It’s not hard to guess the connection – Hooked on Phonics; Hooked on Spelling. Just like its “kissing cousin,” Hooked on Spelling is fun, colorful, and easy-to-use. The general format of the program is familiar as well: Learn (a short 5-7 minute, computer-based lesson), Practice (5-7 minute segment with the engaging workbooks), and Play (another 5-7 minutes having fun with new skills). Each lesson ends with a celebration and a sticker on a progress chart. In fact, this celebration is part of the overall educational philosophy of the program which includes working side by side with your student, encouragement/praise, mastery, being patient, not overdoing it, working in a quiet place, employing real-world spelling activities, surrounding the child with words, and lastly (most importantly?) reading with the child every day. There are two levels: Yellow – roughly corresponding to the 1st grade level of HOP Learn to Read – and Red, corresponding to HOP Learn to Read 2nd grade. Program components for each level include a CD-ROM, a worktext, a spelling study card, a progress poster and stickers. The CD-ROM lessons (20 including reviews) each provide instruction plus interactive reinforcement. Worktexts are for practice and include exercises, reviews and family-time activities. Each word is written at least three times in this segment. The wipe-off Spelling Study Card is available for more practice and provides some guidance for effective mastery. Stickers applied to the Colorful Poster (11” x 7,” laminated) track your student’s progress. All instruction centers around the computer component and although the computer program is professional with good audio and practice, there is no way to skip forward through the lessons. If typing is a roadblock for the child, it may be frustrating. The Yellow level (six words per lesson) covers beginning consonant and rhyming word families, ending consonant sounds, short vowels, beginning and ending blends, word families with ending blends, “ch,” “sh,” “th,” and some irregular words. The Red level (eight words per lesson) covers short vowels vs. long vowels, blends vs. non-blends, “c” sounds, “g” sounds, “y,” plurals and other endings, and some irregular words. ~ Janice System Requirements: Windows 2000, XP or higher; Mac OS 10.1 or higher.

The emphasis in this program is on learning to read longer (multi-syllabic) words. Along the way, basic phonics concepts are reviewed and some more advanced ones are covered. This is not just a continuation of the Learn to Read program by the same company, however. It does not pick up where that program leaves off, teaching the remaining phonograms. Rather, it covers many of the same concepts, only applied to multsyllabic words, and teaches students to "chunk" words for reading.

There are four color levels in the program, with ten lessons in each. The Blue Level covers compound words, two-syllable words divided between two consonants, words with three consonants in the middle, 24 essential sight words, two-syllable words with silent e, and two-syllable words with r-influenced vowels. The Green Level covers open syllables with long vowel sound, words that end in consonant plus le, 24 sight words, sounds of y at the end of a word, suffixes --tion and --sion, and reading three-syllable words. The Orange Level teaches tricky vowel words, vowel teams with a long a sound, vowel teams with a long e sound, vowel teams with a long o sound, reading three- and four-syllable words, and 24 more sight words. The final Red Level continues with other tricky vowel pairs, vowel pairs that make separate syllables, soft c and g, reading even longer (up to five-syllable) words, plus introduces 24 more sight words.

Each level also contains three review lessons.

Lessons are meant to take approximately 30 minutes each and consist of 1) playing a computer game; 2) reading a story silently; 3) reading the same story out loud to a parent/teacher; 4) putting a sticker on the progress poster. The computer game presents and practices each new skill. Computer sessions take up the bulk of the lesson. Several different activities are used to introduce and reinforce each concept. The games are geared to an older child -- not at all "cutesy" -- and are very well suited to the material.

Once the computer activities are completed, your child is ready to implement his/her new skill by reading a short story that makes use of the newly learned technique. Then he/she will read the story to you. When an entire level (ten lessons) is completed, the child is rewarded with a chapter book (Strange Museum hardcover) to read.

If your child has mastered beginning phonics and wants to tackle larger words, this program will supply the word attack skills he needs.

Considered Levels 3 and 4 of the program, Kindergarten includes 2 DVDs, two workbooks, twelve readers, two storybooks, and reward stickers.

Levels 5 & 6 of the whole HOP program, 1st Grade includes two DVDs, two workbooks, eight storybooks, and reward stickers.

Consists of Levels 1 & 2. Includes two DVDs, two workbooks, six readers, uppercase and lowercase letter flashcards, and reward stickers.

Levels 7 and 8 of the program, 2nd Grade includes two DVDs, two workbooks, eight storybooks, and reward stickers.

 Focuses on recognizing and writing uppercase letters and beginning sounds in words. Includes one DVD, one workbook, two readers, one storybook, uppercase flashcards, reward stickers, and online access.

 Teaches lowercase letters and beginning sounds in words. Includes one DVD, one workbook, two readers, one storybook, lowercase flashcards, reward stickers, and online access.