Start-to-Finish Books

Reviewer: Louise Dannehl
Assistive Technology Coordinator/Consultant
Nebraska Educational Assistive Technology (NEAT) Center
Cozad, NE
ldannehl@esu10.org

Start-to-Finish Books by Don Johnston, Inc.
Start-to-Finish Books Program includes three formats for reading: a paperback book, an audiocassette, and computer book on CD-rom.
Evaluated on Power Macintosh 5500/250
Technical Support: Call: 800-889-5242, FAX: 847-740-7326, Email: support@donjohnston.com
http://www.donjohnston.com
Date Reviewed: March, 2001
Date Published: 1999
List Price: Individual Title-Single-User Pack $65 (Includes 1 book, 1 CD, 1audiocassette, 1 teacher’s guide)
Rating: 10 on a scale of 1 to 10, Way Cool!

Start-to-Finish Books is a system with features to encourage struggling older readers. Individual titles are written at second to third grade reading levels and are built for high success. Each format offers a different level of reading support, so the choice may be made to match reading abilities and styles of individual students.
Some Way Cool features of Start-to-Finish include:

Wide selection of titles and topics i.e., Classic Adventures, Classic Literature, Nick Ford Mysteries, History, Sherlock Holmes Mysteries, Natural Disasters, with new titles offered all year.
Clear, easy-to-follow student instructions and consistent format foster independence.
Cloze quiz at end of each chapter with immediate results available to student
Teacher Materials folder on CD contains files for Multiple Choice Tests, worksheets, review words, cloze quiz and Co:Writer files
Narrator reads at correct reading rate and uses appropriate intonation.
Scanning options allow students with disabilities, who use alternate access, to read independently.
Illustrations provide a visual framework for understanding, discussion, and prediction.
Record keeping capabilities provide student progress reports.

For those reluctant readers who never want to pick up a book, Start-to-Finish is a great alternative. The ever-growing selection of titles makes it possible to match the interests of most any student, giving him/her a successful reading experience while reading age appropriate books.

Because of the variety of titles, students from fourth grade through high school will enjoy Start-to-Finish books. The only thing I don’t like is the cost. Building a library is expensive. However, the benefits of hooking a child into independent reading for enjoyment, way outweigh the cost. A colleague who used Start-to-Finish with a group of struggling readers in sixth grade commented that she couldn’t believe the progress these students made and that they loved the Start-to-Finish Books.

Start-to-Finish Books definitely gets a rating of 10. It is Way Cool!

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