Can we talk about 100 EZ lessons?

[Sue G in PA]

I just got a copy from my library and have been flipping through it b/c OPG was just not "clicking" with ds (and I just didn't like the "scriptedness" of it). I see that 100 EZ lessons is scripted too, but I can get over that. My question is on the way the letters are written (Distar Orthography). If you have used 100 EZ lessons to teach reading, did your child have difficulty reading "normal" print in actual books...meaning print that wasn't written in the Distar Orthography? It would seem to me that having learned to read with all the symbols as a "cheat sheet" of sorts, that when reading normal text the child might become confused or frustrated. Does that make sense? did you find this to be the case? And, is you used 100 EZ lessons for reading, did you also use another written phonics program (like ETC or McRuffy or another)? Thanks!

[silvermine]

Yea, I found the strange letters to be a bit odd. We didn't stay in it long enough to find out if it would bother him to change from it when he was done. We sort of kind of hated it after a bit and ended up using a free program called Blend Phonics.

 

A lot of people like it though! I hear. Just not for us...

[Loupelou]

Sue, I've been using 100 Easy Lessons for my two youngest, we also use ETC. SO far they haven't had any problems reading the letters in other books.

[WiseOwlKnits]

We did the whole 100 lessons. DD didn't have any problems at all transitioning. I was highly skeptical to begin with, but I can't say enough good things about it at this point! The Leap Frog DVDs + 100 EZ Lessons are what taught DD to read. :)

[Sue G in PA]

Encouraging so far. I'm just so frustrated and torn btwn curriculum for teaching reading. I can't get my head on straight. Ugh. I did not like OPG...at.all. Just my preference. Ds loves the ETC online program. But I want something we can do together. Websters spelling/phonics just looked too "blah" to me and too "different" I guess. And then there is the question: Do I teach spelling while teaching reading? They are two different skills are they not. I am just so blasted confused. Somebody please, please help me and set me straight before my heads spins right off my shoulders! So much to choose from and so many methods. Did I mention I also have AAS to use? Any body ever use that for teaching reading?

[Mom-ninja.]

Funny, we ditched 100 EZ lessons in favor of OPG.

[Doodle]

We started last year when Doodle turned 4 and said he wanted to learn to read. We did not use it daily. We are on lesson 50 and will pick it up there for Kindergarten this year. He doesn't have any problems reading the same words in normal print. The book has worked well for us. The only thing I used last year besides 100 Easy Lessons was BOB books.

[Wyndie]

I used 100EZ only to teach my son to read. He didn't need anything else once we were done with the book, although we did phonics the next year but during the summer after 100EZ, he started reading chapter books on his own. My dd on the other hand, hated 100EZ and we quit pretty soon. Her problem was probably exactly what you cited - she couldn't transfer what she was learning into real life books.

 

I think some children will do well with it and others won't. I loved EZ, it was, well.. easy. :D I loved how quickly Nathan "got it".

[Katrina J]

I battled with it for a year with my daughter. She really didn't enjoy it and I tried all sorts of rewards, incentives (pure bribes) and encouragement to get her to do the lessons with me but it took a whole year to get through the first 50 lessons. My kids go to a regular school and the orthography became a problem when my daughter started first grade because she started to use it in her writing at school. In March this year I found a synthetic phonics program you can find at www.phonicsinternational.com. My daughter loves it because she feels like she is in control and can choose different worksheets and activities. It isn't scripted as such, but there are teaching points in the worksheets for the teacher/parent and there is a very comprehensive teaching guide available freely online. And not being a one on one program I can introduce my 4 year old to reading at the same times. There are plenty of colourful matching and blending games for little ones too.

[Brenda in FL]

The orthography was not at all a problem for my kids. And the lessons do transition out of it before the end of the book. My kids never even questioned the "strangeness" of it at all!

 

We also read Bob Books after the appropriate sounds were introduced in 100 EZ - and again no problem with the text.

 

We never had to do any additional phonics program. The kids went right from 100 EZ to easy readers and then onto early chapter books.

 

Sue, since you already have the book - why not try it with him? You can always back off if it doesn't seem to work. And it will definiteley fulfill the need of wanting to do something together. Here's a couple of hints to start you off:

 

1) Use a calendar and stickers and place a sticker for each lesson you complete.

2) Offer a goal - Our kids got their very own library card once they completed the book

3) Skip the writing portion

4) Read the "story" only once instead of twice as suggested.

5) Incorporate the first set of Bob books as the sounds are introduced. Praise them for reading a "real" book on their own.

 

As for spelling - you don't need to start it at the same time. We use Spelling Workout and start it after 100 EZ is completed. For my kids this was mid-Kindergarten.

Edited August 15, 2009 by Brenda in FL

[MerryAtHope]

The visual appearance of 100EZ always bothered me, so I never could get into it! I used Reading Reflex. Would have been nice to have AAS back then, I have always thought the two programs would work well together. RR also is Orton Gillingham and uses tiles (only it has you cut apart the book for paper tiles, or photocopy the pages, the AAS tiles would be much nicer!). I really liked the first half of the book, but thought the 2nd half (getting into vowel teams etc...) needed work. Still, your library might have it or you could ILL it & you could see what you think.

 

Did I mention I also have AAS to use? Any body ever use that for teaching reading?

 

There are people who use just AAS for teaching reading. You would want to make some adjustments likely, because the pacing of it is geared towards spelling & might seem slow for reading. When the author uses it for teaching reading, she has students working through the program at two places--one for reading & one for spelling. This way they can work ahead for reading, and the spelling lessons reinforce the reading.

 

You can teach the concept and then have your child read the word cards and the dictations instead of spelling them.

 

There are some others using it to teach reading on the AAS message board, The Chatterbee. There's a group called AAS Phonics there.

 

HTH! And I hope you find something you're comfortable with for teaching reading! Merry :-)

[newlifemom]

100EZ worked great for dd#1 and ds#2. Dd#3 hated it and loved OPG. Neither of the olders had a problem with the way the letters were written. FWIW, I never did the handwriting portion.

[Phoatogirl]

100 EZ Lesson worked so well with both of my boys they were way ahead of the game in reading, compared to most of the kids their age. I started at the age of 4 with both of them and tried to do it daily (of course that didn't work out, but we problem did it almost daily). One of my kids whined (he whined about everything, and at the age of 11 can still be difficult to motivate).

 

Sticker charts and rewards are a bit help if your daughter is not motivated to learn to read. As easy as the book is to use, it still takes a small amount of discipline on the part of the teacher and student to use it. So naturally some kids will raise some static about reading time.

 

I supplemented BOB books as appropriate times will using the lessons and by lesson 50 we also read the Beginner Bible. By lesson 60 both boys set aside 100 Lessons for "real" books (easy readers, and then on to easy chapter books). There wasn't even a hitch in moving to regular text. Oh, we didn't do much with the writing exercises, though. I think I did my own thing with penmanship.

 

100 Lessons is my favorite reading program. It worked for us and for so many and you can not beat the price!!

[Renai]

The visual appearance of 100EZ always bothered me, so I never could get into it!

 

:iagree: In fact, it bothered me so much, that when I opened the box it came in, I took one 2 minute look-through and put it back in the box. But, I think it had to do with me possibly being adhd (:D) and the pages WAY too busy and distracting for me.

[ElizabethB]

And then there is the question: Do I teach spelling while teaching reading? They are two different skills are they not. I am just so blasted confused. Somebody please, please help me and set me straight before my heads spins right off my shoulders! So much to choose from and so many methods.

 

Reading is decoding and spelling is encoding. They are two sides of the same coin.

 

I've found with both my remedial students and my daughter and several quasi-remedial K and 1st grade students (they are never as damaged as my older students, they don't require a lot of undoing bad habits like my older remedial students) that they learn a lot faster overall when you have them spell a few of the words they're learning to read. It takes learning those letters and sounds to a new level and makes the info stick more in their brains, you end up doing a lot less repetition if you add in spelling while teaching reading.

 

There are a lot of methods! As long as you eventually teach all the sound spelling correspondences and don't teach more than 5 or 10 sight words, whatever you choose will work great. (Although Webster's does get them to a higher grade level much faster. I made it fun by doing it in short lessons and having a good time with it, laughing at the funny sounds with my daughter. We also occasionally played my concentration game for fun. My older students, I am more boring for, but they get excited after a few lessons when they realize how much they're learning.)

 

Edit: I have no personal experience with 100 EZ lessons. But, it seems like a strong program. And, several marking and character systems have been used throughout history with no transitioning problems, although continued use of markings that change the spellings have been shown to be a detriment to later spelling. I made a 100% phonetic font called UPP for my extremely hard to teach students so they could have a 1 to 1 sound to letter system, but I actually like Leigh Print better, here's my Leigh Print page, it shows how that specially marked print was successfully used in the late 1800's (to me, it's less distracting than either my print or 100 EZ lessons.) Both my UPP and Leigh Print do not change the spelling of the word, so do not suffer from the spelling problem.

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/leighprint.html

 

And, my UPP is here if you're interested. I mostly use it for explaining things in my movies, but several of my struggling students find it quite helpful:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/upp.html

Edited August 15, 2009 by ElizabethB

[Amber in AUS]

I have not read all of the responses but wanted to say that we used 100EZ with excellent success. My DD had no problem at all transitioning from the 'funny' print to real books. We used ETC books 1 & 2 (which we hated) and are now using AAS. DD ended 100EZ reading at a 4th grade level and is now basically fluent. They do say they will finish at a 2nd grade level though.

 

Websters Speller also helped us and i used it together with 100EZ over the last 25 to 30 lessons.

[KarenNC]

If he likes ETC online, have you considered trying switching to the ETC workbooks as a first step so that you can do them together, since that is your main goal? They are pretty inexpensive. That's the way we used it (of course, the online version didn't exist at that point). We tried 100 EZ lessons first (borrowed book), hated it, tried Phonics Pathways (from library), hated it, started ETC, loved it. We literally went from crying, fighting, etc whenever she saw the book (100 EZ lessons and PP) to "I want to do reading now, pleeeeeeaaaaaase" and "do we have to stop, can't we do just one more page" with ETC (from a 4 yo). My friend, however, used 100 EZ lessons to teach her son and raved about it, so YMMV :).

 

We did a combo of ETC workbooks, Dolch sight word cards, leveled readers like Bob books and early readers from the library (a wide variety including Dick and Jane which gave her a lot of confidence). I also wrote out very simple stories using words she knew and involving our cats---if she could read the page she got to illustrate it. That helped me know she was reading and not guessing based on the pictures. Initially these were along the lines of "Marco sat. Marco sat on Meg. Meg bit Marco. Marco was sad." (a regular occurence in our house ;)).

 

ETC does work on spelling while working on reading. Actually, by around ETC 5 or so, it became primarily a spelling program for us as she was reading fluently. She wanted to finish out the ETC series instead of switching programs to just spelling. I gave her the option to skip the "which word goes with this picture" and "which sentence goes with this picture" once we were at that level, but she never skipped. We went on to Spelling Power after ETC.

[LizzyBee]

I used 100EZL with 2 of my kids and wish I'd used it with the 3rd. The marking gives students visual support while they are learning, but it is phased out toward the end of the book. My kids had no problem at all transitioning to normal print. The phonemic awareness exercises, the way 100EZL teaches blending, and teaching one new sound at a time REALLY helped my dyslexic kid. When she finished, she wasn't reading fluently at a 2nd grade level, but she was reading way better than when she started.

[LizzyBee]

Funny, we ditched 100 EZ lessons in favor of OPG.

 

I've checked OPG out of my library twice to try it out. I just can't use it even though I can't even explain why.

[Sue G in PA]

Okay, so now I am looking at The Reading Lesson, which advertises that it is much like the methods of 100EZ except the pages are alot less cluttered. Any reviews on that one? I'm hopeless, aren't I?

[profmom]

I used it successfully with my two oldest kids and plan to use it again with our 3rd, starting this year. As the others have said, the marks are phased out by the end of the book, and I appreciated that the words are spelled correctly (even if the silent "e" is smaller, etc.) My kids didn't have a problem transitioning to other books. I was impressed with how quickly the program has the kids reading!

[johnandtinagilbert]

I used 100EZL and we didn't have a hard time transitioning at all. I did find other issues from using it though. I'm a broken record about The Phonics Road, so I'll send you to a recent post that explains why and what I learned after all these years of home schooling. It's long, but worth the read (at least I think so :) )

[johnandtinagilbert]

I wanted to add there is a great feeling when your dc seems to be reading early, as they will with EZL, but reading early does not equate to reading well and an understanding of all the components to reading that will be required as dc get older. Also, reading is only a part of understanding language arts, so, while I understand and appreciate how great it feels when they read early, this does not guarantee later success. My dd was reading well at 4 so I thought we were in the zone...well, by 4th grade, we had some reading issues. Early doesn't mean better, it just means early. Kindly spoken.

[Sue G in PA]

So Tina, is Phonics Road EASY to implement and use? I don't need another curriculum that takes me forever to implement, study and figure out. KWIM? Can I use this w/ another program like MFW or HOD should I decide to go that route w/ my ds? I was actually looking into MFW 1st and they have phonics incorporated. I'm so confused! Can you tell?:)

[AngieW in Texas]

Have you looked at Funnix? It is the same Direct Instruction method by the same author, but it doesn't use the goofy print.

 

Engelmann wrote several different Direct Instruction reading programs. 100 Easy is based off of his Reading Mastery program and has goofy orthography. Funnix is based off of his Reading Horizons program and has normal print. Funnix Beginning Reading covers exactly the same content as 100 Easy. Funnix 2 starts where 100 Easy leaves off.

 

I have never used the beginning program. I did Headsprout with my dd and then did Funnix 2. I had never heard of the program before then.

 

It looks like they have a 60-day return policy:

If there is any problem with our products or you are dissatisfied for any reason,we will either replace the product without charge or fully refund the purchase price, less shipping and handling, for up to 60 days from the date of purchase. Returns must include the entire Funnix package and proof of purchase. Shipping costs for returns are the responsiblitilty of the customer.

 

 

http://www.funnix.com

[johnandtinagilbert]

So Tina, is Phonics Road EASY to implement and use? I don't need another curriculum that takes me forever to implement, study and figure out. KWIM? Can I use this w/ another program like MFW or HOD should I decide to go that route w/ my ds? I was actually looking into MFW 1st and they have phonics incorporated. I'm so confused! Can you tell?:)

 

As easy as a scripted program, no. But really not hard to implement I had about a two week learning curve and now we breeze through.

 

The DVD's provide for about 20 min. / week of watching to teach. You can jot quick notes (not many needed, though) and then teach.

 

Implementing consists basically of,

 

"Your next word is camp. The boys made camp near the river. Camp. What is the first sound you hear? /s/ /k/ That's right (write on board the letter c). (You may remind the song, #8 here..to Old MacDonald: C before E, I, or Y always says /s/.) That way they know the C says /k/ and not /c/

What's the next sound you hear? /a/ /A/ /o/ That's right. Good job. (write on board the letter a)

/m/ /p/

 

Basically, you tell them the word, use it in a sentence. They work through the phonics of the sound.

 

You'll spend the first portion learning phonics using great cards and ideas. Then you slip in some spelling words. All the while learning songs to remind them why same letters make different sounds. Back to some phonics, back to spelling words. By week 16 or 17 they begin reading stories and illustrating them.

 

It looks more complicated in my typed version than it really is. When I looked at it, I thought it looked like a lot, but my 2 dc picked it up quickly and we love the program. It is rec. for 1st grade. Someone on the other thread about PR posted a program that is encouraged to be used in K that compliments it nicely. Others choose to slowly go through PR 1 during K. It all depends on writing ability of your student.

 

Early on in home schooling it would have been tough to understand why first grade, but since this program relies heavily on writing, it makes sense. It is worth the wait.

[johnandtinagilbert]

So Tina, is Phonics Road EASY to implement and use? I don't need another curriculum that takes me forever to implement, study and figure out. KWIM? Can I use this w/ another program like MFW or HOD should I decide to go that route w/ my ds? I was actually looking into MFW 1st and they have phonics incorporated. I'm so confused! Can you tell?:)

I can't speak directly to MFW, but I can tell you I am using it with TOG and Noeo.

 

It's worth it enough for *me* that I am using it for 3 dc (2 different levels) and using the Latin Road for 3 older dc (same level), in addition to using TOG (3 levels- 6 dc).

 

Keep in mind, it alleviates the need for spelling, grammar, handwriting, dictation, copywork, so the time spent in replacing many things.

[coralloyd]

I tried EZL and I could not stand all the scripting. If you want easy program that is open and go without all the clutter. May I suggest Phonics Pathways. You can add more to it if you like. I know some use it as spelling and writing. We just open it and read a page or two a day, VERY easy!

[johnandtinagilbert]

So Tina, is Phonics Road EASY to implement and use? I don't need another curriculum that takes me forever to implement, study and figure out. KWIM? Can I use this w/ another program like MFW or HOD should I decide to go that route w/ my ds? I was actually looking into MFW 1st and they have phonics incorporated. I'm so confused! Can you tell?:)

I'm slow I didn't realized HOD....my friend is using PR and HOD. I went through PR with her. She is Thrilled with the results.

[Deana FL]

I always have to take the opportunity to sing praises for 100 EZ!! I know there are many who don't like it, but it works every time for me. Never any problems w/the symbols disappearing and by the end of the book they are supposedly at a 2nd grade reading level.

 

My dd finished her 100th lesson just before she turned 4 and has been an avid reader since. What a world of knowledge opens before them when they have a strong phonetic foundation.

 

My 2 boys also learned to read fluently with this program. Not to say there weren't days of struggle, but worth every bit!

 

When we complete this book, we begin ETC books.

 

I always tell people to get it from the library and try it for a couple of weeks and see what happens.....nothing to lose, it's free!

[gardening momma]

We're not finished yet with 100EZ Lessons, but I love it. Dd doesn't seem to be confused by the orthography at all. She's not reading out of other books yet, but she does notice words here and there in the real world that she can read now (and how many fonts are out there?!). I think the transition to regular letters is in lesson 75. We're a little more than 10 lessons away from that. There have been other symbols and markings that have been gradually disappearing, but she doesn't always notice that. When she does, I just say, you don't need that anymore because you know how to read that (or what you're supposed to do there), and she accepts it and forgets about it in another lesson or two.

 

Have you looked at Funnix? It is the same Direct Instruction method by the same author, but it doesn't use the goofy print.

 

Engelmann wrote several different Direct Instruction reading programs. 100 Easy is based off of his Reading Mastery program and has goofy orthography. Funnix is based off of his Reading Horizons program and has normal print. Funnix Beginning Reading covers exactly the same content as 100 Easy. Funnix 2 starts where 100 Easy leaves off.

 

I have heard that 100EZ Lessons doesn't cover everything needed for reading, so maybe Funnix 2 would be good when we finish 100EZ?

[razorbackmama]

I just got a copy from my library and have been flipping through it b/c OPG was just not "clicking" with ds (and I just didn't like the "scriptedness" of it). I see that 100 EZ lessons is scripted too, but I can get over that. My question is on the way the letters are written (Distar Orthography). If you have used 100 EZ lessons to teach reading, did your child have difficulty reading "normal" print in actual books...meaning print that wasn't written in the Distar Orthography? It would seem to me that having learned to read with all the symbols as a "cheat sheet" of sorts, that when reading normal text the child might become confused or frustrated. Does that make sense? did you find this to be the case? And, is you used 100 EZ lessons for reading, did you also use another written phonics program (like ETC or McRuffy or another)? Thanks!

 

100 EZ Lessons transitions to normal print somewhere around lesson 75ish or thereabouts, so it's not like the child jumps straight from the book to regular books with no transition.

 

That said, yes, my ds have trouble with it. He did awesome through the first part of the book, and once we got to the regular print, his reading went way downhill. Now I feel like we are pretty much where we started at the beginning of the book. Sigh.

[johnandtinagilbert]

100 EZ Lessons transitions to normal print somewhere around lesson 75ish or thereabouts, so it's not like the child jumps straight from the book to regular books with no transition.

 

That said, yes, my ds have trouble with it. He did awesome through the first part of the book, and once we got to the regular print, his reading went way downhill. Now I feel like we are pretty much where we started at the beginning of the book. Sigh.

 

I had that problem with 2 ds. I felt like it went from slow to moderate to Super Speed too quickly for those boys.

[Michele B]

100 Easy Lessons made me insane. I went straight out and got a dry erase board and started writing letters and helping her put them together. Then I got Explode the Code. That is all I have used for my girls. It teaches them the rules without the bother of the extra symbols and funky-looking letters.

[EKS]

I think that EZ lessons is a very bad way to teach reading if you child is having any problems at all learning to read.

 

Ask me how I came to this conclusion...

[gardening momma]

I think that EZ lessons is a very bad way to teach reading if you child is having any problems at all learning to read.

 

Ask me how I came to this conclusion...

Ok, I'll bite. :confused:

 

And regarding my earlier post about maybe using Funnix 2 next, I've already pitched that idea and am just going to AAS 1. Better to pitch the idea now before I buy it. :D

[Sue G in PA]

Okay, can somebody be diagnosed with bipolar curriculum disorder? :) If so...I'd have it for sure. After going rounds over this...I think i have decided on....Phonics Road! Yeah! Now, if I can just afford all the levels. Yikes it is expensive!

[mommylawyer]

I see you've made a decision now, but just thought I would weigh in.

 

I used 100 EL with my oldest. We stopped around Lesson 65. She was frustrated and I was frustrated with her, but we made it through 60 lessons before it got to her. By the time we got to 65, she was reading pretty well on her own anyway.

 

I'm using it with my second child now and, so far, he LOVES it!

 

That said, I hated OPG. Although both are scripted, OPG just didn't work for us (for me?).

 

I think it just depends on what you're comfortable with. I didn't know how to go about teaching my child to read and 100 EL did the "going about" part for me. I like the script in 100 EL. OPG - hate it.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide to use!

[LizzyBee]

I think that EZ lessons is a very bad way to teach reading if you child is having any problems at all learning to read.

 

Ask me how I came to this conclusion...

 

I think that's generally true. I've heard many moms of dyslexics say that 100EZL caused enormous frustration. But I used 100EZL with my dyslexic 8 yo because it was the only thing that worked for her. The phonemic awareness exercises were great for her, because lack of p.a. is one of her greatest weaknesses. The way 100EZL taught blending was a huge help; she just didn't get it before 100EZL. The marking system gave her just enough visual support until she could internalize the rules the marks represented. The fact that they teach the student to sound out every single word and teach no sight words is very good for dyslexic students. A single resource isn't going to work with her ~ we've used LiPS and we're now using Barton ~ but 100EZL was definitely a success for her.

[kindermommy]

Okay, can somebody be diagnosed with bipolar curriculum disorder? :)

 

 

If so, then I will join your support group! Although for me it would likely be bipolor PHONICS curriculum disorder. While I love to research all types of curriculum, I spent the entire year last year obsessed and confused about phonics.

 

I think I am finally seeing the light though and I am in a bit of a better place phonics-wise now. I am not sure what "clicked" - but for some reason I seem to feel more at peace with what I am looking for (for me and DC's). I guess I needed that year of craziness last year to get to this point! Thankfully DC's were only PreK and K!

 

As far as 100 EZ - it was my first-ever-curriculum purchase. I gave it a diligent effort but could not get past lesson 10. I did not want to pick up the book. I could.not.stand.it. Is it a good program? I have no idea (10 lessons is not enough to really say, especially when I was only at the beginning of my HS journey) but I just know I could not stand the look of the pages (too cluttered) and the distar orthography. And I never picked it up again.

 

We also tried the Reading Lesson. I really liked it as far as "looks". It's very visually appealing. It also uses markings to aid the reader with different sounds (but phases them out). DD was flying through it - but after using an AbCeDarian assessment, I realize that she was simply memorizing the words. So we had to stop and go back to something more systematic and work on blending left to right.

[TracyR]

The letters are strange in the 100 EZ lessons. But no my girls never had issues with switching from the lettering in 100EZ to regular type.