Review: Alpha Phonics

We have some new readers at our house, so I was excited to have the chance toreview Alpha Phonics with Tiger and Bee!

What is it?
Alpha Phonics was created by Sam Blumenfeld as a method for teaching reading using a phonics approach.  The program teaches letter sounds and phonogram sounds, then teaching the child to blend those sounds.  Alpha Phonics introduces spelling rules in order to teach decoding. 

What does it include?
The program has several components.  We reviewed the textbook, workbook, and companion readers.

• Textbook - The textbook contains all the text for each lesson with word lists to practice reading, short stories to build fluency and apply the letter sounds learned, and teacher instruction at the back of the book.  The textbook retails for $34.95.

• Workbook - The workbook has extra practice pages that correspond with the lessons.  The workbook retails for $19.95.

• Companion Readers - The program offers 10 companion readers.  The readers are scheduled after certain lessons throughout the program so that the child has learned all the necessary letter sounds to successfully read the book.  The readers retail for $24.95.

• The program also comes with a CD-Rom of the textbook.  The child can look at the text on the computer and the teacher can read the instructions or hear them read aloud.

All material can be ordered through the Alpha Phonics Website.

How did we use this product?
I started using the program with Tiger first since he is starting to sound out a few words and knows many letter sounds and phonograms.  We went through the first several lessons, completing several lessons in one day as a way to review what he's learned previously.  Once we came to new material we slowed down and did a lesson a day.  Tiger is a wiggly little guy and doesn't have a long attention span, so one challenging lesson a day was enough for him.  Some of the lessons toward the middle of the book would take us several days of practice and review.  

Once Tiger was in a routine of using the program, I started at the beginning with Bee.  She knows her letter sounds but not many phonograms and can blend only a few CVC words (consonant/vowel/consonant words).  She has not had any formal reading instruction.  We spent several days on each lesson so she could review the sounds and build her confidence. 

What didn't we like?
The teacher instructions are in the back of the textbook.  I had to flip back and forth between the text and the instructions until I got used to the flow of the program.  

What did we like?
The text has large font and is easy to read.  The text is also very uncluttered with no color so it's not distracting to a new reader.

The program is very straight forward to use and moves systematically through teaching phonics and spelling rules.  

It's easy to adjust the pace of the program and move as quickly or as slowly as your child needs.  

What did we think overall?
I found Alpha Phonics to be very straight forward and easy to use once I got into our routine of using in on a daily basis.  I would have enjoyed some additional written instruction for holding my hand as I got started with the program.  But I found that after a few weeks, I felt much more comfortable using Alpha Phonics.  We enjoyed the simplicity of the program as it eliminated any distractions during the learn to read process.  We're on our way to reading!  

Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this product in exchange for an honest review.  I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.  All opinions are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.  

Alpha Phonics has graciously allowed me to host a giveaway of the Alpha Phonics Text,
Workbook, and Readers.  1 of my readers will be able to enjoy using the Alpha Phonics program!

Alpha-Phonics

The student uses rules presented along with lists of words and syllables and eventually sentences. Print is very large which is suitable for young readers. Students practice with quite a few of these lists but move quickly into reading sentences so their sense of accomplishment is high.

This program doesn't use bells and whistles as others do, with the intent that the student concentrates on the letters themselves so that they immediately recognize the sounds associated with a letter rather than taking an extra mental step to recall a key word associated with a picture.

Not only is this choice one of the least expensive programs available to teach reading, but it automatically teaches SPELLING as you go through its easy-to-teach lessons. There are over 3,500 words introduced!

Here is a brief comment from a successful user of the program:

"We found Alpha-Phonics to be a very straightforward, no-nonsense approach, not dependent upon pictures, games, or other devices to teach our son to read. It is very easy to use, as you can tailor the amount of lessons you do to the speed at which your child is learning. We finished the program after 2 and 1/2 months and found our son to be reading at a 3rd grade level."

Kathy's Note:
From what I am reading about this approach, I believe it would be better suited to the complacent, visual learner and possibly the audio learner if the lessons are done out loud. I'm not sure that the kinesthetic learner would be able to handle the visual concentration involved without all the bells and whistles offered in other programs. At the very least, you would want to keep the lessons short for him.

Use the Links below to purchase at a discounted price...

Alpha-Phonics Book on Amazon.com

Buy this book at Christian Book Distributors

The Book on CD-ROM displays all 128 lessons exactly as they appear in the highly successful book.

The CD is extremely easy to use: It has "Autostart" which allows it to open right to the lessons by just popping it in your CD drive.

Then the pages almost magically come alive on your computer screen. See - hear - teach - learn!!!

The CD includes informative "tips for use" which make this easy to use system even easier.

NO KEYBOARDING REQUIRED!

Alpha-Phonics The Book on CD ROM is simpler than many other computer based programs. One big reason is because it requires NO KEYBOARD work for the student. The student uses only the Mouse!

This is best for little beginners who can not type yet and who should not start by forming "hunt & peck" habits which will be hard to break later when touch typing is to be learned.

Use this link to purchase at a slightly reduced price...

Buy this CD at Christian Book Distributors

OR Use this link to find it in our Amazon aStore Shop Here

posted by Heather on Schooling Resource

1 comment

A while ago I was contacted to place a link to Alpha Phonics as a resource.  Being that I only want to ever promote or advertise something I truly and really love and whole heartedly stand behind, I was not willing to do so until I had had a chance to check it out for myself and see what I thought of it.

David, from Alpha Phonics, graciously mailed me the book and CD (again, thank you David!).  We’ve been using it for a couple of weeks now and I am so totally LOVING the book!

I have two three year olds.  They fairly recently turned three so they are really really young and I honestly didn’t expect much when we started.  Both my girls know how to phonetically sound out all of the alphabet letters.  They’ve been sounding out letters for some time now and we recently put up some large ABC magnets on the fridge for them to play with.  I also read to them quite a lot and they absolutely love to try to put letters together and ask us what it says.   Since they seem to be really interested in forming words and get that several letters together will actually form a word, I figured it couldn’t hurt to try Alpha Phonics with my girls and see what happens.

I’m going at a much slower pace than is recommended in the book.  We go back and review previous lessons because they are so young and they get such joy out of getting the words sounded out correctly.

I am in AWE!  Absolute awe!  The oldest twin is reading two and three word sentences.  She is always begging to read from the “big red book” and constantly asks to do more.  I am going at her pace and letting her be the one to tell me how much she wants to do.

My younger twin girl listens in to her sisters reading and she also asks to read but doesn’t seem as interested, which is totally fine!  She is, after all, only three!

The other day I was doing the lesson with the older twin and she was stumped on one of the words.  My youngest pipes in and reads the word trying to help her sister!  I was shocked!  So I guess she is soaking it in and is learning right along with her sister.

I am truly impressed with Alpha Phonics and highly recommend this book!  I absolutely love that it is a no frills book.  You’ll find no pictures or fancy drawings.  It is very simple, very short lessons, perfect for little ones with short attention spans.  I definitely plan on sticking with this book and have been using it every day with both my little ones.

There is also a CD that this book comes with -it’s perfect in that it is just like the book -no pictures and animated images to distract the child from learning to read.  It’s short and easy lessons just as in the book.  I can see us eventually using the CD since we very much love incorporating the computer in our children’s education.

As an aside and example of the customer service of Alpha Phonics, the first CD we received didn’t work- we had tried it in several computers and it just wouldn’t do anything.  I emailed David about this and he had a replacement shipped just 2 days later, so great customer service!

It is truly an amazing feeling to see your little ones reading!  And it makes me feel so good that I am the one that is able to teach them with the aid of this wonderful book.

When it comes to educating our children, sometimes it can feel really quite scary.  The doubts on whether we, as parents, can really do this.  Can really teach our kids.  Having the right tools goes a long way in giving me the confidence I need to teach my girls.  This book, in turn, gives my girls the confidence they need, especially when they find themselves succeeding in reading!  Nothing like seeing the sparkle in my girls eyes when they realize they are reading like their big sister!

Thank you Alpha Phonics!! Each of my girls give this TWO thumbs up!

Alpha Phonics sent me the book and CD to review.  All of the opinions expressed here are my own.

Alpha-Phonics....A Review!

The Primer can be used "stand-alone", but if you would like to use this as a spelling program also, I would recommend getting the workbook for the reinforcement activities and spelling rules.


This set of Ten Little Companion Readers are around $24.95. These aren’t really necessary in order to use the program, but are a nice addition.

Thomas said, "Oh!! Do I get to read those?"   (Well, yeah!)


My Alpha-Phonics Bullet List Assessment:

• The program could be used with any age. It doesn’t have cutesy drawings and sayings that an older child would feel silly using.

• The book is very no-frills. It is written in very nice hand lettering, and there are no pictures. This would be perfect for the “easily distracted” learner, but would need to be adapted quite a bit for the kinesthetic learner.

• The price is very reasonable for what you’re getting, and is a Cathy Duffy Homeschool Pick.

• This program is for the homeschooler, tutor or classroom.

• The website and blog also offer tips for using the program and more.

ALPHA PHONICS

by Sharon 
(HomeschoolBoys.com)

Alpha-Phonics: A Primer for Beginning Readers By Samuel L. Blumenfeld Alpha Phonics is a resource I've seen recommended often enough and by sources I'd trust that I'd highly recommend it. If I didn't already have and love Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons... I'd be giving Alpha Phonics a try. It is described as a no frills phonics program. That "no frills" simplicity is often the best way to learn. Less distractions and more reading!  The program is designed so your child will be reading simple words and sentences by lesson 3. Practice text and word lists are included.  Easy to teach with little teacher preparation. Just pick it up and teach. Sounds good to me.

Comments for Alpha Phonics Average Rating  Click here to add your own comments

Rating Totally Agree!  by: Lector We are currently teaching our fifth son to read using Alpha-phonics. We used Alpha-phonics to teach each of his older brothers as well.  We can't say enough good about this book! It is easy to use and inexpensive. It introduces easy sentences right away, which is a great motivator.  We have found that it works best for us to use Alpha-phonics alone at first, and then later add some phonics flash cards. (We use Romalda Spaldings phonogram cards.) This combination is all we have ever needed.  We've been homeschooling now for 9 years, and with most subjects we find that one child loves one curriculum, and the next child hates it and needs something else for his different learning style. Alpha-phonics is the only book that everyone has loved! I highly recommend it.

Rating Alpha-Phonics Works!  by: Anonymous Alpha-Phonics is a book that teaches children to read in a series of lessons that increase in difficulty. What makes this different from many other reading programs is that it is just reading, no bells and whistles or fancy color pictures, just combining sounds to form words. The beauty of Alpha-Phonics, is there is very little to distract a wiggly 5 year old.  The child learns that reading is simply putting sounds together to make words. Since each lesson is short this book is appropriate for young children who don't have the attention span to sit for too long.  In the age of Hooked on Phonics and other reading programs costing hundreds of dollars, Alpha-Phonics is a breath of fresh air and hearkens back to a simpler time where reading was more about letters and sounds and less about frills and games.  I am using Alpha-Phonics right now with my son who is 4 - it's a great way to introduce the basics of reading in a way that is clear an not frustrating and confusing.

an alpha-phonics review & giveaway (teach your child to read!)

Just this morning, I asked the people that follow the Kelley's Break Room Facebook page what good teachers gifts would be and would not be. I directed this question to people that are teachers, to people that were teachers and to people that know how to spell "teachers". I got lots of great responses. It seems that the overwhelming majority said gift cards were great and candles/cups/pencil holders were not. Every teacher is different. Some teachers may actually love an all-in-one candle/cup/pencil holder, but, if you get this for your child's teacher, please warn her that it is not safe to drink the wax pieces that may break off.

Teachers like gifts. Teachers need gifts. Teachers appreciate good gifts. That was my whole point in asking that question. It helped me realize that the containers of Morton Salt and empty egg cartons that I had always gotten my kids' teachers in the past probably weren't hitting the spot.

We all know that teachers deserve something really great, but you REALLY realize they deserve something great when you try to teach your own child something. Some of you may be excellent at that and may even be homeschool teachers. That is awesome. I am not the best at it. It was only recently that I convinced my 8-year-old that getting his homework done as soon as possible in the early afternoon would make the rest of his day better. (And mine. Most definitely mine. The later it gets, the more cranky he gets, the more cranky I get and the more likely it is that I will want to sleep snuggled up to my chimney on top of the roof.)

When we sit down to do my 8-year-old's homework, my 5-year-old wants to do something homeworky. He is not in Kindergarten yet, but is all ready to learn. When I received an e-mail fromAlpha-Phonics regarding their reading program, I got all excited. I would love for my child to be reading really well when he hits Kindergarten and I loved that there was a reading program out there to help me do that. Also, I loved that my 5-year-old would have something new to do while I tried to explain carrying one over in double-digit addition and whatever other math fact my 8-year-old was tackling at school that day.

They mailed this workbook to me along with a CD-Rom, that is basically the workbook but on a disk.

 At the back of the workbook is an explanation of all of the lessons targeting the 44 sounds of the English language. These lessons are very easy to access on the CD-Rom, as well. It is a very easy program to use and starts in small bits and leads up to large chunks of information.

The only thing you need to watch out for are older siblings who think it is their job to grade your younger child's work. They tend to mark up the pages a bit too much.

To be honest, my 5-year-old and I spent a lot of time on this first lesson. (He just turned 5 a couple of weeks ago.) We spent probably too much time on this first lesson. He knows the alphabet, of course. Each time we would move on to the next lesson that was a bit more challenging, he'd suggest that we go back to the ABC page and review that again. I was like, "Child, you already know that. We aren't going to go over that again. We need to go over this page now." Yet...his little hand would flip the page back to the ABC page. I guess all of this exposure will help in some way down the line. I was just hoping he would be able to read dishwasher manuals and things like that by now.

We are getting there. The dishwasher manual will be mastered soon. I have no doubt in my mind.

You can see more of the book and of the CD-Rom in this video:




The website is great, too. There is a video of a woman who learned to read at 3 by using this Alpha-Phonics program (it has been around since the early 80s) and is now using it to teach her own child.

I also love that it is a family business. There are some cute pictures of children, grandchildren, etc. in the Alpha-Phonics office and at a family picnic. Love it!

If you have any questions, you can take a look at their "Frequently Asked Questions" video. It shows the owners of the The Paradigm Company, Peter and June Watt, answering questions in front of a roaring fire. I love that big time.

This Alpha-Phonics workbook and CD-Rom is $34.95 and can be purchased here. I think you will be very happy with the materials! But, of course, thanks to the generosity of The Paradigm Company, I am giving away a copy of it, too, to one of you guys.

If you are interested in receiving a free copy of the program, enter using the Rafflecopter below. If you haven't used it before and want some help, please ask me. Thank you!

Review of Alpha-Phonics: A Primer for Beginning Readers

may 10, 2013 by genamayo 

I am happy to share a review today of a great reading curriculum:  Alpha-Phonics: A Primer for Beginning Readers by Samuel Blumenfeld.  (And read to the end of the post to see how you can win a copy yourself!)  The first thing I noticed about Alpha-Phonics was how simple it is–not a lot of pieces to lose or complicated instructions.  The main book comes comb-bound (I took it out and put it in a 3-ring binder to help it last longer).  There are 128 lessons, each about a page long.  In the back of the book, it gives the teacher/mom a simple instruction on how to teach each lesson.  So, each day when we got to a new lesson, I would turn to the back and quickly read my instructions before I had the child do his/her reading lesson.

 

 

 

Also, in the back you’ll be able to read the philosophy behind the type of phonics instruction that Alpha-Phonics uses.  They start out by teaching the short vowels, then the consonant blends (final blends first, then the initial blends).  Last they teach the long vowels in their great variety of spelling forms.  There is also some pre-reading instruction (teaching the letters and their sounds), so this curriculum will work for anyone starting out to teach their child to read!

I used it for the past few weeks with three of my kids.  My 4-year-old already knows the letter names and sounds and was ready to start with lesson 1.  We got through Lesson 10.  She did well and I think we’ll keep using Alpha-Phonics all the way to the last lesson to see how she does.  I expect she will be reading quite well by the time we get to the end of the book.  She also used the “Little Companion Reader” Short Vowel A book and had fun reading a real “book!”

 

 

 

The second child I tried Alpha-Phonics with is my 4th child, my 8-year-old.  She is my struggling reader.  I am debating whether to continue through this curriculum with her or to try a multi-sensory approach (one that is hands-on and uses colors, etc.)  The other 2 curricula I have used with her (TATRAS and Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons) are similar to Alpha-Phonics in their approach.  Those worked great for teaching my first 3 kids to read, as well as the 2 kids after her!  She isn’t catching very quickly with this approach, so I might try something different with her.

The third child I used Alpha-Phonics with was my 6-year-old son, who has just “taken off” with reading and will pick up his own books to read now.  :)  I started on Lesson 20 with him because he can still use some focus on recognizing phonograms (ch, dge, ough).  I’ll continue with him through the rest of the Alpha-Phonics book.   He had fun reading the Little Companion Reader “The Chums” which uses short vowels with digraphs.

 

Another thing he really enjoyed (and it kind of surprised me) was the Companion Workbook.  It contains about 40 worksheets, the answers, and ways to work on syllabication (how to divide words into syllables).

 

 

Do you want to know one of the best things about the Alpha-Phonics curriculum–well, besides the fact that it’s so simple to teach and it will teach your kids how to read!?  It’s so affordable!  The cost is only $34.95, and that includes a CD-Rom of all the lessons–if you’d prefer to use the computer monitor to show the kids the words to read each day.  (The CD-Rom also includes the parent/teacher instructions and pronounces things).  The Little Companion Readers (set of 10) are $24.95 and the Companion Workbook is $19.95.

Check out the Alpha-Phonics website to see samples and videos.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Alpha-Phonics Reading Program Review Pt1

Samuel Blumenfeld graduated from the prestigious City College of New York in 1950 and spent the next decade as an editor of the University Library at Grosset & Dunlap. Sometime during that experience--and I have worked reading over-the-transom slush-piles, so I have an inkling what happened--Mr. Blumenfeld noticed something funny about American literacy. Or it would have been funny, if it were not so shocking and sad. In short, Mr. Blumenfeld jumped on the crazy-train that so many of us home-schooling parents ride and he's been coming around that mountain ever since.
A man with an amazingly active and energetic intellect, he poured himself into trying to understand the question posed by the seminal "Why Johnny Can't Read?", and even more importantly, what to do about it. Not just what to do regarding school reform, though he has much to say on that--but really, how do you teach Johnny, an actual, living, breathing human being, how to read? Because at the end of the day, that's what matters most, and that is the genesis of the Alphaphonics program.
I'm going to begin this review with restricting my comments to what is the heart of the program, the original Alpha-Phonics and then address the supplementary materials in a second review. So, first, what you want to know: Does it work? How does it work? Is it for me and my child? How much does it cost?

It costs a little under $30. See Amazon for the typical price.


Is it for you and your child? I have no idea. It certainly works very well for me and my child and I completely adore the program. But every teacher and every student interact in unique ways. 
How does it work? There are something like 109 lessons. The lessons are really just lists of words. You write the word, the student sounds out the word. Next word. Voila. Phonetic rules are introduced, along with words that don't play nicely. Along with the lessons, a teacher's guide provides lesson-by-lesson direction and advice on what to emphasize and talk about. You start with very straightforward words and progress.  Lesson 1 is very basic, by lesson 109 you have a fully functional reader.

The great thing for me, as the "teacher" is that I don't have to do any planning or preparation. The teacher-guide material is very concise. We work through the lists, some days we may do only three words, some days we may read 30. My student is not yet 4, so 30 words is quite an achievement. I expect it will take us about 9 months to a year to work through the program and she will be reading proficiently before she is 5. An older child or adult could work through the program in a few months if they were motivated. I *love* the fact that you can pace it however you like. I am a *very lazy* homeschooling mom/teacher-type. Easy pacing, no planning or effort? I'm interested.

The baby is waking up. I think this review will have to be in three parts instead of two. So we'll call this the introduction.


Christina O.

This product was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review. The above opinion is 100% Christina's.

Friday, May 3

Alpha Phonics Curriculum Giveaway, Beautiful Simplicity!

Using her Alpha-Phonics Workbook

I love finding new homeschool curriculum like Alpha-Phonics.  It's convenient for me (lesson prep takes about 2 minutes), fun for my kiddos, easy to use for all of us, and it's something that I can adapt for use with all of my children based on their level.  Last year, I realized that my children each needed daily one-on-one reading time with me in addition to group classroom.  Now, during Art or Free time, I take turns with them.  We sit in my room where it's nice and quiet and have our one-on-one reading time. We do an Alpha-Phonics lesson and then read a book together--their choice.  They love it--it makes them feel accomplished and they get that special time with me all to themselves.

I found Alpha-Phonics in one of my favorite homeschool magazines just last year but it turns out they've been teaching kids to read for a really long time--over 30 years! Tried and true!  I'm really amazed that it's so affordable.  You really don't need to spend a fortune on reading materials!  You can simply use Alpha-Phonics and any books appropriate for your children's reading level. We use Alpha-Phonics along with Book-It. By the way, make sure and sign up for Book-It for next homeschool year!  Enrollment just opened a couple days ago.  

Besides being a great curriculum, the customer service at Alpha-Phonics is amazing and they've got such great vision for our children!  Alpha-Phonics' publisher Peter Watt told me, "We view our business as much a ministry as it is a business.  We are in the business of saving little minds."  I like that very much!  

We've now been using the Alpha-Phonics primer since the beginning of the year.  We've just recently also begun using the Little Companion Readers and Workbook.  Today, we read "Velvet the Tomcat", a reader focusing on short vowels through lesson 42.  You can see my youngest daughter reading excerpts in our video... all went smoothly until her little brother tried to jump into the "movie"!  

The Prize!

GIVEAWAY!
One of my readers will win the same Alpha-Phonics items we received including: 

• Alpha-Phonics Primer w/ CD-ROM version(including teacher's manual and lesson plans)
• Alpha-Phonics Workbook (includingspelling rules)
• 10 Little Companion Readers   

Fill out the form below by May 11th when I'll choose a winner via Random.org.  In the meantime, checkout all the other great items you can get from the Alpha-Phonics Store!  They also sell McGuffey Readers, Jensen's Grammars, books on cursive writing, and lots of other great things that can be hard to find, especially all in one handy dandy place.

You Can Also Find Alpha-Phonics On

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Years ago I used Alpha-Phonics: A Primer For Beginning Readers with one of our kids. It was so long ago I don’t remember which child used the book or why we didn’t continue using it. I suspect it was for my child who taught himself how to read so by the time I sat down with Alpha-Phonics we didn’t really need it.

Tricia at Hodgepodge Mom has a great review of the program so if you are thinking about using it for phonics in your homeschool read her review before purchasing. Alpha-Phonics is an inexpensive and reusable book so if you think it will work for you it is a great frugal phonics resource.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Alpha Phonics, How My Kids Learned to Read

Sticking with the reading theme, since it's time now for Summer Reading Programs, I thought it was past time for a review of the Alpha Phonics reading book. I used Alpha Phonics to teach both my kids to read the summer before they began kindergarten.

Originally, I didn't think I needed a formal reading instruction book. We are big readers in our family. They kids were read to from before birth. Bedtime stories are a ritual, and we read together throughout the daytime as well. Once they knew their letters, and letter sounds, I tried just starting in on some of the very early reader books, like the "Bob Books", and other similar phonics early readers. I believe we were on the third Bob book when I realized that my daughter was not actually reading. She'd been fooling me. She'd look at the pictures, then the first letter or so of the word, and make a good guess. She made it through 2 books perfectly that way. What tripped her up was the word "rag". She read it as "blanket" based on the picture.

That was when I started researching reading programs. So many of them seemed so complicated, with games, and videos, and songs, and. . .oh yes, at last books too. There were some darn pricey ones too. I chose Alpha Phonics in the end because it was simple, and reasonably priced. The Alpha Phonics website offered the first several lessons for free. We used those first, and they went very well. My daughter gained confidence, and since there are no pictures, I knew she could really sound out her words.

The Alpha Phonics book has been everything I wanted in a program for learning to read. Simple, and organized. There is no preparation or extra work I need to do. We just open the book up to where we left off, and work through the next lesson. There are some lessons that are very long in the beginning, and new sounds are repeated over and over for the child to get a good grasp on them. There were usually more than my kids wanted to deal with in a day, so we didn't always do one lesson a day - when we hit those big ones, we just worked thought one page a day instead. We still made great progress, but with less stress.

I still strongly believe that in order to raise kids who love to read, they must live in a house that loves to read. Parents who read to them often, and just as importantly, read for their own pleasure, and let their kids seem them reading do a lot for the child's attitude toward books. But Alpha Phonics has helped us so much too. it made the process of learning to read smooth, natural, and painless. Despite the rather dull appearance of the book, with no flashy colors, and no pictures at all, both of my kids lit up when I pulled it out, ready to work through the next lesson. Although, in all honesty, they both were more resistant in the very beginning, maybe up to around lesson 10 to 15 or so. By then, thought, they had the hang of the program, then knew how it worked, and more importantly, they knew they could do it. It built that sort of confidence in them. It is a program that I would recommend to anyone who wants to learn to read, or to help someone else learn.

The dictionary defines Phonics as “a method of teaching people to read by correlating sounds with letters or groups of letters in an alphabetic writing system.”

For many homeschooling parents, phonics can be a very challenging subject to teach. Nevertheless, it is very important especially if they want their child to develop important reading skills.

Because of this, they are looking for excellent phonics curriculums that will help explain the rules in as simple a manner as possible.

If you are searching for such a phonics curriculum, you need look no further than Sam Blumenfeld’s “Alpha-Phonics”.

The first thing that will catch your eye about “Alpha-Phonics” is the book itself. It is covered with heavy-duty plastic, so you can preserve the book for your other children. It also has a plastic comb binding. Because of this, the book can be opened flat on the table as your child studies the lessons.

“Alpha-Phonics” strictly teaches solid, no-frills phonics. You won’t find any comical key word pictures or other cute illustrations such as can be found in other programs. Instead, all the lessons are printed out in large letters with very clear instructions, without any visual distractions.

This makes “Alpha Phonics” a great curriculum for children with poor visual memory. The more a child is able to concentrate on the letters of the alphabet, the faster he/she will memorize the letter and its associated sounds. In the case of “Alpha-Phonics”, it teaches 44 different sounds that are being produced by the letters of the alphabet.

How does “Alpha-Phonics” work? One lesson teaches blending though a combination of vowels and consonants, like “am”, then “Sam” and “ham”. Words are taught in groups of similar sounds, like “an”, “ban”, “can”, “Dan”, etc.).

To improve fluency in phonetics, the program also introduces nonsense symbols. A good example is “gab, gac, gack, gad, gaf,” etc. Parents have discovered that, as silly as these exercises may be, their kids are able to move on faster to reading sentences.

There are a few drawbacks to “Alpha-Phonics”, however. First and foremost is that the program requires that homeschooling parent supervises the child’s learning at all times. It does not allow for independent study.

Thankfully, the parent does not need additional preparation time because the lessons are easy to read and pretty straightforward.  Another problem with “Alpha-Phonics” is that it does not cover as many phonics rules if you compare it to Saxon’s Phonics and Writing Road to Reading. You may have to purchase supplemental reading materials.

The publisher of “Alpha-Phonics” recommends purchasing “Alpha-Phonics/How to Tutor Workbook” and the Little Companion Readers (which is a set of ten books). The How to Tutor Workbook, in particular, has a number of writing activities and fill-in-the-blank tests to assess your child’s progress and reinforce the lessons that he/she has learned in the main “Alpha-Phonics” book.

Help your child learn how to read today with the help of “Alpha-Phonics”!

• no frills, no pictures -easy to focus on learning to read
• short concise lessons
• CD is great for those who love to use the computer -it is basically the book on the screen. No fancy animation so no distraction from the goal to learn to read!