As President of SnapBack Phonics, Inc. and an experienced educator, my entire career has been devoted to closing achievement gaps and accelerating skills among children. This devotion is more than a passion. It is a mission, driven by deeply moving memories of transformation.
I will always remember my first encounters with students like Mark, a former second grader with dyslexia. He entered my room at the beginning of the year with tears in his eyes. Shoulders bent forward, Mark looked down at the floor and whispered, “Mrs. B., I can’t read.” He was one of many who were assigned to me because of reading difficulties and who will always be close to my heart. For Mark and all those who struggled similarly, I would look them directly in the eyes and promise that they would learn to read, and that someday they would think back to this day and be proud of how far they had come.
I kept that promise of hope by using the strategies in SnapBack Phonics, a system of instruction that I developed after years of modifying reading programs to meet the needs of students. It has filled in the gaps and empowered countless regular-education, remedial, and learning disabled children with strategies for success. SnapBack Phonics is based on extensive research, and pilot studies of the first available module further confirm the substantial student gains that I have observed for many years.
The highly engaging kindergarten and prekindergarten level of SnapBack Phonics, Module One: Consonants and Short Vowel Sounds, is now available on www.snapbackphonics.com. It is an exciting multisensory and mnemonic program designed to increase skills in letter sound association, letter sound recall, and blending sounds to read one-syllable words. Module One contains 52 captivating video mini lessons that can be presented directly to students. They introduce vivid initial sound illustrations that are superimposed on letters and used to teach their sounds. This technique is known as embedded picture mnemonics, and it is touted by Kilpatrick (2015) and other leading experts as the most effective approach for teaching and accelerating letter sound skills. SnapBack Phonics pictures fit inside the shape of each letter naturally and simplistically to a maximum possible extent, allowing for easy recall once they are removed. Module one also provides multisensory and hands-on activities that reinforce skills and maximize success. Throughout, children are provided with child-centered, motivating opportunities to apply and actively communicate what they have learned.
Now more than ever, there is a critical need for programs that close gaps in essential foundation-level skills, gaps exacerbated and created by the Covid pandemic. SnapBack Phonics Inc. is doing its part to answer that call and to bring lasting change. The company’s mission is to increase and accelerate reading skills among students of various learning styles and ability levels nationwide and beyond. This well-loved, highly affordable program is available online in teacher as well as parent and tutor editions.
Kilpatrick, D. A. (2015; p. 272). Essentials of assessing, preventing, and overcoming reading difficulties. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley.
