Upwords Reading Homeschool Curriculum Review

Summary of Upwords Reading Homeschool Curriculum Review

Grades: K-4th
Subjects: Vocabulary, Spelling, Reading
Category: Non-Religious
Format: Online
Price: $varies

Ages 3-8

The Up-Words Reading® program is an early literacy program that teaches students to read and spell, using four key areas of instruction. The four key areas include:

  1. Phonological awareness – Students are taught phonological awareness, alphabetic principle, and letter-sound correspondence. With these skills, they learn to decode (read) and encode (spell) phonetic words. Explicit and systematic instruction of the skills, coupled with recurring multisensory drills, provides students with a strong phonetic foundation.
  2. Sight word instruction – Students are taught to recognize and spell sight words using multi-sensory methods to build a strong visual memory of the words. Students learn to recognize and read these words both in and out of context.
  3. Syllabication – Using systematic and explicit instruction, coupled with multi-sensory activities and drills, students learn and internalize effective strategies for reading and spelling longer words.
  4. High-quality literature – high-quality children’s books are woven into daily lesson plans as teacher-read stories. As students listen to and engage in stories that are read aloud, they build auditory comprehension. Additionally, the Up-Words Reading® Decodable Readers provide students an opportunity to read independently. The readers are exclusive to the program, and they are matched with target skills. Students never encounter a word they haven’t been previously taught.

What you’ll like about the Up-Words Reading® program –

  • Of utmost importance, the program is effective. That’s because Up-Words Reading® uses time-proven/research-proven practices for literacy instruction.
  • Up-Words Reading® is a complete early literacy program – you get everything you need to teach your child reading, writing and spelling. And you do get A LOT! For instance, in LEVEL 0, you get 399 phonic word cards and 51 readers. In LEVEL 3 you get over 700 student workbook pages! And by the way – the workbooks are great!
  • Each component of the reading program works in conjunction with the others – they are truly integrated. You’ll appreciate this – as the learning process just makes sense.
  • The readers follow a recurring cast of characters through linear storylines which often span multiple books. The flow is good – again, it makes sense.
  • The readers are engaging. Some stories are humorous (Dad and the Dog), others are relatable (Gus at the Vet), and others teach values (One for God).
  • The readers maintain vocabulary integrity – students are never asked to read a word they have not previously been taught to decode or identify. This means your child isn’t going to get “stuck” or discouraged when she comes across words she isn’t familiar with.
  • The Up-Words Reading® program works in a variety of settings – at home, or in a co-op.
  • You can purchase the program in a print format or as a download – whichever works best for your family. Options are always a plus!
  • It’s a graduated program with levels. If you like LEVEL 0, it’s an easy transition to LEVEL 1. This means continuity for your child. And it’s good news for you – you don’t have to spend hours searching for new curriculum. I like programs that grow with my child. Don’t you?
  • The company offers tutorials. That’s always a plus.