My wife and I have taught our granddaughter phonics since she showed an interest in reading after being read to most every night from age of 2 or 3. Now in Kindergarten she has been tested as reading at 4th grade level and quickly zooming past that. The Sight Words method of teaching frustrates her to no end.
The books that are sent home for practice are really junk. Very limited in words. It is hard to read through these books as the sentence structure makes no sense.
Sight Words method is another example of junk science that was passed down by the great minds of the ivory towers. Then blindly accepted as gospel without question by the education establishment.
Not a wonder that half of the kids cannot read. Don't get me started on Math and Science......
Phonics works and produces good readers and spellers and very few ADD and ADHD problems. By the way , phonemic awareness is not the same thing but allows many teachers to assure parents they are USING phonics in their classrooms. SOUNDS like the same thing doesn't it?