“MINDsprinting’s Reading
Excellence program is the only online phonics/language instructional
package I would recommend to supplement any early reading program.
Children, grades K-3, receive the extra practice they need to master "word
attack" skills
and quickly begin to read for comprehension. Instruction is organized
into five levels of difficulty, and within each one of these, some
60 lessons introduce children to a sequence of language skills from
the most basic (e.g. letter and sound recognition), to the more difficult
(e.g. rhyming and blending so as to enable a child to sound out and
decode unfamiliar words), and finally, early inferencing skills in
which the child practices sequencing details and reading between the
lines to realize total comprehension of stories. An initial assessment quickly
identifies the appropriate entrance level. From this starting point,
children move through the subsequent levels at their own pace, allowing those
both remedial and gifted to use these materials effectively.
This excellent program achieves a number of related
objectives including: practice with vowel and consonant letter combinations
and sounds; practice printing of letters and words, as well as writing
short stories; learning about parts of speech such as nouns, pronouns,
and verbs; and learning about compound words, synonyms, antonyms, homonyms,
capital letters, and end marks (such as periods, question marks and
exclamation points).
This is truly a comprehensive program. As with
MINDsprinting's other
online programs, the child has access to numerous exercises, and
consequently many opportunities to achieve mastery at all skill levels.
And because this program is easily accessible through the Internet,
busy schedules are easily accommodated. The program also permits the
parent to "Fast
Track" the child through skills already mastered thereby preventing
boredom and guaranteeing constant challenge from new material. Consequently
children are encouraged to strive for excellence, and within them
is awakened a spirit of confidence and enthusiasm. The child will
realize his or her highest potential every step of the way.”
- Peter Gamlin Ph.D., C. Psych. Registered Psychologist
Professor Emeritus The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of
the University of Toronto
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