PRIDE Yellow Book Program Kit - Level 1 {Review}

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

For the last month or so we've been using PRIDE Yellow Book – Level 1 from PRIDE Reading Program with Connor, my 12-year-old who has always struggled with written and oral language. It's an Orton Gillingham program, which means it is a direct, explicit, multisensory, structured, sequential, diagnostic, and prescriptive way to teach literacy. Perfect for many that struggle with the written word!

Orton Gillingham Reading Program

I no longer use a reading curriculum with my oldest or the twins, but my middle still struggles with some aspects of reading. Children with speech struggles often have issues when it comes to reading, a connection I recently learned that makes so much sense to me!

Connor had trouble with some basic consonant sounds and still gets lazy mouth with some blends. These lazy sounds confused his brain on what some letter blends said, making sounding out words really hard so he'd often just glance and guess.

PRIDE Reading Program uses the Orton Gillingham. I'd heard the term before and knew it was originally used to help children with dyslexia but had no idea that is is so beneficial for any child with reading, spelling, or writing difficulties!

We started by doing the online placement and decided to start with Yellow Book – Level 1. The program builds on itself, so I wanted to make sure he was able to build the confidence to move on without either of us feeling like he missed something.

What Are Some of the Features of PRIDE Yellow Book Program Kit – Level 1?

My favorite aspect of the PRIDE Reading Program was originally my least favorite. You have to do training online and then the entire teacher's manual is online. I originally groaned about this because, although I work online & love my phone apps, I am still a pen & paper girl at heart. I thought I wanted a physical teacher's guide. Boy, was I wrong!

Training for Teachers/Parents

The training program is comprehensive and really helps you feel confident. I love to read, but teaching my older two how to read has probably been one of my biggest stressors when it comes to homeschooling. Having a program that teaches you what to do and then guides you through step-by-step with pronunciation guides is a lifesaver!

I'm a Midwest gal, with a slight Southern drawl from learning to speak while living in North Carolina, that has picked up a little bit of a Scottish accent on some words. I talk funny…

Being able to click the button to have the computer make the sound properly when my kid is looking at me like HUH is a huge help!

The teacher's training also has videos to show you how each aspect of a lesson should flow. This is great for those that don't want to just rely on the written word and want to see things for themselves.

To ensure you actually understand how to teach with the PRIDE Reading Program, you have to work through the entire teacher's training and there are quizzes to help ensure you understand each component of the lessons!

PRIDE Activity Kit

We received the full PRIDE Yellow Program Kit. It came with my online teaching guide and Connor's Student Workbook. It also came with sound cards, letter tiles, a whiteboard, dry erase markers, an eraser, a reading tracker, game dice, and a bag to store everything in.

Fluency Practice

Connor thinks the fluency practice helps him improve the most. Reading quickly has always been a struggle for him because he tries to glance and guess, as I call it. He'll see “believe” and say “below” because that was the first b-e-l word that popped into his head.

The fluency practice helps him read faster with me to stop him and have him look again when he gets one wrong. He likes to go through as quickly so he can use his electronic privilege and has learned that guessing may seem faster but is actually prolonging his lesson time.

He typically does all 15 rows and gets this super excited look when he finishes the last one. When it comes to scheduling challenging things, I've learned that Connor does best when you save the hardest for last so he's free to play after that.

How did we like the PRIDE Reading Program?

I like that it helped Connor become more confident and provided a different strategy to help both of us. Finding the perfect curriculum can be so hard because it needs to fit both the child's learning style as well as the parent's needs. PRIDE Reading Program checks all the boxes for Connor, although we can't do the skywriting & letter tapping in front of his brothers because he gets self-conscious and fits my schedule & teaching style well.

Even though we have separate spelling and grammar curriculums the grammar and spelling components in PRIDE help reinforce the words they learn. The more ways I can use to try and get things to stick in his brain and avoid frustration later, the better!

Like any 12-year-old that just wants his mom to quit making him read, he was not very excited to start the PRIDE Reading Program. After the first week, he started getting out his reading bag and reminding me that it was time to “get his reading over with”. And then he just started setting the bag near my computer without the whinging.

Would you Recommend PRIDE Reading Program?

Yes, I would recommend it to anyone that hasn't started a reading program yet. I wish I had discovered it before fighting/begging/pleading with my oldest for years over his issues and am very glad Connor is able to use it now.

I would not recommend it for a mom with limited time to split between multiple children working on different levels, especially if trying to accelerate through the program to get more than one child “on grade level”. This might have been a bit too stressful if I'd have used it for the older twos initial reading curriculum while chasing around twin toddlers, but for multiple kids on the same level or only a couple of kids, I think it is a great program even if you don't have any learning difficulties!

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PRIDE Yellow Book Program Kit – Level 1 {Review}

Orton Gillingham Reading Program