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This reading reinforcement resource has been around for over 30 years, and in use around our house for at least 20! Regardless of the reading program you use, this helpful tool will ensure that your students are progressing in their reading speed through an eighth-grade reading level. Although a abbreviated lists of phonics and spelling rules are provided, most of the book is devoted to word lists. Several columns of words are listed on a page, grouped by a common phonetic construct. The student reads the words while being timed. Words read per minute tell you at what grade level the child is reading according to the following chart (no longer included in the book):

Pre-K 20 Gr 4 85

Gr K 30 Gr 5 100

Gr 1 40 Gr 6 115

Gr 2 55 Gr 7 130

Gr 3 70 Gr 8 130

The idea is to have the child repeat the drill every day until she is reading at or beyond grade level. This can be pretty challenging, especially at the onset of reading. Occasional review pages combine words with similar constructs, and pages with paragraphs for practice reading are also included.

We have found this to be a most useful vehicle for taking the children from decoding to reading. Until a child is able to decode words at some level of speed, it is difficult to have them read for meaning. By the time they reach the end of even a short sentence, the meaning may be lost. Not always enjoyable, some skills just require practice, practice, practice! A child just beginning to read may need to start out with just a column or two per page as an entire page may be too taxing. The print is large and easy to read. Drills only take a minute or two, but will greatly help the young reader sharpen her decoding skills.

The phonics worksheets (180 pages) are a good supplement. The sheets include page numbers that correspond to the page on which the phonics skill is practiced in the Victory Drill Book.

The Victory Pre-Drill Book is for use by beginning students. It provides high-speed practice of the alphabet and correct pronunciation of phonetic letters and letter combinations before students proceed to the Victory Drill Book. The newly revised (now spiral-bound) VDB Teacher’s Guide provides direction for page-by-page use of the Victory Drill Book. It presents a sequential presentation of phonetic instruction corresponding to the Victory Drill Book sequence. A CD is also available to help both you and your student hear the correct phonetic sounds of letters and letter combinations. The CD corresponds to the presentation of sounds in the Victory Drill Book.

Customer Reviews

 
Mary M. from Kentucky wrote the following on 07/07/2009:
This simple little book will make a world of difference in your homeschool! I was amazed at how much it helped my children's reading fluency. After only using it a few times, my son went from reading words by sounds (c...a...t) to simply looking at the word and saying "cat". It is thoughtfully arranged by skill level (easy, one syllable words - to very difficult words such as: superintendent and extraordinary). I would recommend a digital kitchen timer and some sort of reward system to make the program as easy/fun as possible. I bought a treasure chest and filled it with dollar store toys and candy to use as a reward when my children met their goals for each page. This has always been one of their favorite parts of the school day!

 
Katie T. from Raleigh NC wrote the following on 05/13/2011:
My mom used this book for my brother and me! I was excited to get my own copy to use with my children. It has helped my reluctant reader build up confidence in reading. I consider it a basic, "must have" for all home schoolers who are in grade school levels.

 
Monica C. from Colorado wrote the following on 01/20/2009:
Victory Drill Book is my favorite home school item for teaching reading. We have used it for our three oldest, and are going to order a new book for my youngest, as they are updating the VDB soon. My children learned to read with great speed and had greatly improved their decoding skills at age 5 - they could read fluently. They liked to compete against their own times. By emphasizing articulation during drills, VDB was a great reinforcement to speech therapy for my middle child. The later word lists are a great resource for spelling and vocabulary lessons, and the phonics tips clarified rules even for me! No matter what basic phonics program you choose, VDB is a must.