SOUND CITY READING
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Welcome To The Sound City Reading Blog

​The most recent blog entry is at the top. 
​Scroll down to see older entries.
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Author - Kathy Davis
  • A Sequential Phonics Program
    • How To Navigate This Site
    • How To Get Started
    • Deciding Which Books To Use >
      • Level 4 - Phonics Patterns
    • Understanding Vowels
    • Understanding Consonants
    • Lesson Outlines >
      • Basic Phonics Patterns Lesson Outline
    • Printing Recommendations >
      • Doing Your Own Printing
      • Using A Print Shop
    • Other Recommended Sites
  • Overview
    • Overview Of All Of The Phonics Books
    • Sound Story Overview
    • Phonemic Awareness Picture Pages Overview
    • Level 1. Learning The Alphabet Overview
    • Level 2. Exploring Sounds In Words Overview
    • Level 3. Short Vowels Overview
    • Level 4. Phonics Patterns Overview >
      • Phonetic Words And Stories, 1-8
      • Basic Phonics Patterns, 1-8
      • Know The Phonetic Code, 1-3
      • Color-Coded Phonetic Lists
    • Level 5. Advanced Phonics Patterns Overview
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  • PDF Files
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    • PDF File For Baseline Assessment
    • PDF File For Sequence Charts And Lesson Plans
    • PDF File For A Sound Story About Audrey And Brad
    • PDF File For Phonemic Awareness Picture Pages
    • PDF Files For Handwriting >
      • PDF Files For Manuscript Handwriting Books
      • PDF Files For Cursive Handwriting Books
    • PDF Files - Phonics Books Listed By Level >
      • PDF Files For Level 1 - Learning The Alphabet
      • PDF Files For Level 2 - Exploring Sounds In Words
      • PDF Files For Level 3 - Short Vowels
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      • PDF Files For Level 5 - Advanced Phonics Patterns
    • PDF Files For Large Picture-Word Pages
    • PDF Files For Wall Charts
    • PDF Files For Flashcards
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    • Older PDF Files
  • Picture Files
    • Sound Story Pictures
    • Keyword/Sound Chart Pictures
    • Level 1 And 2 Pictures
    • Level 3 Pictures
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    • Consonant Blends
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  • Audio
    • Sound Story >
      • Sound Story Borders Part 1
      • Sound Story Borders Part 2
      • Sound Story, Small, Part 1
    • Sound Pictures >
      • Sound Pictures Pt 1
      • Sound Pictures Pt 2
    • Letter Sounds >
      • Alphabet Sounds
      • More Letter Sounds
    • Sound Charts >
      • Learning The Alphabet And Exploring Sounds In Words Charts
      • Rhyming Short Vowel Words And Sentences Sound Charts
      • Mixed Short Vowel Words And Sentences Sound Charts
      • Book 1 Sound Charts
      • Book 2 Sound Charts
    • Sound Blending >
      • Rhyming Short Vowel Words And Sentences Sd Bl
    • Picture/Word Pages >
      • Rhyming Short Vowel Words And Sentences P/W Pages
  • Video
    • Sound Story Part 1 Videos
    • Book 2 Long A Patterns
    • Advanced Sound Charts
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    • Reading Street Stories
    • Reading Street Tests
    • Spelling Worksheets For Reading Street
    • Decoding Practice Pages To Use With Reading Street
    • Word Cards And Phonogram Cards
  • Blog
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    • Share Your Experience
    • Take This Expanded Survey
  • PDF Files For Wall Charts

3/7/2018

Preparing To Sell Physical Copies Of The Sound City Reading Books

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I haven't posted in a while.  I'm trying to get ready to provide physical copies of the Sound City Reading books for purchase on this website.  The PDF files will still be free to download for those who want to print them themselves at home or at school.  But I know some people may not have the equipment needed to print and bind the books.  I want the finished books to be available for those who need them.  It has taken a lot of thought to figure out how exactly to set up the books to sell them.
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  1. I'm still finishing the revisions that I've posted about previously on this blog.  I've added handwriting review pages to the two Learning The Alphabet books and modified the large letter tracing pages so that they can be finger traced and also traced with a pencil.  I've combined the two Exploring Sounds In Words books into one book, and separated the handwriting pages and picture dictionary pages into separate books.  I'm almost finished with these revisions.  I'm happy with the changes and I think I'll be satisfied with the newer versions.  
  2. In the previous versions of the books, I've included extended instructions for teachers, parents, and tutors.  This won't work for someone who is buying multiple books to use in a classroom.  Printing the extra instructions pages in every book would make the books more expensive.  So I'm working on removing the instructions from the student books and placing them in a separate teaching guide.  I still have a long way to go on this.   I've struggled to make this decision because I want to be sure every person who uses the books has the instructions they need.
  3. Because the extended instructions will be in a separate book, I've been working on adding brief one or two-line instructions on all of the pages in the student books.  I'm also including a short lesson plan outline at the end of each student book.  
  4. It has been very difficult trying to decide how to price the books.  I designed the books while working with students in my classroom.  I set them up exactly the way I wanted them, with large print, a predictable format, and a clear layout.  In some of the books, the vowels in the words are printed in color, to make the vowel patterns stand out and to show which vowel patterns sound the same.  In some books, the print is extra large with lots of white space around the words and between the lines.  Some of the books have many, many pictures illustrating the words, sentences and stories.  Most of the books are sequential, starting with the easiest skills and patterns, progressing to more challenging material, going one step at a time.  The books for beginners have sub-skills such as phonemic awareness and handwriting readiness pages designed specifically for that level.   All of these things help students learn to read with confidence.  As I created the books, tried them with my students, tweaked them and tried them again, I didn't take cost into account.  I just wanted to see every student possible learn how to read.  The problem is that the large print, extra white space, step by step lessons, and color-coded vowels make the books costly to print.  The color-coded books are particularly costly, and yet they were the most successful with my students. 
  5. I've been trying to learn about shipping costs and calculations, label printers, and scales to weigh packages.  The business side of providing Sound City Reading books is a topic that has been a steep learning curve for me.

I'm aiming to add books to the website store a few at a time over the next few months.  I'd love to have all of them available by the beginning of June.
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Sound City Reading

All Materials Copyright 2018 by Kathryn J. Davis
All Rights Reserved
Teachers, parents, tutors, and schools may download and print PDF files to use with the students they teach. Under no circumstances are they to make a profit from distributing the materials.
​Teaching videos are free to watch, and they may be downloaded for personal use, at home or in the classroom. 
​All other uses of these materials are prohibited.
​You can contact me at kathjdavis@gmail.com.
  • A Sequential Phonics Program
    • How To Navigate This Site
    • How To Get Started
    • Deciding Which Books To Use >
      • Level 4 - Phonics Patterns
    • Understanding Vowels
    • Understanding Consonants
    • Lesson Outlines >
      • Basic Phonics Patterns Lesson Outline
    • Printing Recommendations >
      • Doing Your Own Printing
      • Using A Print Shop
    • Other Recommended Sites
  • Overview
    • Overview Of All Of The Phonics Books
    • Sound Story Overview
    • Phonemic Awareness Picture Pages Overview
    • Level 1. Learning The Alphabet Overview
    • Level 2. Exploring Sounds In Words Overview
    • Level 3. Short Vowels Overview
    • Level 4. Phonics Patterns Overview >
      • Phonetic Words And Stories, 1-8
      • Basic Phonics Patterns, 1-8
      • Know The Phonetic Code, 1-3
      • Color-Coded Phonetic Lists
    • Level 5. Advanced Phonics Patterns Overview
    • Handwriting Books Overview
    • Charts, Cards, And Games Overview
    • Wall Charts Overview >
      • Current Wall Charts
      • Previous Wall Charts
  • PDF Files
    • How To Work With PDF Files
    • PDF File For Baseline Assessment
    • PDF File For Sequence Charts And Lesson Plans
    • PDF File For A Sound Story About Audrey And Brad
    • PDF File For Phonemic Awareness Picture Pages
    • PDF Files For Handwriting >
      • PDF Files For Manuscript Handwriting Books
      • PDF Files For Cursive Handwriting Books
    • PDF Files - Phonics Books Listed By Level >
      • PDF Files For Level 1 - Learning The Alphabet
      • PDF Files For Level 2 - Exploring Sounds In Words
      • PDF Files For Level 3 - Short Vowels
      • PDF Files For Level 4 - Phonics Patterns Books 1-8
      • PDF Files For Level 5 - Advanced Phonics Patterns
    • PDF Files For Large Picture-Word Pages
    • PDF Files For Wall Charts
    • PDF Files For Flashcards
    • PDF Files For Activities And Games
    • Older PDF Files
  • Picture Files
    • Sound Story Pictures
    • Keyword/Sound Chart Pictures
    • Level 1 And 2 Pictures
    • Level 3 Pictures
    • Level 4 Pictures
    • Consonant Blends
    • Level 5 Pictures
  • Audio
    • Sound Story >
      • Sound Story Borders Part 1
      • Sound Story Borders Part 2
      • Sound Story, Small, Part 1
    • Sound Pictures >
      • Sound Pictures Pt 1
      • Sound Pictures Pt 2
    • Letter Sounds >
      • Alphabet Sounds
      • More Letter Sounds
    • Sound Charts >
      • Learning The Alphabet And Exploring Sounds In Words Charts
      • Rhyming Short Vowel Words And Sentences Sound Charts
      • Mixed Short Vowel Words And Sentences Sound Charts
      • Book 1 Sound Charts
      • Book 2 Sound Charts
    • Sound Blending >
      • Rhyming Short Vowel Words And Sentences Sd Bl
    • Picture/Word Pages >
      • Rhyming Short Vowel Words And Sentences P/W Pages
  • Video
    • Sound Story Part 1 Videos
    • Book 2 Long A Patterns
    • Advanced Sound Charts
  • Reading Street
    • Reading Street Stories
    • Reading Street Tests
    • Spelling Worksheets For Reading Street
    • Decoding Practice Pages To Use With Reading Street
    • Word Cards And Phonogram Cards
  • Blog
    • Read My Blog
    • Contact Me
    • Share Your Experience
    • Take This Expanded Survey
  • PDF Files For Wall Charts