Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

Rating:
Summary: The most valuable book I ever bought
Review: Buy this book! Be patient. Follow it exactly. Some nights we did more than one lesson, some nights none. But it worked! Thank You to the woman at the bookstore who recommended it with flying colors when I had it in my hand!

Rating:
Summary: Not for the reluctant learner
Review: I bought this book after reading the glowing recommendations. The process used is indeed thorough, but BORING! My child is ADD and a kinesthetic learner. She was bored, literally to tears (so was I!). I could not get her past lesson six. For me, it was a waste of money. If your child needs auditory and/or visual stimulation to encourage him or her, this is not the book for you. Also, it introduces an alternative spelling method that ultimately must be unlearned. This was too much for my already reluctant and frustrated six-year-old.

Rating:
Summary: This book works!!! Even for a bi-lingual child!
Review: I bought this book because even after my 4-year-old daughter had mastered the letter sounds, she was still unable to string them together. She had expressed her frustration about this. I'm glad I listened to all the wonderful parents who gave favourable reviews of this book. I was very hesitant at first, because I had earlier promised that I wouldn't pressure my child to achieve. I was also a bit discouraged by another reviewer who supported the whole language approach. Now that I've tried this book, I don't care what those whole language proponents say -- the Distar approach works! It's been researched for about 30 years, whereas the whole language approach doesn't have any empirical evidence of its effectivity. The lessons are quick (actually can be completed in 12-15 minutes), well thought out, and progress very gently so that the child improves and does more and more difficult things without even feeling it. I agree with the others that the lessons are quite boring, especially the first few lessons. But now that my daughter is nearly halfway through the book and reading longer stories, she actually reminds me to do the lessons and is disappointed when we miss one. I'm not a homeschooler; I'm a working mother. This book has given my daughter and me (and occasionally my husband) a wonderful way to spend quality time together. My daughter is even so proud of me. Even though we're not yet done with all 100 lessons, my daughter is already stringing almost every printed word she sees, from street signs to magazine covers to chapter books. I've modified the lessons a bit because, like the other children mentioned in earlier reviews, my daughter quickly learned to read words fast with minimal or no sounding out. Modifying is discouraged by the authors, but every parent knows what's best for their children. I wouldn't recommend veering too far away from the original lessons, though, as these have been tested and re-tested for maximum results. The book does contain some typographical errors that should be corrected in an updated edition, to minimize confusion among parents. Thank you to the authors for giving us this wonderful book. If this book works for my child, who speaks English and Filipino, then it can work for other children, too.

Rating:
Summary: 20 minutes a day for immeasurable rewards
Review: I am teaching my 5 1/2 year old daughter to read with this book. We are on lesson 23 and I am very pleased with the results, she is reading some simple sentences. We make it an uncompromising part of our daily routine. It does involve some work from the child, but it's a good lesson on how rewarding work and effort can be...besides, it's only 15-20 minutes long. That's about all my wiggly daughter can handle anyway. Now, she reminds me it's time for reading lessons. She gets to feel good about mastering a big skill, I get to feel good about being the one who teaches her to read. The scripting makes it easy for me and direct and clear for the child. The time we spend on this daily is a treasure beyond value.

Rating:
Summary: The best around, taught 4 year old and 6 year old to read
Review: Simply the best I've found - gives easy to follow, specific instructions on how to present and deliver the lessons. No guess work! Just enough is presented with each lesson to cover about 15 minutes of time, and the going is not too difficult for children (or parents) to manage. I bought the book for my 6 year old, who had become frustrated at school with "sight reading". She has done very well with the lessons, and perhaps of greater importance, she is eager for "her lesson" each evening. I have also taught my 4 year old, he has progressed at the same rate as the 6 year old. The book also gives instruction to the parents on how to teach and correct the learner.

Rating:
Summary: Good Teaching Aid
Review: My child is 6 years old and is reading below 1st grade level. Her school uses the basic whole language approach. Even though she was learning, her progress was very slow. I noticed that her pronunciation of certain sounds was incorrect. Now after having completed the first 30 lessons of this book, she is more able to sound out words she is unsure of and is now reading Level 1 readers with less hesitation and more confidence. My daughter sometimes complained that the lessons were too boring and at those times it was hard to hold her attention. I would like to suggest adding more interesting stories and games to the next edition of this book. I would like to know if there are any similar books in the area of math.

Rating:
Summary: To date, I have not found a better book
Review: I first used this book in 1990 with my,then, five-year-old daughter and, by the end of the book, she was able to read on her own and my, then, two-year-old son was even sounding out signs phonetically. I then found the book again at the library before my son entered kindergarten and he was reading by the end of the book just like my daughter. Thank you Mr. Engelmann for a priceless book such as this.

Rating:
Summary: This book and flash cards and your kid is reading
Review: I am now teaching my third son how to read using our dog-eared 100 easy lessons. He is 5. I taught my other two 4 year old (boys) with this method, using flashcards (phonics) for gentle reinforcement. Don't rely on your school sytem to teach phonics. It won't. Teach your own children and go to bed at night knowing you gave them one of the biggest keys to life anyone can give. Don't trust whole language or any other stupid, unproven method. Trust this method, see results and pat yourself on the back.

Rating:
Summary: Former Kindergarten teacher wishes she had this book!
Review: I taught Kindergarten for three years before staying home with our first child. I wish that I had this book when teaching those eager five-year-olds! I am confident that all of my students would have been reading at a second grade level by the end of their Kindergarten year. I have been teaching our 3 1/2-year-old daughter how to read using this book and I am very impressed with the results. From teaching experience I can tell you that there isn't much better than this on the market. It is fun, easy for anyone to teach, and most of all, it works! Don't listen to those advocates of whole language reading--this curriculum uses phonics and teaches comprehension also, which is equally as important. This book will be all you need to turn your child into a successful reader. So, if your child is at a place where alphabet recognition and beginning phonics are boring, get this book! It is worth much more to me that the it costs to buy, and we will be using it to teach all of our children to read.

Rating:
Summary: My Four Year Old is Reading!
Review: I recommend this book to any parent or preschool teacher who wants to give children a head-start. The lessons are easy to follow and thoroughly enjoyable. We're on lesson 57 and my 4 year old son is reading like a first grader. Why aren't schools using this method????