Sing, Spell, Read & Write

Sing, Spell, Read & Write is a song-based phonics program developed by Sue Dickson in the early 1970s, originally issued by Modern Curriculum Press, later distributed by Pearson, and now sold primarily through Dickson's own Songs That Teach imprint after the major-publisher edition went out of print.

Last updated: 2026-04-24 · Every Homeschool Editorial Team

At a glance

Method	Traditional phonics; subject-specialist (reading)
Worldview	Faith-neutral
Grades	PreK-2
Formats	Print workbooks, audio CDs/downloads, readers, games
Cost tier	Standard
Parent intensity	4
ESA-common	No (current distribution is direct-sales; most major ESA marketplaces list current in-print programs)
Accredited	No
Established	Originally published in the early 1970s; now distributed by Songs That Teach
Website	songsthatteachus.com

Our scoreboard (1-5)

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	4	Systematic, explicit 36-step phonics sequence with strong decoding outcomes
Ease of teaching	3	Parent-led, multi-component; straightforward once rhythm is established
Content quality	4	Award-winning phonics songs; durable production values
Flexibility	3	Designed as a whole kit; pieces can be used a la carte but work better together
Value for money	3	Higher per-grade spend than a single trade paperback; includes audio and readers
Worldview scope	5	Secular-neutral content, usable across every family
Visual/design	3	Bright but dated; the aesthetic is unmistakably 1980s–90s elementary
Support resources	3	Author's own site and support network; no large publisher community

Who the publisher is

Sing, Spell, Read & Write was created by Sue Dickson, a Florida-based reading teacher who developed the song-and-workbook approach for her own kindergarten classroom and first published the materials commercially through Modern Curriculum Press in the 1970s. The program's defining feature, a sequence of thirty-six phonics songs, one for each letter sound and blend, paired with readers, workbooks, and classroom games, established Dickson as one of the more recognizable names in early reading instruction through the 1980s and 1990s.

The program was subsequently distributed by Pearson, and the Level 1 Kindergarten Kit and Level 2 First Grade Kit were well known in both classroom and homeschool channels. As of the mid-2020s, the full Pearson-edition kits are out of print, though several component workbooks have been reprinted. Dickson, through her Songs That Teach imprint, has resumed direct sale of the program and its variants at a ten-percent discount off the original prices.

The Off We Go program, a preschool-readiness edition that precedes the main Level 1 kit, is also available through Dickson's site. For homeschool families, the practical implication is that purchasing the full curriculum requires buying from Dickson's site directly, with some components available used through secondary markets.

The core pedagogy

Sing, Spell, Read & Write is explicit, synthetic phonics organized as a thirty-six-step sequence. Each step introduces a letter or blend through a dedicated song, reinforces it through a workbook page, applies it through a decodable reader, and games reinforce the sound-symbol connection. The method is multisensory in the common meaning of the word, students hear the song, speak the sound, trace the letter, and read text containing the target phoneme.

The program is linear and cumulative. A kindergartener begins at step one (the short-a sound, typically), moves sequentially, and finishes first grade at approximately step thirty-six having decoded increasingly complex patterns along the way. Unlike programs that teach letter names before sounds, Dickson's method teaches sounds first and letter names as a secondary fact. This is consistent with a large body of contemporary research on early reading, and it places Sing, Spell, Read & Write in the same methodological family as Orton-Gillingham and its descendants.

Signature mechanics: (1) Thirty-six phonics songs, each song targets a specific phoneme and is repeated until the child can sing the sound on demand. (2) Daily workbook + reader pairing, every lesson has a workbook page and a corresponding decodable reading passage, so the child sees the target sound in isolation and in text the same day. (3) Classroom-style "Raceway" chart, a visual progress tracker that moves the student from step to step through the sequence, shipped with the main kits.

A day in the life

A kindergartener using the Level 1 kit starts a typical morning with a ten-minute review of previously taught songs (playback from the audio set while the child sings along and touches the letters on a poster or card). Then the current step: five to seven minutes introducing the new song and sound, a workbook page (ten minutes), and reading the short decodable passage with the parent (five to seven minutes). Total phonics block: thirty-five to forty-five minutes. The Raceway chart gets a new car-sticker added when the step is complete.

Because the program is cumulative and song-anchored, mornings feel repetitive by design, the child re-sings older songs daily, not only the current one. The parent's job is to lead the song, correct pronunciation, and enforce the workbook pace. On a typical week the student completes three to four steps; slower students may take five to seven school days per step.

What they do exceptionally well

A research-aligned phonics sequence with genuine staying power. The thirty-six-step scope and sequence reflects decades of phoneme-frequency research and has aged well. A student who completes Level 1 and Level 2 has systematically encountered every major English phoneme, blend, and common spelling pattern, and can typically decode unfamiliar words at a late-first-grade level or better.

Songs that children actually remember. The phonics songs are the program's signature for good reason: they stick. Parents who used the program as children report being able to sing individual songs thirty years later. For a five-year-old, a memorable song is a more reliable retrieval cue than a flashcard, and Sing, Spell, Read & Write's songs are more durably catchy than most competitors'.

Low-pressure pacing for a first reader. The linear step sequence and the Raceway chart give a very young child concrete visible progress. A kindergartener can count the stickers on the chart and see how many steps they've conquered, which supports motivation in a domain where motivation is most of the battle.

What they do poorly

Component fragmentation and print-run uncertainty. With the Pearson-distributed kits out of print and Dickson's imprint handling direct sales, the purchasing experience is less tidy than with programs where a parent can buy a complete kit from a single mainstream retailer. Families sometimes cobble together a used Level 1 kit plus a new Level 2 replacement, with inconsistent supporting pieces.

Dated aesthetic. The art and production values are unmistakably a generation old. This is not a defect in the instruction, but for a parent accustomed to the contemporary polish of All About Reading or Logic of English, the visual contrast is immediate.

Heavier parent load than scripted competitors. Although not as intensive as Spalding or SWR, Sing, Spell, Read & Write still asks a parent to be present for thirty to forty-five minutes a day, leading the songs, managing audio playback, and correcting the workbook. Families seeking a self-directed digital option should look elsewhere.

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick Sing, Spell, Read & Write if: you want an explicit, research-aligned phonics program for kindergarten and first grade; your child responds well to music as a memory aid; you're comfortable sourcing materials from a direct-sales site and occasionally the used market; you want a faith-neutral option that works across worldview backgrounds.

• Skip Sing, Spell, Read & Write if: you want an actively maintained major-publisher program with current print runs and stocked retail channels; you prefer a digital-first or self-directed program; you dislike song-based instruction and would rather drill phonograms; you want a program that extends into spelling and composition beyond the second-grade reading mark.

Cost honest assessment

Pricing varies by component and by whether a family is buying new through Dickson's songsthatteachus.com or secondhand through Rainbow Resource and similar retailers. As of April 2026, the Level 1 Kindergarten kit runs in the range of $150–$220 for a complete set when a new kit is in stock; Level 2 First Grade is similar. The Off We Go preschool edition is priced below the main kits. Used Pearson-edition kits can be found in the $80–$140 range on eBay with variable completeness.

Compared to All About Reading (roughly $150 per level, complete) and to The Reading Lesson (one trade paperback under $30), Sing, Spell, Read & Write sits in the mid-range for an early reading program. A family committing to both Level 1 and Level 2 should budget $300–$400 for the two-year sequence, assuming new materials.

ESA eligibility notes

Because the Pearson-distributed edition is out of print and current distribution runs through Dickson's direct-sales site, Sing, Spell, Read & Write is not a commonly listed ESA marketplace vendor. Families in states like Arizona, Florida, West Virginia, and Utah with more flexible ESA spending can typically reimburse the kits under educational-materials categories by saving the receipt and submitting through the state workflow. Families should verify with their state program administrator that a direct-sales purchase from a small publisher qualifies for reimbursement before buying, and save the invoice with a clear line-item description.

Alternatives

• All About Reading, a family would pick All About Reading over Sing, Spell, Read & Write because AAR is actively maintained, has a strong support community, and uses a scripted Orton-Gillingham-aligned scope without relying on song-memory as the primary retention mechanism.
• Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, a family would pick the Engelmann book over Sing, Spell, Read & Write because it's a single trade paperback under $25, gets a non-reader to comfortable decoding in a hundred scripted lessons, and requires no component assembly.
• Logic of English Foundations, a family would pick LOE Foundations over Sing, Spell, Read & Write because it integrates phonics, spelling, and handwriting in a single multi-year sequence with current print runs and modern production values.

How we verified this

Our editorial team reviewed Sue Dickson's publisher site at songsthatteachus.com, the author's biographical site at suedickson.com, and the retail listings for component workbooks at Rainbow Resource, Christian Book, and Lamp Post Homeschool. We cross-referenced the program's publication history against its Google Books and eBay listings for the Pearson-Modern Curriculum Press era. Pricing and program details verified April 2026.