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Hi everyone, we are having some trouble with TRL. We are on lesson 6 and my dd is doing ok with it, but she is really bored of reading word lists. I know its not too easy for her because she is still sounding out some of the words. Sometimes I see that she is having a hard time on a page because there are so many words, so we only read half of the page and do the rest of the page the next day. She really enjoys the story pages, and does very well with those, but the word list pages are very boring to her and it seems to take us forever to get through because she gets so distracted. Occasionally there is a workbook page, which she enjoys more. How can I make it more fun for her? I want her to enjoy reading, and not dread her reading lesson time. I have tried writing some of the words on a dry erase board, and making some of the word list words with magnetic letters. She likes that a lot! We have also played a memory game with some of the words. I have another phonics curriculum that is more workbook based and I am wondering if I should switch to that? I prefer TRL, but she seems to like doing workbook pages. I wonder if she would do better with that style, than just reading lists. Any advice on how to spruce up TRL for her would be great!

Hi there, we are also doing the TRL, we're on lesson 3. Sounds like our kids are about the same age. My dd was more frustrated with the lists than bored, but what I found with her is the companion CD I bought with the book covers the same 'frustrating' words but makes it fun for her to sound out. I'm not sure if you have the CD, but it does give my dd an incentive and something to look forward to doing along with the book. We also kept to about 1-2 pages a session, I started losing her interest after that, that too has helped. Other then that we're both really happy with TRL and progressing. HTH
Jennifer

I have used TRL with two of my children so far and both have at times been daunted with those word lists. They wanted to skip ahead to the stories too. But as with all things sometimes you just "have to do it." These are the times used to develop a proper attitude toward work.
(I also used a bookmark that was about 1/3 of a page size and used that to cover the some of the words in the list so that it didn't look like too much.)
The other activities that you are doing with your dd are fantastic and shows your natural teaching instinct to help her learn. Keeping the book lessons short and then reviewing with the white board or letters is a great way to do it.
I liked The Reading Lesson because it is so simple to use and yet allowed me the flexibility to supplement with activities that my specific child needed to learn better.
Maybe stick with it for a while longer and as her abilities increase her enjoyment will too.

My son also prefers the stories over the word lists, but those word lists are important. We only do 2 pages a day and I make flashcards out of the key words list at the back of each chapter and he seems to enjoy doing those. I always encourage him that he won't be able to read the stories if he can't do the word lists and make the stories his reward. I think they like the stories not only because they are interesting, but because the context helps them figure out the word easier. The actual lists are more work, so for younger children can become frustrating fast. I sometimes break up the word lists too..

You have already gotten excellent advice here! I do think getting the CD and using it would be a good idea. I also agree that the word lists are important to do. I wonder if you could break them up some? Maybe do half of the word list, read the story, and finish the other half of the word list? I also wondered if she could have a small treat or sticker when done with word lists? We did that to motivate one of our dc, and it made a world of difference. I really do think it's important not to stop something because a child says she's/he's not very excited about it. It can set a precedence that is not fun for us moms to battle over the years. Learning to read is hard work. Your little sweetie will keep doing better and better with the word lists as she goes along. Anyway, it's wonderful to hear your dd is enjoying the stories and doing well with those! Teaching our dc to read, while a sometimes daunting or frustrating task initially, is one of the most exciting things about homeschooling (IMO)! It just always amazes me how they eventually are reading, and I'm not even sure at what point I could have said, "We've got another reader in the house now!"

In Christ,
Julie

You're already gotten such great advice, so I'll just pop-in to share that it isn't uncommon for kiddos to be daunted by word lists. Children feel as if the list will never end sometimes, and the multiple words on the page can distract the child from focusing on only one word at a time. So, I'll paste below my thoughts from a previous post on using a markerboard to help with blending that I used to do the word lists, and it may be of some help to you as you ponder your word list hump too!

You may also want to write the words on a markerboard one letter at a time, having your kiddos say the letter sound right after you write the letter. Then, you would write the next letter immediately while the previous sound is still "hanging in the air". This gives kiddos a feel for blending. Last, have your kiddos say the whole word, running their fingers under each letter as they say it. Then, allow them to erase it after they say it, and move onto the next word.

We did ten or so words each day from the words listed in the phonics program. It really helped my third son over the blending hump and helped him focus on how each letter sound blended into the following sound, without overwhelming him with the whole word at once. This was wise advice from my sister!

This kept the lessons short and sweet and made him feel like he was a great reader!

Blessings,
Carrie