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Author Topic: Okay, parents (especially homeschoolers?), who has done this?
ketchupqueen
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Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons is getting rave reviews on another forum I frequent and, apparently, also on Amazon (for the most part.) Of course, I'm not thinking of starting NOW, Ems is only two, but maybe in a couple of years. In which case, I'd probably buy the book now (preferably used, preferably look around at local used bookstores for it) just so I won't forget about it. [Wink]

My question is, has anyone on Hatrack done this? How did it work for you and your kids? Why did you choose it? How easy to use is it really? You see, I trust Hatrackers more than people on other forums. [Smile]

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rivka
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Is there an equivalent book for teaching Hebrew reading?
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ketchupqueen
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How would I know?
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BlackBlade
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I would think armed with some Dr. Seuss books, and a healthy dose of Sesame Street, by the time your kid has been read 50 books, and watched 50 episodes of Sesame Street your child would be able to read basic books.
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ketchupqueen
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BlackBlade, that's ridiculous. I hope you know it. Some kids just seem to absorb reading (my sister, me, my brother are some examples), but some definitely need teaching (my husband being one.) To say that every child will just pick it up is ludicrous.
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romanylass
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I haven't used id. Reading just happened with Matthew ( we realised at 3 that he was reading the subtitles on the TV- which we were using instead of sound so we could watch adult stuff-doh!)Olivia we did the Suess drilling. Hop on Pop is a great one for this! However, I have heard great reviews.
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BlackBlade
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quote:
Originally posted by ketchupqueen:
BlackBlade, that's ridiculous. I hope you know it. Some kids just seem to absorb reading (my sister, me, my brother are some examples), but some definitely need teaching (my husband being one.) To say that every child will just pick it up is ludicrous.

I am sorry KQ, I was suggesting that as a standard way to teach reading. It worked for me. I was not trying to insinuate that "This formula would work for all children, and if it doesnt shame on the kid." I didnt realize your child was simply looking for additional help.

My younger brother took a considerable number of years to learn to read and he was always behind the class in his ability to read and write. He didnt have any interest in reading. My parents tried MANY programs to help him, and all of them seem to indicate he had some sort of a disability, but nobody was quite sure what it was.

One sunday in 8th grade while I was out of the country for 2 years, he picked up the first Harry Potter book. It ensnared him, and he read all the way to book 4 voraciously. He ended up rereading the series about 4-5 times and then went on to read Robert Jordan books, and anything fantasy related. I can barely understand Jordan alot of the time.

His reading comprehension increased DRAMATICALLY, and his writing ability has subsequentially improved to scale.

I do not know anything about the program "Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons" I am just trying to assure you I am not trying to be calous or facecious, on my honor!

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cmc
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Hey - ketchupqueen - you sound a little twerked about this whole reading thing. Not criticizing, just pointing out how your posts are coming across to me.
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BannaOj
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It's by Siedfreied and Theresa Englemann, who also wrote a book with fabulous educational theory but the kooky name of Give Your Child A Superior Mind.

It is a great book for teaching beginning phonics. My mother used it with both my brothers (it came out after I learned how to read.) It also is very scripted for the parent on how to properly teach phonics.

However after the child gets through about the first 2/3 of the lessons, the last 1/3 gets a bit stale. You see the older editions were all black and white, and by the time they get through the first 2/3s they can go on to reading other simple children's books that are more interesting.

And allow yourself lattitude to deviate from the lessons if it seems appropriate, but it is a very good basic phonics text that teaches you how to teach phonics as well.

AJ

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rivka
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quote:
Originally posted by ketchupqueen:
How would I know?

*blink*

Looks like you've done a bit of research on the book, and you might have some idea if it were available in other languages.

As might other people reading the thread.

I know you're feeling stressed, but breathe or something.

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ctm
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I tried it with my daughter. She hated it, I hated it. Too scripted for us, I guess. Though I agree with BannaOj that it's helpful for teaching how to teach phonics. I'd say if you can find it cheap it's worth having.
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ketchupqueen
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Sorry if I seem touchy. I am indeed a bit stressed (doctor's on Thursday! Fingers crossed!), but mostly it's that I've seen too many kids not be taught to read-- just have teachers and parents assume that they'll pick it up without being told "this letter makes this sound." Personally, I didn't need specific instruction, but my husband had a lot of trouble reading, and I want to be prepared to help my daughter if she needs it. I don't agree that just reading to a child and watching Sesame Street should be a standard method of instruction. If we're still living where we are now when Emma is school-age, I do indeed intend to homeschool at least through kindergarten and probably first grade, to give her a "jump start." (If we move to the Glendale school district before then we'll see what happens.)

Thanks for the input, sounds like it's at least worth picking up and reading. [Smile]

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Dr Strangelove
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I'm not a parent, but I think I'm qualified to give my opinion, considering that's the book that taught me too read [Wink] . Honestly I don't remember a great deal about it (seeing as how I was quite young), but it worked, I'll tell ya that. And it worked for my sisters as well I believe. I'm not positive that's what my mom used for all of us, but I know for at least 3 she did. We all read fine, though a few of my sisters don't enjoy it as much as me.

From the little that I do remember, I'll second AJ that you should feel free to deviate if you feel comfortable doing that, and you don't necessarily need to stick with it through the entire 100 lessons. I remember it getting a bit tedious.

But anyways, yeah, I would recommend it. The other books that really helped me were the Nate the Great books. They're chapter books, so they are pretty far off I suppose, but those were really good, at least to my young mind.

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ketchupqueen
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I remember Nate the Great! [Smile] I think Nancy Drew was more influential in my love of reading, though. [Wink]
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Dr Strangelove
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Took me a while to get into the Hardey (or was it Hardee?) Boys, but I think I've read every single one of them. I was a bit of a freak ... I think I started reading Plato before The Hardey Boys. hehe.
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katharina
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Trixie Belden and the Little House on the Prarie are the earliest books I remember loving.
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rivka
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Hardy Boys
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blacwolve
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American Girls were the first chapter books I read. Those were great books.
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kmbboots
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Those magnetic letters (no reason they have to be magnetic, but ours were) were great for teaching phonics.

H OP = Hop

P OP = Pop

T OP = Top

and so forth.

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Belle
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Don't know about the schools where you are, kq, but ours do an excellent job of teaching phonics and reading. All four of my kids have picked up reading very well. Of course, we read to them at home a lot, but the kindergarten and first grade teachers at our elementary schools have all been/are fantastic.
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CaySedai
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kq: I don't know about the system/book you reference. However, I do remember from my daughters' time in Head Start that they used tactile play to help the kids learn the letters. Playing with letter shapes (like magnetic letters) is one aspect. Making the letters out of clay (and you make the sound of the letter, of course, to link the two) is another.

You can cut pictures out of magazines and make your own alphabet book. If you have bath paint soap (not sure what it's really called) you can draw the letters in the bath. There are many activities that can add to "just" reading to kids to help kids learn to read for themselves.

Oh, yeah, another one. Write messages on Emma's body and tell her what they are. Like write "I love you" on her tummy. That's a fun one. [Wink]

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ketchupqueen
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CaySedai, we already do a lot of those, and will do more when she's older. But thanks for the suggestion.

Belle, if we move to the Glendale school district, I know they have great programs in kinder and 1st for phonics, reading, writing, and reading comprehension (although I might keep Ems at home for kindergarten anyway; I'm not sure how I feel about all-day kindergarten, which they just switched to.) But as I said above, I'd be keeping my kids at home at least through 1st if we stay where we are, in the infamous LAUSD. The school my kids would be attending if we stayed pretty close to where we are right now, while pretty good for the LAUSD, is woefully underfunded and understaffed, and last I checked 55% of 2nd graders were reading at grade level. That's not acceptable to me, especially considering that learning disibilities run on both sides of the family (although the LAUSD does have an excellent early intervention program and also a good reading disability program, those are, by law, available to me whether I send my kid to their schools or homeschool them.) In any case, I'd like to get my kids reading at least basic words by the time they get to kindergarten, because I know how much easier it made things for me. And if there are going to be difficulties, I want to find out myself right away so that I can get them help. [Smile]

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Theca
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I thought brilliance also runs through your family. [Smile]

I know when I was starting kindergarten my mom was trying to teach me to read. My kindergarten teacher actually called my mom up and asked her to stop for awhile, because I wasn't ready or happy about learning to read yet, I just wanted to be busy doing other things at that age. I do recall being a very busy, very happy, very active kindergartener. How she knew she needed to call and tell my mom all this, I have no idea. Then when I did figure out reading it took over my life so it's probably good that I had a year or two of socialization before I learned to read.

Based on my experience, I always wonder if early reading is right for every child. You might need to wait till closer to age five to really decide if she is ready. And if she isn't ready, that might not mean she has a disability. I also recall the child who was the fastest reader in my first grade class was bored silly by the rest of us. We hated her for the constant praise heaped on her and she hated being bored. And by second grade she was no better off than the rest of us.

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ketchupqueen
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I wasn't really considering it before age four. [Smile] Like I said before, if I'm ever going to do it, I'd better look for it now so I don't forget about it completely. [Wink]

For what it's worth, she already shows a very strong interest in reading, and is beginning to sing the alphabet, and loves playing with phonics toys.

As for brilliance, actually, both my sister and my brother have a single simian crease, which apparently can be a predictor of both genius IQ and learning disabilities-- both of which they both have. Not really relevent, but I find it interesting. [Smile]

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Jenny Gardener
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As a parent AND a teacher, I feel qualified to comment. KQ, most kids who live in a home that values reading will pick it up quickly. They see their parents reading and writing, and they want to do it, too. Reading to your child is very important. Little Crow is only 9 months and doesn't sit still very long, but we share books anyway. As your wee ones grow, keep sharing books that are fun for both kids and grownups (the Little Mother was very fond of books by Eric Carle). You can point to the words as you read, to give them the idea that those funny black squiggles mean something.

After a while, you may notice your child "reading" by retelling the stories. That's great! She is beginning, and you should accept that for her, this is "reading". As she continues to realize that reading is fun and cool, you can point out words to her as you say them. My little sister's first read word was "Boo", because it was Halloween time and I was pointing it out in a shop window. A lot of little kids learn how to read "McDondald's" at a very young age!

Now, with a sight word or two under her belt, she's ready for some phonics. Nursery rhymes are great for this. Alliteration and rhyme are great ways to look for what is the same in words. And ABC books and Dr. Seuss. As a reader yourself, some of this will come quite naturally.

I'd say that her status so far is quite encouraging. You have no cause to worry.

Other books that encourage reading skills are ones that follow a pattern. Like "The Three Little Pigs". Three times you get to the part where you say/read "And the wolf huffed, and puffed, and huffed, and puffed.." Look for stuff like that.

Whatever you do, DON'T make too much of a big deal out of reading. Make it fun, be encouraging, but don't let your daughter catch any hint that reading or not reading is something to worry about. It sounds like she is well on her way.

Take her to the library often, let her pick her own books, and have fun reading together!

Also, feel free to email me with any questions, or post here.

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BlackBlade
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quote:

Now, with a sight word or two under her belt, she's ready for some phonics. Nursery rhymes are great for this. Alliteration and rhyme are great ways to look for what is the same in words. And ABC books and Dr. Seuss.

[Big Grin]
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katharina
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I have to brag here - I'm so thrilled for my niece. Katya (not a namesake, but her parents will let me claim that sometimes) is seven and will start the second grade next week, and she's reading at a fifth grade level. I just got her the Little House on the Prarie books and she's devouring them.
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ketchupqueen
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Little House were my sister's first favorite books (at age 3 [Eek!] )...
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BlackBlade
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The only thing I remember about Little House was being confused that they all thought their Mormon neighbor had horns.

I checked my head in the mirror just to see if they were telling the truth.

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katharina
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Aw, let me be proud of her. I'm excited. [Smile]

[ August 23, 2006, 02:27 PM: Message edited by: katharina ]

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Wendybird
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I used this with two of my kids and will start it with my third when we master letter names.

I really liked it and recommend it. I usually didn't finish all 100 lessons because it got to the point my kids were taking the book and doing the lesson before I could even get there. I just moved them onto regular books they were interested in reading.

I liked that it taught the sounds of the letters and how to form the letters. I didn't "stay on script" all the time because I hate following a script when my own "voice" was equal. But it was helpful for me to see the process as a nervous mom homeschooling for the first time.

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imogen
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quote:
Originally posted by katharina:
I have to brag here - I'm so thrilled for my niece. Katya (not a namesake, but her parents will let me claim that sometimes) is seven and will start the second grade next week, and she's reading at a fifth grade level. I just got her the Little House on the Prarie books and she's devouring them.

That's great, Kat. [Smile]

I ordered the complete set from Amazon a few weeks ago. I am anxiously awaiting their arrival (my books got stol-uh, inherited by my little sister). So I'm 24 and still loving them - they're a great read at any age. Or maybe I'm just sentimental.

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jeniwren
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kq, I haven't used the product you're asking about, but I'd be very leery about pushing reading, pre-reading or phonics on a 2 year old, no matter how smart she is. Rainbow is 4, and she's got most of the skills, but hasn't quite put it all together to really read.

I watched my son do the same thing...had all the basic skills down cold, but couldn't quite put it all together. Then something happened, I don't know what, but the lightbulb went on and he could *instantly* read. He was midway through 1st grade, and it happened over the Christmas break. I'm convinced that he just wasn't ready until then, and in the meantime he got the tools he needed so that when he was ready, he could put it all together. His Stanford test scores show him to be post high school level reading now at 13.

You're probably doing everyting you need to already for Ems without adding this program to your plate.

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Amka
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"A lot of little kids learn how to read "McDondald's" at a very young age!"

Hah, in our family it was "Wal-mart". Oldest daughter would even find a receipt from Wal-mart point to it and excitedly say. "Wal-mart!"

Anyway, I haven't used it for my kids much, but I have seen it and had a friend use it. It worked for some of her kids, and didn't work for others. It is all in the learning style of the kid. I would suggest, when Ems is ready, checking it out of the library first to see if it clicks with her.

One thing I liked with my kids for book work was the "Explode the Code" series. Again, the one who liked to write, (she was writing alien alphabets at 2 yrs old) loved it. The ones that hated writing, didn't like it so much.

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Wendybird
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Explode the Code is a great series too!

There is a fun program for Pre-K (and up) called Before Five in a Row (the others are Five in a Row and Beyond Five in a Row). They use great children's books as a base of fun learning activities. They are fun and its easy to implement if you were looking for something you wanted to do.

**My daughter could "read" Visa and Foley's before actually learning to read - she was about 3 at the time.

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TheTick
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quote:
Originally posted by Amka:
"A lot of little kids learn how to read "McDondald's" at a very young age!"

Hah, in our family it was "Wal-mart". Oldest daughter would even find a receipt from Wal-mart point to it and excitedly say. "Wal-mart!"

Thomas's was Home Depot (or just the Depot). He could spot that specific shade of orange from miles away.
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ketchupqueen
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Hmmm, we tried very hard to stay "un-branded" in my family, but I think that my brother did indeed know McDonalds by their logo at age 2. [Wink]

I would like to reiterate that I am NOT planning on doing this program with my two, or three, year old. I just want to get it if others like it and may decide to use it at age 4 or 5, as part of our homeschool program.

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