A unique spelling program based on A. Ingham’s Blended Sound-Sight Program of Learning. According to this approach, “children learn best when what they see is reinforced by hearing, and when what they hear is reinforced by being seen.” The visual components of the Phonetic Zoo consist of 47 lesson flashcards and a corresponding set of smaller “zoo” cards. The auditory component consists of five audio CDs.

Each lesson begins with a new flashcard and “zoo” card. On the front side of each flashcard are pictures of animals whose names illustrate the spelling rule being taught. For example, Lesson 2 covers the “ie” rule and is illustrated with a cockatiel. The corresponding “zoo” card is labeled “The `ie’ Rule” and has a cockatiel printed on it. By the end of the program, the student will earn an entire zoo of animals. The spelling rule, or some jingle or hint to remind us of the rule, is printed on the back of the lesson flashcard. The rule, jingle, or hint should be memorized. The flashcard also lists 15 spelling words that confirm or are exceptions to the rule. These words can be studied before moving to the audio part of the lesson. Using a CD player and headphones, the student takes and corrects a practice test dictated on CD over the 15 words. Because the student studies, self-tests, and corrects his or her own work, the Phonetic Zoo is considered a “self-teaching spelling program.” Practice test and test corrections for each lesson are recorded on separate CD tracks so the student can easily find each one. It may take a while for the student to adjust to the speed of the dictation, but this is typical. The pause button on the CD player can always be used for short breaks or to catch up to the speaker. Two distinct voices are used on the audio CDs. Both speakers clearly enunciate, but to my ear, one speaker’s voice was much easier to understand. Daily tests and corrections take approximately ten minutes to complete. Achieving two consecutive perfect test scores is recommended before moving on to the next lesson.

Every fifth lesson in this program is called a “personal” lesson. The words for this lesson are collected by the student and should be written on the blank spaces provided on the lesson flashcard. Possible personal spelling words can be commonly misspelled words or interesting words that the student has come across in other subjects. Personal lessons help tailor this spelling program to the student.

The Phonetic Zoo has three difficulty levels: A-primary, B-intermediate, and C-highest. All levels use different CD sets but identical lesson flashcards. Flashcards actually have three complete spelling lists printed on the back. Correct level placement can be determined by taking the placement test available online at www.writing-edu.com. A comprehensive final exam marks the completion of the level and progression to the next level. Since the goal of this program is mastery, the time required to complete a level will depend on the individual student.

This program was designed for children ages nine and above. Younger children may have difficulty memorizing some of the longer rules and writing quickly enough to keep up with practice test dictations. If focus is placed on the number of correctly spelled words rather than the number of words missed, the creators of this program are confident that lesson repetition will take care of the latter. As explained in the Introductory DVD, it may take time for students to adjust to this type of program.

Program components are available in several different sets. Complete sets for each level each contain five CDs, lesson flashcards, zoo cards, Personal Spelling (PS) flashcards and an introductory DVD. Please note that the lesson flashcards and introductory DVD are applicable to all levels. So if you already have a complete set and want to purchase a different level, you’ll want to purchase the CDs only for that level (please note that the CDs no longer include Personal Spelling cards). Likewise, the lesson flashcards and introductory DVD are also available separately (now packaged with the Spelling and the Brain DVD. Additional Personal Spelling flashcards and zoo cards are available separately as well. ~ Anh

Customer Reviews

 
Kara S. from Fort Smith, AR wrote the following on 02/28/2008:
I’ll be honest here: I hate spelling. I didn’t like it as a child, and I don’t enjoy it any more as an adult. Because of that, spelling instruction is always the last item of the day – if I force myself to make time for it. However, another quality product from the Institute for Excellence in Writing has made this homeschool mom’s job a bit easier.The only input from me is to give out pats on the back and offer up words for the personal spelling list. (These occur every five lessons and include words that either were troublesome when doing the previous lessons or from a student’s compositions.) My auditory son received the most bang for the buck, as he is constantly wired up to headphones anyway, but all have improved their spelling skills. It is expensive, but can be reused for every child in the family. With four children sharing the cost of the CD’s, it figures to about $25.00 per child. Compared to purchasing a new workbook, test book, teacher’s edition, etc. every year for each child, I’m saving a bundle. The best part is that since mom and her dislike of spelling doesn’t slow them down, they are completely independent.

 
Deidre W. from KY wrote the following on 03/23/2009:
We have tried numerous spelling programs, never having any success. My ds has a difficulty hearing letter sounds and is a terrible speller. He is also very dependent on me--wants me to be at his side constantly during school. He's 12 years old. My daughter is more independent but hates spelling. Phonetic Zoo is the first program that works for all of us. I think hearing the words through the headphones has really helped my son. He's also becoming much more independent, which make us both proud. My 9 yo dd enjoys the challenge of making 100's 2 days in a row. She's so caught up with that, she's forgotten that she hates spelling! This program has been an asset to our family, and I expect will be work through level C. I'm glad we've finally found a program we can stick with.