Frequently Asked Questions
Friends on the Block covers all 5 pillars of the Science of Reading—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension—and includes research-based supports for students with intensive needs.
Friends on the Block Lessons:
- Begin with direct, explicit instruction including phonemic awareness and phonics
- End with learning games that promote fluency through repetition and cumulative review
- Center on decodable text that includes scaffolding for vocabulary development
- Include comprehension questions of varying difficulty so instructors can tailor lessons to student ability levels
Yes! For a quick idea of prices and what resources are included in eMemberships, check out the Product Comparison charts on our Store Page.
For advice on what supplemental materials will best fit your situation and the resources you already have, fill out our Contact Form and get a recommendation from one of our experienced team members!
To get a price quote, add the desired products to your cart and proceed to checkout. Once in checkout, select the “Manual Payment” option and place the order. Once the order is processed, our business administrator will create a price quote that can be submitted to a purchasing director. This process will take 1-2 business days.
You can also get a quote by contacting us through our Contact Form or emailing us at friend@friendsontheblock.com.
Yes. We offer virtual and in-person training options. Contact us via our Contact Form or email us at friend@friendsontheblock.com for details.
Additional implementation resources, including training videos, detailed teacher guides, and an implementation checklist, are included with the premium eMembership and all curriculum kits.
We offer digital samples! Skip the shipping wait and visit our Sample Books and Instructional Materials page to see samples of Warm-Up charts, eBooks, Learning Games, and Teacher Guides. These are the central components of the Friends on the Block Curriculum and should give a good idea of what the program looks like across levels. To see more eBooks and learning games, get a FREE eMembership.
Contact us for additional information or a free virtual demonstration by filling out our Contact Form or emailing us at friend@friendsontheblock.com.
You can view eBooks in your browser using the library! Find the Library button on your Membership page, and this will let you view the eBooks without a download. Note: The library does not include the Read Aloud feature available with the eBooks.
To Use the EPUB Files:
- Download an eReader app, if you don’t already have one. Suggested apps: iBooks, Nook, Thorium (Windows), and Readium (Chromebooks).
- To download a book, scroll down to the book you would like to download and select “EBOOK”; this will download the file to your device and may open it in your eReader app.
- To view in your eReader, go into files, select the book, and open it in the eReader, or go into your eReader and upload the book into the app there.
- To use the Read Aloud buttons, simply click on the speaker icon to hear one of our Friends on the Block authors.
No, students do not need to have 100% mastery of skills on one Friends on the Block level to move to the next level. The target words in the current level are assessed each week, and when most of the target words are read correctly, students move to the next level. Detailed guidance is provided on our Weekly Progress Monitoring Form. All skills in each level will continue to be practiced in the next level and gradually increase in difficulty. Cumulative review throughout the program is extensive.
After completing Friends on the Block, students are ready to learn more advanced word patterns, morphemes, and multisyllabic words, as well as continuing to grow in the areas of vocabulary and comprehension.
We recommend Level 2 of Early Interventions in Reading published by SRA/McGraw-Hill as it is closest to our approach.
We also recommend Word Connections, which is great for students with intensive needs. The researchers who developed this are outstanding, and there is already data on its effectiveness with students with/at risk of learning disabilities. This resource is completely free to download!
However you move forward, we also recommend incorporating into instruction a variety of books that interest the student. You can track the types of words they miss and use that to guide which word-reading skills you focus on. This practice helps boost student engagement while also building the vocabulary and general knowledge necessary for comprehension.
Yes! Friends on the Block is effective for English language learners. The program includes excellent support for language and reading comprehension. It is also flexible enough that the specific needs of non-English speakers can be integrated into the lessons by knowledgeable teachers.
Yes. Because Friends on the Block is based on the Science of Reading and easily customizable, it is appropriate for teaching any student who is beginning or struggling. The program is appropriate for use as both an intervention and initial instruction and has been used successfully with students in both special education courses and general education courses.