What teachers say after they use Secret Stories®

Secret Stories Made Learning Stick!

Before Secret Stories, my second graders would learn phonics and spelling patterns, but the information was not memorable. We had to review the same patterns again and again because they simply would not stick. It became frustrating and, honestly, quite painful for both my students and me. Secret Stories has truly been a game changer in my classroom. The stories gave students something meaningful and memorable to connect to each sound and spelling pattern. My students made noticeable improvements in both reading and spelling, and they constantly looked back at the stories as a reference whenever they were unsure. One moment I will always remember involved an English learner who came to me with very limited English. One day, the student ran up to me extremely excited because they had figured out how to spell a word by using the Secret Stories. Seeing that excitement and watching the student recognize that they could use the stories independently was amazing. It was one of those moments that showed me just how much progress the student had made. We also played games and completed activities using the stories, which my students absolutely loved. Secret Stories quickly became one of the best parts of our day because it made learning engaging, memorable, and fun. My students looked forward to each new story, and I loved watching them confidently apply what they had learned while reading and writing.

From Silent Hesitation to Aha! Moments: How Secret Stories Unlocked Reading

Before Secret Stories, reading time in my Title 1 ENL classroom felt like hitting a wall of "rule breakers." More than half of my students are ENLs from China, and for children transitioning from a logographic native language, English phonics rules often felt completely random (sometimes weird) and frustrating. I spent countless hours repeating, "I know it says that, but English is just tricky," which left my students hesitant and overly reliant on me to decode. Then everything changed. The real breakthrough came with one of my 2nd grades tudents who had been completely silent during phonics for three months. A week after introducing the "Mommy e and the Babysitter" Secret, he was sitting with a new text. He paused at the word made, gasped, grabbed his friend's arm, and pointed: "Look! Mommy e is making 'A' say its name!" The look of absolute pride on his face was unforgettable. Secret Stories transformed reading from a intimidating guessing game into a secret-decoding adventure. Within just a few months, over 80% of my class moved up at least one full reading benchmark, but more importantly, their silent hesitation turned into joyful, independent reading confidence.

Reading shouldn't be a struggle.

Before I started using Secret Stories in my classroom, I created my own stories and thought hard of strategies to help students remember phonics concepts and apply them to their reading. While they were helpful, I was always looking for a more effective way to make those connections stick. When our school purchased the Secret Stories classroom sets and I learned how to incorporate them into my instruction, it was a game changer. As an educator, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing students not only remember the phonics lessons but confidently apply them during their everyday reading. I watched their confidence grow as they began relying on the Secret Stories to figure out unfamiliar words on their own. Even more meaningful was seeing how much students started to enjoy reading. Instead of feeling anxious when asked to read aloud, they knew they had the Secret Stories to guide them. That confidence transformed their attitude toward reading and even writing, making it a positive and empowering experience.

The Key to Confidence is a Secret

Secret Stories has completely transformed the way my students approach reading, writing, and spelling. I've watched their confidence grow as they begin applying phonics skills independently instead of constantly relying on me for help. The stories give my students meaningful connections to sounds and spelling patterns, making learning feel fun and memorable. Because of that, they're more willing to take risks, sound out unfamiliar words, and trust themselves as readers and writers. One of the biggest changes I've noticed is their independence. My students are no longer waiting for the answer, they're using the strategies they've learned to figure words out on their own. Seeing them become more confident, capable readers, writers, and spellers has been one of the most rewarding parts of using Secret Stories in my classroom.

Unlocking the Code!

I have spent most of my 33 year teaching career at the upper elementary level. A few years ago, an opportunity arose to transfer to a kindergarten position. I was ready for a change and challenge, so I went for it! I was overwhelmed with where to start...until I found Secret Stories! It has been a game changer for me and my students! I was instantly amazed at how students related to and internalized the secrets! We sing the Better Alphabet Song daily, refer to the stories on the wall multiple times a day, and students find them in every aspect of their learning. I can't imagine teaching kindergarten without providing my students access to the Secret Stories! Absolutely AMAZING!

Game Changer!!

Getting 6 year olds to just memorize reading rules was so difficult and felt so inappropriate for their attention spans. Secret Stories really turned everything around! Students get so engaged in learning a new secret any time we come across a new one in a new word they are learning to read or write. They start seeing secrets in texts around the classroom and then I start to get messages from parents telling me how they are doing it at home as well. Such a testament to this amazing resource! It has really helped my students year after year in their reading journey.

The meaning of receiving this giveaway

Receiving this giveaway would make a meaningful difference in my special education classroom. My students thrive with explicit, engaging, and hands-on reading instruction, and Secret Stories would provide them with another powerful tool to build strong phonics and decoding skills. Many of my students need extra repetition, visual supports, and multisensory learning opportunities to succeed. Having access to these resources would help increase their confidence, independence, and love for reading while giving them the support they need to reach their individual goals. This giveaway would have a lasting impact on both my students and our classroom.

Engagement level is off the charts

I used these several years ago at my last school with my Grade 1's. They loved the story telling aspect of each of them. They connected with Mommy E and loved to act the stories out as a way to remember them and solidify them in their brains. It allowed those who were ready to learn more complex sound combinations to do so without having to wait for the lesson to come up. I without the images, the stories are less engaging. My kindergarten students could really benefit from these as well for the same reasons!

My private school is living in the dark ages when it comes to reading. SO many sight words, and very little phonemic awareness included in the required curriculum. I would love to supplement with secret stories, which looks like an incredible way to bridge the gaps that are missing in my classroom! I love how it uses multiple areas of the brain to train kids on WHY we say AND spell words the way we do! You can tell whoever came up with this has spent time in classrooms watching how kids learn best!

The Missing Bridge Between UFLI and Understanding

After 18 years in education, including teaching students with special needs, I know that children need different ways to make phonics stick. UFLI provides explicit, systematic instruction, while Secret Stories gives students memorable connections that help confusing sound patterns make sense. This year, I am beginning a new chapter as a second-grade teacher. I want my students to become excited "word detectives" who confidently say, "I know that secret!" Winning this program would help me reach struggling readers, strengthen my UFLI instruction, and give every child another pathway to reading success.

The joy kiddos feel once they get it

Before secret stories, I had to research to be sure that I was naming all of the sounds correctly. A few years ago, I was given a used set of cards from retiring colleague, and she told me all about them and how much her students improved once she started to incorporate them. So even though my cards are a bit tattered and torn I still see fantastic results using them. I really like that there are two sizes of the cards as each teacher using the cards differs.

New to Secret Stories

I am entering my 26th year of teaching but my first in 10 being back in primary. Things have changed so much in this time...I was introduced to Secret Stories y a colleague and I have seen them in action in her class. It blew me away how engaging, fun and friendly they were and how much the students responded to them. I am excited to be using them myself this year and to win them, well that would be the icing on the cake for my students!!!

Best 1st grade purchase

I didn't have enough classroom money my first year teaching to get Secret Stories, but I was so excited to use them so I purchased them out of my own pocket. I was nervous I might regret spending my own money but shortly into the year I knew it was my favorite classroom addition!! I would buy the Stories again! I wish I had gotten the flashcards too and hope to add those to my room next.

The students get so excited to hear the stories!

Each time we read one of the stories the students get so excited! We love brainstorming words that fit the stories once we have learned it. It's great to see them making connections to the stories while writing and reading. We add checkmarks to the wall of stories that we have learned. They always remind us if we forget to add the check. They love counting how many we have done and how many left to go!

Golden Globe of Phonics

Teaching 2nd and third language learners to speak, read and write in English has always been challenging. What a difference the first six months of this year has proved to be (starting in January in South Africa). The song is used daily and we have covered all the secrets and these kids cannot wait to use it. They see it everywhere. The Golden globe award in the Phonics section goes to....Secret Stories.

Years of Memories

My last year of being a 2nd grade classroom teacher was 4 years ago. I then went to become a reading interventionist. Last year, I saw a few students who I had taught in the past who still remembered Secret Stories as now 5th graders! For them to remember and be able to tell the stories was huge, especially since, at that time, I was the only teacher using Secret Stories!

Watching kids grow!

I was first introduced to Secret Stories when I was student teaching. We were in the middle of teaching during Covid. It was so hard to keep students engaged while wearing masks. We started using secret stories in hopes of bringing some fun into our room during such a hard time. The kids had such a positive response to them and started to grow insanely fast! Truly an amazing resource!

More Than a Poster, A Reading Breakthrough

Secret Stories turns abstract phonics patterns into memorable moments that actually stick. As a kindergarten teacher, I'm always looking for ways to make the "why" behind our spelling patterns meaningful instead of something students simply memorize. These stories would become part of our daily language, giving my emerging readers another tool to unlock words with confidence, curiosity, and joy. They would be an incredible addition to our classroom!

I have been using secret stories for one year in my Sped. Resource class. My students were constantly on the hunt for stories! My absolute favorite was when they started to connect the stories in reading bigger words and you could hear them quietly saying the story as they sounded out the word. The confidence they gained was the real success. They realized they can read!!

We all love the stories

My students love the secret stories. Teachers that don't know about secret stories love how they look in my room and want to know more. My students are looking at the stories while spelling and writing. They tell each other the stories and get excited when they find a story in their reading. The connection is more than any other sound wall could have done.

My Kindergarteners LOVE them!

I've been using Secret Stories for about 4 years now and I cannot believe how much Secret Stories has changed my students reading for the better! My kindergarten students are able to recognize patterns and decode with so much more ease! Their reading has taken off and I love how engaging these are! They really do unlock the secrets of reading patterns for kids!

Making Abstract Concrete

Many of my kindergarteners do not attend PreK, and most begin kinder without knowing any letters or sounds. Secret Stories turns something that can be abstract and confusing into a concrete, visual resource. My readers that were struggling leave at the end of the year recognizing the secret stories in their books, at the store, and are truly unlocking the world around them.

Phonics is Memorable and Meaningful with Secret Stories

My first grade students loved being phonics detectives learning the code. One of their favorite stories was silent e/ mommy e. The phonics stories and visuals made my class laugh. The stories made sense and were memorable and meaningful. No guessing, they had a story to reference when decoding and encoding. I cant wait to share Secret Stories with my new first graders!

My Most Favorite Addition to My Classroom!

Introducing the stories is always a special part of my day! My students absolutely love learning all the stories, and they actually work! I introduce the secrets the first week of school by having our SRO deliver Word Detective badges and help us with our SS pledge. It's an amazing way to get students excited for all the stories to come!

I am a first year teacher with not too much experience teaching phonics, however, I've heard nothing but AMAZING things about secret stories! When I ask all my teacher friends, "what is one thing I should have in my classroom?", the first response is always secret stories! I'd be so honored to have secret stories be apart of my classroom!

My students connections

My students really connect with these! They remember the stories and use them to help them remember the sounds. For second graders, vowel teams and vowel-r are very tricky for them to remember and these stories help them remember the sounds they make. They also love the actions that go with the stories and use them when saying the sounds.

Secrets worth sharing!

Being able to give students the "secret" to words that the yard trying to read is a game changer! It is so helpful to be able to have a quick teaching moment with students to help them become stronger readers and writers. It doesn't take away from any curriculum, it just gives you an easy way to add on!

Secrets Unlock Storytelling Power

The Secrets have given meaning to the rules of English words. With each story, my students became more interested in making sense of phonics! The power they provided unlocked my students creativity because they no longer had to focus so much on encoding words, they were able to focus more on their ideas!! We love the Secrets!

Meaningful and Magical Phonics

Secret Stories brings phonics to life and gives meaning to otherwise mundane content that students struggle with. The English language is complex and borrowed with obscure and contradictory rules that even adults struggle with. Secret Stories breaks down that barrier and makes it accessible to children to improve their decoding skills and reading fluency.

Absolute Must-Have!

Secret Stories gave my students the confidence they needed to crack the code of reading. Hearing the stories starts as something exciting but quickly turns into the key to developing curious, thoughtful, and powerful readers. There is no going back for me; Secret Stories will always be in my kindergarten classroom!

These have a been a true game changer in helping students learn how to read/spell. I've been using them for years and the kids love them just as much as I do. The collection of props (sombrero, sunglasses, ect) make my students love to tell the stories over and over again.

Secret Stories Has Helped My Students Become More Confident and Independent Readers

Secret Stories has been a game-changer for my students. The engaging stories and memorable connections have helped them understand tricky phonics patterns, improve decoding skills, and build confidence as readers. I've seen students make stronger connections between sounds and letters, leading to greater independence and success in both reading and writing.

My students were struggling with different digraphs and the secret stories helped them so much. I noticed immediately that they students would repeat the stories when recalling and that helped them not only to become more fluent readers but also in their writing. Thank you so much Secret Stories!

Students have made great growth!

I first learned about Secret Stories when I did my student teaching. I have loved implementing it in my classroom. My students have loved searching for secret stories when we read! It has helped them remember digraphs and vowel teams in a fun and engaging way!

My gifted students would really appreciate!

I teach first grade gifted, and I feel that a program like this will really help my students by making learning more engaging! My students are always really eager to learn. I feel a system like this will help them and encourage them to read more.

My kids can't wait for the next story!

Secret Stories made phonics fun for my students! They love the stories and often refer back to them when reading! It really helps phonics skills "stick" because it gives them a way to remember the skill that is cute and fun! The songs are bonus!

My coworker made me fall in love!

Everyday I would hear my coworker sing the different songs and her students would tell me these stories that they remembered! It made me get it to see it on my own... let me tell you!! My babies who were struggling grew so much!!

Students are engaged!

I've been using the small secret stories cards and I have noticed a lot more students engaged! They love to learn more about the letter sounds. They have also been pointing out words that have that phonics skill and are very proud of themselves!

Making learning fun

My students love the stories. They not only help me prompt the students when they're writing, but the students use them when they're reading. So many of my students would say "hey, that's a secret story!" They especially love the ce, ci, cy song!

My Special Education Students Needed Support

My students needed additional support to learn the basics. We needed to make it fun and engaging. When we added in secret stories, learning fell into place and became fun. They would remember the story when we were talking about specific skills.

Looking for program to assist with you UFLI/Haggerty

I came across secret stories on social media. I would absolutely love to try secret stories with my class to connect better with UFLI and Haggerty!! I would love the opportunity to try this out and hopefully implement it at our school!

Makes Phonics Fun

After introducing secret stories my students were more engaged in our phonics lessons and had an easier time remembering the sounds. Giving them a fun way to remember the sounds we were learning helped spark a new joy in their education.

The best!

So many of my struggling readers just couldn't "crack the code" until we started introducing secret stories! The "back way" into their brains is what really works and helps the phonics "stick"! Don't know what I'd do without secret stories!

Hearing the kids help one another by using the correct story.

Secret Stories are classroom game changers when it comes to teaching reading! They allow you to bring a little fun to reading with "secrets." I love it when a parent messages me to talk about the "naughty brothers!"

Mrs. Kile, I see a story

I always feel my biggest breakthrough for my students is after we've discussed TH and UR and AY... Then, when we do, calendar, the word just pops to life. From there they begin to see Secret Stories everywhere!

The secrets have the power!

My young pre-readers are more interested and able to attach an understanding of the jobs the letters do to help us read because of Secret Stories! Thank you Katie for improving our learning...you can't undo what's been given

Learning happens!!

Secret stories take abstract spelling patterns and turn them into concrete stories my students can latch onto!! When I use Secret Stories my studies are so much more engaged and remember the sounds of different letter combinations!

My kids love the stories!

My team team introduced me to Secret Stories when I moved to Kindergarten! Game changer! My students love the stories and repeat them as they are decoding. I am looking forward to increasing their use this year!

My students love the stories

My students love the stories and beg for me to tell them all on day 1. My reluctant readers remember the stories and apply it when reading. It helps tremendously and is fun!

Can't wait to use this with my students!

I've heard fabulous things about secret stories. Lots of influencers and teachers that I work with have used secret stories I would love the opportunity to support my students using this tool.

I used Secret Stories with my first graders for several years and it really helped things click for them! They also thought it was so exciting getting to hear each new story.

Gives students a meaningful connection to phonics skills

My students loved learning the new stories as we learned to phonics skills. It also gave me a quick reference for tricky things that came up in words within our reading.

I have heard wonderful things about secret stories and would love to implement them in my first grade classroom this year!! I know it will be so beneficial to my students!

My students LOVE Secret Stories!! Easy for teachers to incorporate into day to day lessons and activities and the stories are so fun and easy for the students to remember!!

As a 2nd grade teacher, I use Secret Stories to help my students that arrive one to two years behind. The new Student workbook is very good!

The best tool!

Secret Stories have been the best tool I've added to my classroom. Student scores have increased significantly since implementing these fun, memorable stories to our classroom.

My students finally love phonics!

This product was a game changer for us. Storytelling is the key to quickly learning new information. Secret Stories finally brought that into our phonics instruction.

Made my students excited about phonics

My students go so excited for secret stories. We made it a huge thing in my classroom and it really helped them remember the phonics rules!

Building confidence and better understanding

I have seen students finally understand spelling patterns that were tricky before! The stories also gave me a better way to teach these with confidence!

My reluctant students finally found some drive

Sometimes it feels like pulling teeth teaching my kiddos how to read. However, this gives even my reluctant students the motivation to learn!

Building strong sound to letter connections

The secret stories help kids hear the sounds and connect those sounds to letters through fun graphics and stories just right for kindergarten.

So catchy!

My students loved the stories! They were able to recall and remember the sounds and how to write them correctly.

I'm excited to implement this in my room!

I use Heggerty and Fundations but out district stopped buying this for us! I think secret stories will help tremendously!

Amazing Resource

I absolutely love that my students will bring up the stories in their writing, in their every day reading, etc.

Excited to Use!

I've seen various teachers use Secret Stories and it seems to be a fun and engaging way to teach phonics.

The 1st grade team at my school uses secret stories and I would love to continue it into 2nd!

DON'T WAIT!! ADD THIS TO YOUR CART NOW!!

This is simply an amazing resource to use in any classroom. They are so engaging for students.

I love anything that helps kids remember sounds in an engaging way. These stories accomplish that!

The best secret to teaching phonics spelling rules!!!

These have been indispensable for all my reading lab students....k-6. I share this resource with everyone!

Worth Every Penny

Secret Stories is worth every penny. I can't imagine my literacy block without it.