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Consonant pretest; short vowels.

Download a PDF Sample of Explode the Code Book 1

Customer Reviews

 
Andrea J. from Ohio wrote the following on 07/22/2008:
This is one of two curricula that we have used from the beginning of our homeschool journey and never felt the need to change. Explode the Code has worked well alongside Alpha-Phonics in teaching my children to read. I credit this series with helping them to get over the hump of decoding each word/sentence to reading with ease for enjoyment. There are three books for pre-readers and eight books for those learning to decipher the "code" of our written language. We have used them over a period of 3-4 years for each student, allowing them to progress at their own pace. A child can easily finish a lesson in one week, sometimes just one day. One of my daughters liked the books so much that she would do more than I required each day. She enjoyed the cartoon-like drawings and silly sentences. My Kindergartener begged for me to purchase these books for her to begin. You know you have found a good learning resource when your children ask to use it. There is no drudgery in doing these pages. The teacher books are not really necessary as the books themselves explain the concept adequately. You will need the answer keys to check answers and give Posttests at the end of each book. But just like the books, they are inexpensive and worth every penny. Each workbook contains eleven to fifteen lessons around eight pages each. Simple directions are at the top of each page. Most children will be able to work independently after being introduced to a new concept. Book 1 covers short vowels, book 2 initial blends, book 3 silent e and digraphs, book 4 dividing words into syllables, book 5 word families (all, alk, ild, ind, ol ost) blends, and -ed, book 6 ar, ir, er, ur, and diphthongs (ou, ow, au, aw, ew, ui, ue, ou, oi, oy), book 7 c and g followed by vowels, dge, mb, kn, wr, ear, ph, ei, eigh, silent t and h, and book 8 suffixes (ness, less, ous, ist, ity, ture, tion, ment, able, ible, sion, ance, ence, tive, sive, ify, ize). If your child needs more practice in a particular book, there are 1/2 books in between each level. So, if your child had some difficulty in book 3, you could use book 3 1/2 before moving on to book 4. The series follows the same basic format. The first page or two of each lesson introduces a new phonics sound by having the student identify a simple picture, circling the word or beginning sound. They will also copy the word on a line and X the correct picture. Learning to spell the word is taught by circling letters for the beginning, middle and ending sounds, then writing it. The words are then used in silly questions for students to answer by checking a yes or no box. If you aren't sure yet that your children understand the words, the next page gives them opportunity to use it in a sentence or in the earlier levels to match and write the word next to a picture. The words to choose from are placed in a box at the top of the page and printed by the student in the correct sentence or box. On the following page, two sentences are given for one picture; your student chooses the one that matches the picture. This often results in giggles from my children because the pictures and sentences are so silly. The final page is a good indicator of what your child learned. It simply gives a picture and asks your child to write a word using the phonics sound covered in that lesson. The last two books also include passages for reading comprehension, giving lots of examples of that lesson's phonics sound. So simple, so affordable, and so effective. This series will continue to be an important resource in our home school. These workbooks do exactly what they say, "explode the code". They have made my job as teacher that much easier due to their popularity with all of my children.

 
Cheryl N. from North Carolina wrote the following on 10/30/2008:
This is our first year homeschooling. My daughter was in public school for Kindergarten and had difficulty with sight words, and words which look similar - rat, ran, rag etc. We decided to try Explode the Code because of the repetition and review with words that first graders confuse easily. We love this book! She still struggles with mixing words sometimes, but it helps so much for her to see the words together, use them in sentences, and compare them to pictures. The books are so reasonably priced that we will stick with them!

 
Suzanne W. from Colorado wrote the following on 04/16/2009:
Excellent phonics workbook! The teacher's guide is necessary, as there are minimal instructions on the student pages. Rather than giving the correct answer with several obvious incorrect answers, ETC gives options that are very similar to the correct answer, giving students an opportunity to distinguish slight differences. I think this makes ETC better than many other options available. My kids are 4 & 5 and not yet independent workers, but a downfall might be that there are very few instructions on the student work pages, requiring adult assistance and making independent work less viable with this book. Again, that's not an issue with our family. All in all, this is a great workbook and you can't get a better price than Rainbow Resource offers. Highly recommended.

 
Laurie S. from Oregon wrote the following on 02/21/2010:
Explode the Code is a wonderful tool for easily teaching alphabet sounds, practicing writing, fine motor skills, words and much more. The teachers manuals are needed for some of the pages and a good resource to help you teach better. The A, B, & C books are perfect for my preschooler who knows some of her letters and sounds. Book 1 is a perfect match for my Kindergartner who is reading and writing short vowel three letter words. Challenging for both of them at just the right levels. They both beg to work in the workbooks even on non-school days. A great fit for our family- they want to learn!

 
Jennifer M. from Toronto, Canada wrote the following on 01/13/2011:
There used to be a cold medicine that advertised itself by saying, "tastes awful - but it works!" These books LOOK awful... but they WORK. I was very hesitant about Explode the Code. The artwork is terrible (strange!) and the pages seem extremely repetitious. But I wanted a phonics-based writing / decoding method that would complement our phonic reading with Bob Books, and this came highly recommended. Now I know why! We have only used Book 1 so far, but I'm planning to use Book 2 next year. I haven't bought the teacher's guide, and think we're fine without it, and I don't think we will need the 1.5 book either, because Book 1 provides so much reinforcement. As adults, we dislike this kind of repetition, but for my daughter (she's almost 6), this book has been SO empowering. Having seen, copied, written out a word so many times, she is 100% sure she's writing it correctly and this has given her the boldness to embark on her own creative writing - without asking me how to spell every single word! Explode the Code reinforces decoding, spelling and reading skills she will have for life.

 
Brianna L. from Washington wrote the following on 03/16/2012:
I won't repeat all of the great aspects of Explode the Code that have already been hammered on here, but I will add to them. I didn't use Explode the Code with my first son as he was learning to read because it came very naturally to him. My second son struggled with the vowels a bit, so I wanted more practice for him. This came highly recommended. When I looked at the samples I was hesitant to get it for two reasons. We also use Handwriting Without Tears and I was afraid that going between 2 lines and 3 lines would be a problem for my 5-year-old son, but it has not been. For the first few lessons I had to sit with him so he understood what the book wanted and how to write on the lines. Ever since then he has done much of the work independently. Looking at the samples, I also wondered if my son would always be able to tell what the pictures were meant to represent. Sometimes he has to ask me and we figure it out together, but this has not become a nuisance because there is so much repetition that we are not constantly deciphering new pictures. This is an awesome program that I am sorry I waited so long to try!

 
Kathy A. from Southeast Wisconsin wrote the following on 04/03/2006:
This is a great tool for a child who is learning the letters of the alpabet. The primers are divided into three books: Get Set for the Code, Get Ready for the Code and Go for the Code. The consonants are covered in the primers with 12 pages per letter. Your child will learn how to trace the shape of the letter with their finger, write the letter in lowercase,along with same/different activities and a riddle page. If your child already knows the letters of the alphabet and their sounds I would recommend going on to Explode the Code Book 1. We have tried two other phonics programs in our homeschool. The programs, while looking great in the homeschooling catalogs, did not live up to our expectations once we began using them. Explode the Code is sequential, affordable and it works!

 
Melissa B. from Nevada wrote the following on 06/28/2006:
I have used this series with my daughter who is 4. She enjoys it greatly and it's been great for phonics instruction. Combined with leapfrog DVDs, this has been a winner and she's learned her letter sounds. We are now using them again in conjunction with Sonlight's funtales and their reader schedule along with Explode the Code Book 1 to get her off and reading this summer. I cannot recommend this series enough for those looking for something nice and easy to implement into your homeschooling experience. Combined with the above mentioned you have a great beginning reading program as well. This has been one of the best homeschool investments and the price is just unbeatable for such a great product.

 
Jen D. from Ohio wrote the following on 10/19/2006:
This series of workbooks is well worth the small investment! I discovered Explode the Code at the homeschool convention, and bought a book for my struggling reader 2 years ago. He is now reading well and confidently after starting in book 3 and working through book 8. I bought the whole series starting with book A for my younger student, and he is working his way through the series very well, also. The books are pretty clear cut, easy to pick up and work through with no prep necessary. You may want to purchase the teacher books for more in-depth explanations of the rules presented in the workbooks, but I used them without the teacher books. I did purchase the keys which are necessary for the test at the end of each book. I have recommended this series over and over to mothers whose children are struggling with reading. They also have had good results. The books use humor, and simple drawings to keep attention without being a distraction to the reading process. You will want to supplement with some kind of readers either from your library or purchase a set. This series is a great find!

 
Sarah J. from Mechanicsville, VA wrote the following on 09/06/2007:
The Explode the Code Series has done wonders with my reluctant reader. The humor in the exercises kept his interest and he was always looking forward to doing another exercise. I did not think he would ever enjoy reading but this series has been a bridge to solid reading skills. As a parent, I found the workbooks to be very straightforward but did buy the teacher manuals with my second child. I found the manual to be useful in getting her to master her phonics through oral exercises. The confidence that she displays in her early reading makes this series very valuable. The program is inexpensive yet very effective. I will be starting our youngest on the Get Ready, Set, Go for the Code this fall.

 
Sandra D. from Florida wrote the following on 11/12/2007:
Another happy customer. Not me, but my son! My son used the Primers. Then we used another program that worked but stripped all the joy out of phonics. Now we are back with Explode the Code and my son is actually exploding these workbooks! He can cover four or five pages in a day happily and his reading is improving every day. Also my son has mild dysgraphia and I feel these books are *excellent* for dysgraphic/dyslexic children.

 
Shelly T. from California wrote the following on 04/05/2008:
I LOVE these books. I have homeschooled all of my children and this year am graduating my oldest of four. She used these books in her elementary years and loved them. I continued on with them for my second, third, and now fourth child who just finished kindergarten using level 1. We have all been blessed by them and it helped us so much with reading and spelling even! What a great product! I recommend it to anyone that has an elementary age child.

 
Tina M. from MS wrote the following on 06/28/2008:
After trying two other intense phonics programs, this one's the winner! Previously, my son was not interested in completing phonics, but this product is totally engaging. My son likes to laugh at the funny pictures that the book uses and as a follow-up, try to draw some of the simple pictures on his own. Of course, this is a reward for completing his phonics pages for the day! This is not a boring phonics book and can be used for all learning styles. Also, the teacher guides have many ideas to adapt the program for every learning style.

 
Manal K. from Ontario wrote the following on 07/18/2008:
Book 2 of this series really has helped my daughter with her reading. She is seeing patterns she wouldn't have been otherwise exposed to in 'simpler' programs. There is basically no teacher prep, so it's simple to use and my daughter loves working on it even during "off" hours. I like that it's black and white because all the colours would be distracting for my auditory learner. It's a great deal for an excellent product.

 
Janet G. from East Bethel, MN wrote the following on 01/09/2009:
"Explode the Code" has been THE answer to getting my 2nd grader to finally read! When I tried other phonics books, which were mostly for me to read and for him to follow along, he would hide his head in his shirt and refuse to look! These were good books and learning programs, too. But after he did a few lessons in Explode the Code Book 1, he told me that this is just what he wanted in a reading book (as if he knew:)! I guess he needed to be more active in his learning. He really enjoys the lessons, the silly pictures captivate and entertain, and he is taking pride in learning to print correctly. He has finished Books 1 and 2 in just about 3 1/2 months; for a child who is ready to learn, they go quickly. I did not get the Teacher's guide; at this level it does not seem necessary. I am very impressed with how these books combine learning to read, print, and spell all in one very user-friendly book. They are a great value! I'd recommend them for a reluctant but ready older child.

 
Kheloud I. from Inland Empire, CA wrote the following on 02/21/2010:
Have you ever wished your child would pick a book and never put it down? This is it for us. Get Ready for the Code and Explode the Code as well as Beyond the Code, have been a hit in our household. My 2 boys ages 8 and 5 love them a lot and have learned a lot from the books. The no nonsense approach helps a lot, kind of cute and sometimes funny drawings. Though the books can be used alone, the Teachers Manual is packed with enrichment activities and fun ways to reinforce the material. My boys beg me to repeat what I read from the Teachers Manual. No need for any teacher preparation, just open and go. And Rainbow Resource rocks, with the best prices for those books. Search and you'll come back to Rainbow Resource to purchase those books.

 
julie m. from El Paso, TX wrote the following on 05/04/2011:
It was suggested as an "optional" workbook with our curriculum but I'd say it should be a regular part of everyone's phonics programs. I'm now using it with my fourth child and so far all have loved it!

 
Eunice H. from MO wrote the following on 05/25/2011:
I love these Explode the Code workbooks. I have used this one with 3 of my children and we have all enjoyed it! I highly recommend this to all homeschoolers and non-homeschoolers as this book would be great for summer review!

 
Jen S. from Rhinelander, WI wrote the following on 05/29/2011:
Fun, easy-to-follow, inexpensive series that my kids never complained about and helped them tremendously. This series has worked for EVERY one of my 5 children with all their different learning styles and reading/writing struggles. For those who found it easy, we just went a little faster. We make our kids write "perfectly" while doing these workbooks to practice good handwriting. The drawings are a little simplistic (but the kids understand them, and love the silliness of some of the words and pictures). A lot of the drawings they could actually copy themselves, so maybe that's the point? We never bought the teacher's manuals. We glanced through them and felt we could save a few $$ for the few times we would have used them. For the few exercises that required the TM we either made up our own directions (easy enough to do) or skipped that page. If you are brand-new to teaching reading and writing, they probably give some good tips and helps. Hands-down FAVORITE beginning writing and beginning reading book.