Welcome to Sound Reading! We offer a new and different approach to reading that will benefit your child whether they are a beginner or an older student struggling to learn to read. Our look is different. Our approach is unique. Our methods are revolutionary! You will be astounded by how quickly your child’s reading will improve. Sound Reading materials are based upon the latest research into reading and the brain. Today neuroscientists understand how fluent readers easily learn to read . We’ve transformed these discoveries into programs that will have your children reading... with enthusiasm... in a very short period of time.
 

   If your child is just beginning to learn to read Hop, Skip and Jump products are the best materials to begin with.

  For those students beyond the second half of the first grade through the 3rd grade the Sound Reading Primary software materials are the best choice.

  For older children and adults order the Sound Reading Improvement and Intervention materials.

  English Language Learners of all ages will benefit from our English Language Learning program.

 

  

What is phonemic awareness?

Current reading research clearly shows that children need to develop phonemic awareness (also referred to as phonological awareness) skills in order to become good readers. Most children develop these skills naturally beginning in preschool. They learn rhyme, word boundaries, syllable identification and beginning word sounds; in other words they have the ability to hear and work with the sounds of spoken language. Individuals who struggle with reading haven’t mastered these skills.

 

If you cannot hear phonemes (the individual sounds in our language) you cannot relate these sounds to graphemes (the written symbols for sounds). This is phonics. If a child has no concept of a speech sound, building these associations is difficult - if not impossible. Phonemic awareness is a pre-phonics skill and must be in place before a child can learn phonics. Phonics is a higher level skill. Phonemic awareness is one of the best predictors of success in learning to read; it is better at predicting success than IQ, vocabulary or listening comprehension ability.

 

Sound Reading is an intensive research-based phonemic awareness program that teaches phonics through speech and language activities. Sound Reading is designed for the many individuals (children and adults) who have not learned phonemic awareness spontaneously. Researchers tell us that developing phonemic awareness prior to learning to read can significantly increase a child’s success. The experience of hundreds of teachers and thousands of students who use Sound Reading across the United States supports that claim.

 

 

How will Sound Reading help me teach my child to read?

The exercises in every level of Sound Reading teach the same fundamental skills necessary for any child or adult to learn to read:

  Phonemic awareness - 14 methods to build this critical reading strategy the way speech and language therapists do - deeply and precisely.

 

  Rapid automatic naming – essential practice for developing fluency

 

  Phonological (speech sound) recoding - a neurologically advanced way to teach phonics. Develops the speech processes that proficient readers use to master English's overwhelming alphabetic code. A strong phonological code is what enables proficient readers to quickly master phonics.

 

  Phoneme discrimination - recent research shows that English's complex sounds require precise

discrimination for reading success.

 

  Vowel flexibility - the natural speech strategy for meaningful decoding.

 

When these skills are mastered a developing or struggling reader will be ready to read!

 

 

Which level is right for my child?

We usually suggest a Sound Reading Level based on your child’s grade in school.

Generally:

Emerging Reader Products are designed for children in pre-school and kindergarten. Start with CLAP for the youngest children.

 

The Hop, Skip and Jump Readers materials can be used by children just beginning to explore reading in order to introduce phonemic awareness. Hop, Skip and Jump materials have successfully helped children build solid phonemic awareness skills through the 2nd grade.
 

Children are generally ready to use the Primary Level materials when they have a solid understanding of the alphabet and sound/symbol correspondence. Most children are ready to begin the Primary program by the second half of 1st grade.

 

Our Reading Improvement and Intervention (RII) program is an adaptation of the Primary program with graphics and sound files designed to be more appealing to the older learner. We find that children starting in 3rd grader find the RII activities fun and beneficial.

The ELL software can be used by first graders through adults.

 

The differences between the levels are not substantial, for example the parent of a struggling elementary age child might ask their child to complete the Primary, RII and ELL software in order to offer extensive practice of the Sound Reading skills.

 

 

How do I know if my child needs Sound Reading?

Sound Reading Developmental products (CLAP and Hop, Skip and Jump Program) are designed for every young child. They are especially helpful for children who have been identified as having a phonemic awareness deficit.

  Any Sound Reading Product is an appropriate intervention if your child experiences:

  Poor silent reading

  Weak decoding

  Slow, labored reading

  Poor comprehension

  Unfocused reading

  Frequent miscues

  Confused reading

 

 Will the results of an SRRA help me determine which level to choose?

No, the SRRA is a measure of response to intervention, in other words the pre-test will show you where your child started in the areas of phonemic awareness, comprehension rapid naming and auditory attention and the post test will show you if the child has made gains in any of these skill areas after completing Sound Reading. Your child needs to have some basic reading skills in place to benefit from the SRRA, usually we suggest that the SRRA is administered to children who have complete the first half of first grade.
 

Every child/adult should begin at the beginning of the material and work through to the end.