Teach Your Children to Read Well
Authors: Michael Maloney, Lynne Brearley, Judie Preece
Publisher: Teach Your Children Well Press
For More Information or to Order: www.teachyourchildrenwell.ca

Dubbed by some as the "Maloney Method", the Teach Your Children to Read Well series is the result of years of research and practical application with thousands of children in group, and one-on-one tutoring situations.  There are four levels of instruction, beginning at K-2 and continuing through 8th grade.  Each teaching set includes an Instructor's Manual, Student Reader and Student Workbook. 

The well-researched methods of Mr. Maloney and his colleagues are clearly presented as you follow the scripted Instructor's Manual.  In fact, it is imperative that you follow the manual exactly.  In addition to providing the wording for the teacher to use when instructing the student, the manual also tells you how to correct your child if they respond with something other than the expected outcome.  It does take some time to get accustomed to the teaching model, which is explained in detail at the beginning of the Instructor's Manual.  After some time to familiarize yourself with the program, lessons proceed more smoothly since you follow the same steps for each lesson.  Many moms will appreciate the easy, step-by-step instructions for each lesson and specific guidelines for evaluating student progress.

We were given the K-2 set for review.  The Student Reader has practice stories and also includes "fluency" checks.  There are forms in the back of the Student Workbook for tracking progress and charting fluency scores.  One thing I need to point out is that some children may not like to have to keep working on the same word/sound list until they get a proper score on the fluency check.  I understand that these checks serve an important purpose for overall success in using this program and with proper incentive most children apparently do very well, but it was a small point of contention when we were testing the program with a young reader.  The Student Workbook is well organized with plenty of working space.  Pages are perforated for easy removal and there are a good variety of exercises both for handwriting practice and reading activities.

Overall, Teach Your Children to Read Well, is a thorough, easy to implement reading program that has proven successful for struggling and beginning readers in both home and classroom situations.  Unsure of which of the four levels to begin instruction?  Just pop over to the Teach Your Children Well website and print the placement test.

Making the Grade: B+
Cost: $54.95 per level (includes Instructor's Manual, Student Workbook and Student Reader)
Value for Your Homeschool Dollar: 9
Review provided by Cindy Prechtel, Editor