Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

Amazing experience for you & your child

I bought this book on the recommendation of a friend - she was right, it was fantastic. My son, who was slow to speak, was reading by age 4 1/2. It was so fun for both of us & as a working mother, I was so grateful to have the experience of teaching him this- perhaps the most critical of life skills. I would say to parents wondering about the negative responses- 2 pieces of advice (also to me from my friend)- if it takes more than 20 min to do a lesson, your child is either tired or not ready for the lessons. Don't push it or they are right, it won't be fun. Secondly, if YOU are getting frusterated, put it away. If you are not experiencing joy & amazement at watching your child learn before your eyes, YOU may be tired & not ready. Enjoy the experience!

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

HAD TO PURCHASE MY OWN!!! AND ONE FOR A FRIEND!

My sister let me borrow hers for my 4 year old turning 5 at the time. She learned to read in about 40 lessons of the book and never finisthed it. But she reads just as well at her cousin. At 6 years old (skipped Kindergarten-bec she was already reading, currentlly in the 2nd grade she has a third grade reading comprehension. She is reading chapter books. First I would like to say is that she was definately ready to learn. She wanted me to teach her. Self-Motivation/Self-Determination was more then 1/2 the Battle... I would not have done it w/o these two things that she possesed. One thing also is that it helped her with writing skills as well (which most have not mentioned). It also taught her how to use the illustrations to help with words that she may be stuck with. I am getting my own copy for my 4 year old and then so my 8 week old son can use it when he is older. My 6 year old may also benefit from finishing the lessons (because its never too late to get the vital importance of breaking down bigger words--which i notice that she gets frustrated on). They taught that towards the end of the book. GREAT VALUE!!! BUY ONE FOR YOU AND FOR A FRIENDS! LEARN TO READ/COMPREHEND TOGETHER AND WATCH YOUR CHILD BLOSSOM AND EXCEL BEFORE YOUR EYES!!!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book to assist my 4 year old in his learning to read. This book gives a great parents' guide on SRA Distar research and how to teach at an individual's ability. It is very rewarding!

I have found this to be a great program; engaging and challening for the reader. The book has easy to read directions, but it does take a few lessons to get the structured style down. It took me the first three lessons, time and dedication to get the program. Within the first 10 lessons I have noticed the confidence and progress in my son's reading. Plus, the book explains to the parent how to keep the child interested, so he can learn at his own pace.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I can't imagine anything better.

I am teaching my son, who is about to be 5, to read with this book. I can't imagine anything being easier to use than this book. It has what the teacher should say in red and even what questions to expect from the student and how to answer them. I add extra activities to the book like flash cards of words he already learned in the book, but otherwords, the book is the whole package.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Miracle book!!

Fantastic book. Have used with 3 children, and they have all excelled in reading with this book. Phonics based program makes reading fast and exciting. My kids have never taken the full 100 days, but have begged to do several lessons a day.....which is less than 20-30 minutes. Great results from a great book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Teach Your Child works great for ALL students!

I have used this for many children who were behind their peers in reading. This book has allowed a second grader who was a total non-reader to reach grade level in ONE summer! The kids love Teach Your Child and so do their parents. I highly recommend this book to any person who wants to teach a child to read, the right way!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Try this when all else fails.

My second grader has learning disabilities which has greatly challenged her in reading. This book was exactly what she needed. I recommend it highly. If your child is having problems reading try this book. It gave my child a lot of confidence.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great Book

I'm very happy with the results so far. My daughter (4 years old) is currently on lesson 7 and liking the book a lot. It isn't a very colorful book with lots of exciting things, however, the parent needs to keep it fresh/exciting for the kid. I just got stickers (stars) for her so when we finish a lesson, she can put the star on the page for completing it well. Also, the sounding out of words can be exagerated in a way that keeps them interested and I say things like "I can't hear you..." when it's her turn to say the sound. She thinks that's funny and keeps her interested.

A reviewer

If you really want to teach your child to read get this book. This book makes it so easy to do and my daughter learned to read when she was 4 years old with this book.

Everything You Need

My daughter and I are about 1/3 of the way through this book. I have been amazed at her progress! We work on one lesson each day and after about a month, she is understands how to sound out most simple words. As an added bonus, she now loves writing. The books seemed a little slow at first, so be sure to give it a chance.

THE GREATEST TOOL FOR PARENTS TO TEACH THEIR CHILD TO READ

I bought this book back in May of 2004. After I got thru the parent section, I started on it immediately!!! After the first 15 lessons, I found that I could do 2 lessons a day '1 in a.m. & 1 in late afternoon before dinner'. My daughter was not even 4 1/2 years old yet. She flew thru the book. A couple of months later, she went for a kindergarten orientation/testing. When I picked her up at the end of the 2 hrs., the first thing out of her teacher's mouth was, 'Wow, she's amazing!' She started school a year early. She is now going into the 4th Grade '2007-2008 school year' and she LOVES TO READ!!!!! Last year, she got the highest school points in the Accelerated Reader Program '708 pts', knocking out the the old highest record of 694.7 pts. obtained in a single school year. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book to any one. It is easy to use, and it works. My child is proof of that!! I only give it a '5' because that is the highest I can give it! I recommend this book to anyone, friends or strangers. I volunteer a lot at my child's school, and I HAVE recommended this book to new parents at the school for Kinder. orientation. I have also gotten impressive reviews from her teachers & sch. admin. that I have shown this book to. They have all stated that it is a wonderful book. Once I found this book, I did not even look for another teaching aid, so I have no other related titles to offer.

The best bonding book to learn to read

This book helped my husband teach my daughter to read....Not only was it a great way to learn to read ... it was their special time together every night when I was cleaning up....LOVE IT!

A reviewer

I first discovered DISTAR when my oldest daughter was in Kindergarten. She brought printouts of her daily work home and used them to play school with her younger brother. By the end of her 'K' year(1973-74), our son was reading at the same level as our daughter. When he entered 'K' that Fall he was immediately placed in 1st grade reading. Their school was 'open structure' which allowed for easy movement between reading and math levels for each child's individual needs. How hard can a system be when a 5-year old can teach a 4-year old to read?! On our son's 5th birthday that October he read his own cards. After I had all four of my children in school, I worked as a teachers' aide and taught DISTAR in 'K' so I'm very familiar with it. I am a die-hard fan and am buying this book to use with my granddaughter. Her brother is fortunate to attend the same school as their mother and to have used DISTAR. He had the same 'K' teachers my children had and by the end of his 'K' year he had finished four 1st grade books and had started on the 'Treehouse' chapter books for his own reading pleasure. But at the end of that year, the older 'K' teachers retired. When the new 'K' teachers moved in, they threw out DISTAR and brought in a phonics system they had used for years because they didn't want to learn a new method - one a 5-year old could teach! After 3 years w/o DISTAR, the children are not reading as well and the 1st grade teachers are very concerned. A friend's daughter just completed 'K' and she can't read a simple 'I Can Read' book! She couldn't even sound out the 'ing' suffex! I do daycare for my granddaughter and will use this book with her so that she will be prepared when she gets to 'K'. I know DISTAR works I've seen it work on my chidren and grandson and I've taught it. My children developed an early love of reading and continue to read for learning and pleasure - passing on good reading habits to their own children. And, at my 9-year old grandson's request, we spend more time at Barnes & Noble and Borders than any other store! His little sister will soon be following his lead! )

Great Teaching Book For Learning to Read

When my five-year-old was four I bought this book. He knew all his letters (uppercase, lowercase and, sounds), so I figured he was ready to learn. By the end of the 100th lesson he was able to read independently. His first 'real' book was 'Green Eggs and Ham.' I wish I had this book when my older two were learning to read.

Best Value for the money!!!

I wish I had known about this book 4 years ago. My oldest son struggled with reading and got behind in his class. After being told he would need to repeat 1st grade, I started doing a lot of research about homeschooling. Someone gave us Hooked on Phonics, and I also purchase another reading program. A friend recommended this book, so I thought I would try it with my then 3 yr. old. At first I couldn't get him through the lessons, so I put it away for awhile. Now he just turned 4, we started it a few months ago, and he is reading sentences. He attends a very advanced preschool and is ahead of every other child in his class. I have recommended this book to other parents of children in his class and other friends as well. This book is easy to use, uncomplicated in its approach and best of all--INEXPENSIVE!!!!

Fantistic Book

I taught my daughter who is 13 now to read when she was only 3 years old. She went directly into the 2nd grade when she did start school. This book was the reason why she was reading college material by the time she was 5. Along with this book you can use any old book to let the children actually read. I happen to use nature books that taught useful lessons for her to read. This is a great book for a parent or teacher to teach with. Its not a book for the children just to pick up and read stories out of. My other child learned to read in school and was way behind using the traditional methods until I started teaching him with this book. Now he loves to read too. Great for home schoolers!

This Book Is Wonderful!

I used this book with my son and daughter several years ago. I have recommended the book to several friends. My son and daughter were ready to read very early on. After using the book with my children at age 4, they were reading chapter books by age 5. Both of my children are reading atleast 3 grade levels ahead of their classmates. I owe it all to this book. If your child is ready to read, this book is for you!

A 'must have' for every child

I am a mom, a certified teacher, and an elementary school principal. I recommend this book to everyone I encounter. I see that a few people have rated it poorly because of its lack of pictures and interesting literature. That was not the purpose of this book. The purpose is to teach children the basic concept of phonics so that they are able to unlock words at a higher level. Supplement, supplement, supplement with additional literature as you are using this material with your child. My son resisted it when he was three and four. Finally, when he was 4.5, he was a little more open to the lessons. He is now 7, in the first grade, and reading at a 5.1 reading level. I believe in Engelmann's approach. I've not simply seen it work with my own child, but with hundreds of children in the classroom. Good luck and remember...do what is best for your own child and move at their own pace. No two children are alike. Oh...and never stop reading TO your child. This is where they will acquire the higher-level vocabulary that will allow them to continue to soar in reading.

Boring, Boring Way to Learn

Don't buy this book right away. This book was very boring & colorless, with little material for actual reading. It really ended my son's desire to learn to read. I don't think this book works well for children who alredy have a good grasp of phonics.

Outstanding Instruction for both parent and child

I've read most of the reviews here and would have to agree with everyone, this book is superb! I tutored second grade students in Language Arts for two years at a small community education center, where I also learned to use the Reading Mastery program. I loved this program, and so it already gave me a heads up once I began teaching my own children to read. The Distar program, overall, is crucial and perhaps the most sound method out there to truly teach children to read and more importantly, comprehend our complex language.