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Sing, Spell, Read and Write : Level 1 Kit ReviewI first started teaching my 4-year-old daughter how to read using "How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons." It bored her (literally) to tears. The lessons were redundant, and the text-specific characters confused her (she had already learned all of the letters and their sounds long before). I found the negative psychology advocated by the scripts quite disturbing. The pace was slow and restrictive.
So, following my child's lead, I looked for a new curriculum. We went to the other end of the spectrum, and tried Bob Books and some Scholastic sight word readers for a while, but that just wasn't systematic enough for us to keep at it. DD likes structure, but also needs plenty of variety to keep it interesting.
A friend told us about Sing, Spell, Read, & Write and showed me the materials. I was initially impressed with the workbook activities and the progress chart, as well as the musical portion of the curriculum. (Although the songs are VERY cheesy, they are VERY easy to remember and thus VERY effective.)
Upon getting our own set, I realized my daughter had already outstripped the Kindergarten portion of the curriculum (but that's OK -- we'll use them with daughter #2 in a couple of years), so we started in the Level 1 workbook, eliminating or greatly reducing the amount of writing she had to do (one challenge of working with a young child who is ready to read is that her reading & comprehension can easily outpace her motor skills & writing ability). It's extremely easy to adapt the activities to have her "draw a line" to the correct letters rather than write them in herself.
I am continually impressed with how much fun we have with this curriculum. Each day's work includes songs and games (go-fish & Bingo games that review and reinforce what she's learning), some reading (there is a nice collection of readers and some booklets that they actually fold, staple, and color themselves!, a daily spelling test (around the 2nd month into it), and grammar instruction (on skills like punctuation, alphabetizing, sentence parsing, and syllabication!). There are also periodic assessments that help introduce your child to test-taking skills (including filling in the bubbles). I realize that homeschoolers may not be as concerned with enhancing their kids' ability to take tests, but I like that it's in there, so that when and if she ever *does* have to take a standardized test, she'll be very familiar with the format & procedures. I am *so* impressed with the thoroughness of this curriculum!!
I wouldn't say that this curriculum is for everyone, though. It is very much a pre-packaged program, and doesn't include any "living" books (we read plenty of those on the side, though). The music may just be too much for some parents to take. Some children may find the workbook pages tiresome (but I think they are fairly well-balanced -- 4-10 "problems" per page).
I think the things that I appreciate most about this curriculum are:
Thoroughness -- I really feel like we're covering ALL of the Language Arts bases, including Reading, Spelling, Writing, and Grammar (and Testing!).
Ease of Use -- There are scripts, lists of what materials will be used & what songs will be played, and step-by-step instructions for each lesson, as well as how many days should be allotted for each "step." I can literally sit down with my daughter, glance at the instructor's manual (or not!), and get started. A little pre-planning (like gathering the books & materials you'll need) helps optimize the lesson, but even without extra preparation it's a cinch.
Variety of Activities -- This program is *so* much more than readers and workbook exercises. My child does enjoy the workbook activities. The readers are colorful and substantial (so that she really feels as if she's accomplished something when she finishes one). The music is a wonderful technique for assisting memorization. Even spelling tests and occasional "chalkboard" lessons help mix things up for us!
Fun! -- The games are a wonderful touch. My daughter (like many children around her age, I gather) is extremely into playing games of any kind, so they are a reward in and of themselves!
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