This just in from my web guy: "A malware script got posted on treadstar.com via an unused (although still resident) and outdated installation of Coppermine. Google picked it up and notified me this morning. The Malware has been removed (along with the installation of Coppermine) and I have submitted a request for review to Google... it should be cleared up in the next few hours." Thank you all for alerting me so I could alert him! I guess this is a good endorsement of your anti-virus software!

Treadstar is the Dynamic Literacy shopping cart. It may be trying to add a cookie to your machine to facilitate order tracking. I'll check with my web guy. Thanks!

The regular price is $79.99 for each Teacher/student combo, $82.99 for Foundations Level 1 because it has an extra book. With a 25% discount you're looking at $59.99 + 4.90 shipping. Email me directly for a discount code, as it is probably not proper for me to give it here! jbailey@dynamicliteracy.com

It would be helpful if you could tell me exactly where you were when you received this message. I use McAfee too....

We haven't had any reports of problems and have processed lots of orders in the last week. If you would be more comfortable ordering over the phone, call me toll free at 888-696-8597

The CD comes with both windows and Mac versions on it. It requires OS-X and up.

oops..........forgot to tell you, we've had no reports of any issues with Windows 7

The game asks the player (you can have 99) to select a root, then it presents all the prefixes, suffixes, and other roots that will work with that root. There is background music (17 choices), and lots of audio feedback. Players string together one spelling of the root (some have as many as 6!) with combinations of prefixes and suffixes to try to build words. The screen shows the meaning of each price as it is selected. When the player thinks she has a word, she hits "Check It" and the system validates the word, provides assorted audio "atta-girls" and adds it to a running list. If it isn't a word, it makes some funny comments. You can turn on a timer to play competitively for high score by root, or leave the timer off and play as long as you like. Either way, you can print a list of your words when you're done, and they are saved to be added to next time you play that root - unless the timer is on, in which case you always start with a blank slate and have 3 minutes to build words. Most people find it addictive. This comes straight from the Elements 1 Teache Edition for the root DIC - The word ADDICTED was originally a positive term meaning “to have declared oneself in favor of a belief, deity, or topic.â€

Hi Kuovonne - the 5 years directly teaches 75 affixes and 93 roots, plus lot of affix combinations (un + able) as well as units on doubling with -ing and -ed, dropped 'e' with -ing and -ed, change -y to -i with a bunch of different combinations. The game includes another 117 roots and hundred affixes, plus 18,000 words.

Hi Jen - Yes, start with Elements 1. We recommend it for 6th grade and up. We don't assume they've used Foundations, so we include review of every prefix and suffix before it is used the first time. When you purchase a teacher's edition, you also get access to the DL website, where you can access the content in the Foundations student books (for free) if you need more practice.

Hi Beth - WordBuild is different because we never give students lists of words to memorize. The objective of the entire WordBuild program is to give students the tools they need to not be intimidated by unfamiliar words, but to see them as puzzles to be solved. All 5 years of WordBuild operate on a 15 minute per day model. To get into the specific differences between WordBuild and other approaches, check out this review by Sherene Silverberg, the Norfolk Examiner. She has twin 9 year olds, and has tried everything on the market. She settled on WordBuild as the best option. http://www.dynamichomeschool.com/assets/documents/NorfolkHomeschoolingExaminer.pdf Another review you might find useful is by Janice Campbell http://www.janice-campbell.com/2009/09/29/dynamic-literacys-word-build-a-review/ Regarding the retention question, we recommend starting WordBuild with students who have mastered phonics. This is most often 2nd grade for home schooled kids, but yours may be different. Because our approach focuses on one unit of meaning for an entire week, kids of any age will remember this as well as they remember anything. I don't have any data on the specific tests you reference. By the way, the person who said transfuse doesn't mean "blend across" forgot that FUSE means mix, blend, or pour. TRANS-FUSE literally means "pour across". When you think of a blood transfusion, this becomes clear. I only know this because of my use of WordBuild. I used to be a math geek, and now I'm a word nerd.

Hi, I'm Jerry, one of the co-owners of Dynamic Literacy and co-authors of WordBuild. A couple of home schoolers suggested I join the forum. I am happy to answer any questions anyone has about Dynamic Literacy vocabulary products. :001_smile: