Now before this all sounds too overwhelming, and as we get into what a lesson actually consists of, one thing you must know is that all lessons are scripted! You don't have to worry about not explaining a concept or new sound correctly because it's all laid out for you on every page. TYC even explains what to expect from your child. Making the program easy on the parent is one of the reasons TYC has been such a success.

The daily lessons, divided up by "tasks," may conclude in as quickly as 10 minutes, but I would recommend that you schedule 20 minutes, especially in the beginning, until you and your child are more familiar with what is expected. These lessons should take place every day for five days per week. Do not compromise! As mentioned earlier, these lessons build upon each other, and continuity, just like consistency in discipline, is the key to your success. You may even have days when you do two lessons in one day, as some lessons go quickly. However, use your own judgment so as not to load your child with too much information. If working on reading is enough for your child at this time, do not overwhelm him with Sound Writing.

On occasion, once you actually get started, there may be times when you wonder what the exercise has to do with anything your child is learning as some things seem to go off on a completely different tangent. Stick with it—have you ever noticed that if you have something weighing on your mind, or if your child has a big test coming up, getting your mind off that particular thing for a few moments and going to something else makes you better able to deal with it a little later? This, to me, must be the idea that the writers had in mind. By the time you get to task 4 of the lessons, you will review what was already taught in task 1; task 5 will review what was taught in task 2. You will be amazed at how successful that first lesson was and what your child retained!

I use a similar technique when I am teaching from a book (what Charlotte Mason referred to as whole book learning). While I am reading, my children will be doing something with their hands—drawing, coloring, painting, or latch-hooking a rug, for example. Keeping their hands occupied helps to make their minds free to accept what they are learning on an auditory level. Their retention level is far greater than if they are only half-listening because they are so bored their hands are looking for something to do. So, when TYC begins with one task and seems to switch to an entirely different point, only to come back to the original task, I believe that this same concept is what they are aiming at. Teach something meaningful, get away for just a short bit so that the information can sink in, and—bingo! Lesson learned!

Enter the Tortoise
Hooked on Phonics was the first reading program I used. Hooked on Phonics (HOP) now has several programs to offer, but why mess with perfection? Their original program, which we will discuss here, is now called Hooked on Phonics Classic. It is so much fun when that big HOP box arrives! Inside you will find 7 workbooks with lessons, stories, and activities; 9 audio cassettes; 3 sets of fun stickers; 9 sets of flash cards; and a parent guide. Yes, while TYC's strength is in simplicity, HOP has all the bells and whistles! Another find—remember those SRAs that we talked about earlier? They are here! But let's not get ahead of ourselves.