Sounds in Focus is a word study programme designed to develop reading, spelling and writing skills through phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness is essentially a knowledge and understanding of the sounds and sound patterns of the English language.
The Sounds in Focus approach uses a sound-to-letter strategy, which acknowledges that sounds can be represented in more than one way in written form. The Sounds in Focus approach focuses first on the basic units of sound in English – phonemes. It then explores the letters that represent these sounds and how they can be put together to form English words.
The phonemic approach is great because it promotes deeper understanding by replacing rote learning with strategies for reading, writing and spelling. It includes clever ideas for direct instruction and play-based learning activities.
For more information, have a look at our Scope and Sequence documents below.
Sounds in Focus Learner Books have been designed to make teaching multi-age classes easy. Each Learner Book follows the same structure, with every sound unit appearing on the same page number across Years 1 to 6. The layout of the pages is also consistent throughout the series, making it easier to highlight different activities to your class.
Extra and Extension activities are included with every Sound Unit in the Teacher Guide, while Extension Word Lists are included in the back of every Learner Book to stimulate clever learners. If you still want more, Super Challenge BLMs are available for purchase.
The Sounds in Focus programme has been written to support learners of varying abilities, from Foundation through to Year 7. The combination of graded List Words and activities provides plenty of material for a range of learner abilities.
The Sounds in Focus programme is most effective when used in conjunction with Sounds in Focus Online, which has a wide range of support materials including:
Click here to view all components of Sounds in Focus.
Sounds in Focus is priced from as little as R150 per learner for a 12-month annual subscription. We can tailor the programme to best suit your school or individual classroom requirements. Make an enquiry today and a member of our team will be in touch to discuss the best option for you.
Complete this short form or call us on 021 380 0267/021 380 0256 and a member of our team will talk you through the process.
Yes, we offer a 30-day free trial of Sounds in Focus. This trial allows you to access the full features that Sounds in Focus has to offer.
Please note: Preview versions of all documents and Units 1-8 of each level are only available to view in the trial version. To access the full content, you must purchase a 12-month subscription.
After the 30 days, your access to Sounds in Focus Online will expire. A member of our team will contact you prior to this date to determine whether you wish to continue with the programme.
Sign up for a free trial here.
Sounds in Focus Online has been designed for use in and outside the classroom, and can be used on interactive whiteboards, laptops, iPads or tablets.
To gain access to our Sounds in Focus Online resources or start a free trial:
12-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION - To begin using Sounds in Focus Online:
School Account Holder:
Educator Account:
FREE TRIAL - To begin using Sounds in Focus Online:
Your Access Code identifies the Sounds in Focus programmes you can access as part of your subscription. It also identifies whether you have an educator or learner view of the online portal.
Once the Access Code is entered, this will activate your subscription. Your Access Code is unique and can only be used once to register. Do not share this code.
Your Access Code has been emailed to the school email address provided upon registration.
If you did not receive your Access Code, please check your spam mail or call us on 021 380 0267/021 380 0256.
Should you wish to purchase Sounds in Focus, please complete the Make an Enquiry form and a member of our team will call you back.
Once you are logged in to your Sounds in Focus Online account, you can find the Learner Access Code for your class on the programme home page of the relevant Sounds in Focus year level.
Learners use the Access Code to login and access the sound info kit, segmenting tool, interactive games, downloadable BLMs and more for each Sound Unit.
Call us on 021 380 0267/ 021 380 0256 or email info@ricpublications.co.za to purchase and we will supply you with a further Access Code to activate this programme in your account.
Of course! Our dedicated sales team have a wealth of knowledge about how the Sounds in Focus programme could benefit you and are here to answer any questions you have.
Call 021 380 0267/ 021 380 0256 or email info@ricpublications.co.za.