English. Everyday.

Program Overview

Alphabet Practice: Reading instruction begins at the very beginning—with 17 unique renditions of the ABC song.
Letter Formation: Waterford Early Learning™ teaches letter formation explicitly. Students learn to associate the letter shape, name, and sound through keyword pictures, like “A is for alligator.”
Explicit Phonics: During their reading instruction, students work through 105 decodable books. Instruction on letter-sound correspondence, word families, and sight words precedes each book. Best of all, teachers can listen to recordings of their students reading.
Traditional Nursery Rhymes: Early instruction includes a nursery rhyme for each letter of the alphabet.
More than 350 Books!: During their time in Waterford Early Learning™, students will read or listen to more than 400 books all in English.
Phonemic Awareness: Students work through instruction specifically targeting their ability to hear the individual sounds in words. These lessons begin with rhyming, like cat and hat, and end with changing sounds, like fan to fin.
Certificates and Awards: Unlike a teacher, Waterford never tires. It stays positive, even when it teaches the same concept ten times. Best of all, every student receives recognition for success—no matter whether it took a day or a month.
Preparation to Use the Computer: With the goal of helping the beginner, Waterford Early Learning™ includes a lesson to introduce children to navigating on the computer with a mouse.
Get Started in Chinese: Teachers also have the option to assign a Chinese getting started course that teaches students how to navigate in Waterford Early Learning™.
Writing Instruction: Students learn to write on an innovative word processor that reads their work back to them.
Grammar and Usage: Waterford Early Learning™ includes a strand of continuing skills development for grammar, usage, and composition.
Keyboarding: Students can also learn how to keyboard by touch through series of lessons where they work as a “junior reporter” at a bustling newspaper agency.
Letter Sound Songs: Students learn letter sounds through a series of original, animated songs that feature the letter sounds and alliterative tongue twisters.
A Balanced Approach to Reading: Reading instruction balances systematic phonics instruction with exposure to rich natural language.
Songs from around the World: Sung both in English and the language of origin, these songs help students to develop an appreciation for cultures around the world.
Number Sense: Initially, Waterford Early Learning™ math instruction focuses on helping students to develop a good sense of numbers, their quantity, and the effect of operations.
Problem Solving: Problem solving is integral to all aspects of the math curriculum. Once students learn a skill, they apply their knowledge to real-life situations.
Math Songs: Animated songs introduce each new math concept, helping children to build context or to memorize a mnemonic.
Mental Math Games: Students practice math facts for accuracy and speed through a menu of challenging games.
Biographies: Recognizing the importance of positive role models, Waterford Early Learning™ includes biographies of influential mathematicians and scientists.
Science Exploration: Through a rich multimedia environment, students are able to experience science hands-on in English. They dig for fossils, observe their own chicken hatch, build an electrical circuit, and test for buoyancy.

English for Every Student

Waterford Early Learning includes instruction for all levels of language learners. The curriculum automatically adjusts to the learner’s level of mastery. Beginning students learn pre-reading skills, such as ABCs, nursery rhymes, and basic vocabulary. Advanced students write and explore math and science concepts.

English Naturally

Waterford immerses students in an English environment where they learn more than vocabulary words—they learn content that goes hand-in-hand with your classroom instruction while it broadens and enriches their education, planting the seeds for a lifetime of learning.

“Language learning is not really something the child does, it is something that happens to the child placed in an appropriate environment, much as the child's body grows and matures in a predetermined way when provided appropriate nutrition and environmental stimulation.”

Chomsky, Noam. (1988.) Language and Problems of Knowledge. Cambridge, MA: MIT

Can your students succeed on an English reading program all in English? Absolutely! Waterford is designed for students with no background knowledge. Through songs and animations, students are guided to succeed from the very first session.

With Waterford, it's not unusual to see students dancing in their seats...