This week I have been reviewing feedback from a member of our Curriculum Committee on a manual revision. Earlier today I emailed another member of the Curriculum Committee to get feedback on other materials. I was reminded of the fantastic people we have on our Curriculum Committee that support our vision and contribute to the development of new products and revisions of existing products based on their experience. The Curriculum Committee consists of a number of seasoned educators who advise us on curriculum changes to our software and direct instruction products. Our Curriculum Committee members are experienced users of Reading Horizons and Discover Intensive Phonics. Following are some quotes about our products and method from Curriculum Committee members.
From members of our Elementary Curriculum Committee:
“I would recommend Reading Horizons to a professional peer because it is a research-based, high-quality program that helps children unlock the code to reading. It gives children the basic tools they need to be successful, lifelong readers. They learn to enjoy reading because the program makes reading an easy task.”
“As a result of using this phonics program daily, we see children using the phonetic skills they have been taught when they come to a word they don’t know. The testing on reading we have done at grade level has shown them higher than ever before. The children use their decoding skills to help them spell words. I rarely have more than three children who don’t get 100 percent on the spelling test. In using this program daily, the children’s printing skills and creative writing skills have improved greatly. As phonetic sounds are introduced with words, the children learn other meanings for words, and we use that in comprehension skills. Dictation of sentences has become a breeze because (the program teaches) punctuation along with the phonic skills. I have become an avid fan of Discover Intensive Phonics and would never go back to anything I taught before.”
From a member of our ESL/ESOL Curriculum Committee:
“Discover Intensive Phonics’ unique, systematic method integrates a manageable set of word attack principles with an engaging, interactive software product that accommodates visual, audio, and kinesthetic learning styles. Reading Horizons’ Discover Intensive Phonics is the benchmark product in the field of ESL literacy development.”
From members of our Intermediate/Adult Curriculum Committee:
“The strength of this program is that it empowers people to read. It gives them skills and confidence (when they) successfully complete reading lessons. It’s very thorough and comprehensive with instructions and follow-through in the lessons. (When you are) a teacher, you know when something works; this works!”
“Not only has Reading Horizons proved successful across the range of reading levels, it also is effective with students whose reading difficulties stem from a variety of sources:
lack of experience due to inadequate elementary education, intellectual deficits, and learning disabilities. The experience of making sense of language through systematically proving words (applying the phonetic rules) brings a sense of excitement and hope which encourages the sustained effort needed to be successful.”
For more information about the members of our Curriculum Committee, click here.