Rating: 
Summary: We're 2 for 2: It works
Review: This method absolutely works, and gives kids the tools for phonetically deciphering new words. Caveats:
1. Don't go into this half-heartedly. If you make the commitment see it through-- picking it up once a week every so often won't get you anywhere. 2. You must read the first 19 pages and follow the authors' instructions diligently, especially with sounding out. 3. Around lesson 80, when the typeface changes over to normal type (without the helpful symbols), break out the bribes. 4. Be prepared to recommend the book to your astounded friends, but only the ones who you feel can make the commitment to the program. Everyone else will end up wasting their money and (wrongly) disparaging the method. 5. Write the authors and tell them to develop an at-home math curriculum. I purchased the one they published for schools which works great but ain't cheap.
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Summary: Works great!
Review: We just finished the 100th lesson! I am amazed at how well my K5-er can read with only doing these lessons. It took us about 5 months to get through it and now she can read better than my 6-year old could when she had finished 1st grade in a very good private school. (But then I didn't work with the first one at all.) This was my first attempt to do any schooling at home and it was so great to have it all spelled out with such simple lessons. Sometimes when I would wonder if it were working, with the next lesson it would be so obvious that she was making great progress. The lessons took 10 to 20 minutes (20 minutes around lesson 60), but then lessened again toward the end. I highly, highly recommend. My 3 year old is next!
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Summary: Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
Review: If your child is struggling with learning to read, this book is the answer for you! I HIGHLY recommend it to any parent who's watching with a crying heart, while their child falls behind in reading.
It's not hard to do, but takes a daily lesson... we started with only 10 minutes a day, then moved it up to 15-20 minutes a day. Nothing is more satisfiying than seeing a previous stuttering-hesitant-guess-the-word reader who dreads "trying" to read, become a capable reader!
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Summary: You can teach your child to read.
Review: I didn't teach my child over-night, because I was sick and had to stop. They forget fast, but catch up later. I think it is great for learning phonics. I wouldn't live without.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: This is a wonderful book. I am homeschooling for the first time and it has given me the confidence I needed. It is very clear about how to teach your child and has a step by step guide which is what I needed for just beginning.
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Summary: The BEST Book for Teaching Any Child to Read!
Review: I've now used this book with both of my children, and it's ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! My 12 year old started out with this book before he knew his alphabet (at age 4 1/2); he's been reading at a "post high school" level for a few years now. I had never experienced the incredible joy I felt when I was first able to open the door to reading for my son. It was awesome! And now to have done the same thing for my second son is beyond belief. The first time through I wasn't sure if it was this reading program or my childs ability. However, my younger boy (who's just 5) has some disabilities (which took more patience and time on my part). But the results have been the same. My little one is reading!!! And he's soooo excited about it! Again I get the thrill of knowing that I opened this door for him (and yet it really wasn't me, it's this reading program). It's unbelievable! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND using this book to teach reading! It does take time and patience (and a firm 3 month committment) on your part. But the results are more that worth the effort. I also have used the "Bob books" and the books recommended at the back of "100 Easy Lessons" to continue on with reading lessons. Once I picked up on their formula for teaching odd letter combinations (like "tion") I simply continued teaching other patterns in this way; which both of my boys have mastered without difficulty. We've been very successful with this follow up part of the suggestions from this book, and I've felt more self confident in teaching advanced reading skills to my children because of this book instructing me how to teach.
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Summary: Easy and Effective
Review: This book/program was the center of my Special Education Master's thesis concerning the effectiveness of explicit phonics instruction. High school freshmen used this book to tutor at-risk first and second grade students three times a week for eight weeks. The results were amazing! If high school tutors can make this work, imagine how effective you will be.
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Summary: Worth it even if using other programs--Reading at 2 1/2.
Review: The introductory material is worth reading (and re-reading) for all parents/educators regardless of whether or not you stick to this method. It's a great, and brief, overview of the importance and method of teaching reading via phonics vs. whole language, and the importance of being wary of those who say they use both methods. We bought it on sale when our daughter was 2 1/2 and did not really expect to use it until she was about 4. Well, at 2 1/2
she breezed through the first 15 lessons and was truly reading(!), not just memorizing/guessing. We moved her on to Bob Books and the like after that, because she lost interest in the book around Lesson 16 (she was bright, but not developmentally ready for anything more than the easiest phonetic blends). I thought "100 Lessons" had done its job--teaching how to sound out words from left to right--and was satisfied to retire it after only a couple weeks of use, which is what I did. Fast forward a little over a year: Without pushing her at all (her progress was not quick--but "so what?!" was our attitude, knowing she was doing great for her age), our daughter was reading all the Bob Books (3 series worth) and comparable emergent readers with ease. What next? How to start learning to read beyond "See Spot Run" books? I began looking into homeschool/Bill Bennet curricula for $1000+ and upon mentioning such options to my wife, she suggested just going back to the cheap "100 Easy Lessons"--which I had forgotten about. The short story:
Picking up where we left off, we did 2 Lessons/Day through Lesson 70 with ease (about 8-10 min. per lesson, cutting short the writing), then 1/day (with 1 review lesson--about 10-15 min. total) through 100, and now, after 3 months, she is reading at beginning 3rd grade level (at age 4 yr 3 mo). Our girl is bright, but probably only in top 10%, no "super-genius". Thanks to this book, she reads well and will have a good advantage in school for years to come.
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Summary: This Book Taught My Son To Read!
Review: My son is now reading because of this book! I used it for his Kindergarten instruction book for homeschooling and it worked wonders. He really enjoyed the structure and knowing what to expect. He totally exceeded my expectations. He is reading about 51 wpm. I also did the writing excersizes with him however I would suggest if you have a Kindergartener to do more writing with him or her because it is not enought to quite prepare for first grade. I have recommended this book to everyone I know because the coding in the beginning of the book looks intimidating but it makes sense to your children and it helps them figure it all out. Also my son did not even notice when the coding and squiggly lines went away at the end of the book. The strengths in this book are in the fact that no lesson ever takes more than 15 to 20 minutes. If you have a very active child or a child with a short attention span this is a big bonus! They can get through this lesson without too much pain lets face it school is school for most children!
Rating:
Summary: Great for homeschooling parents
Review: I bought this book on the recommendations from other parents and reviews on this site. I am so glad I did. We are only into the first week and already she can read the red series of the BOB books (the beginner set). My 4 year old daughter is so excited about learning to read the books that she whizzes right through the lessons.
100 Easy Lessons helps me have confidence as a beginning homeschooling parent. The plan is written out in very simple terms for both parent and child. Red ink highlights the dialogue a parent should use in helping the child discover sounds and black in refers to actions and the child's response. It also reminds parents to positively reinforce the completed segments with a word of useful praise. Saying "good job" is not enough. Using "Good reading" is a more useful way of encouraging and praising a child who has accomplished new sounds/words.
What I like even more is that they give writing lessons as part of the reading and sounding out lesson. In one week my child can write 6 different leters with proficiency and has started putting them together on her own to form words. And children are part of the process instead of on the listening side. There is something to be said about the interaction between parent and child when they discover reading together. I love it.
'Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons' is a great resource for homeschooling parents as well as parents of public school children who want to make sure their child is ahead of the curve with reading. Reading is a fundamental task that all children should be able to be proficient with in order to excell at other subjects and with comprehension. So far we are enjoying the step by step process given by the book. I am impressed at how easy it really is.
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