Rocket Phonics

[ProudGrandma]

Can anyone here tell me about this program?

[CatMomof3]

We have it, we like it - I am horrible giving reviews but I will try.

 

I am using it with my 2nd grader and my 4 year old right now. My second grader is almost done and she is doing very well. My 4 year old is just doing the play cards right now (he is not ready to combine letters yet).

 

Section 1 - Introduces your child to the Sounds, Rocket Phonics introduces your child to 36 different sounds and the letters (or combinations of letters) that make that sound. This is done through games, such as Go Fish and Bingo. My whole family plays Go Fish at least once a week with the sound cards. The only weird card is the short u - the pic for it is a duck.

ALSO your child will be reading prompted words and stories - example for the word know (the k is grayed out so your child knows it is silent, the n is blue so your child knows to say the n sound, and the ow is grayed out with a smaller oa under the ow so your child knows that ow says the long o sound - sounds confusing but works really well).

 

Section 2 - deals mainly with short vowel words and getting more practice in reading short stories, riddles, and Simon says.

 

Section 3 - are the real stories. Your child first reads the prompted story and then reads the unprompted story when they are ready. Section 3.1 is written at a 1st grade level, 3.2 is written at a 2nd grade level and so on to 3.6.

 

Other things are introduced throughout the books such as Homonyms, Prefixes, and Abbreviations. Rocket Phonics also suggests that you don't start reading outside material until after Section 3.2.

 

On a personal note, I have liked almost every story and my dd is becoming a great reader, who also loves to read. I have also tried hooked on phonics, and a few other programs - this one seems to have more reading in it without overwhelming. Rocket Phonics believes to teach reading, your child has to read. There are lists of words, but there are many more stories.

 

To help build on the phonics we also do All About Spelling.

 

Hope this helps, if you want more info just ask.

[ProudGrandma]

thanks for the review. I would mostly be using this for my 1st grade son who has been reading the "I See Sam" books and working thorugh ETC books...would this be too confusing to him now...or would he slide right into it. How teacher intensive is this program? I have 3 kids and I have a hard time finding "extra" time. Also, could my 2nd/3rd grade benefit from this program too? He is reading at about a 2nd grade level...or a little above.

 

I would be interested in knowing other's views too. THANKS!

[Delighted3]

Coming from a SWR background, I looked at Rocket Phonics and thought that it was very disjointed and just plain confusing. For instance, looking at the first grade sample story where they have the words with sounds like underneath them, I think some of them are just plain wrong. Gentle with the ul under the l. Sign with an ie under the i. English with an i under the E. These are just a couple of examples on that page in the sample section that make me cringe. Now, I know that they are giving the kids clues under the words for figuring out what the words say, but I think that this is a whole lot of extra stuff to learn and some of it is very ambiguous. Why not just go with straight phonics like an Orton Gillingham method. If it is the games that you like, then something like Happy Phonics is much more clear in my opinion. As a disclaimer, I have not actually used Rocket Phonics, just looked at the samples online and these are my impressions from that.

HTH,

Joy

[nikkinic]

I have not actually used the program and I don't know if my 2 cents is helpful at all, but I heard the man who created rocket phonics speak at a convention recently. I loved what he had to say and I thought he was really insightful and if I wasn't already done with phonics I would've bought rocket phonics on the spot.

[MomLovesClassics]

I no longer have the program. I used it with my youngest a few years ago. She thought it was fun. She is an exceptional reader.

[hmschooling]

thanks for the review. I would mostly be using this for my 1st grade son who has been reading the "I See Sam" books and working thorugh ETC books...would this be too confusing to him now...or would he slide right into it. How teacher intensive is this program? I have 3 kids and I have a hard time finding "extra" time. Also, could my 2nd/3rd grade benefit from this program too? He is reading at about a 2nd grade level...or a little above.

 

I would be interested in knowing other's views too. THANKS!

 

I'm interested in how teacher intensive it is as well??