Introduction

This trial gives you a taster of Units of Sound and what it is like for a student to work through the activities. Because you are accessing Units of Sound as a student – you do not have access as a tutor. When you purchase Units of Sound licences you have access to the Tutor Area, which allows you to register students, carry out a placement test to make sure they start at the right level, and monitor progress. You would also have access to the Library resources including Reading Checks and Writing Activities to further support the student.

How to get started

1) Access checklist
Before you start, run through the access checklist, click here to view or download a printable version from here.

2) Accessing Units of Sound
Access Units of Sound via online.unitsofsound.com, we suggest you bookmark this link to access Units of Sound in the future.

3) Logging in to the program

Log in using your ID and password you entered when you signed up for the trial.

4) Screen Tutor support

There’s a Screen Tutor on every screen on the top menu bar to demonstrate what you have to do in each activity of the program or to explain the screen. Click on the Screen Tutor before you try a new activity or to find out about what you are looking at.

5) Welcome Screen

Once logged in, you will come to the Welcome screen showing the four skills: Reading, Spelling, Memory, Dictation. There are 3 stages to Units of Sound. Stage 1 starts with three letter words and progresses through to adult reading by stage 3. Click on the Screen Tutor to learn more about the Welcome screen.

 

6) Practising the activities

The Jump tab is the small yellow arrow that appears when you hover below each of the four skill areas. Use this to get familiar with the activities in Reading and Spelling.Initially, try the following suggested pages – remember to click on the Screen Tutor for a demonstration before you do an activity: There are 52 pages in Stage 1 and 48 in stages 2 and 3.

Reading

Stage	Page	Activities
1	23	Word Blocks, Check Words, Check Sounds, Sentences
1	24	Word Blocks, Quiz Questions

Now, still using Jump, choose any pages to explore. Try a page from stage 2 and 3 to get an idea of the level range.

Spelling

Stage	Page	Activities
1	39	Word Blocks, Check Words, Check Spelling

Now try some other pages and stages.

Memory and Dictation
Try any page of Memory and Dictation – watch the Screen Tutor first.
Memory and Dictation are set behind the Spelling program and so use the same words. These activities reinforce learning as well as give students the opportunity to think about memory techniques and practise checking their work. Again, you may wish to try pages from different stages to get an idea of the range.

If you have any questions you can email support@unitsofsound.net or better still, come to a webinar. You can sign up for a webinar on the website www.unitsofsound.com

You can download and print a pdf of this quick start guide here.