{{Disclosure: I received this product free through the Homeschool Review Crew}}
Learning to read is one of the most important milestones in your child’s education. But it can get challenging if you have a child who struggles to read, If reading (or learning to read) is difficult for your child, you will want to check out Failure Free Reading Home Edition.
Although we have moved beyond the learning to read stage in our homeschool, I remember well what it is like to have a child struggle and just not get it. As a member of the Homeschool Review Crew I was asked to take a look at this program, to see how I might have used it with my children and to share my honest opinion.
I remember feeling as though I were failing my daughter when she was having difficulty sounding out words in her reader. I remember the frustration I felt with my son when he could not recall a phonics lesson we had just completed that morning. I remember the look of defeat in my son’s eyes when the letters on the page just did not make sense. These are reasons why the people behind Failure Free Reading created their nationally recognized reading comprehension program.
Throughout my journey as a homeschooling mom there were times I found our tried-and-true methods just didn’t work for a particular child or during a particular season. Changing the approach often was all it took to make things ‘click.’ Failure Free Reading is for students truly struggling to learn how to read with meaning and expression. It is a good fit for students who just don’t get phonics or who poor comprehension when they read aloud.
Once you have access to the program, parents are given two different online options:
- Child-initiated, self-paced lessons that use multi-sensory talking software, including video instruction or
- A scripted, parent-led lessons that include guided-reading instructions prior to the child’s online lessons.
The initial registration process took some time. The first step is a diagnostic assessment. It is supposed to quickly identify your child’s current academic reading grade level and then automatically place them in the Failure Free Reading story that best corresponds to this level. I did not have a child take this assessment. In order to get a feel for how things worked, I did pose as a struggling reader to see where it would put me. I felt the assessment was a little long and tedious. But I think my children would have been able to easily click through and answer the questions. The program customizes where the student will begin based on the responses given in the assessment. I found there was no pressure to get things exactly right, just do my best. My results and placement were what I expected. I began at the Red Level, in Joseph’s Readers. For each lesson, there is a page from the selected story. It is read outloud by the program. Student is asked to click on certain words they have had read to them. The screen is visually simple and uncluttered so you can easily see what is being read and where to choose words. It is recommended that at least one lesson is completed a day.
It is recommended lessons are worked independently, 20-30 minutes per day. With younger students, or reluctant students, a bit more parental involvement may be needed to help with your child’s daily progress, but I found once the use is familiar with the format and finds their rhythm, it is easy to move from one lesson or activity to another.
Daily progress is available for parents in clear, concise, understandable graphic reports so you can easily review how they are coming along. It is nice to have all the information on-screen and available when I want or need it. This program can be used with all school-aged children, but I think it would be especially effective with children who have special needs. If using this program with a special needs child, or any child, it is recommended he/she has a developmental age of six years old or higher.
Failure Free Reading Home Edition is not just for the home educated child. This program can be used as a supplement for any child, no matter what school they attend, regardless of age or prior reading ability. This is for that child who hates to read, is really struggling to sound out words and/or who has zero comprehension.
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