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Read and Spell With Zoo-Phonics By Pam Gleichman Tribune Media Services Read and Spell With Zoo-Phonics, a curriculum-based reading and spelling program for the computer, is based on the critically acclaimed Zoo-phonics teaching method that is taught in over 6,000 schools nationwide. Zoo-phonics teaches the alphabet by utilizing an age appropriate cast of animal characters. You're taught to lock the shapes and sounds of letters into memory through related body movements called "Signals". There are two different modes of play to access the 15 alphabet and spelling activities. Guided Tour is a structured method of using the software. It will guide you through the activities in the appropriate order for maximum learning. If you are already learning the Zoo-phonics method in school, or have already learned the Zoo-phonics animals, you can choose Try Myself, which lets you practice the activities in random order. The recommended beginning activity is The Address Book. You will discover all 26 letters of the alphabet from the 26 Zoo-Phonics animals. They will help you learn letter shapes, letter sounds and letter signals to lock them into memory. Other activities cover letter pronunciation, upper and lower case, spelling/word building, sentence structuring, alphabetizing, word pronunciation, picture association and reading. The program also offers printable Zoo-Phonics flash cards and Original Zoo-Phonics music. Zoo-phonics has good, solid activities that will help you become a strong reader and speller. Our testers liked the program. It kept their interest and provided them with good positive feedback. The program has six different reward stickers that you can earn by completing groups of Zoo-phonics Activities. Our testers, seeking rewards, tried hard to get their "job stickers." This program would be especially good in a classroom. It keeps track of 50 children and their progress. Publisher : VtechSoft, Inc., 5 Corporate Park Drive, Suite 210, Irvine, Calif. 92606-5113, (949) 752-6236, http://www.vtechsoft.com Installation : Easy. Use : Easy. Graphics : Cute. Written Materials : A 40-page parent's guide and installation manual are included. System Requirements : Windows 95 -- Pentium 90 MHz or higher, 16 MB RAM, 1 MB Free Hard Disk Space, Sound Blaster 8-bit or compatible sound card, 640 x 480 screen resolution, 256 color SVGA or higher, 4X or faster CD-ROM Drive, Mouse. Macintosh -- PowerPC/G3 processor, 16 MB RAM, 3MB hard disk space, System 7.6 or higher, 640 x 480k screen resolution, 4 X or faster CD-ROM drive. Tested Version : Windows/MAC CD-ROM. Cost : $29.95. Rating : Three stars. Read and Spell With Zoo-Phonics is a good program for young children who are beginning to learn the alphabet, sound out letters or read. WEB SITES OF THE WEEK MOTHER'S DAY COUPONS http://kidexchange.miningco.com/library/blmcoupons.htm Print out these fun Mother’s Day coupons to give to your mom! 123 GREETINGS http://www.123greetings.com/events/mothersday/ Send your mother a free electronic greeting card or virtual flowers on her special day. There are also links to other Mother's Day sites. DEAR PAM : I have a 12-year-old daughter who would like to start doing her school reports on the computer (we just bought a new one with Windows 98). Could you please recommend a program that would be good for her? DEAR READER : Your daughter is old enough to learn Microsoft Word and you probably already have it installed on your computer. If you know how to use it, start her out slowly and teach her a few of the options each week. You didn’t mention what city you live in, but you might want to look for a computer learning center that teaches word processing classes to children. RATING KEY : ***** — Outstanding; **** — Very Good; *** — Good; ** — Fair; * — Not Worth Purchasing. Pam Gleichman welcomes questions/comments from readers. Write to Pam at Tribune Media Services, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1400, Chicago, Ill. 60611. Send e-mail to pamgl(at)msn.com. � 1999 Tribune Media Services, Inc. Techno file index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA