Why I Created Viva Phonics

Fusing education and technology for improved reading performance…

I created Viva Phonics to improve the ability of students to grasp the fundamentals of reading. Tools that keep them interested, focused and immersed in the process: planting the seeds for a lifelong love of reading and books.
Reading is the gateway to knowledge, creativity and effective communications. My goal, and my passion, is teaching my students how to read so they can excel in and out of school and be powerful learners, communicators, and creators.

Viva Phonics helps students crack the reading code!
As a professional educator with over 10 years of experience in teaching Bilingual Education and English as a Second Language (ESL), I noticed students from all backgrounds–with either English as a first or second language – had trouble learning to read. Students often guessed whole words, and they struggled with spelling. I started investigating why this happened and what I could do to help those students become successful readers.

As a result, I found students were not provided enough practice in decoding. They were often encouraged to guess by looking at pictures or saying a word that “made sense.”

THE SOLUTION

The solution I follow is a simple, step-by-step phonics program. This system provides a comprehensive phonics review, teaching students how to break the reading code. Yes…I mean teach your child how to read, again. Through my research and field-testing, I determined there are three major steps for a reading program to be effective: sounds, small steps, and practice.

1. Sounds: We have to explicitly teach the sounds that letters represent.
2. Small Steps: We must follow a student-friendly system that progresses in small steps – from simple to complex building blocks –and ensure that each step is mastered before moving on to the next.
3. Practice: We must practice reading every day.

Besides daily practice, I also knew that to keep my students motivated they needed to read engaging content. That’s when I started to create and collect decodable stories. 

And …

After weeks of hard work, it felt like magic when students were breaking the code. Frustration was replaced with success!
Now with Viva Phonics, it is easier for students everywhere to learn how to read!

Until next time, patience and practice!
Angelica Lima