Explode the Code 2015-2016 Review

Today I want to talk about the Explode the Code Book series by Nancy M. Hall. We have used at least one of the books in the series for the past two years. All together we have used Books A,B,C, 3 and 4 for two of my children. These were not the only books we used for our language arts, but they were definitely favorites for my children. I felt like the books were a great fit for us because each one was on target for the individual learner.


Let's start with the beginning books. I used these with my Kindergartner/1st grader. He completed all three books over the course of 1 1/2 school years. He loved these books which is a plus in my book! The book order is "Get Ready for the Code, Book A", "Get Set for the Code, Book B", and "Go for the Code, Book C". All three of the books cover the consonant letters and sounds, but there is a certain set of letters covered in each book. These were a great way to introduce my son to the consonant letters. The books could be used as a stand-alone program or in conjunction with another beginning reading program. There are letter and picture cards that can be purchased separately as well as a wall chart to display the cards, but we didn't use that part of the program. There are about 6-8 pages of activities for each letter. The pictures are simple black-line drawings that are appealing for young kids, and the activities are simple but engaging. I did purchase the Teacher's Guide to go-along with the Student Books. The Teacher's Guide is necessary for some of the activities because you will need to read a description of a picture for your child to identify. The Teacher's Guide also offers different teaching ideas, hints, literature links and introduces sight words. Once your child completes these books then it is on to "Explode the Code, Book 1". My son has requested to continue using this series, and I am happy to oblige.


The other books that we used were "Explode the Code, Books 3&4" with my 2nd grader. She completed these two books in about 2 school years. We slowed down when she needed extra practice which helped to stretch out the books as well. In Book 3 the focus is on long vowels. In Book 4 the focus is on compound words, common word endings (such as -ful, -ing, -est, -ed, -ness), and syllables (such as open, closed, silent -e and digraph). The pictures are still the same black-line drawings in the A,B, and C books. The activities are more advanced than the books that my son used, but I felt like the books were still a good fit for her level. There is a consist amount of writing with these books. According to the product description on Christian Book Distributor Books 3 &4 are geared for children in grades 1st-3rd. I also purchased the Teacher's Guide for these books. The guides are grouped for two books at a time. So the first Teacher's Guide is for Books 1&2, the second Teacher's Guide is for Books 3&4, and so on. There are also half step books between each level for extra practice. We haven't used any of these books yet. I normally google ideas or hit up Pinterest for activities to help if my children are struggling to understand a concept. My daughter enjoyed these books for the most part, but I am not sure if we will continue with this series for next year yet.



For the record all opinions are my own. I am not a paid representative for Explode the Code. I just love talking about homeschooling, curriculum, methods and styles. I would love to hear which language arts curriculum that you use and why. Also if you have used the "Learning Language Arts Through Literature" for the elementary grades I would love to hear about your experience. Thanks a bunch, and have a blessed week!