PhonicsTutor® Phonogram & Phonemic Awareness - New product announcement

Phonics Software

The PhonicsTutor method of instruction teaches students the common sounds for an extended set of Orton-Gillingham phonograms with spelling rules. Beginning with single-letter phonograms and single-syllable words and progressing to multi-letter phonograms and multi-syllable words, PhonicsTutor allows students to gain phonemic awareness without the frustration of memorizing a large set of phonograms and associated spelling rules before reading words and sentences. By grouping words together that have a common spelling pattern and similar pronunciation, students can easily understand which phonogram says which phoneme. The phonics lesson plans in PhonicsTutor include presentation and investigation of the words, word analysis, word pronunciation, and a spelling test. Most lessons end with dictation of sentences. PhonicsTutor is easy enough to use by a 4-year old with supervision and is self-teaching for children ages 6 and older.

• PhonicsTutor® Frequent Words CD-ROM
• Those familiar with or using an Orton-Gillingham phonics programs will be delighted with PhonicsTutor Frequent Words. Spelling and the rules of spelling are taught from the very beginning. It is fast-paced and the right choice for most children over the age of 7.
• PhonicsTutor® Classic CD-ROM
• The extra drill on pronunciation, blends, and consonant digraphs makes PhonicsTutor Classic the right choice for ESL or younger students.

Phonics Books

With PhonicsTutor software teaching phonics, reading and spelling, the phonics lesson plans in PhonicsTutor books are designed to work with the software to teach

• PhonicsTutor® Frequent Words Teacher's Manual
• PhonicsTutor® Workbook of Spelling & Grammar teaches and tests as students master the common sounds and spelling rules of our extended list of Orton-Gillingham phonograms. Davy Diacritic^TM is an engaging character who informs and makes the learning of dictionary skills easy and fun. Grammar is included each step of the way. The 80 SilentSpell^TM tests illustrate and assess what each student has learned.
• PhonicsTutor® Classic Reader is not your ordinary reader. It motivates and teaches students to read with ease and enjoyment. It makes the crucial connection between grammar, meaning, and phonics that is missing in most other phonics programs.
• PhonicsTutor® Classic Teacher's Manual is a must if you value your time. This book is a must for users of PT Classic. Its scope and sequence includes simulated screen shots of all vocabulary presentations. Lesson activities and suggestions for meeting the needs of different users are found throughout. Goals and focus are given for each unit.

PhonicsTutor has a reputation of teaching students of all ages to read when other methods have failed. Special education teachers and dyslexia experts highly recommend it for dyslexia and other reading disabilities.

PhonicsTutor® is by far the best and most complete phonics, reading, and spelling curriculum for the computer that I have ever seen. Phonics Tutor is superior in that it combines all three of these essential subjects into one comprehensive program.
Dan Kihlstadius, Reviewer,
Practical Homeschooling #22
See review  Practical Homeschooling

"Ironically, the method that research upholds as the most empirically validated is also the most demanding: phonics-based learning. Tedious for kids, exceedingly difficult for both amateurs and professionals, the phonics method has been a pedagogical stepchild: respected, but definitely disliked. Because of this status, it's a pleasure to see that an old favorite of Education Update, 4:20 Communication's PhonicsTutor has finally released a new addition to its well-received phonics-based reading software, PhonicsTutor Frequent Words edition." Mitchell Levine, Reviewer
Education Update, December 2003 
See review Education Update

Phonics Software Reviews

This is emphatically a five-star, can’t-miss program. I envision smiles spreading all across the country because of Dr. and Mrs. Hickerson’s amazing work! Home School Enrichment Magazine

I am a Reading Specialist with an EdM in The Psychology of Reading from Temple University in Philadelphia. It was an exceptional program with exceptional teachers. However, the real world of the Reading Clinician is a far cry from the graduate school. Currently, I am an independent contractor doing tutoring in all areas of literacy. Many of my students are socially and emotionally disturbed and exhibit all of the concomitant behavior problems that are the results of their frustration with their diagnosed dyslexia. The plain black and white presentations (of PhonicsTutor) allow a chronological senior to work on his or her grade two level sans embarrassment. The explicit and analytical lessons include all of the elements of research proven methodology. I have several anecdotes that I could relate. The one that most exemplifies the effectiveness of PhonicsTutor is of MK. His Gates presented him to me as having scored a 1.9. MK is a seventh grader with some severe cognitive issues, the most demanding of which is his lack of short-term memory. I have worked with MK for six months and he now reads on an early fourth grade level. I have had very similar results with other students. I am equally impressed with this program as a means by which I can provide help to other ECD folks and to those who have become reading specialists along with their Elementary Ed. training. PhonicsTutor packages a wonderful diagnostic and palliative program that is easy to learn and produces wonderful results when implemented properly. Paul, Reading Specialist

"I can truly say we have tried them all.  I can truly say that my children would have been left behind if it had not been for PhonicsTutor. This program has brought our two children from reading on a second grade level to 7th and 8th grade levels in six short months. This is something we did not achieve with all the money we spent on other programs and special education teachers. The stress is now gone thanks to PhonicsTutor. Our children now have the strength, courage, and success to continue with a strong education. They have mastered 'severe' learning disabilities." Roxanne & Michael, Parents, Dallas, TX, April 7, 2003

"...PhonicsTutor is so intense on phonics that we use it as a differential diagnosis of a reading disability. If a student cannot gain in phonemic awareness through this program, they never will. I would go so far as to say the program "retrains" the brain. We are completely sold on the program. We have seen nothing better in our 28 years in education..." Jack O'Brien, Special Education Teacher,
Isanti Elementary School, Isanti, MN.
See full review Jack O'Brien