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We used an older version1 of this program with my son when he asked to be taught to read. I think that this is a good system. Straightforward, simple, no frills. The front cover states that Alpha-Phonics is an intensive phonics program.
Basically, the student needs to know the sounds of the letters before the program is begun.2 This can be accomplished in many ways--and children can be playing with letter and number manipulatives during the preschool years before any formal instruction begins. (see links to these type of learning tools in margin on right side of screen) Letter puzzles, refrigerator magnets, little fun workbooks (if the child enjoys them), white board and markers, sound bingo, sound Go Fish, or other incidental methods (Hey, Kiddo, see how the golden arches look like an "M" and the milkshakes are mmmmm good!). We made our own sound Go Fish game out of 3" x 5" cards. Alpha-Phonics starts and uses lowercase letters initially, so it would probably be wise for your student to learn the lowercase letters first.
Once the sounds of the letters are learned, things should progress a lot more easily. The program begins with the student being incrementally introduced to the consonants and the short vowels. First off, words like am, an, as, and at are learned. Initial consonants are added to make the words Sam, ham, ram, dam, sat, hat, mat, has, tan, man, Dan, etc. With these words simple sentences can be made.
Dan
ran.
Sam
has a ham.
Dan
sat.
Sam
has a mat.
By the time you reach page 15 (Lesson 11), all the consonants have been introduced. The only vowel that has been introduced is the short a as found in am. The speed with which these letters are covered demonstrates why I believe that the sounds of the letters should be learned before this book is begun.
The next lessons employ nonsense words and other three-letter words that are often found as part of larger words. At first I didn't like the nonsense words, but the reason for learning them is valid. Lesson 15 introduces all the short vowels, but the next 7 lessons focus entirely on the short e. The other short vowels follow. Review is included in each successive lesson. Sentences are interspersed throughout.
Once all the consonants and short vowels are learned, the student is taught ph, th, sh, wh, ch; and then it's on to two-syllable words--still working with the short vowel sounds. Some review and sentences are still being interspersed in the lessons. At Lesson 41, ng is taught. Then blends are covered, with long vowels and other irregular sounds (mb, kn, tion, etc) following the blends.
There are 128 lessons in the book. The lessons consist of having the student read word lists and sentences. It is suggested that the student write all words also. It's not fancy and may seem too easy or simple to be effective, but it did the trick for my son. I'd say that the parent will spend about 20 minutes on average each day doing one lesson and reviewing. The Teacher's Manual is found in the back of the book and is 20 pages long. It explains the program and how to implement it.
My son did very well with this program; in fact, we never did make it through it all. We did the short vowel sounds, skipped the blends, and covered the long vowel sounds. After that, he was off! Reading by himself and doing quite well. The book's not for everyone, though. My daughter did much better with 100 Easy Lessons. Trying to figure out what will work best with your child is not easy. Alpha-Phonics, 100 Easy Lessons, Sing, Spell, Read & Write, Reading Reflex--these are all fine programs. Deciding which would be best for your child won't be easy. I have no idea why my daughter did well with 100 Easy Lessons, while my son did well with Alpha-Phonics.
My advice: Try to get Alpha-Phonics, Reading Reflex, or 100 Easy Lessons from the library or through interlibrary loan. If one of them seems to be working, then buy it. Take it slow and easy with whatever you choose. If it doesn't work right away, wait a few months. It's been said that when the student is ready, the student will learn regardless of what program is used. I think there could be a grain of truth in that theory.
| Reader Reviews at Amazon! (just page down after clicking) |  |
| Back in '98 and '99, Alpha-Phonics was not available to be purchased as a stand-alone book. The authors included it in a package deal--a sort of lots-of-bells-and-whistles type of package deal. So if it happened once, it could happen again. If you try to buy Alpha-Phonics (book only) and fail, you have two options. The first option is to go ahead and buy the lots-of-bells-and-whistles version at this link. |
| Your second option would be to buy Samuel Blumenfeld's book entitled How to Tutor. It's got basically the same reading program in it as The New Illiterates and Alpha-Phonics (book only). So, How to Tutor is the low-cost source of the basic Alpha-Phonics program. It isn't exactly what is contained in the Alpha-Phonics book, but it's very similar. One advantage to buying How to Tutor is that you also get Sam Blumenfeld's method of teaching arithmetic and cursive along with the reading program. And the arithmetic section has a particularly interesting bit of history in it. Overall, it's a valuable resource for the homeschooling parent. |  |
Helpful Items: Whether you choose to use Alpha-Phonics or How to Tutor, one helpful item that you could buy is a dry-erase board). When working out way through Alpha-Phonics, I wrote the words one at a time on a chalkboard. Large words written on a dry-erase board will be easier for your child to see and read. Plus, one new word at a time on a dry-erase board can be a whole lot less intimidating for some kids than seeing a whole page full of words as is presented in the Alpha-Phonics book.
1. The New Illiterates by Samuel Blumenfeld contained a program very similar to the Alpha-Phonics book. The New Illiterates is now out of print.
2. BUT! what if your student doesn't do too well learning the sounds of the letters by playing with magnets and puzzles, etc? (as I mentioned above) What if your student is begging to learn to read, wanting to do some work with a book of some sort, but Alpha-Phonics isn't working? I would suggest trying 100 Easy Lessons, Reading Reflex or Sing, Spell, Read & Write. These programs teach sounds of the letters by spending some time with them. Reading Reflex and Sing, Spell, Read & Write give the student a lot of practice with each letter sound that needs to be learned; less practice is provided by 100 Easy Lessons.
Sing, Spell, Read & Write uses songs and cutting and pasting to help students learn the sounds. Reading Reflex uses sound Bingo and manipulation of little pieces of paper with letters printed on them. 100 Easy Lessons teaches the sounds a couple at a time as the student progresses--without using any little games. Choose the program that sounds like it would match what your child enjoys.
The price difference between the programs is understandable when you see what is involved in the programs. Sing, Spell, Read & Write is a little overpriced, but quite fun with plenty of singing with audio tapes and some hands on cutting and pasting. 100 Easy Lessons is inexpensive, just as Reading Reflex is inexpensive, though I found Reading Reflex to be somewhat tedious. I say tedious because I had to photocopy a certain number of pages and then do a lot of cutting. However, with Reading Reflex, getting the hands involved in manipulating the little pieces of paper is beneficial if you have a student that needs to work with his/her hands to internalize the information. Some children really do need hands-on approach which is provided by programs such as Sing, Spell, Read & Write (SSRW) and Reading Reflex. If you've tried Alpha-Phonics and it hasn't seemed to click, it could be because your student doesn't learn best with a text-only program. Do look into SSRW or Reading Reflex.
Other Reading Reviews
- Turn Any Child into a Lifelong Reader
- Hey! Listen to This!
- Read-Aloud Handbook
- For Ravenous and Reluctant Readers Alike
- Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever
more info
This book requires that you cut up certain pages of your book, so buy 2 copies! 1 for teaching from and 1 for cutting up; it will save you lots of time and work!
Click here to see excerpts at Amazon.com!