PhonicsTutor is the computerized version of Samuel Blumenfeld's well-known book Alpha-Phonics. You will immediately see that phonics is the word that best describes PhonicsTutor as it provides step-by-step instructions from the beginning of phonogram recognition until a student can read any word from 'scholastic' or 'synthetic' to 'atrocious' or 'ferocious'. Each lesson or part of a lesson in PhonicsTutor is taught through eight modes. Most lessons begin with the Presentation mode, which places new phonograms, words, or sentences on the screen. A student then studies the material in the Investigation mode by clicking on the phonograms or words until it becomes familiar. Six other modes provide writing (typing) and reading exercises to increase mastery and to help the student and the teacher identify learning difficulties. The other modes are PhonicsConst, WordReading, WordSounding, Sayit, WordSpelling and SentenceSpell. PhonicsTutor provides phonetic analysis, reading, word spelling, and dictation (600+ sentences). This includes the CD-ROM, a (software) user's manual, and a PhonicsTutor Teacher's Manual.
