Does anyone have any feelings about this program? I had originally planned on McRuffy but now I am thinking maybe I will go a cheaper option and supplement with bob books and ETC... I got it from the library to look at before hand and I'm just not sure how I feel about the extra characters and font and such. Has anyone used it with children who already knew their letters and letter sounds? Did it confuse them? Any thoughts whatsoever?
I also got it from the library first. I've saved LOTS of money that way ! I could tell pretty much right away that it wasn't going to be "right" for me, don't ask me why! I just "knew". But those who like it REALLY like it, so it might work for you!
I tried it once with my grandson when he was 4 and asking to learn to read. I think we got to lesson 12 before he'd had quite enough of that! and so, quite frankly, had I. And we weren't even "pushing it", just doing whatever whenever.
Yea, it kind of strikes me as strange. Since I have it, maybe we will try a few lessons because what they are doing makes sense.. I just don't know if I like it or not... I am looking at Alpha phonics as well.. Waiting on the library to call me when they get it in for me still
I am like Jackie. I borrowed it from a friend and I could tell it wasn't for me but not sure why! I gave it back to her the following Sunday!
The more I look at it the more I am just not sure... Hoping I like Alpha phonics more. If not we will just go with McRuffy which was the original plan anyway =) Wish the husband would give the go ahead on ordering stuff now so I could quit changing my mind! lol
Save yourself Money and get it from the Library. Wish we would have done that. Beau did NOT do well with it, no matter how many sticker charts, and rewards I made and gave him he would cry when I brought the book out. It's a little boring, IMO, and I ended up giving it away at a garage sale. It might work for some, but it was aweful for us.
Unlike the other responders, I liked Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. My daughter wanted to read and we started with it sometime when she was 3yo. Because of her age and ability, we did the lessons until she began to struggle and then would either back up or take a break, however when she just turned 4yo, she was reading second grade level as the program suggests even though we did not finish the book. I think we were around lesson 78 and just stopped using it because she was reading and learning on her own with books she loved. I did not feel the need to finish it because she had surpassed it. Basically, it had served its purpose. I just gave this same book to a friend for her daughter, because the girl knows the sounds of the letters, but cannot not put them together. A few years ago, I had another friend that used the book with the same difficulty and she saw a big difference in her daughter's ability to put all the sounds together as a word in a very short time. As with any program, most of it is what you make it to be. I made the time we used the book a special time for my daughter. She literally learn to read on my lap in a rocking chair.
I have an opinion....but it's not a favorable one. I will say, you either love it, or hate it. I've never met any in-betweens with it. We switched at about Lesson 35ish to Scaredy Cat Ready by Herzog....then after the first half of that book switched to www.starfall.com. My other two, I just started with www.starfall.com.
I used it with my second child with success but not with my first or third. They did well with a different program. I used it along with other level reader books, Bob Books and Explode the Code workbooks
Are you using the starfall curriculum or just the free content on the website? I have looked around on there but I must be missing something because so many people give it such good reviews and the kindergarten class I taught as a long term sub used it during centers...
If I use it, or alpha phonics, that is exactly how I plan to supplement! I'm thinking we will give it a try since I have it from the library. Even though i wasn't planning to officially start until August/Sept I kinda want to feel it out.. DS knows his letters/letter sounds/ and does well with CVC words at this point and is super interested in starting so we might as well try it
I used only the free content. I always intended to buy the things that go along with it, but never did. The K Curricula was added after my kids were done with it. With my oldest, I used it ALL (well, ALL the free stuff...downloaded the journals, she did all the books, all the worksheets, etc). My middle started played on it - nothing formal - while my oldest was learning. When it was time to sit down and do the formal program with him, he was already reading, so I didn't. Same thing happened with my youngest. All three of my kids test way above level on reading. I owe it all to Starfall! I will say that my youngest would print out the sheets on her own and do them! HA HA HA! She was funny that way! She still plays on Starfall every now and then (she's 7), and every now and then she'll hand me a worksheet she's printed out and done. I found for all three of mine, the content in the "Now I'm Reading" sections gave them curiosity when looking for books at the library. They'd find things that were on Starfall and HAVE to get it! Loved that.
I hated it too. Tried it with my oldest and I just didn't like it and neither did he. I would rec Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading over 100 lessons any day. But even that I shelved after the first 28 lessons because my children learn better with practical hands on so I have actually been using the BOB books to teach my 5yr old to read. I won't be using a book guide to teach my next two to read. We'll just use flashcards to practice letter sounds and then move onto the BOB books again. Starfall - the free content - was really how my oldest taught himself to read. When we abandoned 100 lessons he just taught himself to read with starfall. He was 4.5. He's such an overachiever. lol
hmmmm.. I wonder if that would work. I made letter flashcards with my cricut for my daughter and that is how she has learned her sounds and letters. My son is putting together CVC words and knows almost the entire pre-primer sight word list. Maybe I should just do what I'm doing and not worry about a program... Sigh.. it just concerns me to teach them to read! Here's the scary part.. I am 1 year into a 2 year master's program in reading education. I KNOW I am competent just Teaching reading just scares me because it is SO important!
I like it... mainly because my daughter really enjoys it. I didn't start it until she had mastered her letter recognition and sounds. She was going to a private preschool a few hours a day, and it bothered me that they teach one sound and then eventually just throw in words with completely different sounds and expect them to be able to figure it out. She really took to the symbols. I personally feel that sight words come naturally. I don't do sight word cards or anything, and that book helped her to automatically recognize words after reading them over and over. I will say that I've never used anything else so I don't have anything to compare it to. Since she was already in school, it wasn't something we were using as a curriculum, but just something fun to do and help her reading skills.
I also used it and loved it...my dd was 3 and knew letters and basic beginning phonics. We did about the first 6 lessons, skipped a few and did about 6-10 more lessons. She was reading on a 2nd grade level by then. She didn't have any issues with the font, but I did wonder if she would have if we hadn't started after she already had a strong recognition. She started K at 4 years, 8 months reading on a 3.6 grade level (by Sylvan standards, lol!) Her comprehension ability was somewhere around 1st grade level, however. I had to really look to find books she could read and be challenged, but also enjoy and comprehend. The Berenstain Bears little paperbacks were a favorite...nice vocabulary, but short with lots of pictures! I actually just gave about 30 of them to a friend, and it was very sad!!! My dd is almost 15 now, and my son is 9!!
Here's the link to the Starfall download center: http://www.starfall.com/n/N-info/download.htm?n It has the Level 1 Workbook pages that go along with the first 15 books. Also, if you do individual activities, it gives you an option to print it when you're done, and gives you a worksheet specific to that letter sound.
