Horizons Phonics & Reading 1 Complete Set

This creative and colorful course from Alpha Omega Publications is a complete phonetically-based word recognition and reading program. With all the elements one expects to find in an excellent, easy-to-use program, basic concepts are approached in several ways for emphasis. Concepts are presented one at a time while review of previous material helps student achieve mastery. Sounds, the basic building blocks of reading, are presented phonetically and are practiced in words, word lists, word families, and short sentences. There is also a strong emphasis on general language arts skills and comprehension. The Horizons courses are notable for their balance between teacher/student interaction and independent student work.

Covers  vowel pairs, contractions, compound words, prefixes and suffixes, x words, y as a vowel, and irregular plurals.

Starting with alpha-phonetic animals like Katie Kangaroo, Ollie Octopus, and Zippy Zebra (each engagingly illustrated), this creative and colorful material from Alpha Omega is a complete phonetically-based word recognition and reading program. With all the elements one expects to find in an excellent, easy-to-use program, basic concepts are approached in several ways for emphasis. Concepts are presented one at a time while review of previous material helps student achieve mastery. Sounds - the basic building blocks of reading - are presented phonetically and are practiced in words, word lists, word families, and short sentences. There is also a strong emphasis on general language arts skills and comprehension.

The Kindergarten program starts with letter recognition and consonant and short vowel sounds, but it also includes consonant digraphs and blends, silent "e," double vowels, "r"controlled vowels, vowel diphthongs, beginning silent letters (w,k,b,g,gh,gn), "le"endings, and a few non-phonetic word families (alk, ph, old, ost, olt, ild ind). Proper nouns, sentences, and creative writing complement the spelling and vocabulary development for basic language arts instruction.

Reviewing previous concepts starts the First Grade coursework, which continues with vowel pairs, contractions, compound words, prefixes and suffixes, "x" words, "y" as a vowel, and irregular plurals. Language arts instruction includes capitalization, punctuation, writing lessons (stories, letters, personal narratives, poems, and journal entries), possessives, synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms as well as alphabetical order (to second letter).

Second Grade starts with a comprehensive review of phonics concepts and progresses to more advanced phonics (schwa sounds, triple consonant blends, inflected endings, final adjacent clusters, silent letters, and long vowel digraphs). There is more emphasis on reading fluency and comprehension at this level. Stories are 4-5 pages long, each one introduced by a maxim and a single introductory picture. Some stories take the student beyond the concrete into an imaginary make-believe world.

The focus on the Third Grade course is encouraging a love of reading through the stories and poems of its two illustrated student readers. As in previous courses, there is both review and reinforcement of previously taught phonics. New concepts are introduced - compound words, regular and irregular verbs, inflected endings, palindromes, and more. 160 daily lessons.

The Horizons courses are notable for their balance between teacher/student interaction and independent student work. The Teacher Guides include reduced copies of the consumable student workbooks. They provide easy-to-follow concept presentation and activities with clearly stated objectives. There is very little teacher preparation - just being familiar in advance with each lesson and collecting the necessary materials and supplies. These supplies are quite basic and readily available, such as a white board or chalkboard, phonics rules and word flashcards (made as needed), and a dictionary. The workbooks are bright and colorful. The student readers use a distinctive print font that is easy on the eyes and utilizes the forms of letters being taught (i.e. a manuscript "g" rather than the more typical printed "g"). Program is from a Christian publisher, so stories have noticeable moral content, but little religious content. There is either a review (kindergarten) or test (1st and 2nd grade) every ten lessons. Each course contains 160 lessons. The complete sets for each grade level include the student workbooks, readers, and teacher guides, but these items are also available for separate purchase. The K complete set also includes an alphabet floor puzzle and a small (8.5" x 11") wipe-off lined writing "tablet" (board). ~ Janice

Alpha Omega Horizons is a Bible-based, fast-paced, spiral approach to learning introduction, review, reinforcement. This works well for students who catch on quickly, with constant review that keeps concepts fresh. These are teacher-led courses with colorful student workbooks and thorough teacher manuals. This curriculum offers two courses at the preschool level Preschool for Three's and Horizons Preschool, something not offered in other AOP curriculum lines. These two levels lay a solid foundation for future elementary levels. Although not available for as many subject areas as LIFEPAC, Monarch or Switched-On-Schoolhouse, Horizons is comprehensive in the subjects that are offered. Math is available for K-8, Phonics & Reading for K-3, Spelling & Vocabulary for 1-3, Penmanship for 1-5, Health for K-8, and Physical Education for PK-12. Recently updated, the Horizon's Math K-3 curriculum no longer includes Biblical content.

Alpha Omega Horizons now offers complete curriculum sets for kindergarten through 3rd grade. At the kindergarten level, the set includes Horizons Health, Horizons Phonics & Reading, and Horizons Math. First through third grades sets include Horizons Math, Horizons Health, Horizons Phonics & Reading, Horizons Spelling & Vocabulary, and Horizons Penmanship. These sets include all of the required books for each subject both student and teacher.

Alpha Omega Publications offers several lines of Bible-based curriculum in all major subject areas. Each one fits different family needs.

LIFEPACs are sets of worktexts and teacher materials. Available for grades K through 12 in all major subject areas and some electives. All instruction and practice is provided in the consumable worktexts. LIFEPAC are a mastery-based curriculum, and is student-paced.

Another option from AOP is Horizons. Horizons is available for grades PK through 12, depending on the subject matter. Horizons curriculum is only available for early learning, math, phonics/reading, spelling/vocabulary, penmanship, health, and physical education. Horizons is more of a teacher-led option.

Switched-On Schoolhouse (SOS) is a computer-based curriculum which presents the subject matter and adds multimedia presentations. SOS curriculum is available for grades 3 through 12 in all subject areas and comes in a USB flash drive format (Windows compatibility only). This option works well for the independent learner. Switched on Schoolhouse has been discontinued and our stock is limited. The USB Flash drive will work on current Windows 10 Home or Pro versions (S mode not supported). AOP Technical support will be available until June 2022. According to Alpha Omega, the USB Drive should continue to work on Windows 10 beyond June 2022, but no tech support will be available. Please note that the updated Switched-On Schoolhouse programs are only compatible with Windows 10 systems.

Monarch is Alpha Omega's online option. 50 courses are offered in the areas of Bible, math, history, science, and language arts and are completely online for those who might have a MAC or just want the convenience of online lessons. Individual and multi-student plans are available for grades 3-12. Monarch is compatible with Mac and PC. While we no longer offer it for purchase within our site, you can try it free for 30 days at https://monarch-signup.aop.com using code MON30RRC. You can find all courses here and additional subscription options too!