What is Phonics?
Phonics is a reading method that teaches every sound each letter and letter combination makes, allowing readers to decode, or sound out, words.
Why is that valuable?
There are over one million words in the English language, making it nearly impossible to memorize what each of those words look like–which, believe it or not, was a commonly taught reading technique of the past.
Instead, phonics teaches new readers to simply learn the 44 sounds of the English language. They then learn to blend those sounds together to make up any word they want to read.
These 44 sounds come from 69 single letter and letter combinations we call phonemes. The first 26 phonemes are simply the alphabet letters, and the remaining are the groups of letters that, when combined together, make a single sound, such as sh, ee, oo, and ng.
An effective phonics program like as Sound Town systematically walks children through learning the sounds of each letter and letter combination, with writing instruction, word decoding, and lots and lots of practice throughout.
So What Exactly Is Sound Town?
Sound Town is a phonics-based reading program made up of four units, or stations, that take children from the very beginning of letter recognition all the way through to reading books.
The program is designed to be completed in order, though each station can be purchased individually to target whatever reading competency your child may need.
Our Sound Town Stations, in order, are:
- The Alphabet Station, where children learn the alphabet and all the sounds the letters make
- The Short Vowel Station, where children start reading short vowels and putting them into simple three-letter words
- The Long Vowel Station, where children learn the sounds of long vowels and the rules for that silent “e”
- The Sound Town Station, an interactive audio story where students learn the sounds that groups of letters make when combined together, such as sh, ee, oo, igh and more.
The Alphabet Station is where your child learns the sounds each letter makes.
The lessons in the Alphabet Station are easy to teach and fun to learn. You will find your child quickly becoming familiar with the 26 letters in the Alphabet, which is your child's first step in learning to read.
And the simple writing sheets show your child how to form each letter. This is where your child can write the letters of their own name!
The Short Vowel Station
In the Short Vowel Station, your child combines the sounds to read simple three-letter words.
The very first lesson in the Short Vowel Station, the Blending Band, teaches your child to blend letters. Children then learn to blend the letters in simple words, each following the same three-letter pattern: consonant / short vowel sound / consonant. The kit includes short vowel I Am Reading books and puzzle games that let students form their own words.
This is where you child can begin to read real words!
The Long Vowel Station
The Long Vowel Station is where your child meets the Jumping "e".
Many words in our language follow the long vowel pattern of consonant / long vowel sound / consonant / silent Jumping "e". For example, h-o-p-e. This silent Jumping “e” goes quietly to the end of words and changes the vowel sound to create a new word.
With lots of practice built into the Long Vowel Station, your child can now read many of the words presented in simple books and readers.
This is where your child's enthusiasm for reading grows!
The Sound Town Station
In the Sound Town Station, your child learns the sounds of double and triple letter combinations and blends--the last stop on the reading journey!
Encouraged and excited by their success up to this point, your child will now start learning to combine sounds to read words with double and triple letter combinations and blends.
In the Sound Town Station, your child will travel through Sound Town with Audrey and Joseph, accompanying them as they meet the town’s enigmatic characters (and the phonemes they represent). Through songs, riddles, and rhymes that engage all types of learners, children absorb the sounds of complicated letter combinations effortlessly as they help Audrey and Joseph search for the Key to Reading.
It is in Sound Town that the learning of all previous Stations come together, and when they are finished, your child will have a solid understanding of the 76 letters and letter combinations, the phonemes, that make up the words of the English language.
Watch as reading comes alive for your child through the adventures of Sound Town!
The Reading Tutor Kit
The Reading Tutor Kit helps improve your child's reading and spelling skills.
The Sound Town Reading Tutor Kit, with its interactive games and activities, is the perfect way to spend the vacation months helping your child improve their reading, spelling, and fluency skills. Whether your child is a struggling reader who needs to relearn phonetic rules or an avid reader who would benefit from enrichment, the Reading Tutor Kit provides a set of fresh, engaging lessons to practice reading skills and have fun in the process.
With Sound Town, you can be sure they will be ready for more reading fun when they head back to school.
Making Things Even Simpler For You
Every Station comes with our Learning Guide, a comprehensive map of the skills that make up the learning-to-read process. Showing the lessons of each Sound Town Station on one continuous pathway, the Learning Guide lays out how each lesson fits into the journey your child will take from learning the alphabet to full reading skills.
Each Station comes with an easy-to-use Instruction Booklet that provides parents and educators with the background knowledge and instructions needed to lead your child from lesson to lesson.
And check out our blog, It Takes a Town, for a wealth of games and activities you can do with your child to reinforce their learning!
