Review of Read, Write, and Type

I have a child that begs me every afternoon to please let her get on the computer!  It just started not long ago when I received Talking Fingers Read, Write, and Type online program to review.  Sarah absolutely loves moving to the next level and printing off her certificate of accomplishment as she finishes up!


If you look closely you will see a blue hand called Rightway and a yellow hand called Lefty who guide you along on your adventure.  In the middle of the screen you will find a green glob virus named Vexor who is constantly stealing the alphabet letters so that the storytellers cannot complete their stories. 

The program uses 12 steps per level to teach children the read, write, and type process.  Here are details and pictures of each step provided by Talking Fingers.


Step 1 - Children begin by connecting each sound with a friendly keyboard storyteller. The keyboard storytellers present their phonemes, their place on the keyboard, and their favorite stories. Children learn how new sounds come alive when 2 letters team up, like "aw" or "sh".

Step 2 - Children then look at a picture, identify the sounds in each word, and type the letter or pair of letters that make up each sound. Forty beginning, middle, and ending speech sounds are linked to their place on the keyboard.

Step 3 - Children begin to build words by typing sounds. No other program combines the sounds of phonics with correct finger placement, so children easily learn to type the sounds they hear.

Step 4 - Children start to read and write simple stories. They practice writing at the Story Tree in 40 delightfully animated scenes -- just by listening, looking and typing.

Step 5 - Children move on to creating their own stories, with their newfound typing and phonics skills and the Read, Write & Type!™ simple word processor and talking keyboard.

Step 6 - For further practice, children can send messages using the simulated email feature. The messages they "receive" are actually stories written by real children from different countries around the world.

Step 7 - Children build on their typing skills by playing the Power Fountain with Vexor, or they visit the Bonus Blimp for practice in areas where they need the most help.

Step 8 - In the Sound Game, children practice sound recognition by saying the name of the picture displayed and then typing the correct letter or pair of letters that represent the beginning, middle, or ending speech sound.

Step 9 - The Reading Game provides extra help in reading comprehension by matching a picture to a word or sentence. Children read a word or sentence at the top of the screen, and then match a picture to that sentence.

 
Step 10 - Children play the Spelling Game by looking at a picture, listening to the word that names the picture and sounding out the word as they type it. Read, Write & Type!™ gives feedback if a letter is missed and offers helpful hints about how to get it right!

Step 11 - In this illustration, Adam has scored 57%. When he starts to exit, he is told to return to RWT!™ and play five Bonus Blimps before he tries to pass the Spaceship level again. The Bonus Blimp keeps track of his scores on all activities. When he clicks on the Blimp it will take him automatically to the activities he needs to practice. He will be credited on his certificate for any Bonus activities he chooses to play. He can play any number at any time. When Adam returns to the Spaceship to try again to pass this level, he will be better prepared.

Step 12 - Teachers or parents can print out individual or group reports of student progress and be able to see at a glance whether students are having difficulty at the level of phonemic awareness and phonics or whether their problems lie in Spelling or Reading Comprehension.

The price chart for home use is as follows:

Read, Write & Type - Online Edition - 1 user $35.00
Read, Write & Type - Online Edition - 2 users $55.00
Read, Write & Type - Online Edition - 3 users $70.00
Read, Write & Type - Online Edition - 4 users $85.00
Read, Write & Type - Online Edition - 5 users $100.00


These prices are good for a 5 year subscription!! 


You also have access to download a paper keyboard and activity book with your subscription.  This is a revolutionary reading program that also teaches phonics, writing, spelling, typing, and word processing!


Would our family purchase this?  ABSOLUTELY!!  My Sarah would pay for it herself if she had too.  She loves it just that much!  It has an age recommendation of 6-9.  I have 2 children in that category but chose only to let Sarah try this out.  However, my 9 year old did watch her on many occasions and although he said it looked way to easy for him, he sure did keep watching alot without any requirement from me!! 


Here, Sarah is checking out Read, Write, and Type and a picture of one of her completed certificates.

And whatever you do, don't ask a question during this process because you might get this answer....."Mom, I'm trying to concentrate here"  lol

Also available are CD versions along with bundle kits of both Read, Write, and Type and Word Qwerty.

To find out what my fellow crewmates thought about this program click here.

**Disclaimer:  I received a free subscription of this product for review purposes only.  The opinions expressed here are my honest opinions.  I received no other compensation for this review.