What is Off We Go?
When you are working with children who are just learning their consonant sounds, it can be quite tricky to find fun, bright books that match their current level of phonics knowledge. Luckily, the Off We Go! series solves this dilemma.
Off We Go! is our beginning-to-read series. It's perfect for pre-k and kindergarten! Starting with only seven consonants and short a, students will have access to a complete narrative arc and be introduced to characters they will meet throughout the rest of the Whole Phonics series. To ensure successful reading of each book, the letters/sounds, special vocabulary, high frequency words, grammar, and punctuation needed are taught and reviewed through the Off We Go! workbooks.
The Off We Go! Series of readers and workbooks are inspired by decades of experience teaching children of all abilities the skills needed to become good readers.
What skills are taught in Off We Go?
In this series, kids will learn:
- All consonant sounds
- Short a
- Blending CVC Words
- Five high frequency words (the, is, on, no, a)
- Capitalization
- Punctuation (period, question mark, exclamation point)
- Vocabulary (cab, bat, mat, bam, fab, map, ham, van, pal, fan, add, has/had, lap, yap, yak, tan, gabs, yams, rad)
- Suffixes (plural s, verb ending -s, apostrophe s)
For more information, you can download our free Off We Go! Digital Guide.
The Characters in Off We Go!
As readers develop their literacy skills, they will meet many characters who reappear throughout the series, including:
- Max
- Ann
- Jaz
- Fat Cat
- Sam
- Zac
Let's Dig In!
The Off We Go! Books
To make learning sounds and words meaningful, we've created the Off We Go! Readers. There are a total of 8 decodable books in this series. Book 1, Max, includes only 7 consonants and the short a sound, while book 8, Pals includes all consonant sounds. There are a total of 8 decodable books in the series. Book 1, Max, includes only 7 consonants and the short a sound, while book 8, Pals includes all consonant sounds.
Since the program is cumulative, each book within the series grows in text length as children acquire more skills. Notably, previously learned letters/sounds, high frequency words, and vocabulary are always revisited. Many beginning readers benefit from ample repetition, and programs that are explicit, systematic, and cumulative lead to greater reading outcomes.
The Off We Go! Workbooks
The workbooks in the Off We Go! Series are meant to be taught before students use the books.
Each Off We Go! Workbook teaches a handful of sounds. These sounds are then used to build new words and sentences in activities that are exciting and purposeful. Researchers have found that “phonics teaching is more effective when children are given immediate opportunities to apply what they have learned in their reading.”(Castles, Rastle, and Nation, 2018).
Just as importantly, key vocabulary, high frequency words, grammar, and punctuation needed to successfully read each Off We Go! story are also taught and reviewed through activities in the workbooks. The directions for all workbook pages can be found in the back of each book.
Each workbook includes multiple games that were created to practice new sounds and words in an ongoing, enjoyable manner. Just as importantly, key vocabulary, high frequency words, grammar, and punctuation needed to successfully read each Off We Go! Story are taught and reviewed through activities in the workbooks. The directions for all workbook pages can be found in the back of each book.
Step 2 Workbook
