Our school year is going strong, and my kids have been using Reading Kingdom Online curriculum from Reading Kingdom and it is a fantastic learning program.

Are you looking for a Reading curriculum for you kids? You might say “yes, we need to work on reading skills” but you might also say “no, my kids can read fine”. But when you stop and think about it, are your kids strong readers? Could they improve? The Department of Education reports that only 1 out of 3 kids today achieve reading proficiency. What is a parent to do?

Reading Kingdom has a better strategy than what has traditionally been offered to help kids rise above and reach reading proficiency. Reading Kingdom Online uses fun reading games, story books, and an award winning patented reading strategy to boost each child’s skills and confidence in reading, writing, and comprehension. When kids finish the program, they will have mastered above a third grade reading level.

Reading Kingdom Online

Ages 4-10

Cost $19.99 month, and $9.99 for each additional child.

Can also be used for :

ESL and Remedial Learning and Review for older students.

Reading Kingdom Online uses Dr. Marion Blank’s patented 6-SIM strategy called the “Six Skill Integrated Method”. You can read more about this strategy in her book titled the Reading Remedy. This method is foundational for learning and mastering reading proficiency. The skills learned will overflow into every other academic area too. This method brings reading, writing, and comprehension together in an integrated and fun way for kids.

The full program is divided into these key areas:

Keyboard and Mouse Training
Sequencing Survey 1
Sequencing 2
5 Levels with 4 to 6 sessions each.

Why does it work? Because this method is based on learning the meanings of words and and the pattern sequencing of letters and sounds that create meaning. This is superior to other methods of learning to read. Most programs only use a phonics program. But phonics are a deceptive way to learn English because there are 100’s of combinations to remember.

The 6 Skill Integrated Method (6 SIM) covers six areas of learning: Sequencing, Writing, Sounds (Phonics), Meaning, Grammar, and Comprehension. This online program cooresponds to a printed program with teachers manuals, workbooks, and level reader books. You do not have to buy the printed program, but if you want to, it is available. I hope to purchase some of the workbooks and readers in the future. I would like for the kids to have practice writing what they are learning, and not just typing only. I can see the value in having both. But for now, the kids can do the reading online and that is perfectly fine too.

Sequencing: recognizing patterns from left to right.
Writing: understanding letter placement on keyboard and writing through out the program.
Sounds (Phonics): sounding letter blends,
Meaning: understanding the meaning of words and their context.
Grammar: grammatical rules
Comprehension: remembering and understanding what has been read.

What skills will your kids master on the road to becoming proficient readers?

Here is a partial list of skills mastered that correspond with Elementary grades:

Preschool (skills: left and right, sequencing, letters, upper and lower case, keyboarding skills for writing, etc.)

Kindergarten (skills: common words and meanings, punctuation, upper and lower case, auditory processing, sound descrimination: speaking and listening skills, keyboard skills, etc)

First Grade (skills: sequencing, motor skills, phonics, grammar, reading comprehension, blending, decoding, sentences, punctuation, and more)

Second Grade (skills: vocabulary, sight words, reading, spelling, decoding, writing complex sentences, summarizing, and more)

Third Grade (skills: reading, comprehension, writing, spelling, language expansion, increase their abilities to read and understand more complicated texts, academics, and literature, etc. )

Struggling Readers (useful in helping build skills for: struggling readers, learning disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and English As A Second Language (ESL) more).

The entire program starting at the lowest level and working your way through to completing the highest level takes about 12 to 18 months to complete. A child who already has acquired some reading skills maybe able to complete the program in 6 months. A child who is a struggling reader due to learning disabilities may take longer than average to complete. The program is flexible and adapts to the skills of each child.

Skill Levels

Reading Kingdom offers 5 different learning levels. Each level is adaptable for the skill levels of your kids, so it customizes itself per the child’s needs. Each level builds upon the skills learned in the previous level and gets your kids ready for the next level so it all flows smoothly together. A Progress Check (review quiz) is given after each level. More practice is given if needed, or if they have mastered everything, they are promoted to the next level.

Each level is filled with several sessions. It is expected that kids will work on the program for at least 4 sessions per week. In each session takes about 20 minutes. A child learns 1 new word or reads 1 new book during each session.

Each level takes between 10 weeks to 15 weeks (10-15 weeks according the the FAQ Pdf, but the website also lists it can be done in 6-10 weeks) to complete if your child completes 4 or 5 sessions a week and depending on how quickly they progress.

A Quick Glimpse Of The Desktop For Different Levels:

Here are some desktop views from the different levels. The first picture under each level shows the number of words and books learned in that level. The second set of pictures in each level shows screen shots of various learning games with blending, sequencing, and online story books.

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

Level 5

How We Used Reading Kingdom In Our Home

I am a mom of 6 kids, and they all have different learning styles and different skill levels. Each child learns a little differently from their siblings and I am so grateful for homeschooling because it gives us the freedom to pursue what works best for each child.

We are using Reading Kingdom Online with our 6 year old son and 8 year old daughter. We began by taking a skills test to learn the exact skills they already knew, and what skills they have yet to learn. They took a letter sequencing test and a keyboard typing test. This helped customize the program to their exact level.

Sequencing Test

Typing & Keyboard Test

Reading Kingdom Online is an adaptable reading program. It responds to the child’s skill level and their ongoing progress. It allows kids to skip over practicing words they already know. It also recognizes what they don’t know and provides extra support and training in those areas.

The dash board shows their progress. This is a very nice feature. Also I can go in to an advanced step on the dashboard and set it to redo the test or a level if needed, and change the speed for responses or leave it at the default speed. So far they are doing great and I don’t see a need to make any changes.

Since some of my kids find it easy to learn to read, and some find reading more challenging, it is a blessing to have a curriculum that can adapt to both of their learning styles.

I like the parent dashboard because it gives me a basic summary of how each child is progressing. I also get a weekly summary emailed to me alerting me of progress and any concerns.

Dr. Blank

Dr. Marion Blank is known around the world for her literacy expertise. She developed and directed the Light on Literacy Program and is on the faculty of Columbia University. She lectures around the world, and she has authored dozens of peer-reviewed articles and books. Dr. Blank has developed several award winning teaching programs. She is the author of the Reading Remedy and creator of the Reading Kingdom.

The online modality of delivery of the Learning Kingdom system software was put together by Dr. Marion Blank’s son, Jonathan Blank. He is a top software designer in his field and has many other digital software accomplishments. He has designed programs for top name brands like Google, Adobe, Sony and more.

Dr. Blank and her son and have made this an exceptional educational software program. They made a great team and produced an amazing product for kids, parents, and teachers. This online learning program has come together in a beautiful way. Their collaboration together on this project using her strategy and expertise in teaching, and his expertise in digital software is combined and packaged into a fun online delivery system (computerized learning) for kids. I would encourage every family to give this system a try with their kids and beat those national average statistics and come out a winner who has mastered reading proficiency.