We haven’t used an official reading curriculum in the past with our kids, but I always have wondered about a few different ones. We were recently given the opportunity to review All About Reading Deluxe Kit Level 2 from Timberdoodle and we jumped at the chance. All About Reading is available in Pre-Reading, Level 1, 2, 3, and 4.
The All About Reading Deluxe Kit Level 2 is offered on Timberdoodle’s website for $163.80. Included in the All About Reading Deluxe Kit Level 2 is the following:
- Level 2 Teacher’s Manual
- Student Packet with Activity Book
- Two readers
- Reader Divider Cards
- Reading Review Box
- The Letter Tiles App (available on iTunes, Google Play, or Kindle)
- Letter Tiles
- Magnets
- Tote Bag
- Phonograms Sounds App
All About Reading Level 2 Features:
- Decoding (Phonics): Learn new phonograms WH, EE, ER, AR, OR, ED, OY, OI, AW, AU, OW, and OU to read words such as whale, sheep, herd, farm, horn, toy, boil, saw, haul, flower, and found; read words with long I or O before two consonants as in find and gold; read words with soft C or G as in race or gem, and learn the first four jobs of Silent E
- Decoding (Structural Analysis): Lean to identify base words, read contractions such as “they’ll”, learn syllable division rules for reading multisyllable words, and read words with past tense ending ed, as in wanted, snowed, and chipped
- Vocabulary: Discuss new words in the context of the story and one’s own life, and understand homophones, synonyms, and antonyms.
- Fluency: Read with accuracy, meaningful expression, and natural phrasing.
- Comprehension: Connect text to one’s own experiences, make predictions, identify the main character, compare and contrast main characters, discuss character motivation and main conflict, skim for specific information, and make inferences from the text.
I admit at this point in our homeschooling journey, I really appreciate curriculum that spells everything out for me so I don’t have to spend hours and hours planning. The first thing that I noticed with All About Reading Level 2 is that step-by-step lesson plans are included in the Teacher’s Manual.
The first step in preparing the program was getting the letter tiles ready. I simply was able to separate the letter tiles and then apply the magnets to the back of the letter tiles. A magnetic white board is preferred for this program, but we did fine just organizing the letters in front of us and skipping the white board. After this, I prepared the syllable tags and the Reading Review Box.
I was a little nervous starting this program on Level 2 since we do not have any prior experience with this program. I wondered if the kids would be able to follow along with the program without having the Level 1 complete. It turned out to be just fine.
Each lesson includes a “Before You Begin” section to guide parents on how to prepare for that day’s lesson. It’s very important to read this section before you start. Next, there is a review section where the program directs the teacher on which phonogram cards and words to review for that day. The “New Teaching” section introduces something new for the day. Throughout everything, teacher’s are guided and it is very easy to follow. At the end, the teacher is encouraged to read aloud for 20 minutes, keep a record, and mark the progress chart.
There are 57 lessons in the All About Reading Level 2. It’s important to note that it’s not expected to complete a lesson every day. Lessons can take as much or as little time as needed to understand the material.
The program grants permission to photocopy the student materials in the book for household use only. That is an important feature for large families like mine!
As I mentioned earlier, we have been using the program for a a few weeks as part of our homeschooling. In that time, I’ve grown to love this program. I decided to use the program with both my 7 and 9 year old girls. I felt that both girls could benefit from extra reading practice.
So far, it’s been a success! The hands-on activities have greatly helped my tactile learner improve her reading skills. The girls also like doing the activities. I find when my children enjoy learning something, they retain the information far better. This program is easy to use with more than one child at the same time.
One of the things that we created with the program is the flip book pictured above. My girls cut out the ending sounds to blend with the “st” sound. It was pretty neat to flip through and see all the different words that can be created.
We look forward to continuing All About Reading Level 2 throughout this school year and will probably continue with the program. I greatly appreciate Timberdoodle for providing this awesome product for us to review and find another program that works wonderfully for my children.
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