Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

This book is fabulous! I read most of the 400+ reviews and noticed that only those folks who DID NOT USE this book gave it negative reviews. The looks of the book CAN be disconcerting, due to the fact that the lessons are scripted and there is a slightly altered orthography in the first part of the book (e.g. "t" and "h" are touching to form "th"). But... it works!
My daughter, by March of kindergarten, had not learned to read even simple words like "he" or "it" with the so-called "balanced approach" used at her school (i.e. using picture clues and context to figure out words, and then using "phonics clues" as a third strategy). I figure it is best to assume the teaching method should be changed, rather than that the child has a problem. Within days of using this book, I knew this approach (systematic phonics) was working beautifully. After 4 months of using this book and working on additional letter-to-sound correspondences using an old-fashioned primer (rather like Samuel Blumenfeld's Alphaphonics Alpha-Phonics: A Primer for Beginning Readers), she is reading at a second-grade level. For parents of k or grade 1 children who aren't learning to read at all or are managing to memorize a few words but are not able to sound-out new words, I highly recommend this book (but probably not for kids over age 7). I would have used it much earlier, had I been as educated about this issue as I have become in the last 4 months.
I also highly recommend Rudolf Flesch's two amazing books that hold as true today, in many parts of the country, as they did decades ago when written.Why Johnny Can't Read: And What You Can Do about It Why Johnny Still Can't Read: A New Look at the Scandal of Our Schools There has been a vast amount of research done over the past century demonstrating that systematic phonics is incredibly effective at teaching children to read AND helping dyslexics overcome their reading difficulties. If your school doesn't have a truly systematic phonics program in place, teach your child to read. . . in 100 easy lessons.
I purchased "Reading Rescue 1-2-3" by Peggy Wilbur at the same time as "Teach Your Child to Read." I would NOT recommend "Reading Rescue." It downplays sounding out, and is firmly in the camp that it doesn't matter if a person reads words inaccurately (e.g. "makes traps" for "sets traps").
By the way, I added dictation of words with unambiguous spelling to the lessons after lesson 35, as Engelmann suggests at one point. Dictation has been great for spelling! She always includes the vowels, unlike many children her age. Also: don't forget to cover the pictures (e.g. with postits), so that the child, after reading the story, gets to guess what the picture will show.

This is an excellent proven reading program. In fact, SRA Distar was the reading program used to teach my sister and me to read over 25 years ago. We always tested way above grade level, but particularly in reading. I learned how to read at the age of 3 when my sister, excited about reading, would come home from school and turn me into her own little pupil.lol.

Fastforward several years: I began homeschooling my children when my oldest was nearly in 3rd grade so I didn't get to teach her how to read. When it came to deciding on a reading program for my 2nd daughter, I stumbled onto 100 Easy Lessons. I bought the book and it sat on my shelf for a couple of years. My 2nd child just did not show any signs of wanting to learn how to read! She also showed lots of ADD/ADHD and dyslexic tendencies.

When my daughter was about 6 1/2, my MIL started getting very anxious because my child couldn't read yet and MIL began applying the pressure. So, against my better judgement, the reading lessons began. After many tears from both my daughter and me, and a few breaks, things finally started to make sense for her around lesson 85 or so. By this time my daughter was 7. It seemed like once she hit that 'magical' age, reading suddenly became fun for her and she was doing it on her own just for fun.

We also reinforced readings skills using My Father's World Kindergarten curriculum. I probably wouldn't have done that on my own, but since it includes a phonics program anyway, I didn't think it would hurt to brush up on it again.

Now, this particular child does still display some dyslexic tendencies such as reversing lower case b and d while writing and she's still very distractable, but I recently tested both my girls and they BOTH tested in the 12th grade range. My older daughter is 14 and my younger daughter is only 10! I figured she was a great reader. She actually reads better out loud than her older sister, but I had no clue she was doing that well. My younger daughter can sound out and pronounce immediately words she's never read before with no problem while my 14 year old still struggles with unfamiliar words.

So, that's all the proof I need. It works long term. I'm now using the same 100 Easy Lessons book to teach my 4 year old son to read and he's picking it up just fine.

Oh, I do have to say I LOVE another reviewers suggestion of using beanie babies or other toys to teach the lesson. I hope you don't mind if I steal that idea.

So overall this is a great book. I recommend it to all my homeschooling friends. It works, pure and simple.

Believe all the good reviews! I used this book with my three year old and it works. She was really struggling through the first dozen lessons and I started to doubt she was ready so I took a couple weeks off. When I started back up again I decided to go another route and do 2 lessons a day (one after breakfast, one after dinner) and that helped immensely. I know some reviewers say that slowing down helped their child but I found that doing 2 a day helped keep it all fresh in her head and build her confidence and interest quicker. The more lessons we got through and the more confidence she got the less she wiggled in her seat during the lessons. They took us 20 to 25 minutes per lesson but she was just 3 (and very active) so I wouldn't expect her to sit still better. I can't say enough good things about this program. This built up her confidence in everything and she is so proud of herself for being able to read!

I heard about this book as I was teaching my oldest to read, and several of my friends loved it. I had read Ruth Beechick's "Strong Start in Language."

Strong Start in Language: Grades K-3 (Three R's Ser.) (Three R's Ser.)

I wasn't interested in my child reading at 3 or even 4, although she was 4 when she began. I really just wanted it to be a smooth process. I think Beechick had some very good points about vocab development at 3, so we focused on that. We started making letter sheets at 4 years old, about once a week, and reading some easy books together. By 5 she was reading at a second grade level, and at 7 she is now enjoying 5th grade books. She doesn't spend all of her free time reading, but she isn't discouraged by big words because we made a special effort to read books to her with varied vocab when she was 3 and 4. My 5 year old has just begun reading short books with the same method of natural learning.

Just this year I read 100 Easy Lessons, and it was somewhat useful aiding me in natural learning with my children, but I think that you can spend that 20 min a day in a much better way and still raise children that are excellent readers. I would recommend this book only as a resource, not as lesson plans (as it was designed).

This book was recommended to me by several friends and their recommendation was correct. This book enables you & your child for easy learning to read without the stress of "unknown skills" as a teacher. This is my first attempt to homeschool, and with this aid in learning to read, I know we are on the right track. The lessons are short enough for an attention span of an active 5 year old.