A few years ago we had the opportunity to share our ABeCeDarian review. ABeCeDarian Company offers a reading program that addresses the key areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency. It was a new way for us to learn reading, and I was recently considering starting it with our youngest (age 6). When I was introduced to the ABeCeDarian Interactive A Workbook I was excited to check it out with him!
In addition to now offering the Level A Workbook as an interactive digital resource the Teacher Manual – A is available as a digital version as well. It is a PDF download, so it could easily be viewed on your computer. I, personally, prefer to save PDF’s in iBooks on both my phone and iPad for easy access. I do still have the physical book, of course, but I find I much prefer the the digital download!
ABeCeDarian Interactive A Workbook
The ABeCeDarian Interactive Workbook is accessed online. We created a user account, and when we are logged into that account we can select the Interactive Workbook to get started. Because of this there is nothing to download.
We have found it does take a bit for the Interactive Workbook to load. It is completely normal to have a blank screen during that time. Shortly a loading page will come up and will load the workbook. Every time the Interactive Workbook is loaded it starts at the first page (the cover). Because of this, I found it’s a good idea to make note of where you left off. This will ensure you’re following the reading program as suggested. You can then click on the specific lesson you are on to continue.
To progress through the Interactive workbook we use my Windows laptop with touch screen. To advance pages, we simply click on the top right corner, and to go back we click on the bottom left. It is actually not that common for us to use the touch screen, so just that fact alone was fun for our son. I was also finding he just responds so much better to the digital version.
About the Reading Program
The ABeCeDarian Interactive A Workbook has been identical to the physical version up to this point. It takes a unique approach to learning to read. It really stresses the importance of letter sounds rather than the letter names, and I have found it’s much easier to teach this from the beginning rather than after they know and recognize all letters by name. It starts with simple three letter words and continues to build upon those same sounds while eventually progressing to new sounds.
Additionally, it does include the writing as well. The touch screen really comes in handy for this. I am unsure whether or not you could use it without the touch screen, but I imagine it would be difficult if so. The writing is the biggest difference I have seen as far as how Chaz does with the program. Due to his fine-motor delays holding a pencil is challenging for him. This has allowed him to still practice the letter strokes without a pencil. He simply uses his finger to trace and write them.
Occasionally, it will make a random mark or line. If that had been on paper, he would have gotten very upset. If it happens in the Interactive Workbook, though, he thinks it is hilarious. Sometimes it is just a random error from another part of the hand touching the screen, but sometimes it’s just due to his challenges. Regardless, I love that he is still enjoying it because that makes a big difference in his attitude toward learning to write!
Teacher Manual – A
The Teacher Manual offers a step by step guide on how to conduct the lessons. It really includes a lot of detail, and I definitely recommend reading the introduction before beginning the program. It not only breaks down each activity but also includes what you should say out loud and what to do when a mistake was made. This has helped to avoid the frustration!
Overall, I think ABeCeDarian is a great reading program. It worked well for our older children, and now it is working well for our youngest. He has really been recognizing the letter sounds he has already learned and is doing great with learning the new letter sounds. I was glad to see how quickly he picked up the word building activities. This is definitely a reading program where I sit down with him, of course, and he’s just been enjoying it overall!
Plus, the digital options really make it convenient. It can be accessed easily, and the fact that it’s interactive makes a great difference. He can trace and write his letters without the frustration caused by holding a pencil. He is still able to practice those letter strokes and build those skills along the way!
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Fellow members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew had the opportunity to review this great reading program as well! Check out their reviews by clicking on the banner below!
The Teacher Manual offers a step by step guide on how to conduct each lesson. I was impressed by the detail! It not only breaks down each activity but also includes what you should say out loud and what to do when a mistake was made. Nothing is left to guess work! My particular personality appreciates such detail! I did notice some discretion between the examples in the Teacher Manual and what was in the Student Workbook, so that caused confusion a couple of times. I had to look at their workbook to make sure I had the right words in front of me. Now I just verify that I have the same thing in my manual as they do in their workbook before beginning to avoid any confusion.
We started the first storybook when we reached Unit 4 in the A-1 Workbook. The first storybook starts with our daughter’s favorite animal – the cat! They were very eager to read it right away, but I wanted to make sure we followed the program as suggested! When you read the first storybook it contains all the words they have learned up to that point, so it really instills repetition. This definitely aids in the learning process and helps build confidence! I always appreciate that as our kids are often hesitant when they don’t feel confident. Having a story they can read offered a lot of encouragement for both of them!
