Notes from the Trolley Station

Jul. 7, 2008

Explode the Code

When I first started homeschooling my son Keegan in kindergarten I didn't use any curriculum. We used that year as a learning experience, an opportunity for me to learn more about him and his ways of learning, as well as to learn about my strengths as a homeschool educator. I discovered two areas where I felt I needed additional help with teaching - phonics/reading and fine arts. Fortunately, there is an arts center with excellent kids' programming located very close to my house and my husband and I signed Keegan up for group classes in theatre and clay. Check, one problem solved.

That left phonics. Keegan and I already did a lot of reading together. Even though he couldn't read most of the words, he loved looking at books and often went to bed with a stack of books by his side. But I knew that, in order to help facilitate his ability to read (without pushing him before he was ready), we needed a phonics curriculum that we could follow. Since his attention span is short and he learns best from activities, not worksheets, I was a little hesitant to consider Explode the Code, which consists of a series of workbooks. However, I knew that we needed something that taught Keegan how to decode words with phonics. Explode the Code does just that. It starts off with the basics, teaching consonant sounds and short-vowel sounds, then moving on to initial and final consonant blends, digraphs, trigraphs, dipthongs, and compound and multi-syllabic words. Kids start reading small, short-vowel words right away. Words get more complex as they move through the workbooks. Each workbook is divided into a series of lessons. Each lesson consists of 7-9 workpages that address the lesson subject in different ways. The exercises incorporate identification, matching, copying, reading, and writing. Students can complete every page, or for those who grasp the content quickly, can complete just the most difficult pages for each lesson.

A Teacher's Guide accompanies every two workbooks (eg, Books 1 and 2). Additional workbooks are available for students who need more practice before moving on to the next level (eg, Book 1 1/2 follows Book 1). The Teacher's Guide provides a variety of techniques to reinforce each lesson, such as a ball toss game that reviews phonic sounds (for kinesthetic learners) or comprehension questions. What's great about the guides is that they include a lot of different ideas so that you can pick those techniques that best suit your child.

Explode the Code (ETC) is designed for Kindergarten through Grade 4, but can be started at any time. It's not necessary to start at the beginning. A placement test is available to help teachers select the appropriate level for each student. ETC can be used for one-on-one instruction or in a group/classroom setting.

Supplements, such as Picture Letter Cards, Code Cards, and Wall Chart Activity Book, are available but are not necessary.

Another wonderful feature of Explode the Code is its low price. A whole year's curriculum (two books and one Teacher's Guide) can be purchased for merely $22.75. If you also use the workbooks for additional practice, plan on an additional $15.20 per year. With prices that low, who can go wrong trying this product?

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About Me

This is a compendium of favorite resources, techniques that have worked well for us, and sometimes funny accounts of our homeschool activities, written by a mama who splits her time between homeschooling an 8-year old boy, working part-time, and running a homebirth midwifery practice. The blog title comes from our home, a renovated trolley depot.