Explode the Code Book 1

I think ETC is great. It has repetition of words and writing. It has helped my son remember my words and learn his vowel sounds. We'll be getting the next ETC also.

FANTASTIC resource!! Make sure you buy the Teacher's Guide and follow it to get the most out of this systematic, direct teaching of phonics!!

Good beginner book but quite dull and repetitive. Wouldn't use again.

This is one of the most AMAZING pieces of curriculum I have ever used I found the online version for my son as he started reading and I was amazed at how ETC took the "monster" of learning how to read and broke it down into tiny less intimating steps My son was reading without realizing it Then I used this in workbook form to start another boy I tutored how to read He too was picking it up so fast and didn't even realized he was reading! So when my daughter was ready we used this curriculum She already had started to read through A Beka but I had her do this book to have her work on independence She easily worked on the book each day as I worked with her older brother and she was building confidence in her reading I RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYONE!

I purchased this book for my 6 year old daughter who is a natural reader I purchased a couple other books on different levels for other children and thought that she might enjoy this as well so they'd all have the same 'phonics books'I'm SO glad I did She has never needed much instruction in reading just explaining a new blend or syllable rule but her reading has EXPLODED since she started working in this book! ETC2 is all about common blends at the beginning and ending of words Since she's been working on it her reading speed has gone up by leaps and bounds! I have to make her put it down at the end of the day and she often works through an entire lesson (8 pages worth of work) in a single dayIt's her favorite part of school time!Again I would recommend this book to anyone teaching a child to read! This series is amazing!

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!

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 15 book either because Book 1 provides so much reinforcementAs 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

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!

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

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 etcWe decided to try Explode the Code because of the repetition and review with words that first graders confuse easilyWe 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 picturesThe books are so reasonably priced that we will stick with them!

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 4The 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