This kit includes the following:

• Incentive Bag
• Sing, Spell, Read & Write level 1

Considering the approach, ease of use, content, child-appeal, benefits, effectiveness and cost of all the phonics programs we were familiar with, Sing, Spell, Read & Write was our choice for personal use. We have used several programs and read about many others. Although we didn’t use this program in total with our children (because we extended the spelling, used italic handwriting instead of ball and stick, etc.) we did find it the most used and useful of those we tried. AND the results were wonderful! If you’re looking for something to really lay it all out for you, something that works, is easy to use, and will have your child singing the letter sounds in days, followed closely by actually reading...this is what we recommend! Here are some of our reasons:

The “raceway” theme is very appealing and motivating to children, who love tracking their success via race car around a track as they complete the 36 steps to independent reading.

The songs are unquestionably contagious - children will sing and sing and sing and learn their letter sounds, long and short vowel sounds, blending vowels and consonants, and digraphs almost effortlessly - and enjoy it! That is, if you can bear to listen to it sung over and over, multiplied by x times the number of children using it throughout the years.

The 17 phonetic, full-color storybooks cover all 36 steps, providing immediate, rewarding reinforcement for the decoding skill just learned. This makes good sense.

The games are not just fluff, but real fortification of phonetic skills. They are more fun, however, if you can play with more than one child.

The teacher training videos included in the set will greatly aid you in understanding/teaching the phonics program - and give you the confidence to do it!

Included is a complete, phonetic spelling program dove-tailing with the phonetic constructs being learned and a complete handwriting program (if you use ball and stick manuscript).

thick, four-color workbooks include grammar and creative writing

phonics songs are contained in both cassette and CD formats

The two workbooks and the assessment book included in the set are the only consumables in the program. Replacements must be ordered from the publisher.

To be honest, we have just a few quibbles :

1. Some of the tapes/voices are not as clear or distinct as a perfectionist might demand. Some may go a little too “fast” for your taste - notably the ferris wheel song used to practice blending sounds smoothly. For us, this was a plus, since we kept at it until we could keep up with the song, resulting in perfect blending!

2. The “prizes” included are...well...rather cheesy at best and who needs 4 or 5 yo- yos, several plastic magnifiers, multiple thin plastic bracelets, and numerous plastic sack puppets? When using with one child, one of each would do nicely. To alleviate this, see our special offer below.

Customer Reviews

 
Janie C. from Nashville, TN wrote the following on 01/09/2007:
My son & daughter have strong phonic/spelling skills and are avid readers in part because of this program! It was fun and easy to use. After we finished each lesson we rewarded ourselves with the fun readers and by moving our cars along the raceway chart. My children eagerly completed even the most challenging lessons, which did become cumbersome sometimes, in order to reach a new reader. I really appreciated the clear phonics instruction, motivational strategies and especially the way these lessons address different ways that children learn. My son and daughter each learn differently yet they both enjoyed this program. My son was excited about the raceway theme, moving his car along the track, singing songs and games so he tolerated the writing which could be overwhelming without motivation. My daughter, shyer by nature, sang the songs out loud but mostly enjoyed the writing, drawing, coloring, creative writing activities, etc. She even asked to do another workbook when we finished the program! I am a certified teacher and taught the first several lessons without the teachers manual. Big mistake!! I thought I had been doing a fine job until I finally read through the manual. There were helpful activities to supplement the workbook and comprehension questions for each reader. We went back to complete some of these and I used the teachers manual for every other lesson. It was easy to understand and required little if any preperation. I used all parts of this program and am glad I did. Other people might choose not to use the readers which would be fine except part of the fun of this program is the way it incorporates reading, comprehension and writing into one program. The workbook sometimes refers to the readers or uses them in assignments but could mostly be completed without them. Leaving the readers out, though, would mean trying to assess reading comprehension some other way and might make the workbooks less fun. My children giggled at certain questions in the workbooks because a name of a story character was used. They would probably have been able to answer most of the workbook without having read the stories but with less interest and perhaps more difficulty. You might need to devise rewards of your own for each section completed if not using the readers. As it was I appreciated bringing the reading in as a reward. I would not attempt this program without the music or without a workbook for each child. The songs go hand in hand with the workbook. As for the workbooks, I started out by trying to use one workbook for two students. This became a hassle and I soon ordered the second workbook because the line spacing and tracing letters were cumbersome to recreate on additional paper and my children were frustrated not writing in the book. The race car theme is fun. We found additional race car foamies, stickers and Disneys "Cars" activities to use in our math and art activities. We attended the Cars movie as a reward and finished off the whole program with a raceway cake! Even my daughter, pink to the core, enjoyed the race car theme. The price for this program can be a bit high. Finding used components was difficult since the program has been updated. I have wished I could find additional components elsewhere besides Modern Curriculum Press. The updates, however, are so much nicer than the original products my friend used. The refrigerator racecar chart and cars are nicer, the CD better than the cassettes, and the workbooks are more colorful yet stay strong in writing repetition like the original. Looking back, I would have overlooked this program because of price when I was first shopping around but a friend who used it thought my son would like it and encouraged me to work through it. I am grateful because both my children liked it and are both doing great in their studies.

 
Donna B. from Cullman, AL wrote the following on 11/15/2007:
When my daughter turned four, she wanted to learn how to read. Sing, Spell, Read & Write was fun with games and songs that were actually educational, and systematic, which made it easy to learn. The readers are colorful, the teacher's manual and instructional video were easy to use. We didn't do all of it. I think four is too young to write on such small lines, so I often wrote things for her, and I didn't do the daily spelling tests, because that seemed too much for a four year old. The program is so complete and systematic that my daughter read her first chapter book before her fifth birthday! My second daughter, who was only two when we started, learned the letter sounds and all the songs along with us. She would attempt to play the games with us too. My oldest daughter is now five-and-a-half, and reading on a fifth grade level, and my second daughter is now four and reading on a first grade level, and she isn't even halfway done with Sing, Spell, Read & Write yet! Even adapting the program slightly to fit our needs, it is working well for us. I like the way it's organized. For example, the program teaches kids that ar says "ar" as in car, but then later, it teaches all the rulebreakers, and gives students a list of words that teaches the rule that ar=or after the letter w. I knew how to read those words, but I had never thought about the rule. Having it laid out so simply made it easy to use, and easy for my children to learn! I also like that it uses music, games, and a variety of other methods to incorporate all learning styles. The only thing I would have done differently, since my younger children wanted to start sooner than my oldest, would have been to buy the combo pack (K-1) instead of just Level 1. It was definitely worth the investment, and I plan to use it with all four of my children!

 
Joanna R. from WV wrote the following on 06/02/2008:
Used this with two of my children for K-2nd grade. Son is a quick, self-guided learner who just completed the program. He just finished 2nd grade and is reading on a 7th grade level. This program has been a wonderful phonics foundation for him. Not only teaches phonics- but also grammar, using dictionary, letter writing, alphabetizing, vocabulary, and introduces students to the format used in standardized testing which is helpful for many homeschoolers. It is easy to keep track of progress as there is a assessment test and a couple achievement tests as well. A couple issues with the program: As other reviewers mentioned, the prize box is pretty lame. I supplemented with other prizes and the completion of an achievement test earned the child a special date with dad. Also, ten spelling words a day was a little much for even a very hard worker. This was our biggest qualm with the program. The readers are great and son loved the satisfaction of reading a whole book. However, with daughter who has concentration issues, this program was not such a success. She is a very kinetic learner who needs more than her brother did. We skipped the copy work and supplemented with BOB books, the Abeka blue-back speller and Dr. Seuss books. She did love the songs (very catchy) and the games which are like go fish or bingo. These were the best part of the program for her. It was a very expensive program, although our kit came with the Kindergarden readers which was also an added bonus. I had also learned phonics with this program when I was younger, so I was familiar with the layout. The teacher's manual is a script to be followed and comes with a video explaining how to play the games and sing the songs, etc... This was especially great while I was teaching two grade levels. Plus, the kids could play the games together eventually. I still think it was a great investment as I have two others who will use it when they are old enough. Highly recommended though I do recommend not to be afraid to tailor it to your child's speed and ability.

 
Angela K. from Dutton, MI wrote the following on 01/15/2009:
I began using this program when my son, who was approaching the end of 1st grade was just not reading. He had all of the skills that he needed, but was just not interested and we were both getting frustrated. I knew others that had met with great success using this program and decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did!!!! Now my 2nd grader and his sister (Kindergarten) are both reading well! This program was very easy to use and and we all have really enjoyed it. My 3 year old enjoys particpating in the games and the songs too. It has been a really great investment for us. I know the price of this program seems a little high, but it is so worth it! Especially if you will use it again for more children! The work books can be purchased from the publishers at a very reasonable price and you just reuse the delightful readers and games and song cds. I would recommend this to anyone, whether just starting out or trying to help a struggling reader. My Kindergartener is now an avid reader ("I love reading, Mom!") and reads above her grade level and my 2nd grader, who started the program below his grade level in reading is now at or above his grade level. I couldn't be more pleased with this program!