Alpha-Phonics: A Primer For Beginning Readers [Plastic Comb]

Samuel L. Blumenfeld (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0941995003 | ISBN-13: 978-0941995009 | Publication Date: October 1999 | Edition: 36th printing

Alpha-Phonics. Probably the simplest, most effective and most reasonably priced systematic, intensive phonics reading instruction program available today. HERE'S WHY IT WORKS SO WELL: IT IS SIMPLE!!There are only 44 phonograms (sounds) the child needs to learn. There are only 44 sounds needed for the entire English language. Reading is simple to teach because all you have to do is teach the student to SOUND OUT the words they are trying to read. At first they sound the words out LOUD then later they do it in their head silently. That is ALL there is to teaching reading.  Student begins with short vowels putting simplest words together (Like a plus m = am or a plus s = as; etc) and progresses to the more advanced words.  With Alpha-Phonics the beginner can be reading simple sentences by lesson three, and that can be even on the first day!  Other programs try to do too much. They inject grammar, pictures and other material, needlessly complicating the task. With Alpha-Phonics you just teach reading only. Alpha-Phonics has a BONUS in that you EASILY teach SPELLING as you go, lesson by lesson. You just spend a few minutes with each lesson doing oral and written dictation to teach spelling.  Alpha-Phonics easily introduces over 3,500 words in its simple 128 lessons. Many children learn reading in only months. Alpha-Phonics also works very well for older, even grown adult, students who need remediation.  Highly endorsed by leading homeschooling product reviewers Cathy Duffy and Mary Pride. Alpha-Phonics is regularly recommended by The Robinson Curriculum organization. Used very successfully by hundreds of thousands for almost 30 years by parents, tutors and teachers. Works exceptionally well in teaching English as a Second Language. For additional detailed information and testimonmial letters and video explanations go to Alpha-Phonics website. Same low retail price for over 14. years. Originally published in print version in 1983.  Full money back guarantee. 24/7 Helpline if you need assistance. Alpha-Phonics is also available from Amazon on CD ROM version. Amazon also has optional accompanying Readers and Practice Workbook. SPECIAL NOTE: PLEASE READ: Is there a negative about Alpha-Phonics? Yes. In the more than 25 years we've published Alpha-Phonics we have heard only one criticism. We have only heard or seen it a few times but, in all honesty, here it is: Some Moms say they think their child can become bored when taught with Alpha-Phonics. It is because too many parents are used to having fun-like, non-essential games (Bells & whistles we call 'em), playing card decks, spin the needle tricks, etc. Public Education has eschewed drill. They feel you have to entertain kids while teaching them. This fluff only slows down the process. What many Moms don't realize is that with Alpha-Phonics their student can be READING simple sentences even on day one! Students do see a lot of words in the lessons of Alpha-Phonics, but they quickly are READING those words; they are accomplishing, not being entertained. Moms who feel it looks boring should realize their child is learning to READ (To sound out) words (Over 3,500 new words in Alpha-Phonics). Besides, those bells & whistles make the program more expensive and complicated. Not only do they slow the process of learning to read quickly but they cost you lots of time and $$$. The huge sense of success in actually reading will soon overcome any short-lived sense of boredom. This makes ultimately for very happy Moms, Dads AND students. We almost forgot a super BONUS for some parents in using Alpha-Phonics with their children: Many of the adults become better readers as they progress through Alpha-Phonics with their child. Go with the one that has weathered the test of time. Go with the one that is SIMPLE, EFFECTIVE and INEXPENSIVE: Go with ALPHA-PHONICS

Editorial Reviews

Review

Excerpts from Cathy Duffy's book: Alpha-Phonics Sam Blumenfeld's classic phonics manual, provides comprehensive phonics instruction in a simple, straightforward manner. A parent works through the lessons with his or her child, working from the book.  Alpha-Phonics has heavy-duty plastic covers and plastic comb binding so it will lie flat while you're working through lessons.  Print is very large, making it suitable for young readers.  The methodology is solid phonics.  Blending is taught via the vowel-consanant method with initial consonants added next (e.g., am taught first followed by Sam and ham). Words are taught in families (e.g., an, ban, can, Dan, fan, Jan).   However, many nonsense syllables are included in the early stages to help students develop phonetic fluency.  Students practice quite a few such lists, but they also move quickly into reading actual sentences.  The program does not use pictures for key words as do many other programs.  The print is very large and clear with no illustrations or other distractions.   The intent is that students concentrate on the letters themselves so that they immediately recognize the sounds associated with a letter rather that taking an extra mental step to recall a key word associated with a picture.  Alpha-Phonics teaches 44 basic sounds for the [26] letters of the alphabet.  It teaches basic phonics rules, but not so many as we find in other programs..... --Top 100 Picks for Homeschool Curriculum. Broadman & Holman, Nashville, 2005, pgs 81-82 Why is Alpha-Phonics so great? Well let me tell you what I know about it and you can make up your own mind about it. I fell in love with Alpha-Phonics when I started home schooling my children. It is a very simple way to help anyone to read. First you must learn the alphabets and then the fun starts. You start with the letter a and that it makes the short a sound. Then you add a consonant with it such as s. A - s - as, then a - d - ad, a - n - an, a- t - at, and a - x - ax. Do you get it? You start with words, just the short a words. On the second lesson you then add a third letter and sound such as: h - at - hat,h - as - has, d - ad - dad, and w - ax - wax. By the third lesson you are making simple sentences. Dad has wax. Has dad an ax? You stay with the short a sound until you have learned all the sounds of the alphabet. Some are not real words, but you are learning how to sound out words. Why is sonding out words better than reading by sight? By sight you have to memorize the whole word. And when you forget it when it is your turn to read aloud, oh dear. When you come to a word you don't have memorized you are stuck. You have to wait till someone tells you what it is. First your short a's, then short e's, i's, o's, u's, then the long ones. When you come to a word you don't know you can sound it out, like Washington. Wash-ing-ton. Constellation. Con-stel-la-tion. CAN YOU THINK OF A MORE FUN WAY TO LEARN? I can't. And before you know it your child is reading everything in sight. They will not have to struggle in reading anymore. But the best of all is that they will be learning from all the books they read. They will be sort of teaching themselves. --Top 100 Picks for Homeschool Curriculum, Broadman & Holman, 2005, pgs 81-82
Why is Alpha-Phonics so great? Well let me tell you what I know about it and you can make up your own mind about it. I fell in love with Alpha-Phonics when I started home schooling my children. It is a very simple way to help anyone to read. First you must learn the alphabets and then the fun starts. You start with the letter a and that it makes the short a sound. Then you add a consonant with it such as s. A - s - as, then a - d - ad, a - n - an, a- t - at, and a - x - ax. Do you get it? You start with words, just the short a words. On the second lesson you then add --Karen Andreola, homeschoolhighlights blog, February 25, 2011

Why is Alpha-Phonics so great? Well let me tell you what I know about it and you can make up your own mind about it. I fell in love with Alpha-Phonics when I started home schooling my children. It is a very simple way to help anyone to read. First you must learn the alphabets and then the fun starts. You start with the letter a and that it makes the short a sound. Then you add a consonant with it such as s. A - s - as, then a - d - ad, a - n - an, a- t - at, and a - x - ax. Do you get it? You start with words, just the short a words. On the second lesson you then add a third letter and sound such as: h - at - hat,h - as - has, d - ad - dad, and w - ax - wax. By the third lesson you are making simple sentences. Dad has wax. Has dad an ax? You stay with the short a sound until you have learned all the sounds of the alphabet. Some are not real words, but you are learning how to sound out words. Why is sounding out words better than reading by sight? By sight you have to memorize the whole word. And when you forget it when it is your turn to read aloud, oh dear. When you come to a word you don't have memorized you are stuck. You have to wait till someone tells you what it is. First your short a's, then short e's, i's, o's, u's, then the long ones. When you come to a word you don't know you can sound it out, like Washington. Wash-ing-ton. Constellation. Con-stel-la-tion. CAN YOU THINK OF A MORE FUN WAY TO LEARN? I can't. And before you know it your child is reading everything in sight. They will not have to struggle in reading anymore. But the best of all is that they will be learning from all the books they read. They will be sort of teaching themselves. --Rachelle Curran, email to publisher, March 9,2011

The following is a review by Karen Andreola, a leading reviewer of homeschool oriented materials for many years. Karen originally reviewed Alpha-Phonics for the catalogs of Christian Book Distributors. Alpha-Phonics by Samuel L. Blumenfeld: Reminding us to be satisfied with moderation, my mother used to say, A little dab will do ya. With this in mind, I want to reassure you that it is not necessary to spend hundreds of dollars on an elaborate phonics course. There is an alternative that is amazingly simple and direct - it's called sounding out. Instead of using dancing cartoon figures or sing-songy ditties (meant to amuse but which often distract), a child simply looks at the letter or word and repeats after you. When a child has learned to recognize each letter in the alphabet by its sound, you can introduct the blending of letter sounds. Frequent practics plus some review will be needed, but this gradual work can be accomplished in 10 minutes a day with Alpha-Phonics. This program is the little dab of phonics I gave mk children each day for their: at, mat, cat, hat, sat sort of practices. And it was plenty. The large child-sized, handwritten letters are read by the student right out of the book. Short words are read in columns. (No need to read all the columns on the page in one sitting) Whole sentences are introduced using words previously practiced. An inrepensive, non-consumable course, complete with teacher's manual and lesson plans. Grades K-4. --Karen Andreola, homeschoolhighlights blog, February 25, 2011

About the Author

Alpha-Phonics author Dr. Samuel L. Blumenfeld is the celebrated author of many books on education.  He has taught school in both public and private settings. He has been a sought after lecturer at numerous homeschool and other types of educational conferences and workshops.  He has written articles for many print publications and is heard often in radio ad TV interviews. He has traveled and spoken in every state and in Australia, China, Europe and other countries. He is a native New Yorker who has resided in Massachusetts for many years

Product Details

• Plastic Comb: 168 pages
• Publisher: The Paradigm Company; 36th printing edition (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941995003
• ISBN-13: 978-0941995009
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,279 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Samuel L. Blumenfeld is a resident of suburban Boston. He is a native New Yorker who was educated in the public schools of New York city and City College of New York. Before turning full-time writer he was a book and magazine editor. To give himself frontline experience for his books on education he served as a substitute teacher in the Quincy, Massachusetts, public schools. He is chairman of the Massachusetts branch of the Reading Reform Foundation.
Blumenfled's articles have appeared in the New York Times, Herald Tribune, Commentary, American Opinion, Ideas, Reason, Inquiry, American Education, Vital Speeches, Education Digest, American Legion Magazine, Conservative Digest and Boston Magazine. He has authored seven books on the subject of education. Several of his books have been given the highest ratings by Mary Pride and Cathy Duffy, two of the leading homeschool curricula reviewers.He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from Bob Jones University in May 1986.
Dr. Blumenfeld is a popular lecturer, teacher and advisor at many conferences, workshops and conventions, especially homeschool conferences. He has participated in such events on every continent.
Blumenfeld is frequently heard on numerous radio and TV talk shows across the U.S.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't live without it, April 21, 2002

By 

Jill Barrett (Independence, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alpha-Phonics: A Primer For Beginning Readers (Plastic Comb)

I have taught three children to read with this book, and am thrilled to be able to buy a plastic comb-bound version for my fourth child, which hopefully will also last through #5 and #6. Two of my children learned to read using this program between the ages of four and five, one between the ages of five and six. My current five-year-old is developmentally delayed, and so she is beginning phonics later than some of my other children, but I am confident that she will be reading some when she starts kindergarten in the fall.

Forget the "Phonics Game" and "Hooked on Phonics" and all those other pricey, gimmicky phonics programs. This thirty-dollar book is ALL you need, and it will take no more than 15 minutes per day to teach any child to read. If your child does not yet recognize all letters and know all phonograms (letter sounds), you can use the printed alphabet at the beginning of the book to drill on these first. By lesson THREE of Alpha-Phonics your child will be able to read a couple of sentences and be thrilled to death with his or her progress.

Alpha-Phonics is proof that the best isn't necessarily the most expensive.

52 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Possibly the best [money] you will invest., May 4, 2002

By 

Gary Kuwano (Santa Clara, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alpha-Phonics: A Primer For Beginning Readers (Plastic Comb)

I am writing this so that it may help another struggling reader.

Bottom line is that it helped my first grader greatly accelerate her reading skills. At two months into the school year she was tested at a level 2. Our school district standard is level 16 by the end of first grade. Her teacher said that there would be an outside chance she would be at a level 12 by the end of the school year. My daughter though bright and motivated, does not have an aptitude for reading and possibly has a slight case of dyslexia. When she tried to read she would fall into tears with frustration. Consequently she was losing interest in reading.

We started this book in November spending about 30-60 minutes, 2-3 exercises per day with just reading, no writing. We finished the book in January. She then started reading other books for 30-60 minutes per day. She was tested again in February at a level 6. She has since been advancing at almost a level a week. By the end of April she was reading and comprehending level 12 books with ease. Recall that the teacher said in October she would be lucky to be at a level 12 by the end of the school year. She still has 6 weeks left in the school year.

This book has made a difference because it lays a phonic foundation in an organized, comprehensive manner with exercises that continually reenforce the learnings in each lesson. Exercises in subsequent lessons review previous material so that review of previous lessons were generally not needed. It starts out very simply so that the child is not overwhelmed and immediately feels a sense of accomplishment. Read the lesson plans at the end of the book as they are helpful for the parent.

After completing the book, your child will have the skills to sound out words on her own. As you go through the book with her, you will develop a common phonetic language that you can use to help her with new words and improve her phonics skills. The book can be a little dry so spicing it up a bit keeps the interest up. I'd deliberately mispronounce key words in the exercise and let her correct me.

After completing this book, let your child loose to read, read, read. My daughter now enjoys reading and does so at every opportunity. The other great thing as a parent is no more tears of frustration.

Is this book for you? If you and your child are motivated, this is the best...investment you will make.

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a favorite in our family!, May 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Alpha-Phonics: A Primer For Beginning Readers (Plastic Comb)

We are currently teaching our fifth son to read using Alpha-phonics. We used Alpha-phonics to teach each of his older brothers as well. We can't say enough good about this book! It is easy to use and inexpensive. It introduces easy sentences right away, which is a great motivator. We have found that it works best for us to use Alpha-phonics alone at first, and then later add some phonics flash cards. (We use Romalda Spaldings phonogram cards.) This combination is all we have ever needed. We've been homeschooling now for 9 years, and with most subjects we find that one child loves one curriculum, and the next child hates it and needs something else for his different learning style. Alpha-phonics is the only book that everyone has loved! I highly recommend it.