Commercial Early Literacy Programs
Disclaimer: The NJ Department of Education does not endorse any particular product or program. The state does not have a mandated textbook adoption program or state curriculum. It is recommended that districts review these programs to determine if they are scientific-based.
| Four Blocks Literacy Program - by Pat Cunningham. | The
Four Blocks framework outlines a systematic, multileveled approach to teaching literacy. This model acknowledges that all children learn differently, and provides a framework for teaching with four different blocks: Guided Reading, Writing, Self Selected Reading and the Word Block. (See ReadingLady.com or Apples 'N' Acorns for more product information.) |
| KinderStarters program from Rigby Education. | KinderStarters is a comprehensive modular program designed for use in full- and half-day kindergarten classrooms. Based on the most current research into literacy learning, each module focuses on specific skills. |
| Interactive, multisensory early literacy programs from LeapFrog SchoolHouse. | |
| Literacy Tree from Rigby Education. | Literacy Tree is a balanced literacy program for grades K-3. It focuses on phonics, language, literature, and comprehension with a key balance of oral and written language development opportunities. |
| Pebble Soup Explorations from Rigby Education. | Pebble Soup Explorations provides a language and print-rich environment in which children can develop oral language (the beginnings of reading and writing skills) and sends them on the first steps to literacy. |
| Pebble Soup Letter Kits from Rigby Education. | Pebble Soup Letter Kits - Students can grow in their knowledge of the alphabet, develop phonemic awareness and enhance their understanding of sound/letter relationships through the components and activities in the Pebble Soup Letter Kits. |
| Pearson Learning Group | Pearson Learning Group has an array of educational products for grades preK-12 including: NSF-funded products, bilingual products, phonics and assessment materials, accessible programs for special needs and ESL students. Pearson Learning Group imprints that provide early literacy products include Modern Curriculum Press and Celebration Press. The company has phonics programs , ESL programs, balanced reading programs and more in the area of early literacy. |
| References [a list] from Read Naturally. | The Read Naturally program provides a method to improve reading fluency. Most struggling readers have fluency problems and spend little time reading. A commercial Web site, that also gives Oral Reading Fluency Norms for grades 2-5. |
| Wiggleworks from Scholastic. | WiggleWorks is an interactive print and CD-ROM curriculum. It allows children to read, write, speak, and record themselves reading. In addition, it allows them to create books, print them, and bring them home. The curriculum also provides a variety of resources for teachers, including audiocassettes, and lesson plans. |
| Wright Group | Wright Group/McGraw Hill's teaching philosophy encompasses a blend of strategies and methods, including phonics and basic skills instruction and immersion in meaningful literature and writing. Based on the assessed needs of students, this approach combines and balances developmentally appropriate literature, language and writing experiences with explicit instruction in skills. |
