What curriculum do you use for reading/la?

[iteachk2010]

My district currently uses Benchmark Literacy (reading), and Reading Horizons (phonics). Our Benchmark adoption is over 10 years old. The district is researching other reading programs. The committee had its first meeting to review results of the teacher survey. It sounds like they want to keep Reading Horizons for phonics. We are looking for new curriculum which aligns with the Science of Reading and the New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJ's rewording of Common Core).

The ELA supervisor acknowledges that kindergarten is different from the other grade levels so we don't necessarily have to adopt the same curriculum as grades 1-5. Kindergarten has been asking for a PA program and more decodable books.

I shared the info about the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness program that some of you already shared with me when I was looking for help with some of my students. Apparently RH is coming out with a PA program so the supervisor wants to us to check into that. (Michael Heggerty used to work for Reading Horizons so maybe it will be similar to his program.)

We have leveled readers in the Benchmark Literacy program (too hard to start with), but we mostly use decodable books from an old reading program we had by Harcourt Brace during our small group time. RH has some decodable books, but the books don't start until later when blends and digraphs are introduced. The books are very contrived and have small print. I don't use them. If I remember correctly the books had one line sentence on a page and maybe picture on opposite page.

What curriculum or program do you use for reading? Do you have any recommendations?

Thanks!

 

[sevenplus]

We are in desperate need of decodable books. I just requested a sample of Geodes books and was impressed. They align with the scope and sequence of FUNdations which is our K-2 phonics program.

For our reading program we have HMH Into Reading and I hate it.

We also use Heggerty.

 

[Sbkangas5]

We have Wonders and I don't recommend it at all. It's weak in both phonics and PA. I've heard great things about both Fundations and Super Kids. I would suggest going on the SOR facebook group. This question is asked a lot and there are tons of great suggestions. I've also heard that the Geodes decodables that align with Fundations are great.

I know that Zia uses Fundations and Heggerty, paired with a sound wall from tools4reading, and has had remarkable success this year (she added Heggerty last year and a sound wall this year). I am planning on transitioning to a sound wall next year. It just makes so much more sense.

 

[meandmyhouse]

Scholastic literacy was adopted this year. It is the worst program I have ever seen. I do not know of anyone that likes it. When the review period was in progress we could tell right away it was trash. Never in a million years did we think this program would be adopted.

My school decided to purchase Heggerty, and Explode the Code. Luckily, we already had a great library of leveled readers.

My sister's district has Wonders. She hates it.

 

[iteachk2010]

Thank you for your responses. I appreciate it. It was helpful reading the different opinions and experiences.

 

[Haley23]

We used to have Fundations and I loved it. The major complaint, and the reason we got rid of it, was that it moved "too slowly." Honestly, the majority of our kids needed and benefited from that pace. I'm in a low SES district and the majority of our kids come in with nothing and need tons of repetition. You do need to add in PA work (Heggerty would be fine for this), and from what I remember it doesn't include decodable text. Not sure if that's changed though- we used it like 7 years ago.

Our core programs are now Heggerty for PA, 95% Group Core for phonics, and Wit and Wisdom as a "knowledge building" curriculum for language/comprehension. We also have a daily school-wide intervention block for each grade level. Tier 2 uses 95% Group PLL (phonics lesson library) and tier 3 uses SPIRE, Take Flight, Sound Case, or a combination of resources depending on needs.