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A Sequential Phonics Program - Materials - PDF Files - Pictures - Audio - Video - Reading Street - Blog
A Sequential Phonics Program - Materials - PDF Files - Pictures - Audio - Video - Reading Street - Blog
How To Work With PDF Files
What Are PDF Files?
The term PDF stands for "Portable Document Format." It is a type of file that can be easily shared and used on a variety of computers.
The Sound City Reading materials are available in the form of PDF files that can be printed as practice books, workbooks, flashcards, charts, and games. There is no charge for using the files. You may download the files to your computer or use them directly from the web site. See copyright information here.
Click here to see information about printers and supplies that you can use to print the PDF files and assemble the materials.
Where Are The PDF Files?
There are many PDF files on this site, so I have sorted the files into logical groups and set up a separate page for each set of files. The pages with the files are listed below.
There are two ways to see the pages that have PDF files.
- Click on PDF FILES on the main menu. You will go to a page that shows all of the topics as active links. The active links are printed in green. Click on on any of the topics to go to the desired page.
- If you prefer, you can hover over PDF FILES on the main menu. You will see a drop down menu with the same topics. Click on the desired topic to go to that page.
Each page will have a brief description of the items on that page. Click on any of the green bars to open the desired PDF files. The name of the PDF file is shown on the bar. A more thorough description of the available books and other materials can be found under the Program Overview menu heading.
List Of Pages That Have PDF Files
The PDF files are sorted into several categories on this website, as described below. Each category is shown as a separate webpage. All of the PDF files that fit into a particular category are shown on that page.
PDF Files For Any Level - This section includes PDF files for a preliminary assessment, A Sound Story About Audrey And Brad, a Sequence Charts book that contains general information and sequence charts for all of the teaching levels, and the Phonemic Awareness Picture Pages book.
PDF Files For Handwriting - This section includes PDF files for handwriting books for both manuscript and cursive handwriting. Books are available with various letter sizes and paper sizes.
There is a separate page for each teaching level shown below. The page for each level includes PDF files for current student books, workbooks, previous books, and supplementary materials for that level. At some levels, you have a choice of which book to use. For example, at level three you can choose from several different books depending on the the age and grade level of the students. At levels three and four, you can choose books with color-coded vowels or books with all black print. Additional materials to be used at that level may be shown on the same page with the books or may be shown on separate pages under a separate PDF menu heading, for example wall charts, flashcards, and activities and games.
Level 1 - Learning The Alphabet PDFs
Level 2 - Exploring Sounds In Words PDFs
Level 3 - Short Vowels PDFs
Level 4 - Phonics Patterns PDFs
Level 5 - Advanced Phonics Patterns PDFs
Level 2 - Exploring Sounds In Words PDFs
Level 3 - Short Vowels PDFs
Level 4 - Phonics Patterns PDFs
Level 5 - Advanced Phonics Patterns PDFs
PDF Files For Flashcards - Sets of flashcards showing letters, letter patterns, advanced letter patterns, and sound pictures are available. There is also a set of large or small flashcards that teach/review the sight words for levels three and four.
PDF Files For Activities And Games - There are easy learning games available that reinforce the skills taught at each level. These games have a strong positive effect on student learning.
PDF Files For Newer Wall Charts - Place these large charts on a wall or on bulletin boards. Students review the sounds for the letters and phonics patterns daily from these charts. The large charts match the smaller charts in the student books.
PDF Files For Older Wall Charts - These charts are in an older format but can be used with any of the student materials.
Reading Street PDF Files
PDF files for the Reading Street basal reader supplementary materials are in a different area. Click on the READING STREET menu heading and select the desired pages. These files are also shown as green bars. Click on any bar to open that file.
Do I Need A Special Program To Open The PDF Files?
Many computers have the software to download PDF files already installed. If your computer will not open and download PDF files from this website, you will need to get the software to do so. You can click on this link - Adobe Acrobat Reader DC - to download free software for this purpose from Adobe. Or you may use any similar program. Before downloading the program, you can uncheck the additional options if you don't want them. You don't need Adobe Acrobat Pro. Once the software has downloaded and has been installed, you should be able to open any of the PDF files on the Sound City Reading website easily. Just click on any of the green or blue bars that show the name of the PDF file you want.
Two Types Of PDF Files On This Site
Green bars on this site show the regular PDF files. Click on any green bar to open that file. Many of these files are quite large, due to their high resolution, number of pages, and the number of pictures in the files. It may take a few minutes to open them. If you have a fast internet connection, plenty of storage space on your computer, and want to use the highest quality files, click on the green bars to open the desired PDF files. They will make very nice printed materials. If you're going to display a file on a projector or enlarge a files' pages, be sure to use these files.
Blue bars on this site will open a compressed version of the PDF file. Click on any blue bar to open that file. Each file will have exactly the same content as the green file with the same name, but the blue version of the file will have a smaller file size and lower resolution. The text and pictures will still be legible when printed, but they will not be as sharp and crisp. If you are short on storage space on your computer or you have a very slow internet connection, you may prefer these compressed files. They will open more quickly and will take up less space on your hard drive if you download them. However, I don't recommend the blue files if you're going to enlarge the pages or display them on a projector. Compressed files are available for many of the Sound City Reading materials, but not all of the them.
Opening, Saving, And Printing PDF Files - Short Instructions
You can find all of the PDF files under the PDF FILES heading on the main menu heading. If you don't see the menu at the top of the page, make the window wider.
You can click on PDF Files to open a page with links to all of the pages that have PDF files. There are separate PDF pages for each level in Sound City Reading. There are other pages listed as well. Click on any of the topics printed in green to go to the desired pages.
Or, you can just hover over PDF Files on the main menu. A submenu will drop down and you can click on the page you want to open.
The green rectangular bars on any of those pages are the links to the PDF files. For most files I also include a short explanation describing the material. Click on any green bar to open that file. The name of the book or activity is shown on the bar. (Blue bars can be used by anyone who needs a smaller file size, but they are lower resolution files. It's best to use the green bars.)
After the PDF file opens, look in the upper right hand corner of the window. Click on the down arrow that has a line under it. That will download the file to your computer. A window will open on your computer and you can navigate to the location where you want to put the file. Then click the save button in the bottom right hand corner of the screen.
Go to the location where you put the file and double click on it to open it.
Type Control H on your keyboard to toggle in or out of read mode. Read mode shows the PDF file without the side menu.
After you are in read mode, click on View on the menu at the top of the page. Hover over Page Display. You'll see another submenu. Click on Two Page View.
Click on View again and hover over Page Display. Find "Show Cover Page In Two Page View." Make sure it has a checkmark beside it. If it doesn't have the checkmark, click on it to add the checkmark. This will show the front cover and back cover as single pages. The rest of the pages will be displayed in two-page view. You can scroll down to see all of the pages. The file will display just like the pages of an open book. This is very useful, since some of the books (Rhyming Short Vowel Words And Sentences, Mixed Short Vowel Words And Sentences, Two-Page Short Vowel Words And Sentences, and Phonetic Words And Stories, Books 1-8) use two facing pages at the same time when teaching a lesson.
To print the file, click File at the top of the page, then click Print on the submenu that opens. A window will open. You will need to make sure to adjust the printer properties using this window, for example whether you will print on one or two sides of the paper, print in color or with all black print, the page size that you'll be printing on, whether you're printing in landscape or portrait mode, etc. The appearance of the window will depend on the printer you're using.
I recommend printing just a few pages the first time you print, to make sure everything is printing correctly. Then print the rest of the book.
Opening, Saving, And Printing PDF Files - Expanded Instructions
Opening, Printing, And Saving PDF Files
When you open PDF files for the student books, you will see that brief instructions are included on each student page. A sequence chart, lesson outline, and other teaching notes are included for the teacher at the end of most of the books. Occasionally, the pages for the teacher are placed at the beginning of the book.
There are two different ways to look at and use the PDF files.
After you open a file you will need to decide if you...
- Want to look at it and/or print it directly from the website. Or...
- Want to save it to your computer, and then look at it and print it if needed.
1. You Can Open A PDF File On The Website, Look At It, And Print It While You Are Online
What you will be able to do when you look at a file while you are online:
You will be able to navigate from one page to the next to see all of the teaching material, including the student pages and pages for the teacher.
You will also be able to print the file directly from the website if you choose to do so.
What you will not be able to do while you are online:
You will not be able to able to see the pages as they appear side by side in an open book. For some of the books, this won't make a difference. This includes all of the books printed in all black print. However, in the books that have color-coded vowels and pictures, the students work with two facing pages at the same time. You won't be able to see this relationship if you are looking at the book in single page view. If you put a book into two-page view while you are online, the pages will not line up correctly. Online there is no way to make the covers appear separately, as single pages, so all of the pages in the whole book will be out of alignment. However, if you print the file in either one- or two-page mode, the printed pages will be aligned correctly.
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To print a PDF file directly from the website, open the file and click the printer icon. When the print window opens, adjust the settings so that you will print on both sides of the page. If your printer is not able to print on both sides of the page, you will have to print on just one side, but you will use twice as much paper.
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If you click the three dots, you will be able to change from one page view to two page view. There is no reason to select two page view when your are printing from the website. If you look at the file in two-page mode online, the facing pages will not line up correctly. However, when you print the file, the pages will print correctly.
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Note: When I print from the website, I have to click on "More settings" and then click on "Print using system dialog." This opens a new window with printing preferences so that I can tell my printer whether to print in color or black print, on one or two sides. Then I click OK, which closes the preferences panel, and click "Print" on the remaining panel. Adjust this sequence as needed to work with your computer and printer. Its a good idea to print just a few pages first to make sure the settings are correct.
2. You Can Open A PDF File On The Website, Download The File To Your Computer, And Then Look At It And Print It
What you will be able to do with a file that you have downloaded to your computer:
After you have downloaded a file, you won't need to be online to look at the file, use it, or print it. It will be stored on your hard drive and you will have access to it whenever you need it.
You will be able to open the file so that the front and back covers are shown as a single pages. This will allow you to show the pages as if you were looking at a book. All of the pages will be aligned correctly. This makes it possible to teach directly from the computer screen if you wish. In the books that have color-coded print and pictures, this is important, because students will work with two pages at the same time to play the "robot" game with the teacher.
Why you might not want to download the files and save them on your computer:
If you don't have very much extra hard drive space, you might not have enough room to put all of the PDF files that you want to use on your computer.
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To download a file to your computer, click on the download arrow on the top right side of the open page. The arrow is just to the left of the printer icon. When you click this arrow, a window will open showing the files you have on your computer. Click the location on your computer where you want to put the new file. The location you choose might be the desktop, the download file, or any file folder that you choose. Then click the Save button to download the file.
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Print Just A Few Pages At A Time Until You're Sure They're Printing Correctly
The first time you print, it's a good idea to print just a few pages to make sure the pages are lining up correctly. If you are printing on both sides of the page, the odd numbered pages should be on the front of the page and the even numbered pages on the back. If the first few pages are printing correctly then you can go ahead and print the whole book. If by any chance they are not printing correctly, you'll need to adjust your printer settings.
How To View A PDF File If You Want To Teach Directly From The Computer Screen
This section explains how you can display a file on your computer so that you can teach lessons to a student directly from the screen. This is a good option if you don't have a printer. In a classroom, if you have a laptop computer connected to a projector, you can display the pages on a large screen and teach the lesson to the whole class using a long pointer. Students will read directly from the screen. If you have a smart board, you can load the PDF file and work from the smart board.
If you want to do this, use the PDF files that have large, color-coded print, so that student will be able to read the words easily. They are listed below.
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LEVEL 3
Rhyming Short Vowel Words And Sentences Mixed Short Vowel Words And Sentences Two-Page Short Vowel Words And Sentences |
LEVEL 4
Phonetic Words And Stories, Books 1 - 8 |
To view a file for one of the Sound City Reading books on the computer for teaching purposes, you will first have to download it to your computer. The directions described here will not work if you are viewing the page directly from the web site.
After the file is downloaded, you will be able to adjust the view so that the facing pages line up correctly. This will allow you to see the pages as they would appear in a printed book.
First click on View at the top of the page and then click Read Mode. This will hide the menu bar on the right side of the pages so that the teaching pages will be larger.
Click on View again, and then click Two Page View. Be sure that Show Cover Page In Two Page View is checked. This will show the front and back covers as single pages and the remainder of the file in two-page view, allowing all of the pages to line up correctly on the computer screen. They will look just like the open pages in a printed book. Adjust the size of the window as needed so that the pages are large enough to read easily.
Show Me The Steps To Open The PDF Files Correctly When Teaching From The Computer Screen
These directions will work with files that have been downloaded to your computer. They will not work if you open the file on the website and view it online.
1. Open the file. Look for the word View on the upper left side of the window. Click on it.
2. This is what you'll see after you click on the word View. Move the mouse down and click on Read Mode. This will close the panel on the right side of the PDF window so that the student pages will appear larger.
3. Now click on View again. Use the mouse to point to Page Display, then move the mouse to the right and click Two Page View. While the panel is still open, make sure that Show Cover Page in Two Page View is checked. If it is not checked, click on it and the check will appear. Now scroll through a few pages of the book. You'll know that the settings are correct if the front and back covers are shown as a single pages and all of the other pages are shown in two page view.
4. Adjust the size of the window on the computer screen so that the pages are large enough to read comfortably.
Note 1 - If you click on Read Mode when it is already on, it will toggle off. Just click it again to turn it back on.
Note 2 - Be sure to choose Read Mode instead of Full Screen Mode. If you click on Full Screen Mode, the panel reverts to single page view.
Note 2 - Be sure to choose Read Mode instead of Full Screen Mode. If you click on Full Screen Mode, the panel reverts to single page view.
Printing Materials To Use With Your Students
If you have a printer you can print the PDF files you want to use with your students. You can print the entire book at one time and bind it so that each student has a book. Or you could print just the pages you need each day.
An easy way to put together books for students if you don't have a binding machine is to use a heavy duty three-hole punch to punch the pages. Then place them in a three-ring binder. This keeps the pages in order, but also allows pages to be removed and replaced as needed. This is particularly helpful with workbooks. Students can remove the pages to write on them, and then either turn them in or put them back into their notebooks.
You could also punch and bind the book pages using table top binding machines. There are machines designed to use with either plastic comb binding or plastic coil binding. Purchasing the machines would not be cost effective unless you are planning to bind a large number of books. However, providing the machines and materials to be used by teachers in a large school system could work well. Coil bound books work the best because they hold up very well and can be easily positioned to show just one page at a time when desired.
If you prefer not to create bound books, you can print just a single day's work for the whole class and pass out the pages to the students. This makes it easy for students to take the pages home for extra study.
A Note About Printers And Printing
I use a Ricoh color laser printer that will print on both sides of the paper. The print quality is excellent. The toner cartridges are expensive but they last a long time.
In this program some of the books have color-coded vowels. The vowel color indicates the sound of each vowel or vowel pattern. With students who are just starting to read or students who need extra practice to master the material, the color-coded print will often be helpful.
My own Ricoh printer shows the colors accurately, so that it is easy to distinguish all of the various colors. I've found that different brands of color printers don't print exactly the same colors. Even two different models of the same brand of printer may print slightly different colors.
If you are using books that are printed in color the toner costs will be higher. It will be less expensive if you use books that are printed in all black ink. I've used both types of books and they have worked well.
I use heavy weight laser paper that is more opaque than usual. This prevents the print on the back side of the page from showing through. This is important so that students are not distracted and can focus on the text on the front of the page.
See more information about printing and assembling the the teaching materials here.
Deciding Which Teaching Books To Use
Many of the Sound City Reading books have extra large print. I have found this to be very helpful for many students. They are not overwhelmed with too many words on a page. The letters and letter patterns are large enough to stand out and be noticed. Some students have vision problems that do not allow them to see the letters on the page clearly. Fitting students with glasses is ideal, but unfortunately not always possible.
On the other hand, the books with the largest print and color-coded text will be more expensive to make. Books with larger print will require more pages. Color toner is quite a bit more expensive than black toner. At every teaching level, there are books available with all black print and intermediate sized text that will work very well with most students.
