This is one of the best and most comprehensive programs I have seen which is directly linked to the Literacy Strategy. Together the two sets provide a structured programme for a complete year’s work, with activities linked directly to literacy targets. Poorer readers are supported with a sound button and on-screen help.

Junior Education

The teacher’s resource books are excellent, with very useful assessment suggestions. The Copy Masters reproduce the entire text of the story and provide individual and class record sheets.

The Times Educational Supplement

Sounds Great Interactive phonics provides F2 and Y1 teaching resources encouraging the development of phonic skills. It consists of three CD-ROMs. CD-ROMs one and two contain 26 stories and related activities; simple exercises and games for the classroom. The resources are designed for the introduction of phonics during word and sentence level work and can be used with the interactive whiteboard for whole class groups, pairs or individuals.

Each title identifies the letter name and covers the letter sound. The children are prompted to go to the story first then follow the activities in order. The simple story consists of a few pages and the text emphasises the targeted sound. Each story has up to six progressive follow-on activities looking for letter recognition, initial sounds, rhyming words, whole words to complete sentences and word building. The children are directed by prompts and questions to select the objects and words; however they will need mouse control and the ability to click and drag, in order to do this. These activities also help the children to find the letters on the keyboard.

The third CD-ROM contains quizzes for assessment, covering the elements of all the activities. Individual children's files can be created to record the activities attempted and their scores.

We would use this program to support the introduction of sounds in the reception year, and to re-enforce and fill any gaps in year 1 or with children who have special needs in year 2.  

Sounds Great was used with a Reception class of 30. The children were mixed ability with good Software / Interactive skills. We had been learning sounds using Jolly Phonics through the term and were ready for testing out what we had learnt. I introduced the program in the computer suite. I selected a sound that we knew as a whole class activity, we listened to the story and played some of the activities using the interactive whiteboard. Once the class had been shown how to find the program I sent them off in pairs to use it independently.

Sounds Great can be included in the Foundation Stage plans then revisited through Key Stage 1. It can be a very useful program to introduce initial sounds especially for whole class teaching.

The mouse skills needed to use the program are quite advanced, even on the interactive whiteboard the children need to be accurate. However with practise their skills and accuracy will improve.

 Initial sounds and letters are introduced at the Foundation Stage then revisited through Key Stage 1. Children who have not learnt all or some of their sounds find Sounds Great a good way to help 'fill in the gaps'.

It has been used in both year 1 and year 2 with individuals and small groups for learning, reinforcement and assessment.

It was very interesting to note that the response to the program varied a certain amount on age, but mainly with ability. The children who did not know their sounds or needed more help, loved the stories and thought they were funny. "I liked the 'Greedy Goats were Eating the Socks'." "It was funny when Tommy Tadpole lost his tail." They found the activities challenging but enjoyable. "When you pressed on the egg it got out of bed and said goodbye."

Understandably the higher ability children found the stories rather simple and the pace of the activities too slow.  

Sounds Great contains a third CD-ROM for assessment.

There are a series of quizzes for each title targeting initial sounds, letter recognition both upper and lower case, rhyming words and selecting words to complete sentences.

Other quizzes focus on word building and medial vowels.

The results of these tests can be viewed for individuals or for the whole class but they will need to be printed for record keeping.  

The records from the assessment CD-ROM can track pupils both as a class overview and for individuals. It records the last quiz that the child takes, if a quiz is repeated only those results can be viewed. For tracking purposes results would need to be printed off after each stage of assessment to be able to monitor the children's progress through the activities.

Initial sounds and letters are introduced at the Foundation Stage then revisited through Key Stage 1. Children who have not learnt all or some of their sounds find Sounds Great a good way to help 'fill in the gaps'.

It has been used in both year 1 and year 2 with individuals and small groups for learning, reinforcement and assessment.

Sounds Great has been used with F2 both introducing and reinforcing the learning of sounds. The children were very comfortable with the program and their confidence grew as they tackled the activities. After identifying a particular phonic weakness with a child, I directed them to a title in order to develop their understanding of the letter. I have also observed that children are choosing to use this program during child initiated learning. In years 1 and 2 the program has also been used successfully with individuals and small groups.

Schoolzone

Sounds Great! is an interactive resource aimed at teaching and reinforcing phonic awareness at Key Stage 1. It is particularly valuable for supporting phonic teaching in Early Years and Year 1. It consists of 26 titles, which cover target letters. Each title starts with a story for the children to listen to and read along. After that they are taken through various onscreen activities that concentrate on letter names and sounds, rhyming words, word building and decoding skills. In addition to the onscreen activities, there are accompanying worksheets for the children to do away from the computer.

The purpose of the program is to support the teaching of phonics in early Key Stage 1. Teachers with access to large screens could use the letter stories as a shared reading instruction and then offer onscreen activities for independent work. There is also a facility to print worksheets for independent work away from the computer and there are quizzes for each title. The teacher's notes link well with the Programme of Study from the National Literacy Strategy covering phonic work in the Word strand and contain lesson plans to reflect good practice.

The program is aimed at young children and uses language and pictures appropriate to that age. The text is very simple and focuses on high-frequency words. The graphics are attractive, and use animal characters for a lot of the stories. The stories and their activities vary in style. Many of them feature cartoon-style animal characters and others use people. Where people are depicted, care is taken to include ethnic minorities. All speak with English accents and the spelling is British throughout.

The children have no need to worry about saving their work, because the creation of the class list enables children to login and their quiz results are automatically saved. The activities would link closely to Foundation Years and Year 1 National Literacy Strategy, and they would be quite appropriate used with older children who are having difficulties with basic phonics or with children with English as a second language. The sound level can be altered for children with hearing difficulties.

Sounds Great! contains two CD-ROMs packed full of activities to enhance the teaching and learning of phonics in the early stages of Key Stage 1 and Foundation. All of the initial consonants, final-consonant 'x' and the short vowels are covered through an onscreen story - 26 in all - and up to six onscreen activities. The activities tackle letter names and sounds, rhyming words, word building and decoding skills. Children are guided through the stories and activities by friendly text.

TEEM (Teachers Evaluating Educational Multimedia)

ICT for literacy learning, focusing particularly on phonics. Includes 5 CD Roms for each, an assessment disk and large teacher’s file including photocopiable resources.

Sounds Great! focuses on initial consonants and short vowels. Sounds Great Too! consolidates and expands on these areas. 26 titles in Sounds Great Two! Each concentrate on specific letter sounds and spellings.

The National Literacy Association

The Sounds Great software supports children of all abilities in phonological awareness and phonic skills. These carefully structured and attractive programs have full speech support enabling children to work independently. They use simple alliterative story contexts with progressive follow up activities that complement and support word level work in the National Literacy Strategy. The additional photocopiable teaching materials together with the excellent assessment program disc enable teachers to record and monitor pupil progress. An invaluable addition to any KS1 classroom.

Senior Specialist Teacher - Software / Interactive and Resources - Learning Support Service

We have been using Sounds Great, Sounds Great 2, and Inside Stories 1& 2.
We have been using Kingscourt ICT resources for a year. They have helped to develop Software / Interactive in literacy (as part of the school improvement plan). The resources have been of benefit with both group and independent work in literacy and provide good worksheet follow through opportunities. The ICT resources are inline with the literacy national curriculum objectives.

The cross referencing ability within the resources enables weekly planning to be focused to progressive development of objectives.

We value that Kingscourt/McGraw-Hill ICT resources are modern, up to date and in line with the literacy strategy. And they are child-friendly. We also value the service of our representative and the ordering service.

Roseberry Community Pirmary School