The Reading Lesson

[Homeschooling6]

My son Brent who will turn 7yr. old in the Fall and is currently in public school for his K year only. He still can't read a lot of cvc words. He has trouble blending.

I am considering purchasing The Reading Lesson to use during the Summer.

I would like to hear how this has worked for you. I have never heard of this phonics program, but it looks like it might be what my son needs.

Do you think this would work for him? I am currently using Phonics Pathway with Caleb who just turned 8yr old but I am looking for something that would get Brent ready for MFW 1st grade phonics program (I purchased MFW before I found HOD)

Any information on the cd lesson would be helpful too. Is it similar to Starfall?

Would appreciate any help.

Thanks!

[Tabitha]

I have 100 EZ Lessons and used that with dd#1 - it rocks! I just bought The Reading Lesson to use with dd#2. I asked about their differences on the WTM board since the approaches are alot alike, and here are some of the replies I received:

I've used both and they pretty much follow the same approach except The Reading Lessons follows a mixture of whole words approach and phonics where 100 Easy Lessons follows the phonics approach to reading .
Neither is any 'better' then the other . They are both very effective . I used 100 EZ lessons with my oldest and it didn't work well for her at the time , found The Reading Lessons and this worked better for her . Started off with The Reading Lessons with my 2nd child and she blew through that and we finished off with 100 EZ lessons . I'm trying the Reading Lessons with my 3rd and may have to go with 100 Ez Lessons with her .
100 Ez lessons is more scripted and takes you step by step . Where as The Reading Lessons gives you the info all at once and you just teach it . I find myself using the methods from 100 Ez Lessons when Teaching The Reading Lessons :>)
Also 100 EZ Lessons uses ALOT more continuous blending in the early stages of the program . So if you have a child that doesn't catch on to blending really quickly it works on this first before starting into reading stories , where as The Reading Lesson starts into this on the 9th page , and I don't have my 100 Ez Lesson book anymore but it starts way later in the book before blending and reading to give a young child the practice of blending . Which can work well if your child doesn't get this at first .
100 Easy Lessons begins with the Distar orthography and some people don't like the looks of the letters written that way . Some feel it may confuse a child . Which in our instance had no bearing and my daughters were able to tell between the orthography and regular letters . Never confused them at all . It does switch though to regular typed letters somewhere in the middle of the book and by this time your child is reading about the average of 200 words . Which it looks mostly like this :

The Reading Lessons uses regular typed letters throughout the course . Both books I believe will take your child to a beginning 2nd grade level by the time your child completes . Though the reading selections are a bit longer in 100 Easy Lessons then they are in The Reading Lessons by the end of the book .

Either way its preference . The Reading Lessons uses the whole words approach along with phonics , 100 EZ lessons uses the phonics approach . The Reading Lessons has a bit more of a bells and whistles approach ( with CD games with Giggle bunny ) and 100 EZ lessons is simple and straight forward with no bells and whistles to the program . In my experience 100 EZ lessons is a bit easier to teach then The Reading Lesson because it is scripted and it takes you by the hand every step of the way . The REading Lessons give you the directions and you follow them , but its not scripted for each lesson .
It just all depends on what YOU want and how your child learns best . Neither is better then the other . In the end they get your child on the path to reading well .

I looked at 100EZ Lessons and The Reading Lesson (among other programs) when I started teachng my daughter to read. I chose The Reading Lesson. Here's the main differences that I found in my initial preview:

Both used special typography to tell the child which sound a letter makes (for example, long e versus short e). In 100EZ lessons, the special typograph is *very* noticable. In The Reading Lesson, the special typography is more subtle. 100EZ Lessons drops the special typography all at once near the end of the book. The Reading Lesson gradually drops the special typography over the course of the book (some symbols are dropped earlier than others).

100EZ Lessons spends more time on blending and rhyming / word families. The Reading Lesson doesn't spend as much time on blending. My daughter could blend before I started formal lessons, so it wasn't a big deal to me.

The pages in 100EZ Lessons include instructions to you the teacher as well as the text the child reads and some pictures. The pages in The Reading Lesson are 99.9% text for the child to read and the pictures are larger.

I bought The Reading Lesson since it will be less distracting for dd#2. I'll prolly use both, pending what my dd needs work on.

I've heard MANY say that Phonic Pathways is just like 100 EZ Lessons, but without the silly pictures to distract them while learning to read. One of my friends couldn't use 100 EZ Lessons due to her son just wanting to look at the occassional pics and make up stories about them instead of trying to read.

Tab

[Melanie]

Hmm....wondering why you can't just use Phonics Pathways. I've not used The Reading Lesson, but these two programs seem very similar, so I'm not sure you'd be getting something totally different....kwim??

My ds also seemed to hit a wall after getting the initial blending of cvc words. Phonics Pathways has been what got us over the hump, so to speak. I think you already have in hand what you need to get where you want to go.

The phonics portion of MFW 1st is what sent us looking for something else! You either love it or hate it I guess!

[Homeschooling6]

Hmm....wondering why you can't just use Phonics Pathways. I've not used The Reading Lesson, but these two programs seem very similar, so I'm not sure you'd be getting something totally different....kwim??

My ds also seemed to hit a wall after getting the initial blending of cvc words. Phonics Pathways has been what got us over the hump, so to speak. I think you already have in hand what you need to get where you want to go.

The phonics portion of MFW 1st is what sent us looking for something else! You either love it or hate it I guess!

I want something that we can do through the Summer and be done, so he could continue with MFW 1st.

In otherwords I want somehting short and affective . I like the whole 20 lesson thing I'm thinking if he can do about 5pgs a day comfortably we can finish it hopefully by the end of Oct.

[Homeschooling6]

Tabitha, thank you for taking the time to find the comments of The Reading Lesson.

Maybe we can do the first part of Phonics Pathway with him. Decisions, decisions

[Tabitha]

I would think since The Reading Lesson is shorter, it might be worth a try.

HOWEVER, are you a member of HomeschoolBuyersCo-op? They have a deal right now on Clink'nRead for about $35 for a lifetime subscription. You do it all online. When you are done, you can transfer it to a friend, etc. My dd loves this!

It might be worth you checking it out.

http://www.clicknkids.com/

There is a lesson or 2 you can do to try it out. If you like it, I can search for the link to the discounted buy through the co-op...I think the offer ends 5-30-08.

[lovetobehome]

I have used 100 EZ lessons twice now, and both kids are FANTASTIC readers, and I think both completed the book by 5.5. My sister has taught all 3 of her girls with 100 EZ lessons, which they completed by their 4th bdays, yikes! Mine weren't ready that young, but hers really were.
I swear by EZ Lessons. FOr us, the pics were a HUGE motivator. I covered the picture until we completed the reading lesson...I think the directions say to do that. It made my kids want to read so they could see the pic, which they always found humorous, cute, etc. They would laugh and laugh at those goofy pictures!
Both times I used it, we began it, and got a bit into the book and hit a wall. Both times I stopped, backed off for a couple months, and started again later and they were ready then. Just take cues from your little ones. The best advice I ever got was to not push too much, keep learning enjoyable. Would YOU want to spend most of your day trying to read a physics text? Or would you prefer something more casual? Our kids are the same...they will get burnt out if we push them constantly and destroy their God-given love for learning. If we gently encourage and nurture the process, they become self-driven and enjoy it, making them lifelong learners, always curious about the world God made. I try to encourage without pushing....if something seems too much of a struggle, it is time to back off for a bit.
Ok, I digressed.
Anyway, I have never seen The Learning Lesson, but I do love 100 EZ lessons, FWIW.

[Tabitha]

I have used 100 EZ lessons twice now, and both kids are FANTASTIC readers, and I think both completed the book by 5.5. My sister has taught all 3 of her girls with 100 EZ lessons, which they completed by their 4th bdays, yikes! Mine weren't ready that young, but hers really were.
I swear by EZ Lessons. FOr us, the pics were a HUGE motivator. I covered the picture until we completed the reading lesson...I think the directions say to do that. It made my kids want to read so they could see the pic, which they always found humorous, cute, etc. They would laugh and laugh at those goofy pictures!
Both times I used it, we began it, and got a bit into the book and hit a wall. Both times I stopped, backed off for a couple months, and started again later and they were ready then. Just take cues from your little ones. The best advice I ever got was to not push too much, keep learning enjoyable. Would YOU want to spend most of your day trying to read a physics text? Or would you prefer something more casual? Our kids are the same...they will get burnt out if we push them constantly and destroy their God-given love for learning. If we gently encourage and nurture the process, they become self-driven and enjoy it, making them lifelong learners, always curious about the world God made. I try to encourage without pushing....if something seems too much of a struggle, it is time to back off for a bit.
Ok, I digressed.
Anyway, I have never seen The Learning Lesson, but I do love 100 EZ lessons, FWIW.

My oldest was about 5 yo or so when we started. I know it was done by by mid-first grade. She was reading at that point, but exhausted after reading 1 sentence. After 100 EZ, she was reading 2-3 pages at a time with no issues.

A friend borrowed my copy now, and I need it back. I'll be using The Reading Lesson until I get it back...perhaps just following up with 100 EZ on the different things it covers only.

I do agree about taking it easy and making it fun. My middle (6 yo tomorrow) gets exhausted after about 5-10 minutes of working on reading. We have to make it fun and relaxing for her, or it won't get done.

[MamaMary]

Hi Linda,

Not that you need another choice, but we are using HeadSprout www.headsprout.com with Seth and it works so well. Your child does the lessons on-line and the multi-media really pulls them in. What I liked though is that you also get readers in the mail to sit and have them read to you.

If you were just looking for a summer program you could do just the first part and not purchase the second? (warm smile)

Mary

[tmcg]

We have not started 1st grade yet, but I just wanted to comment that we tried MFW K and seriously considering changing to HOD. I already started purchasing some things for MFW but will use them anyway (they are deluxe items anyone can use, like art books). I don't know what 1st grade is like, but I guess it goes back to "you never get a second chance to make a first impression" and so I am not giving it a try.

First we tried BJU K5 and switched to MFW by January. BJU had too much workbook focus for us. MFW had too many projects (or busy work IMHO) and I felt like I was leaving too much out. I was hoping for more Bible. There are some things I liked but it wasn't working well enough for me to continue. I like the "living book" concept, but it was frustrating if I couldn't make it to the library and if I got too many books on the topic (as they suggest), my little readers would tell me it was "boring".....I also found K was too easy as far as phonics (my daughter can read simple words) but she was struggling with handwriting. I guess there is no perfect curriculum and each one has something to offer, but I want to do something where there seems to be more that works for us than not.

Remember you can always sell your curriculum on the "mfwcurriculumswap@yahoogroups.com" email group if you decide to try HOD instead. Lots of options!

Tammy

[my3sons]

We have not started 1st grade yet, but I just wanted to comment that we tried MFW K and seriously considering changing to HOD. I already started purchasing some things for MFW but will use them anyway (they are deluxe items anyone can use, like art books). I don't know what 1st grade is like, but I guess it goes back to "you never get a second chance to make a first impression" and so I am not giving it a try.

First we tried BJU K5 and switched to MFW by January. BJU had too much workbook focus for us. MFW had too many projects (or busy work IMHO) and I felt like I was leaving too much out. I was hoping for more Bible. There are some things I liked but it wasn't working well enough for me to continue. I like the "living book" concept, but it was frustrating if I couldn't make it to the library and if I got too many books on the topic (as they suggest), my little readers would tell me it was "boring".....I also found K was too easy as far as phonics (my daughter can read simple words) but she was struggling with handwriting. I guess there is no perfect curriculum and each one has something to offer, but I want to do something where there seems to be more that works for us than not.

Remember you can always sell your curriculum on the "mfwcurriculumswap@yahoogroups.com" email group if you decide to try HOD instead. Lots of options!

Tammy

Tammy -
Hi, and welcome if we haven't "met" here before! I just wanted to say that I think HOD sounds like it would alleviate some of the issues you mentioned. You'll find all of HOD's programs have a nice balance of seatwork and hands-on activities - so you wouldn't be feeling it was either workbook or project heavy. All of their programs use awesome living books, but you don't need to go to the library to find them - just order the packages online. For phonics, reading, and handwriting, HOD always has at least 2 options of levels of difficulties, and HOD also makes it easy to sub in something in these areas if you want to use something else instead. The Biblical focus is completely woven through basically all of the plans in virtually every subject area, in some way, shape, or form. So, I think you'd LOVE HOD! And like you said... you can always sell your curriculum! Anyway, glad you are here and hope to get to know you more!

In Christ,
Julie

[my3sons]

My son Brent who will turn 7yr. old in the Fall and is currently in public school for his K year only. He still can't read a lot of cvc words. He has trouble blending.

I am considering purchasing The Reading Lesson to use during the Summer.

I would like to hear how this has worked for you. I have never heard of this phonics program, but it looks like it might be what my son needs.

Do you think this would work for him? I am currently using Phonics Pathway with Caleb who just turned 8yr old but I am looking for something that would get Brent ready for MFW 1st grade phonics program (I purchased MFW before I found HOD)

Any information on the cd lesson would be helpful too. Is it similar to Starfall?

Would appreciate any help.

Thanks!

Hi! I do think The Reading Lesson could work great in the summer. A lot of moms that bought it at last year's book fairs have been coming to the booth and letting Carrie know how well it worked for their children, and how much they appreciated how easy it was to teach. As far as the CD, it reinforces what was taught in the lesson very nicely, but it does not teach anything in addition to the lesson. So, you could use it if you have the funds and a child who enjoys the computer, or you could easily do it without it too.

Also, on a side note, remember, you can always do HOD if the Lord is turning your heart in this direction! Curriculum is easy to sell these days, thanks to handy-dandy Internet sites!

In Christ,
Julie

[Carrie]

Homeschooling6,

It does sound like the Reading Lesson would give you the easy open-and-go feel you are looking for in a summer reading program. I agree that you could speed up the pace as long as your kiddo doesn't balk at it. You may find that you enjoy it enough to finish it out as your sole phonics program, and then you would be ready to head right into the Emerging Reader set (scheduled in the Appendix of both "Beyond..." and "Bigger...").

While you could use Phonics Pathways, I think it has a heavier feel than the Reading Lesson, with its word ladders and its drill-like phonics focus.

We've also found with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons that most moms either love it or hate it. They either think it really did the trick, or they think that the red coding used was so technical and overwhelming that their child just glazed over. There doesn't seem to be much middle ground on that program! That makes it very hard to get a consensus on it.

Blessings,
Carrie

[Homeschooling6]

Thank you everyone. You all have been very helpful. I think I might go ahead and give it a try