WHAT IS A MOM BLOG?
Many homeschooling Moms have their own websites or blogs. They offer much
information about their families, their interesting activities and, most
importantly, with what and how they are conducting their homeschooling programs
for their children. There appear to be a huge number of these homeschooling Moms
and they exchange information with each other. Many of the Moms review curricula
they believe can be helpful to others on their blogs. As we, the publishers of Alpha-Phonics,
find these Mom Bloggers we ask them if they are familiar with Alpha-Phonics.
Often they agree to do a review of Alpha-Phonics and
post it on their blog so that other Moms (And anyone else) can benefit from
their study of the Alpha-Phonics reading
instruction program. We frequently find these Mom Bloggers have used Alpha-Phonics to
teach their own children to read. These are their reviews.
Here is what some
moms have said about Alpha-Phonics
January 8, 2019:
"Purchased this book a year ago and we went through the first few
lessons and took a long break. My newly 5 year old had already knew most
of her sounds, but she just wasn’t ready to push through the lessons.
Fast forward a year, we have started back up and she’s learned blending
of constants and vowels already so she is moving quickly through the
lessons. It’s amazing seeing her read. I love that this book is straight
to the point – black and white, no pictures, good font size. It’s the
only formal curriculum I’m using to teach her how to read. We do about
15 to 20 minutes a day and that is plenty. I love how to format is..
seriously, the best $20 investment I’ve made thus far. She’s in
kindergarten in public school and her teacher is amazed at how good she
does at reading time."
–Verified Customer (Quoted exactly as it appeared on
Amazon.com)
NOTE: In the back of each copy of Alpha-Phonics is a three page
list of “TIPS” we compiled over the last 34 years. These TIPS were
gleaned from actual users who learned various helpful ideas for using
Alpha-Phonics. One of the most helpful TIPS was that, if the
student is not seeming to catch on right away, it is best to stop, take
a break for a time. Especially this is true if the beginner is
young – say 4 or 5 years old. The Lady writing the review may have
seen our TIP and took it to heart. She did the right thing in
taking a break. It certainly paid off handsomely for her.
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will
of God." ~Romans 12:2 NKJV~
Melanie Robinson has successfully used Alpha-Phonics in her homeschool!
Linda has taught eight kids
to read with Alpha-Phonics!
Adriana Zoder comments on her experience with Alpha-Phonics:
Dusty, at To
the Moon and Back, had some very insightful things to say about
Alpha-Phonics!
Sarah at It's
a Boy's Life has put Alpha-Phonics to good use!
Sara Johnson-Stefy reports on Alpha-Phonics from June
Cleaver in Yoga Pants:
Monique, of Living
Life and Learning, writes of her experience with Alpha-Phonics:
Karen Hewitt, at The
Crazy Stepford Wives, isn't so crazy that she doesn't recognize the value of
Alpha-Phonics in her review!
Jenn Obermeyer, of Teaching
Two Stinkers, successfully taught at least one of them to read with
Alpha-Phonics!
\
Erin, author of Water
on the Floor bog, was certainly pleased with Alpha-Phonics!
Read her review:
Alicia at http://walkinginfaithokc.blogspot.com recently
reviewed Alpha-Phonics:
Crystal at http://homeschooldreams.com looked
at Alpha-Phonics. Here's what she found:
Karyn Tripp (and family) have this to say about Alpha-Phonics at Teach
Beside Me!
Wednesday, September 18,
2013
Alpha-Phonics {Reading Curriculum Review & Giveaway}
Alpha-Phonics is a company
specializing in phonics, reading, grammar and writing
instruction for beginning readers through the 7th grade. They also offer grammar
instruction on the high-school level. The company has been around for more than
29 years.
We received a
complete reading curriculum to teach young children to read for review here on
my site. What we received:
Alpha-Phonics: a Primer for Beginning Readers by Samuel L. Blumenfield (this
includes the teacher's manual and lesson plans),
Alpha-Phonics and How to Tutor: Phonics Companion Workbook, and 10 Alpha-Phonics
Little Reader Companion Books.
Pricing:
Teacher's Manual is $34.95
Companion Workbook is $19.95
Little Readers are $24.95
When I received this
and looked through the curriculum, I was very impressed with the quality and
simplicity of it all.
The lessons are easy to follow and brief, which is just what is needed for a
beginning reader. The teacher manual is split into
2 parts- the first part has the section that you read with your child, the
second half of the book has the suggested lesson plans to
follow with your child. The pages are 2 different colors making it really easy
to distinguish between the two parts.
The lessons jump
right into reading expecting your child to already know the letter sounds. So,
if your child is not confident
in the letter sounds, you will want to wait to use it until they are. The very
first lessons teaches beginning reading by putting two
sounds together. They are reading words like am, an, as, at and ax in the first
lesson. It starts with the short a vowel sound
and then progresses through the other vowels.
The workbook has
pages for them to write in with fill in the blank vowels, choosing the correct
word to fill in the blank, making
words plural, learning spelling rules, and more. The little readers are great
companions to the lessons and start out simple
progressing in difficulty as the lessons do. They are similar to other early
readers and are fun for the kids to read.
I used this
curriculum mostly in the summer with my daughter who started first grade this
year. It was a perfect program
for her and was at just the right level. Se enjoyed working on the lessons
together. I liked seeing how it gradually increased
her abilities and gave her confidence in her reading.
This is a great,
solid curriculum for beginning readers. The price is very fair, too!
View Sample Lessons
Here.
A video to help you
learn a little more about the program:
Emilee Roberts (and family) shared this excellent review of Alpha-Phonics at Pea
of Sweetness
September 10, 2013 by Emilee
Disclosure: I received the
products mentioned to facilitate my review. Regardless, I only recommend
products I feel would be good for my readers.
All opinions are my own and those of my family. Please see my Disclosure Policy
for more information.
Alpha-Phonics has
taught many children to read including those with reading struggles and
challenges like dyslexia.
It can be used as a sole curriculum or a supplement. We have been using
Alpha-Phonics as a supplement, though it
makes up a majority of our older two children’s reading work.
Our oldest two
children are ages 5 and 7 and will both be finishing up the First Grade in the
next couple of months
and moving on to Second Grade in the New Year. Because of their special needs
they both need additional help with
reading. It’s definitely been a challenge, and I was excited for the chance to
try Alpha-Phonics.
For our review we
received the Alpha-Phonics Primer textbook, CD-Rom, Companion Workbook,
and Companion Readers.
The first thing I
did was watch the instructional DVD so I knew what to do and where to begin.
It’s pretty straight forward and explains more about the program and how to use
both the textbook
and CD-Rom. It explains the CD-Rom is like the textbook on the computer. It
explained in
detail why it doesn’t use typing because it can develop bad habits in young
children since they
tend to type incorrectly, and that can develop a bad habit. I honestly had never
thought of this
before, but that is so true. There is also an introduction in the Teacher’s
Manual in the back of the
textbook to read before beginning.
We mostly used the
textbook rather than the CD-Rom. The only disadvantage I felt with the
textbook is that the Teacher’s guide is in the back of the textbook, so I would
have to flip to
the back of the textbook then remember the instructions. Luckily, though, the
instructions are
basic and easy to follow. The CD-Rom does offer the advantage of reading
everything out loud
for you. I just find it harder to work all together around the computer, though.
Plus we mostly
use my computer for homeschooling at this time, which is a Mac, and the CD-Rom
is PC compatible.
The Alpha-Phonics
textbook does take a different approach to reading than other programs we
have used, and it was something the kids did well with. It isn’t just teaching
words and letter
sounds – it really goes into depth about the alphabet and sounds – including
articulation.
In the first week they had not only learned more details about the alphabet
itself and its importance
but were also reading sentences! The textbook begins with a short vowel sound
while adding various
consonants. This consistency really helps to reinforce what they’re learning and
definitely builds
confidence. With our kids’ special needs a phonetic approach to learning reading
is definitely beneficial.
If they get loaded with too much information at once there is really no benefit
because they then forget it all!
We are still working
through the short vowel sounds with consonants but eventually will progress to
consonant blends – first final blends than initial blends. Then we will move to
long vowels. I like how
the program has a progressive transition and offers a lot of repetition and
practice to really instill both
knowledge and confidence before moving forward. Such a distinct separation of
the short vowel and long
vowels is a huge benefit as this has caused frustration and confusion in the
past.
Within a couple of
weeks we started the first Little Companion Reader. There were some words in the
reader they had to sound out, but in the Little Companion Readers it encourages
you to lead them and
never scold. Repetition is key! If any of us got too frustrated we would just
stop and come back to it
another time, but for the most part there was very little frustration. This was
a pleasant surprise as
reading has usually been a big frustration in our homeschool journey thus far.
We also worked some
in the Alpha-Phonics and How to Tutor Phonics Companion Workbook, which they
can begin after completing lessons 1-20 in the textbook (or CD-Rom). Each page
after that will have the
corresponding lesson on it, so you know when to do that page. The Companion
Workbook is extra practice
to really help reinforce what they have been learning. I found it is really
helpful because our kids learn
better with this type of reinforcement.
We use Alpha-Phonics
4 days a week as part of our homeschool curriculum. The number of lessons we do
in a day does vary based on the lessons and how the kids do with each lesson.
Sometimes we may only do
one lesson and sometimes we may do more if they are doing really well and are
ready to keep going. I pay
close attention to how they are doing and use their cues to decide what is best.
The lessons are not only very
effective, but they are short as well! This helps to keep the kids on task and
not feel overwhelmed.
Overall, I’m glad we
have the chance to use Alpha-Phonics, and I can’t wait to see as the kids
progress to
reading more and more of the Companion Readers and then beyond! Alpha-Phonics is
one of Cathy Duffy’s
100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum, and I can certainly understand why. It
has been a great addition
to our homeschool curriculum!
You can purchase
Alpha-Phonics: A Primer for Beginning Readers with CD-ROM at ChristianBook.com,
Amazon,
and Barnes & Noble.
Visit the Alpha-Phonics Website
Connect with Alpha-Phonics on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest
We are quite proud of what Demetria had to say about Alpha-Phonics at Christian
Home School Moms!
Alpha Phonics is a Cathy Duffy 100 Top Pick selection
that I was recently given the opportunity to review. If you’re looking for a
phonics program to use for your beginning reader, then read on. I’m happy to
share my experience of Alpha Phonics with you.
Disclosure: I received a copy of Alpha-Phonics for the purpose of
review, and I was not compensated in any way.
-
It’s a sensible, practical, no-nonsense approach to
learning how to read.
-
There are no illustrations, so distractions are
limited.
-
Includes a CD-ROM with the same lessons as are in the
book
-
Alpha Phonics has been around for a long time! It’s
tried and proven, and is a simple way to go for reading instruction.
Initially I wasn’t sure how well my 5 year old daughter would
adjust to the way certain letters were printed – for example, the letter “a”
which is printed in an old style which my child isn’t accustomed to seeing.
However, I was surprised at how well she easily adapted.
I love that the letters were huge, which is a real plus for
smaller children. No straining her eyes to distinguish one word from the next-
the letters are bold and easy on the eyes.
On another note, I would have preferred to see the teacher’s
guide in a separate booklet as opposed to the back of the book. Flipping back
and forth between the lesson plan and the instruction wasn’t my cup of tea.
Thankfully, I caught on quickly and got myself a bookmark. Also, Alpha Phonics
more than makes up for that by the mere fact that with in all-in-one book
(teacher’s guide plus student book), you don’t have to keep up with extra books
or worry about keeping separate books together. So again, not such a bad thing.
It comes with a how-to DVD which explains all the components of
the Alpha Phonics system. This was definitely a helpful addition to the package,
since it’s always nice to have the publishers give you a heads-up on how to use
the material. I thought the explanation was very thorough and I had a much
better grasp on how to use the curriculum as a result.
The program also comes with the book on CD-ROM. This is an
added bonus that I think really brings the Alpha Phonics program alive! This was
probably the most interactive part of the entire package (and my favorite) as it
shows the teacher what to do. If you’ve ever wondered how to teach phonics, the
CD-ROM included teaches you, the teacher, how to teach each and every phonics
lesson to your student.
This is what you’ll see when you pop in the CD-ROM.
As you can see, there are lots of helps for the parent.
If you like practice workbooks, an Alpha Phonics companion
workbook is available as well. These are phonics review
worksheets with activities for your kids to complete and is a separate workbook
than the Alpha Phonics program. The worksheets are black and white and fold over
on top coil binding. It consists of simple instructions with very few line
drawings. The activities in this book help to reiterate the concepts taught in
the teacher’s guide and help to make for a more complete program.
Add on the Little Companion Readers for an even more complete
program. Each reader from the red series highlights a vowel.
The yellow series takes students straight into reading short stories that make
sense and are fun to follow.
