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My youngest ds started The Reading Lesson today. I was planning to wait until next year since we had a different phonics that he started out with last year. I was going to save The Reading Lesson for next year and 1st grade. My ds9 went through the Reading Lesson in 1st. I couldn't wait that long for ds5. I broke down today and it was so great not to be juggling audio cd's, dvd's flashcards, and the like. Just me and ds on the couch with a lapdesk.
Such a simple pleasure to sit with him and gently lead him to learn to read.

Yay! I just got a copy too- glad to hear you love it!!

I've been trying to decide if I should get this or not...maybe I should!

I used Reading Made Easy with my son when we did LHFHG. It was very effective, but I can't say that either of us particularly enjoyed it. I was planning to use it with my daughter when she starts LHFHG later this year, but I would love to hear what you like about TRL. I'd love to save the money and just use what I have , but something more enjoyable and just as effective might be worth buying. Thanks!

What I love about it is that it isn't complicated, gets the job done, and my kids enjoy it. I did get the cd-rom to go with it this time since my ds is on the younger side. When I went through with my ds9 (at 7) I did not use the cd-rom. The cd-rom isn't one where you walk away from your kid and they are left to their own devices either. You still need to guide them with the cd.
We had been using Reading Eggs and Hooked on Phonics. DS was going through the maps and progressing and such, but when I would go back and use a "real" book with him the skills weren't there. He liked the game aspect and he could keep doing the map activities over and over again until he got them right. So it was more a process of elimination and guessing at a certain point for him.
To me the best thing is the cozy couch time just laid back without the stress of juggling all the gadgetry to learn to read. With my previous children, I have used Abeka phonics (lots of extras there-flashcards a plenty), hooked on phonics (again cd, flashcards, and stuff to juggle...although the new dvd isn't bad if you hit a plateau and need to review a bit), the phonics game (bought and sold shortly after...enough said), Christian Liberty Press's Adventures in Phonics (so much writing for phonics-very hard for my son)....I think that is the gist of all the phonics that I have used or tried with 4 kids. My youngest had been using reading eggs (inlcuding the printed activity sheets), but I wasn't seeing any skills flow over so I watched him doing the maps and realized he is just guessing and using sight not learning phonics.

What I love about The Reading Lesson---
1. Simplicity! (no audio cd tracks to listen, no dvd's to watch, and no flashcards to flash)
2. Learning together! (we sit cozy and comfy on the couch and we work a couple of pages together-I don't log him onto a computer and then walk away)
3. It works! (5 months of reading eggs and 5 maps later when he supposedly knows tons of cvc and blending and 27 sight words....and he couldn't read sat from a book...-1 day of The Reading Lesson yesterday reading through 3 pages of lesson 1 my son started to blend sounds for words)

I have both Reading Made Easy and The Reading Lesson. I am going through The Reading Lesson with my son and Reading Made Easy with my daughter.

The thing that I love about the Reading Lesson is how simple it is - read the page, no script to follow, no cards to make, no worm for the wall. The Reading Lesson just wasn't right for my daughter though, and Reading Made Easy seems to be the ticket, she loves all the extras, and while they are more work for mom, I love to see how excited she gets about reading.

I loved it, too. I used it when dd was 4 and finished at age 5. It worked SO well, and was SO easy to use. We did not have the CD. The short lessons were perfect for a little one with a short attention span who wanted to learn to read - minimal frustration for child and mom! I recommend it to people all the time, but they seem not to believe you can do it in just one little book, and go off buying a complicated phonics program that takes several years to get through. I'll definitely be using it again when my younger one is ready to read!

I am enjoying re using it with Stanley.He read a long word today[his words not mine] - rock.He was so pleased with himself.I love that it is open and go

tidbitsoflearning - I'm so glad you are enjoying The Reading Lesson with your dd! It is wonderful not to juggle a bunch of different things, and to just be able to sit down and cuddle on the couch and read with one another. Thanks for sharing your experience and the specifics of why you are enjoying TRL. This will be a help and an encouragement to many moms navigating the phonics decision!

In Christ,
Julie

Just have to chime in here... I have a girl (5 yo) with slight learning disabilities. Have been going through LHTH, and am planning on starting her on LHFHG when she's done with that, but she's been begging to read - so have started "The Reading Lesson" at a very slow but steady pace. Wish her look of utter shock and disbelief on her face and then sheer joy spilling over into laughter could have been captured as she read a few "sentences" for the first time. It was a moment as a teaching mom that I will never forget. She's getting it - in spite of her struggles.

I have to agree with Tidbitsoflearning, as we're happily using The Reading Lesson with my 5 year old son right now. He is truly loving it and wants to race through the lessons to get to the new lesson on the CD. I am thrilled with his enthusiasm, and even more thrilled that I can get his lessons done each day without feeling overwhelmed with the teaching time it takes of me! We cuddle on the couch and just read.

One thing I would encourage anyone who uses The Reading Lesson to do is to make sure the child says the whole word after sounding it out first. What I mean is it really helps for the child to say each sound like 'c'-'a'-'t' (while running his finger under each sound) but then say "cat" after that (while running his finger fast under the word) to be sure of the word as a whole word rather than just its parts.

The same is true when reading a sentence. It really helps to sound out each word (running finger under each sound), say the word (running finger under word quickly), and then once the child gets to the end of the sentence to read the whole sentence fluidly (pointing to each word in the sentence). This was a component I had not been having my child do early on, and it really made a difference in his ability to understand what he was reading once I started to implement it. Othewise, kiddos can just get bogged down in the sounding out process, or they can go to just guessing words, or memorizing words.

Blessings,
Carrie