INTRODUCTION: I started this page with a poem in hopes that a poem from my heart to your heart might be the spark to ignite your passion to help me in this great endeavor to bring literacy to every American whose life has been impoverished by a lack of good reading skills.
WHO IS THIS PROGRAM FOR? A Sound Track to Reading is for anyone who struggles with reading from third grade through adult. I have found it especially helpful for students diagnosed with dyslexia.
NATURE OF THE PROGRAM: A Sound Track to Reading is an advanced, intensive phonics program and reader. Note that it is completely self-contained in a single book, eliminating the need for separate readers or any other material.
WHY SUCH A BIG PROBLEM? Mark Seidenberg says that this poor performance is indicative of underutilization of reading science by educators. In other words, the schools have failed to provide the kind of reading instruction that all students need to read well. A Sound Track to Reading contains all the missing information (sounds, letters, syllables, sentences) that everyone needs to read well.
THE PLAN: I propose that we work together to provide every struggling reader in America a copy of the late Monica Foltzers’ A Sound Track to Reading.
THE GOOD NEWS: Sister Foltzer says, “Anybody who can read can teach someone else to read if they have a system.” No prior experience or teacher training is necessary to teach the program successfully.
2019 Paperback Edition: Here is MY beautiful 2019 paperback edition with teacher’s instructions. Everything you need to learn to improve your reading in one inexpensive book, or teach someone else to improve theirs.
Here are the documents you need to implement the program:
1. A Sound Track to Reading: Student Book.
2. A Sound Track to Reading: Student Book with Teacher’s Manual.
3. A Sound Track to Reading: Cursive Supplement
4. A Sound Track to Reading: Audio Instruction. Only the audio links work. Video links are at the bottom
of this page.
5. A Sound Track to Reading: Key Word Flashcards
6. A Sound Track to Reading: Revised Key Word Flashcards (2019)
7. A Sound Track to Reading: Blending Cards & Suffixes
8. A Sound Track to Reading: Blend Practice Chart
9. A Sound Track to Reading: Spelling and Reading Word List
Here is the same Spelling and Reading Word List in larger print and horizontal orientation.
10. A Sound Track to Reading: Student Progress Chart
11. A Sound Track Fluency Practice for Orthographic Mapping
12. A Sound Track Key Word Chart with Sound Pictures
13. A Sound Track to Reading Facial Diagrams
14. Power Point Slides for All 48 Lessons
15. A Sound Track To Reading: Scope and Sequence
16. A Supplemental Word List of Easy Word and Decodable Sentences to use with A Sound Track.
This material can also be used with beginning readers.
17. A Sound Track Consonant and Vowel Charts with pictures for key words.
The program is very easy to implement. Here are the steps you need to follow.
1. First give the student a copy A Sound Track to Reading: Student Book. The paperback is $15.00. The free pdf is available
above for those who prefer the free pdf.
2. Provide the student access to the Audio Recordings of the lessons. The audio can be accessed directly from the Internet
link above and downloaded onto any MP3 listening device. You can also teach the lessons yourself. The Teacher’s Manual
provides ALL the information necessary to teach the program successfully. Foltzer correctly maintained that anyone who
can read can teach someone else to read if they have a system. I have produced videos which teach every aspect of the
program. They are very helpful for students working through the program with the help of a teacher.
3. Set up a Schedule to have the student read the assigned lessons to you. A Progress Chart is provided at the back of the
Student Book for keeping track of each student’s progress through the program.
4. If possible give Direction Instruction in Proper Handwriting so the method can be taught in a multi-sensory manner for
maximum improvement in written expression. For help with handwriting, we provide two free, easy-to-teach programs.
It is very beneficial for the students to copy the words and practice writing them from dictation.
A. Fundamentals of Cursive: Brief Instruction. A free pdf document.
Fundamentals of Cursive: Training Video.
B. Shortcut to Manuscript: Manual. A free pdf document.
Shortcut to Manuscript: Training Video.
5. Explain the use of a Dictionary for learning spelling, definition, usage, and pronunciation. Apps on computers and
handheld devices can be used, but looking words up in a printed dictionary helps develop alphabetizing skills better.
6. Provide Outside Reading Material to develop fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
A. McCall-Harby Test Lessons in Primary Reading. These are the best text for developing reading fluency and
comprehension for remedial and primary students.
B. I use the McCall-Crabbs’ Standard Test lessons in Reading every day in my tutoring. These test lessons are
designed for third grade and up, but can be used with younger readers. They can all be purchased from
Teacher’s College Press.
C. Here is the Gospel of Mark for reading practice. This is the Contemporary English Version which is on about a
5th grade level.
Scientific Foundations of A Sound Track to Reading
1. A study of the Linguistic Foundation of A Sound Track to Reading for those who are interested in the scientific
background of the program.
2. A study of the Vocabulary of A Sound Track to Reading, demonstrating the large reading and spelling vocabulary of students
completing the program. This is intensive phonics at its best!
3. A transcription of Monica Foltzer’s Teacher Training Video.
A Sound Track to Reading Video Instruction
Introduction: Key Word Chart and Vowel Chart: A short course in linguistics for reading teachers.
Fundamentals Section: Lessons 1 - 30
Step 1: Short Vowels, all Consonants, Select Endings, Rules 1 & 7
Lesson 1: Short-ă, m, s, t, -ing, -er, -ed = /t/ or /d/. Vowel Rule 1 & 7
Lesson 2: Short-ă, d, g, f, h, -ed = /ĕd/
Lesson 3: Short-ă, p, r, n, b, y = /ē/. Vowel Rule 5
Lesson 4: Short ă, c, k, ck, l, w, j
Lesson 5: Short ă, v, qu, x, y, z, -ly, -le
Step 2: Short Vowels ĭ, ŏ, ŭ, ĕ, Select Endings
Lesson 6: Short-ĭ
Lesson 7: Short ŭ, -le
Lesson 8: Review 1: Short ă. ĭ, ŭ
Lesson 9: Short ŏ, -s, -ed, -er, -ing, -y, -ly, -le
Lesson 10: Short-ĕ, -ness, -en
Lesson 11: Review 2: Short Vowels
Step 3: Consonant Blends, Consonant Digraphs, Plurals
Lesson 12: Beginning Consonant Blends
Lesson 13: ch, sh, th, -ng, -nk, -ck, -tch
Lesson 14: Plurals, -s, -es
Step 4: Long Vowel VCE, Vowel Rules 2 and 3
Lesson 15: Long Vowel VCE, Vowel Digraphs with -y and -w, Vowel Rule 2
Lesson 16: Long Vowel: Consonant-Vowel, Vowel Rule 3.
Lesson 17: Review of Consonant Digraphs with Short and Long Vowels. Use of ck and k.
Lesson 18: Vowel Rule 3 and Review of First Three Vowel Rules
Step 5: Third Sound of a, o, u. Vowel Rule 4
Lesson 19: Third Sound of a, o, and u. Vowel Rule 4
Lesson 20: o/ow, oi/oy, aar, or, er, ir, ur (2 Plain Diphthongs & 3 Murmuring Diphthongs)
Lesson 21: Review: Short, Long, and 3rd Sound of a. x, qu and square. Closed and Open Syllables
Step 6: Vowel Rule 5 & 6 for suffix -ed,, Vowel Rule 7 (VCC), Vowel Rule 8 v/c. Rules 1-4
Lesson 22: Endings 7 = Long ē and long ȳ. Vowel Rules 5 & 6. Plural y changes to i: baby > babies.
Lesson 23: Three songs of ed /ĕd/ /d/ /t/
Lesson 24: Short vowel/consonant-consonant (VCC) words. Long vowel/consonant (V/C): Vowel Rule 7 & 8
Lesson 25: Review of Vowel Rule 3, -tion, VC
Lesson 26. Sounds of s, x, c, g; Consonant Rules 1, 2, 3, & 4.
Lesson 27: Consonant Helps: c, qu, x: Review c & g
Step 6: Irregular Vowel Digraphs, Eight Sounds of ou
Lesson 28: Regular and Irregular Vowel Digraphs: ie, oo, ei
Lesson 29: Irregular Vowel Digraphs: ĕa, ēa, ur, ar; long ū & Exceptons
Lesson 30: 8 Sounds of ou: Diphthong /ou/ Regular Digraph /ōu/, /ŏ/, ŭ/, o3/, /ûr/, /ū/
Reference Section: Advanced Skill Level
Lesson 31: The Schwa /ǝ/ = shot-short ŭ: aloud, portal, channel, solid, freedom, focus
Lesson 32: Contractions
Lesson 33: Contractions
Lesson 34: Unphonetic Words and False Digraphs
Lesson 35: ōld, ōlt, ōst, īld, o = ŭ
Lesson 36: Consonant Digraphs and Silent Letters
Lesson 37: More Silent Letters pn, ps, pt, rh
Lesson 38: Special Consonant Digraphs: ph, gh, silent gh, ch=/ch/ /sh/ /k/; tu = /ch/
Lesson 39: /sh/ has at least 7 spellings; /zh/ has no distinctive spellings
Lesson 40: Tying Y’s together: Y is a consonant /y/; Vowell: y = /ī/, /ĭ/ /ē/, silent y; i = consonant /y.
Lesson 41. Tying R's-Controlled Vowels Together
Lesson 42: Prefixes
Lesson 43: Suffixes
Lesson 44: Eight Helpful Vowel Rules: 4 Basic and 5 Endings
Lesson 45: Ten Helpful Consonant Rules: c, g, s, and x
Lesson 46: Rules 1-6 for Syllabication: po-lish, Po-lish, it-self, pre-fix, a-far
Lesson 47: Rules 7-10 for syllabication: ne-on, loud-est, ken-nel, se-cret, tri-fel.
Lesson 48: Accent: Noun: re´bel; Verb: re⋅bel´
This page was launched on March 16, 2018. It was last updated on January 30, 2020 and June 14, 2023.
