Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)!

Answers:

  1. Why does Sing Your Way Through Phonics work in helping students learn to read and write?

    Learning phonics is a skill like riding a bike or playing a musical instrument. The only way to improve at a skill is through repeated practice. However, practicing spelling and reading skills over and over can be very boring and unmotivating. Children who do not “get it” quickly often lose interest and resist practicing, thus falling farther and farther behind. On the other hand, when reading and writing skills are linked to music that students enjoy singing, they do not mind practicing again and again. You might even see students singing the phonics songs out on the playground, because they perceive them as fun, rather than as boring drill. Before they know it, students have internalized the rules and spelling patterns that make them better readers and writers.
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  2. How long does it take students to learn the concepts in Sing Your Way Through Phonics?

    Each song in Sing Your Way Through Phonics focuses on a particular literacy concept. Generally, it is effective to sing the song daily for a week, being sure to point to the target words or spelling patterns on the Mini-Charts during the song. If, after a week, students can sing the words and point to the charts appropriately, they are ready to apply the phonics rule or spelling pattern to a new set of words. Another week can be spent doing supplementary activities and song variants as suggested in the Teaching Suggestions Booklet or Action Factor’s online lesson plans.
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  3. How do I know which volume/s of Sing Your Way Through Phonics is right for my students?

    There are four volumes in Sing Your Way Through Phonics. The Ready-to-Read volume is designed for pre-school students. Volume 1 contains concepts covered in kindergarten and 1st grade. Volume 2 is aimed at 1st and 2nd grades. Volume 3 can be used in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. Children with special needs often benefit from volumes that target earlier grades than their current placement. It is also a good practice to “preview and review.” Introduce students to phonics concepts in an informal and playful settings before they are formally taught those concepts. And keep phonics skills from getting rusty by periodically returning to previously learned songs. More detailed information about the levels and concepts covered in each volume of Sing Your Way Through Phonics is displayed in our scope and sequence chart and our guide for parents.
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  4. What is the difference between a Sing Your Way Through Phonics Combo and an Ensemble?

    A Combo contains the CDs and visuals for a single level whereas an Ensemble covers multiple levels. Both Combos and Ensembles include music CDs, Teaching Suggestions Booklets, Song Lyrics Booklets, and Mini-Charts visuals. Teachers and parents who work with students in one grade often choose Combos. Literacy Specialists, Reading Supervisors, and Special Education Teachers find that Ensembles suit their purposes by covering a wide range of abilities and needs.
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  5. What is the difference between Ensemble 1, Ensemble 2, and Ensemble Complete?

    Ensemble 1 contains Song Lyrics in booklet form while Ensemble 2 contains Song Lyrics on overhead transparencies. Both Ensemble 1 and Ensemble 2 contain CD Volumes 1-3 with all the visuals. Ensemble Complete contains the pre-school Ready-to-Read volume, as well as Volumes 1-3.      
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  6. I’m not a singer. How will my students learn the phonics songs?

    Youngsters can easily learn the words and melodies of Sing Your Way Through Phonics songs by listening to the CDs and joining in on the repeated parts. Each time they listen, they will be able to participate in singing more of the song. Because these songs contain snappy versions of well-loved folk songs, the melodies are easy to learn and remember. As a teacher, you can encourage your students to participate by singing along with them, regardless of the quality of your voice. Children are not judgmental and will reflect your own enthusiasm.      
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  7. How can I help my students learn to remember and apply phonics rules in other contexts?

    Every song in Sing Your Way Through Phonics is recorded on two tracks. The first track includes vocal and instrumental parts. The second track is instrumental only. The purpose of the instrumental track is to allow you to sing the songs with additional examples of the concepts. In the back section of each Mini-Chart booklet are a set of templates that can be used for additional examples of spelling rules and concepts. The Teaching Suggestions Booklets contain sets of words or spelling patterns that can be used on the Example Templates.      (top of page)
  8. Where can I find other activities to supplement the concepts in Sing Your Way Through Phonics?

    Each CD in Sing Your Way Through Phonics is accompanied by a Teaching Suggestions Booklet. This booklet contains a basic plan for teaching any of the songs and specific suggestions for activities to do before, during, and after each song. Activities include various ways to divide up the song between groups, hand and body motions to accompany the song, manipulatives, and games that reinforce the song’s concepts. Action Factor also provides free online lesson plans to take you step-by-step from introducing the concepts through reinforcement follow-up and extensions. Many of the lesson plans contain directions for constructing games and manipulatives.      
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  9. Do I need to proceed through Sing Your Way Through Phonics in order or can I pick and choose songs from each volume as necessary?

    The concepts in Sing Your Way Through Phonics are sequenced in a logical order, according to the natural progression in the development of literacy concepts. That said, there will be times that teachers wish to present songs in other than the order that they appear. No harm will come from departing from the order of the sequence, providing that the song to be learned does not refer to concepts that have not been covered. For example, it would not be a good idea to learn a song about vowel rules until students have learned the song that teaches them to recognize which alphabet letters are vowels.      
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  10. When would I use the Read-and-Sing books, as opposed to the Combos or Ensembles?

    The Read-and-Sing book collections contain illustrated books that focus on a single song from Sing Your Way Through Phonics Volume 1. The books have full-color illustrations that tell a humorous story illustrating each concept with the help of six recurring characters. Inside the back cover of each book is a music CD with the song in two versions: 1. vocal and instrumental, and 2. instrumental only. Read-and-Sing books are excellent supplements to Volume 1 Combos, providing students with an alternate way to learn and review the songs. The books can also stand on their own as an introduction to the phonics concepts. They are particularly appropriate for literacy centers or listening centers. Many parents use these books with pre-schoolers through first graders as a fun way to preview or review the concepts that their students learn in school.      
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  11. Does Sing Your Way Through Phonics help ESL students learn English?

    Sing Your Way Through Phonics is an excellent supplement to an oral English language program. While the series does not teach conversational English, it can be very helpful in showing students how to translate the spoken word into print. It is also helpful in teaching students how to pronounce words that they see in print. The power of music is a wonderful memory aid for students learning English as a second language. Often, students can remember what they sing much more readily than they can remember what they merely hear and repeat.      
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  12. Can I photocopy the printed material in Sing Your Way Through Phonics Mini-Charts and Song Lyrics Booklets?

    Yes, you may photocopy any of the material in either the Mini-Charts or the Song Lyrics Booklets, as long as you do not re-sell it. The Read-and-Sing books, however, are copyright protected and these illustrated books may not be reproduced, either in part or in their entirety. Sometimes it is helpful to teachers to reproduce song lyrics for sharing with parents or colleagues. It is perfectly permissible to do so. It may also be desirable to reproduce Mini-Chart pages so that every student has a copy in front of him/her.      
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  13. Should I choose teacher voice or children’s voices when selecting a product for my students? What are the advantages of each?

    Sing Your Way Through Phonics Volumes 1, 2, and 3 CDs are available in either teacher voice or children’s voices. The teacher voice is very “kid-friendly” and presents the songs with a lovely adult voice that is not at all pretentious or “operatic.” The children’s voices are provided by a children’s choir made up of students from fourth through sixth grades. If you are concerned about clarity, we generally recommend that you choose the CDs with teacher voice. That is because it is easier to understand and decipher sounds from a single person than from a group of people singing. On the other hand, many teachers and parents just love the sound of children’s voices and feel that their students will relate better to the sound of singing done by those of a similar age to themselves.      
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