Hooked on Phonics: Master Reader (with videos)
By: Keith
I‘ve written several times already about Hooked on Phonics (Anobydy Can Do It With Hooked on Phonics!, Hooked on Phonics Products, Reading Progress: 5 Year Old Alan). It happens that both my boys have officially graduated beyond the Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade levesl of Hooked on Phonics. Alan, my 5 year old, has just started on the blue level (the first of 4 levels in Master Reader). I thought this would make for a good opportunity to talk only about Master Reader which is intended for kids in the 3rd and 4th grades. My 6 year old, for those wondering, has completed even Master Reader and is independently reading. If you’ve read my previous articles you’ll know that I have nothing but good things to say about all the programs. I don’t say shining things about the programs just because there might be an advertisement for it somewhere on this site. I say it because I am a stay at home dad who homeschools his kids and have used the system for the last two and a half years (2 years before I started this blog). In other words, the proof is in the pudding. Check out my videos for some clips of my boys reading the HOP books.
What are the Levels?
They are divided into Blue, Green, Orange and Red sections with each section containing 10 lessons (for a total of 40). Each lesson is comprised of phonics exercises on the computer and a short story to read afterwards. The story is always educational and incorporates the phonics rules presented during that day’s exercises. The colored levels are only helpful delineations in the program; they do not represent grade levels. However, after completion of each colored level there is a chapter book to read. That chapter book is a welcomed respit from daily lessons. Afer reading the book you continue with the next color.
How Often?
We do reading for about 30 minutes every day. However, we don’t do a whole lesson every day. We do a computer lesson one day and the accompanying story the next. Each lesson then takes two days. Sometimes it could take three depending on the difficulty.
Review Lessons?
Every 3 to 5 lessons there is a review incorporated into the program. There is one computer lesson that reviews previous phonics rules, and three stories to read, instead of just one, hammer it home. It takes us about a week to do a complete review lesson.
How Long Does it Take?
Expect half an hour per day. With rest days and unexpected interruptions (which are unavoidable) it still takes less than a year to go through the whole thing. There is no need to take a summer vacation when schooling is so easy that it doesn’t feel like school. My boys are 5 and 6. We started the Kindergarten level when they were 4. Neil, the 6 year old (will be 7 next month) is reading at about a 5th grade level. That should indicate how long it takes to make progress with Hooked on Phonics.
I thought this would be a good place to include a video so that I can show you exactly how the lessons work. This should give anybody interested a good idea of what happens and how easy it really is.
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This is really impressive. I’m curious – since you speak Spanish, are you teaching them Spanish as well? Conversational, at least?
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Thanks! We are teaching them Spanish too. We’re doing conversation with them to start. Fortunately Spanish is really easy to write (spell and such) so we can concentrate on that later. Mely talks to them in Spanish now and we use Rosetta Stone for their formal lessons.
Yippie, you got Neil to read! Those weren’t itty-bitty words either. Good job Neil!
It took Neil like what, 5 months to do it?
Yeah, I’m really proud of him for finally getting up the nerve!
I have also heard good news about the reader pack.
I have been wanting to try HOP out with my son for awhile now. I’m waiting until he is a bit older…..
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Great job! This blog brings me back…
We have four kids that we’ve homeschooled throughout and Hooked On Phonics was “curriculum.” It is such a straightforward approach and the kids all loved it. All our kids finished the HOP by the time they were kindergarten age. The Master program came out with the younger two, but the older ones also gobbled up the books . My mantra has always been read, read, read, read. And I never ever ever ever “tested” their comprehension. Blech! What a way to knock out the love of reading! When I’d have to tell them to put the book down and go play outside, I knew the love of reading had settled in.
Now my oldest two, 16 and 14 are in college. We have totally bi-passed high school. They are both taking online courses at Rasmussen College and should be done with their bachelors degrees by the time they “graduate” from high school.
Keep up the good work! I could go on and on…homeschooling is more than just “schooling.” That’s just a little part of it really.
Please check out our online magazine. thebunkroom.com It’s a By Kids For Kids publication. We’d love to see your boys contribute!
I realize that I’m rather late with this comment. I just found your website by googling HOP things. My question for you is, do you think there is any good program available for after Master Reader? I homeschool my 8, almost 9 year old who is dyslexic. We’ve done 100 reading lessons, all of the StarFall.com reading lessons and now are on our last few lessons of the Master Reader (which we LOVE and has been the most successful for him). Because of all the success he has had with HOP I’ve been looking for something to continue with him because I think all the practice he can get with his learning disablity will only help him. I can’t find anything that goes beyond the Master Reader. So, I thought I would ask if you had any ideas. Thanks!
Jenn: Unfortunately HOP doesn’t make any reading programs beyond Master Reader. Although, what I’ve been doing with my 7 year old is reading through the Magic Treehouse series with him. It’s really fantastic for his age range.
I’m just curious. I know you haven’t mentioned anything about the other HOP programs, but how long did it take you to do each level – kindergarten, 1st and 2nd?
Sarah: I’m sorry it’s taken me a while to respond. I’m not normally so slow, promise! I can’t remember exactly how long it took us to go through each program but, I can tell you that I was able to complete the Kindergarten level in roughly half a school year. First and second grade were 1/2 to 2/3 of a school year. I wasn’t going at a super fast pace or that the program excludes anything that is covered in school. It’s simply that one on one instruction is much more efficient and allows for a faster progression.