Joyce Herzog Scaredy Cat Reading System Level 3 Review

 

If you have been around here for a while you know the thing we struggle most with in school is our reading. I have found somethings that work but this product really impressed me and helped take us to the next level. I have been looking for an item that would help me teach the rules for reading. Such as items like when a vowel makes a certain sound, when to use what letter for a certain sound etc. This review was it! For this review I received the Joyce Herzog reading system called Scaredy Cat Reading System Level 3. There are several levels to this program but we received level 3. This certain level helps your student to learn word building, spelling, the rules behind why you use a C instead of a K and much more.

 
We received the Scaredy Cat Student workbook, the teachers manual, fun learning pack including games and instructions, Audio CD's inside the manual and flash cards with the words you would learn on them. It also includes the Story Of The Letter Master. The price of the product set for this system runs $100. The age is for developing readers in elementary ages. This is the top level that reviews most of the rules in the other books but expounds on the building of words and why we use the letters where we use them.

I personally loved the Story of the Letter Master and so did my son. It tells of how the letters got their sounds and why they work with the letters they do. It is very interesting and a great way to explain it to your child. It also helped me to know why the letters work the way they do. That has been a problem for me teaching him. I knew they go with each other but the why was harder for me to get across. :)

I love seeing that light bulb moment in my son. You know the one where things you have been going over finally click? Well, we had a lot of those. He loved the games that helped him figure out what the word starts with. The games, flash cards and ideas they give you in the books are amazing. It's not just a teach and write type curriculum. It is very hands on for those learners who thrive in that atmosphere. My son seems to do really well when we can do things that reiterate the lesson with hands-on learning.

We spend about 15-30 minutes a day on our lessons. Most of the time we hit four times a week, sometimes five days a week. On the first day we listen to the lesson on the CD. I don't know about you, but sometimes I get worn out from reading the lessons. ;-) I really enjoy the fact that they have the script if you want to read it or the CD to have someone else read it for a change. My kiddo seemed to like that too. We would follow along with the CD audio lesson and then proceed to working on the lesson activities that go with it. He wrote out words, put words in ABC order by their letters and much more. There are so many wonderful activities to work on you never run out of ideas. If you do, there's more in the book!

I really liked the fact that this system is not just a sit and write. They encourage you to change it up. Do not do the same thing over and over. I have to admit I fall in that rut sometimes and it is a challenge getting out of it. This system encourages you to change things each time you learn and not to just sit and read. You can use the words in a scavenger hunt or crossword puzzle. Use the dry erase board to have your child write what they are learning and so much more.

If you are looking for a series that helps fill in the gaps, teach your child the rules for why vowels act the way they do and help them get a good grip on reading, this is it. I will be finishing this program up completely as it seems to one of the best ones that work for us. For those hands on learners you will love this program!

Don't forget to check out other links this week and see how the systems worked for them!