have them practice writing from those MFW K short vowel readers. Get paper, or let them write on dry erase, chalk board, sidewalk chalk... and practice copying those sentences. Just a sentence at a time. Not the whole story at once.

you asked on math -- too much to say for suggestions, and so little time to type. yes, it's kicked up a notch. but leave it to MFW to find ways that make people say "are you sure this is really enough?"

-crystal

[mlhom4him]

I received MFW 1st in the mail yesterday. I'm excited because it looks interesting and fun. I'm looking forward to the strong Biblical component. My son is also excited and today was trying to hurry me up to get started doing school. When I asked him why he was so anxious he said because school is important but also he wanted to hurry up and finish K so he can start "the new stuff in the box." LOL. He has also been looking at and carrying around the Bible Reader. (I made him give it back so it doesn't get ruined. LOL.) So, we are excited.

But, I'm nervous about how fast the reading seems to go. My son was a slow to start reader. We have about 8 lessons left in K, about 6wks at our current pace. So, we aren't ready to start it yet. He is easily reading his short vowel words in K now, but he struggled at first even though he is an older K'er having turned 6 in Oct. I'm worried the pace might be too fast for him.

I'm also nervous about the math. This year, I wasn't doing a very good job of implementing the math in K. I'm nervous I'm going to fall into the same thing in 1st. I did get the Complete Book of Math and there does seem to be a good bit more specific direction in 1st than in K. Singapore has really been good for both of us. So, I'm nervous, but I'm planning to at least give the 1st math a good try.

And...I'm a little nervous about the science. My son LOVES animals. Of course, he has to learn about other aspects of science too. But, this science program seems to have very few if any animals in it. He was not excited at all looking at the science books as he was looking through the books that came. I figure since it is only one day a week, I can supplement with library books about animals. That is basically what we have done a lot anyway. However, I noticed on the back of the Complete Book of Math, they have one called the Complete Book of Animals. I'm thinking of ordering it and using it to supplement science. Any thoughts?

Anyone have any thoughts or reassurances on my concerns? Thanks!!

We love the 1st grade curriculum. I would strongly advise you to just go slow! When the reading seems to be challenging and he is not getting it, slow down. Grab some easy readers from the library for him to practice. Look for the Bob Books for practice! Go slow.

Use the reading chart to your advantage. Have it where you can review it constantly! We review it everyday. We sometimes have it with us when we do reading together. Many times I will review the previous day or two's phonics rules BEFORE I start on the current days. We have a dry erase board that I found at a learning store that is really just a poster board specially made for dry erase. The brand is Wipe Off Chart. I use that to review the phonics on every day. I keep it up. Just make sure that you don't use ANYTHING other than dry erase on the chart. I used a wet erase Vis a Vis. UGH! Ruined. :/

For math follow with the book has. Don't stress. There are also a ton of fun games that are included in the CBoM. Play them over and over. check out the books listed in the back that go with the math units. My daughter finds them to be so much fun. I have found them to solidify the concepts really well.

My daughter is also very into animals. She loves listening to these science videos that we borrow through the library. They are put out by National Geographic Really Wild Animals. We are super sensitive about evolutionary ideas and have had little to no trouble with these videos. The two we currently are watching are Deep Sea Dive and Totally Tropical Rain Forest. We use them over and over again. There are two other really good resources that I have found but unfortunately right now she has them in her reading fort and cannot find them. LOL! We did buy her the Everything on Earth book by DK. It only had one two page spread on evolution.

Lastly if you are on FB at all there is a group for 1st grade that is very active. The ladies there are super supportive and are great about sharing helpful ideas when you get stuck.

You will so love 1st grade! By the way if you are going to repeat MFWK with another set of kiddos, I would strongly recommend that you spend the money to trade in your TM. The 2nd edition is AMAZING!

Mary Lou

[MuzzaBunny]

We're going to be starting 1st in the fall so I was reading your post. I'm afraid that I have nothing helpful to say other than to encourage you to locate some BOB books. DD got the "advancing readers" pack for Christmas and loves that she can read a story to us! I got dd's from CBD.com. Our library doesn't shelve them by name or author. They are in a kit called "cvc books".

Blessings,
Bunny

[kw4blessings]

I would encourage you to find the BOB books as well. They are almost all short vowel stories and so encouraging for little K'ers to be able to read a whole book themselves. We are using them here for K. Look online and I'm sure you can purchase them somewhere. They are a little pricey if you buy the whole set, but considering you will use them with all of your little ones, I would highly recommend it! I found them at Costco about 6 months ago for a good price.

Blessings, Kelly

[gratitude]

As for MFW 1:
Reading - the first 3 weeks are completely a review of what is learned in MFWK. There isn't anything new in them. It is reviewing the skills already built in K. So this will give you a chance to build a routine with the program, with the math, and with the science before the reading increases in difficulty.

The reading after the 1st 3 weeks - Just remember that it really is OK to help your children sound out a word, and then have them repeat it back to you. They do learn this way. It is also OK to spread the copying of a Proverb over 2 days, 3 days, or even 4 days if necessary. It is also OK to take breaks with this age group. Do the spelling test. Take a break. Do the marking of the blends, etc. Take a short break. Read the words. Take a break. Copy the Proverb. Take a break. Do the math. This way it breaks it up for very active boys that are 6 years old in their maturity; I am sure it would work, as needed, for girls as well.

Math - I found the math in MFW1 to be more than K but because it was more easier to teach. I went through the math slowly one day, when the kids were occupied with a video, and wrote out all of the steps to be done on a sheet of paper and put it in my TM. I used it for a week, and now I have it memorized. It is routine at this point for both of us, and at age 6 he likes routine. Put the number of the day on the 100 chart & wall number line & number of the day page. Count on the number chart by 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, and 10s. Count backwards. Fill out the number of the day sheet. Have him bring me the number of the day in objects. Bring out the measuring tape nearby and have him measure the number of the day. Bring out the coin cup near by and add a penny; exchange if needed for a dime or quarter. Look at the placement cards in the zip lock bag kept with the TM. Count the bundled popsicle sticks; I did popsicle sticks bundled instead of the beans glued to them. Do 1 page of Singapore 1A (if you are doing the math book from the deluxe package that would be done instead). Then once or twice a week do some real life math. I do different things for that part. I hope this helped to read, and didn't overwhelm.

Oh, instead of Bob books I used the God is Good series (at the bottom of grade 1 section) from Rod and Staff. I plan on using them again when ds6 is ready for them. My oldest enjoyed them, and then his reading launched.

Take Care Heather.

[Yodergoat]

Your questions regarding First sound like I could have written them! We have 8 units left and hope to do them fairly quickly, spending about 4 days per unit. So we are at about the same spot and have the same timetable for when we wrap up K!

I also am wondering about the speed of the reading program in First for my daughter... she still sounds out most CVC words but is gaining confidence. We have the Bob books that others are recommending, and they help. I know it is hard to have a real story using only CVC words, but still, they are a bit strange at times. We also have the Hooked On Phonics beginning readers which she enjoys much more than the Bob books, but I don't know if those are available apart from the program. A few times a week, I write her a short story using appropriate words, sometimes related to our unit. They also often relate to family experiences... exciting titles like "Gail Has Pups" or "Dad's Hat" or "Mom Got Mad At The Dog." She enjoys these. I could take the time to make them into little books, but we started out writing them in a notebook and that is sort of our tradition now. I have sort of been waiting for reading to "click" with her, but it hasn't happened. The First grade reading looks intimidating to me, but it seems to have some good review before it dives in.

For the science, my little girl is also animal crazy. Actually, our whole family is and it shows with all our pets, frequent birding excursions and dozens upon dozens of books about animals. I even teach a class with fourteen 8-14 year olds at co-op about Tennessee Wildlife, complete with real skulls and hides and scat replicas and all that fun stuff I borrow from the wildlife office. And my "art class" for the dozen or so younger co-op students is slowly becoming "Learning About Animals With A Brief Follow-up Art Activity." So Gail was deflated when she saw the lack of animals in science. It was the one problem she had with the materials. We are going to order Apologia's Zoology 1, Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day and go through it as we have time and energy, along with First's scheduled science. Can't get too much science around this household (we are all complete nerds). I've looked through online samples of the Junior Notebooking Journal for Zoology 1 and I think Gail will like it, so we're getting it also. We are particularly birdy around here, with Gail knowing more species of wild birds than most adults... so it is a good fit.

I feel like I have sort of dropped the ball in K math. We do the activities and all, but I have not made it a priority and it shows. I have to admit that I don't enjoy math and I also didn't really know the direction I should take it in K. I'm glad I got the Complete Book of Math for her, as it will provide the direction I need and looks like it will cover things very... um, completely. Like you, I am glad it will offer concrete direction and I like that math is so scheduled.

Sometimes I wonder if I spent too much time in K learning all about the subject of each unit and not enough on the basics.... so that I have a child who can tell you all the differences between African and Asian Elephants, knows what a Thylacine is, or can name about 12 of the 17 species of penguins... but who has trouble with 2+3. &) Sometimes I get too detail oriented and miss the bigger picture.

I am looking forward to First, but like you, it is with nervousness mingled with the excitement. Glad to hear someone else feels that way!

[Editor's Note: See August update, below.]

[gratitude]

. The First grade reading looks intimidating to me, but it seems to have some good review before it dives in.
I am looking forward to First, but like you, it is with nervousness mingled with the excitement. Glad to hear someone else feels that way!

I thought I would talk a little more about the first grade reading since it is concerning a few of you. I want to encourage you! I remember feeling so intimated about teaching my oldest to read, and with MFW1 it worked beautifully. I could not ask for a better outcome in where he is at with reading as a second grader; he loves to read & is a very strong reader, and for me that is a good outcome.

First I want to stay that I think Marie is spot on in how reading is taught in MFW1. 100% on. It worked for me the first time, and it is working for me the second time. The difference though would be that this time the approach makes a lot of sense to me; whereas, the first time I really didn't understand the strength behind what she has come up with for phonics based reading.

It is much much easier to teach then it looks. The beauty of it is it teaches reading with the child hardly realizing that they are learning how to read. 12 new words are introduced each day. What makes the new words doable is that the new sound of the day is underlined first in each word. Perhaps the sound is 'or', so every word has the 'or' sound in it. This makes the student able to re-use the lesson of the day, the new sound, in 12 different ways; thus, they are able to apply it in other situations later. Then the second 12 words, or so, review words they have already read. The daily spelling tests use the sound taught the day before, with helps - like two letters out of 4 being printed for the first two words. It really does work. So for 126 days or so vocabulary is built 12 words at a time, each done with words that are taught by the new sound. On day 38, or so, the Bible reader is introduced and uses the building vocabulary. By the time the student reaches day 126 & the New Testament they can read early readers like Frog and Toad books. It is only at this point, day 126, that Marie suggests checking out early readers from the library and having them read to the parent 10 minutes a day from books outside of the Bible reader. These early readers are great stories, and not limited to a small vocabulary. Even by day 38 with the Bible reader the reading vocabulary is big enough to have good stories in the Bible reader. By the time Marie suggests getting books to read they are far beyond Bob books and able to read easy literature. The new testament part is I think when my oldest did the books from R&S I suggested earlier, and then he did SL 2nd grade readers right at the end of MFW1, and then he jumped to chapter books and forward he went. This program teaches reading step by step up to a mid-2nd grade level or so and produces an independent reader.

I hope something I said helped. I do remember being the most concerned about teaching my children to read when I decided to home school, and with Marie's help I am no longer concerned at all; in fact I enjoy MFW1 a lot.

Blessings,

[MelissaB]

Hi, awesome Mommy -

Science lessons in 1st are short with fun & easy (very good) hands-on experiments. Animals? There's an experiment with ants where you put a piece of honey-covered bread by an anthill... Does he like ants? Really, it's fun.

I think he might enjoy the Book of Animals, too. If you're going to see MFW at a HS conference (in your spare time ), you might flip through it.

Prayers & love -
Melissa

[gratitude]

I was curious when I saw this. Do you mean that MFW1 teaches reading up to a mid-2nd grade level? If that's what you're saying, it sure sounds good to me! Looking forward to beginning. If I read that wrong, please correct me.

That is my understanding. The NIrV Bible that is used for the student to read to the parent for ADV is written at an early 3rd grade level. I also thought I read a thread once where Cyrstal stated that the NT portion of the Bible reader is at a 2nd grade level, and that some parents wait until early 2nd grade to complete it. It would be the last 40 days of the program.

[cbollin]

I was curious when I saw this. Do you mean that MFW1 teaches reading up to a mid-2nd grade level? If that's what you're saying, it sure sounds good to me! Looking forward to beginning. If I read that wrong, please correct me.

Yes, Carin (aka screen name Gratitude) was describing the details of the MFW 1st grade program. MFW 1st grade teaches all phonics needed to produce independent reader. Some programs do not do all phonics until 2nd grade. Like Carin was saying. by day 126 in MFW 1st grade, all phonics needed have been introduced. The last part of the year is developing fluency in reading. Or for some students who aren't ready, you review all of it and keep at it. It's a strong pace. Step by step. built in review, like Carin described when she wrote about the spelling words. That will make sense with the blue notebook.
then, plenty of games (without bells and whistles) in the manual.

That is my understanding. The NIrV Bible that is used for the student to read to the parent for ADV is written at an early 3rd grade level. I also thought I read a thread once where Crystal stated that the NT portion of the Bible reader is at a 2nd grade level, and that some parents wait until early 2nd grade to complete it. It would be the last 40 days of the program.

uh uh.. I don't know for certain what level that portion of the bible readers is written. It may have been someone else who was in the know on that.

I do know that some children do need to carry over the 1st grade phonics of MFW into early part of their 2nd grade, or read the NT parts again. lots of good options. I think in the manual around day 126 there are notes that MFW gives for various options. They do provide several paths to individual the program for children are different reading and writing levels.

and what I think I know (and reserve the right to be wrong, as a I like to say) is that phonics programs have different scope and sequence. Some programs in Kindy do short and long vowels, and then take 1st and 2nd grade to do the rest, but MFW does short vowel in Kindy, then the rest in 1st...

ooh... maybe I could type some of the bible reader into a word document and run the "grammar checker with reading ability.... " ohhh.. that might return a grade level... (update.. ok.. using one imperfect calculator out there... I can understand if some children in 1st grade aren't ready for the NT sections... ok.. wow... and we'll leave it at that since the flesch kincaid is not perfect measure)

but yeah, the reader's bible in ADV is written at mid to end of 2nd grade level. and I have fallen in love with the large print. I like my grown up study bible, but I need bigger font.

-crystal

[Yodergoat]

If you are concerned that he is still sounding out his CVC words as he reads them, know that my little girl was doing that at the beginning of First and is still doing it 31 days in as we are working on long vowels and "oo" and "th." During K I had encouraged her to sound words out rather than guess, because she was prone to guess (sometimes wildly) and she is sticking to it now. But slowly, more and more words are becoming so familiar to her that she no longer has to sound them out laboriously but just recognizes them.

I don't think it is necessarily expected that a child entering First will not be still sounding out his or her CVC words. And there is ample time in the first couple of weeks for review and reinforcement in phonics. It doesn't just jump right into new concepts but really builds slowly and carefully from the most basic letter sounds.

As for writing the sentences, that is built up in small stages as well and many parents will spread it out over time. I don't think it is expected that a child just entering First will be able to do it immediately.