Wonder Words: Beginning Sight & Picture Words
© 2007 School Zone Publishing
Affordable and well-designed, this workbook/CD combination continues School Zone's reputation for delivering a lot of content at a low price. The 128-page workbook is full of colorful paper and pencil activities including fill-in-the blanks, dot-to-dots and mazes. The software extends the workbook, by providing and endless supply of self-correcting activities, organized into two levels. Correct answers result in a rainbow being filled in, or some other mark of progress. Children color in the words that match pictures, put pictures in alphabetical order, or use context clues like word shapes to complete an activity. A clever visual hint system, such as an alphabet strip or highlighted letters provide help if needed. Cartoonish super hero characters appear between each game; but there isn't any overall context to the games, and no ongoing progress is tracked. This is a one-sitting type of activity. Features include the ability to embed a child's name in some screens (by typing it in at the start), or print a certificate of accomplishment. There are two levels that children can self select, putting a lot of choice at a child's fingertips, and it is possible to turn the sound off at any point. Drawbacks include some confusing icons—children clicked on an arrow to continue but it kicked them out of the program. If you're looking for a light, playful way to reinforce pre-reading skills, this is an excellent choice.
$18, Windows, Mac OSX
Teaches: word recognition, reading comprehension, categorizing, sequencing, alphabetical order
CTR Rating: 86%