Classical Phonics & First Start Reading by Memoria Press-
Bentz Test Laboratory has a Kindergarten member this year. And, this is the perfect program for him!
Let's start at the beginning (like all good phonics programs do) with a description of these excellent resources:
"First Start Reading covers consonants, short vowels, 45 common words, and manuscript printing, accompanied by artist-drawn coloring pictures and drawing pages for every letter. Your child will begin reading in the very first lesson as he progresses through three student books and twentyfive phonetic stories, such as "Hogs and Pigs" and "Jog to the Jet." A Teacher Manual guides you through the program and provides helpful assessments and teaching tips."
First Start Reading:Phonics, Reading, and Printing (set of 3 + teacher guide)
by Cheryl Lowe - with Teachers Guide - $29.95 (just $21.95 for the Student Workbooks only)
What I liked: First Start Reading is a consumable workbook - working on phonics and handwriting all in one place (I much prefer one book to seperate programs for each "subject"). The best part, by Lesson 3, my tester got to read his first word! I just love being there for that, don't you? I never tire of that first sparkly-eyed - "I just read that all by myself" moment. These workbooks are very well done. Clean, crisp and visually appealing. You can see a sample of Book A here.
"Classical Phonics is a deceptively simple little book our teachers and families use constantly in both Kindergarten and first grade. It consists of phonetically-arranged word lists for students to practice their growing phonics skills. In a word list there are no context clues, so the learner must rely on his mastery of letter sounds. For instance, if your child can pronounce each word in this list correctly – pot, pat, pit, put, pet – he knows his short vowel sounds, and you can move on to long vowels! If not, he needs more practice, and Classical Phonics is the most effective tool I know of to address the repetition that young ones need when learning to read. Classical Phonics can be used as a supplement to any phonics program and covers nearly all English phonograms and sounds taught through second grade. Classical Phonics is your handy tool for phonics practice and for building confident readers. *A must-have supplement for First Start Reading! "
Classical Phonics:A Child's Guide to Word Mastery by Cheryl Lowe
is a NON-consumable (my favorite kind...) resource for just $14.95
What I liked: Classical Phonics is a companion (or not, depending on your preference) to the First Start workbooks. It is very "uncluttered" simple drawing, black and white, plenty of visual "room". I like that my student doesn't have alot of pictures to distract from focusing on the pure sounds of the words. It contains lists of words in phonetic families for your child to read. I am a huge fan of phonics based instruction. I found this book to be a very useful resource to use with my struggling 1st grade reader as well. We even used it for simple spelling tests as well. You can see a sample of this book here.
The Teacher's Guide is a valuable addition to the program, especially if you are new to teaching someone to read. It guides you through each step of the lesson (and the pencil grip and letter formation information is invaluable!)
Memoria Press is worth taking a minute to visit - in fact, get a catalog here. I have used many of their Latin products in the past, and I can tell you - quality is what they are all about.
See what the other members of the TOS Review Crew thought here.
I was sent a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest opinion.