Imprimatur: John M. D'Arcy, Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend, 2003

Designed to be used in Religious Education programs, this manual is also "homeschool friendly". First and foremost, it is faithful to the teachings of the Church, based on both the Catechism for the Catholic Church (1997) and the Holy Bible (Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version). Second, the authors emphasize in the Introduction that "a child's own parents occupy a special role in the formation of their children for the sacraments" (page 12) and they include practical means for getting parents more involved in a Religious Ed program. Finally, the majority of the educational activities in the book could be used just as easily in the home as in the classroom.

The manual is divided into 8 lessons: "God's Great Love", God's Rules for Living", "Sin and Conscience", "Baptism and Other Sacraments", "Forgiveness", "the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Part I", "Sacrament of Reconciliation, Part II", and "Living Reconciliation". Each lesson has a "Know It" section for the catechist, which summarizes Church teaching on the topic and presents information about the developmental level of children preparing for their First Confession (assumed to be around the age of reason, ages 6 or 7). The next section is "Teach It", with reproducible pages of practical teaching suggestions, games, crafts, and activities for the classroom. Finally, there's a "Share it" page, in both Spanish and English, which is a reproducible letter the catechist would send home to the parents.

Many of the "Teach It" suggestions involve movement and activity, ideal for kids at this age (especially little boys). For example, there are directions for acting out the story of the Prodigal Son, and for a "lost sheep" hunt in the classroom. Other "Teach It" ideas include small-motor activities such as coloring a small booklet about Baptism, and playing a matching game about the Seven Sacraments. I intend to use some of the exercises this year for my seven year old son as we prepare him for the sacraments.

The 100 EL is a direct instruction program. This means that the teacher's dialogue is scripted. The sessions are designed to take 20 minutes per day. We found them to take 15 to 30 minutes a day. If it takes any longer, I recommend to stop using the program for a few weeks to let things "jell" then go back to it. I did this periodically with both children and they did not forget any of the previous material when we went back to it.

If your child is a cuddler and loves to be read to while sitting in your lap this is an excellent program. I often thought of our schooling not as home school but as lap school. I have a nephew who was not a cuddler and did not like to sit still and be read to. His mother tried this program on him and it was a constant battle which they soon gave up.

The 100 EL uses only itself (just a book), you and the child. There are no additional workbooks, tapes or other falderal to cost you money and waste time. It is extremely easy to use. Just sit down with your child, open the book and begin reading. There is no lesson planning involved. The sounds of the letters are taught first and the names are taught only at the end. This is consistent with recommended phonics teaching. By lesson 9 the child begins to sound out written words.

An example, the sound of m has already been taught, the sound of e has been taught, I quote,"1. Touch the first ball for me. I'm going to sound out this word. then you'll say it fast. (Point to ball under m). 2.What's the first sound I'm going to say. (Touch for two seconds). (Student should say mmm (release) Point to ball under e) What's the next sound I'm going to say? (Touch for two seconds) (student should say eee). 3. Return to first ball. My turn to sound it out. (Touch under m and e as you say "mmmeee" (return to first ball) Say it fast. (Slide quickly to end of arrow.) me. 4. (Touch first ball) You're going to sound out this word, then say it fast. Sound it out. Get ready (Touch under m and e as child says mmmeee without pausing between sounds. Repeat until firm.) (Return to first ball) Say it fast (Slide to end of arrow.) me". As you can see it uses a stimulus-response method.

It progresses quickly from words to sentences to stories (all contained in the book). By the end the student is usually reading on a solid 2nd grade level. With my first daughter we did the first half in kindergarten, the second half in 1st grade concurrent with another program (The Hewitt easy readers). My second daughter did it all in kindergarten. She is an exceptionally eager reader however and now, at 6 is reading books such as "Charlotte's Web" (her current favorite).

I follow up the 100 EL with The Writing Road To Reading used along with Teaching Reading At Home which is a supplement to TWRTR. It organizes the material so it is easier to use. The 100 EL is a good background for TWRTR in my opinion. I got the idea from Berquist's Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum.

My daughter, Emily, announced, “The kids’ class [student writing workshop] is much funner than the teacher class.” Scratch that. I am “sure” she said “much more fun.” She was referring to the student writing workshop for Teaching Writing: Structure and Style available on DVD. Implemented by Andrew Pudewa, director of The Institute for Excellence in Writing, Teaching Writing: Structure and Style is a two day seminar where he demonstrates to the teacher/parent how to teach writing skills to school-age children through a step-by-step process. He breaks down the writing process into two basic categories: the structure of writing and style techniques. The structure portion includes both outlines and models of fiction and non-fiction writing.The style techniques are employed to make writing more appealing to the reader and he offers quite a variety. In other words, he teaches the teacher how to teach his/her students how to write in an organized manner that is interesting to read. The step-by-step process is broken down into nine units: 1) Note Making and Outlines, 2) Summarizing from Notes and the Syllabus in Style, 3) Summarizing Narrative Stories, 4/6) Summarizing References & Library Reports, 5) Writing from Pictures, 7) Creative Writing, 8) Essay Writing, and 9) Critique Writing. These nine units are developed over 6 DVDs. In addition, there are three workshops for the students to participate in for a total of 9 DVDs: 6 are instructional workshops for the teacher/parent and the last three are Student Workshops: One each for Gr. 2-4, Gr. 5-7, and Gr. 8-10+. These are workshops. Periodically, he will ask the viewer to turn off the TV and do the assignment. Since these are workshops, he not only walks the teacher/student through the process, he also reads the completed assignments of the class or student as well. This offers the viewer an idea of what they are seeking to achieve as an end goal. This is an excellent way to show the teacher/parent how to present guidance to the student when learning how to write. To help the viewer understand the program, crucial information is found in a Seminar Notebook that is loose leaf papers clipped in a binder, so you can add additional information and notes. This includes detailed notes, charts, outlines, checklists, models of sample student writing, and a syllabus. During the class, he points out the page numbers for you to follow him. His target audience is for teachers of children from grades 2-10; however, even adults would benefit from the program in creating more clear and concise writing with interesting stylistic techniques. He opens the first DVD with background information about the Teaching Writing: Structure and Style program, he then provides an overview of the program before he launches into his first lesson. Each unit builds on the previous unit. With humor and interesting stories, he holds the viewer’s attention. Because of the great number of hours, the teacher/student should not try to cram too much information too quickly in order to finish the program. Going back to my opening line, “scratch that,” one of the points of the program is that the student should write in pen. Instead of erasing, the student is encouraged to write on every other line and cross out the errors and write the correction above the corrected word, phrase, or sentence. This is one of many tips that will make the writing process much easier for many students. While some parents may balk at the price, they need to consider the value of the program. It is a two day seminar and it includes workshops for the student as well. Even if the teacher/parent were not to follow the program exactly, there is a wealth of information that is shared that would be helpful to the teacher/parent and student. For example, some teachers/students may be attracted to the structure portion of the program and others to the style portion. They can pick and choose what works best for them. While it is a highly organized program, with check off lists, and a specific way of doing things, it is a program that is easily adapted. Because it is a workshop format, instead of a lecture series, by doing the exercises, the teacher will have a greater understanding of the student’s position when learning how to write, especially the potential frustration that usually builds up and the need to allow adequate time for a good essay to develop. Andrew Pudewa imparts a wealth of knowledge and teaching tips that can be applied to other areas of teaching. For example, once something is mastered by the child or “easy” for him/her to do, then he/she should move on to the next step. One of the beauties of the program is that the teacher/parent does not have to come up with new writing ideas, the teacher/parent can use the material the student is already studying in history, science, or religion or the teacher can use the suggested assignments in the program. Although Mr. Pudewa stands at the front of the classroom, he is not in any way a mere talking head. An engaging speaker, he knows the joys and the pitfalls of teaching and shares his practical knowledge with the viewers. He knows the secret of a good teacher: He interacts with the students. While my daughters periodically popped in and out of the room while I was watching the teacher DVDs, they purposefully on their own accord (Gosh, are they my children) decided to watch the student DVD, took notes, and did the exercises. They were quite proud of their finished products. No wonder they liked it more than watching the teacher portion. Because of the vast amount of information, I have only given a brief overview of the salient points of the program. If you visit his website, you can click on a youtube demonstration where he outlines the benefits of the program. On youtube, there is also a sample from one of the DVDs, but the constant pausing interrupts the flow of his presentation and makes it difficult to watch. Teaching writing to children, or to anyone for that matter, is one of the most difficult tasks for a parent to do. It really shouldn’t be. But we are overwhelmed with all the grammar rules and the memories of red ink dripping all over our student essays once upon a time. Andrew Pudewa gives teachers/parents a highly structured alternative to teaching children how to write. He does so in an interesting manner, showing students both how to organize their papers and do so with stylistic techniques that greatly improve interest. His goal is the goal of all good writing, to make it both interesting and meaningful. Before you give up on trying to teach your child how to write, consider Teaching Writing: Structure and Style by Andrew Pudewa.