100 easy lessons question

[momsquared]

Hi all! I am new here, but it appears this is a great place to have this question answered. As a teacher I am humiliated to ask it, but sometimes having someone else tell you something makes you feel better. And sometimes not...whatever. :)

Anyway, my DD goes to PK 2 half days a week. It has been a so so experience and she will not be returning to the school next year. She is happy enough playing there, but I am not thrilled with their approach to learning.

At home, I am using 100 easy lessons and BOB books to work on reading. DD really likes sounding out the letters and learning to decipher the BOB books, but she HATES the writing part. This actually has been an issue with the PK she is in. Quite frankly she is not there yet developmentally. She is so so with writing, but it frustrates her and she struggles.

So here is the question - can I just ditch the writing part of the 100 easy lessons? I still will work with her, but I don't want her to hate reading because writing frustrates her.

I know this sounds like a no brainer, but for people who have used this book will it hurt us down the road if we throw the writing part out?

Thanks!
Jessica

[gracesteacher]

Why not uses magnet letters or shaped clay for the writing part. I havent used the book so I am not sure what the writting is for but if she is not ready I would not push the issue

[momsquared]

I considered having her use her finger and paints too or shapping them in sand or whatever. I don't want to hold her back on the reading because of the fine motor skills issue. She LOVES the reading part and already can sound out some things.

[crazymom4]

My dd....learned to read using 100 EZ lessons really early...but she was in NO way ready to do the writing...so sometimes I would use a highlighter and she would trace the letters I wrote...and often times...we just skipped it...she is just now (6 years old) really being able to write well.

[4summergirls]

I used 100 easy lessons with my 3rd daughter for about 6 months. The writing is minimal, and since you're doing other things with her like Bob books I think you'll be fine. I did end up switiching my daughter to OPGTTR which is actually working better for us and doesn't require any writing. But if your daughter likes 100 easy lessons and she's learning well with it, then there's no need to switch just becuase of the writing.

[yslek]

B learned to read with 100 EZ lessons, and didn't do any of the writing exercises. He was ready to read, but his fine motor skills just weren't there. We didn't even start writing instruction of any kind until the following year. :)

If I remember correctly, SWB recommends separating reading and writing instruction. (Although T learned them simultaneously, as he learned to write letters before he learned to read. :D)

[Amber in AUS]

We are doing 100EZ without the writing part. We are using Kumon workbooks to build motor skills. DD is reading and writing well. DS has his pencil grasp and is improving his motor skills thanks to Kumon.

Go for it on the reading front and ditch the writing. Work on fine motor in other ways until she is ready to write!

[twogirlsmommy]

My DD was very young when we did 100 lessons and she was NOT ready to write. I skipped it when it became frustrating and mostly focused on writing her name, which she was totally into. We did not do formal writing until K.

[siloam]

So here is the question - can I just ditch the writing part of the 100 easy lessons? I still will work with her, but I don't want her to hate reading because writing frustrates her.
?

Thanks!
Jessica

Jessica,

Welcome!

By all means drop it, or modify it. I keep a container of sand around for just such times. I will write it first and have her trace my writing in the sand. I also have a set of Scrabble letters I can use for variety.

Heather

[claire up north]

I think your instincts are right on. Learning to read is enough. I would definitely skip the writing without even a pang of guilt. :)

[momsquared]

Thank you all for the replies. It seems so obvious, but sometimes it is just nice to get another prespective.

[Carol in Cal.]

...and never even really considered using the writing part--I forgot that they even had one until I saw your question!

I used magnetic letters on the refridgerator and a letters poster to teach the shapes, and once I decided she was ready to learn to write a bit more, I would just make up my own worksheet every day.

It would have a lower case and upper case letter for her to copy over and over. I showed her the right way to form the letters. She would do about 6 of each. Then once she knew how to write some of the letters I started to write very short words or extremely short sentences for her to copy as well. I would leave a line below my writing so that it was easy for her to reproduce it. She learned cursive the same way, a year or two later. I taught her the letters in the order in which they appear in a frequency analysis of written English, so we started with the most commonly used letters and progressed toward the obscure ones. I got that order from a book called "Codes and Secret Writing" by Herbert Zim. I don't remember it all, but it starts

ETAONRISHDLF

[RootAnn]

:iagree:I'm on my second child going through 100EZ and although I'm not sure I will use it with #3, I've NEVER used the writing part. DD#1 wasn't ready and I'm using Cursive First with dd#2.

One of the great things about HSing is that you can modify the programs/ curriculum you use to fit your child. Or drop it if it doesn't work.

[ElizabethB]

I did oral spelling and used magnetic letters on a cookie sheet and a magnetic white board for "written" spelling when my daughter was old enough to spell but not able to write well.

[momsquared]

You guys are great. Thank you so much. I told DD we were going to forget about writing during reading lesson and she was thrilled. She actually wanted to do another lesson when we already had done one!

[Heather in NC]

I did not do the writing part of 100EZ either. I use startwrite and I only do it when ds4 is in the mood. I don't force it. A fun thing we are doing right now for writing is a letter to santa.