Title Page
Each student gets their own workbook to claim and practice in.
🧠
Science-Backed
ESSA TIER I STRONG
✓
100K+ Educators
USING NOW
↑
1.5–2+ Grade Level
READING GAINS
What's Included
Up to $337+ in free bonuses
Both kits include
- Student Workbook · 250+ pages full color $129 value
- Quick Start Implementation Guide FREE
- 200+ Phonics Vocabulary Cards FREE $99 value
VALUE PACK
Also adds
- Better Alphabet Song™ FREE $39 value
- 10+ Hours of Bonus Phonics Professional Learnings FREE $199 value
- 21-day trial of the Secret Stories® App FREE
Pairs with what you're already using
- Heggerty
- UFLI
- Orton-Gillingham
- Wonders
- CKLA
- Fundations
- + any adoption
Layers on top of any phonics program. No curriculum overhaul required.
Accelerate Literacy Growth with Secret Stories® Student Workbook, Level 1
★★★★★
Trusted by 100,000+ Educators & Districts Nationwide
★★★★★
- Bridges the gap between knowing tricky phonics patterns and actually using them to read & spell
- 250+ pages of structured guided practice that builds mastery and reading fluency
- Saves teachers 60+ minutes of phonics prep per week. No scripting, training, or curriculum overhaul required.
Select Workbook Quantity:
One Workbook Per Student
Ships tomorrow
Ships tomorrow morning from our South Carolina warehouse
Or 4 interest-free payments of $32.49
with Shop Pay
No - it's a phonics supplement. It layers on top of whatever curriculum you're already using (Heggerty, UFLI, Orton-Gillingham, Wonders, CKLA, Fundations, your district adoption - anything).
Most teachers report visible shifts in confidence and decoding within 2–3 weeks. Measurable fluency gains typically appear by week 6–8. Average results: 1.5–2+ grade levels of growth.
No. The Quick Start Guide gets teachers or parents using right away. No scripts, no training, no extra prep.
Phyllis
★★★★★
· Kindergarten Teacher · NY
✓ Verified
"WOW! What a difference this made in only 2 short weeks! My students can't start their day without learning a new 'secret' and singing the letter run songs."
Watch the Walkthrough
See the workbook in action with Leah Ruesink
Live webinar recording walking you through every section of the Level 1 Workbook, how to use it day-to-day, what students do, and how it pairs with whatever phonics program you're already using.
- How to introduce a Secret to your learners
- Walk-through of decode / record / identify activities
- How to use for independent practice or layer it onto your existing program, including UFLI, Heggerty, Orton-Gillingham, and many more
- Built-in assessments & how to track mastery
Live workbook walkthrough · Leah Ruesink, literacy coordinator & classroom teacher
ESSA Strong
Evidence-based
Evidence-based
1.5-2+
GRADE LEVEL READING GAINS
100K+
Educators Using
6×
Core Curriculum Impact
What's Inside the Workbook
250+ pages of independent guided practice, aligned to the Science of Reading.
Phonics Story
Each tricky pattern has a "Secret" kids can't forget, paired with decode/record/identify practice.
Guided Practice
Operation: Word Match + Write It activities scaffold from recognition to spelling.
Fluency & Sight Words
Hi-Fly Words + Read the Secret Sentence build fluency with target patterns.
Districts & States Trust Us
Adopted by school districts + recognized at the federal level
Approved for Title I, II, and IV federal funding. ESSA Strong evidence rating verified by independent peer review.
Palm Beach County · FL
NYC DOE · New York
Featured district adopter
Millions
of students worldwide
ESSA Strong · Tier 1 Evidence
Verified by LXD Research · the highest evidence rating defined by the Every Student Succeeds Act
Real teachers. Real classrooms. Real results.
Average results 1.5–2+ grade levels of growth using Secret Stories®
A loyal teacher community nearly 25 years in the making. Names, grades, and tenure verified. Many of the teachers below have stood by us for 3+ years and counting.
16of20
Came in well below grade level. By spring, all but 2 are readers.
"The 2 who aren't will qualify for services, but that's 2, not 16."
C
Courtney M.
Kindergarten · Pre-K/K classroom
11of20
Kindergarteners hit Florida FAST Level 4 or 5 by December.
"Every single student showed significant growth from August. I didn't believe it would work this fast."
I
Irene
Kindergarten · Florida FAST scores
30of32
Title I intervention students reading at or above grade level by spring.
"Last year it was 11. The only variable was Secret Stories®."
D
Mr. Donovan
Title I Intervention · Multiple grades
R
Mrs. Reyes
Kindergarten Teacher
"My kids don't just learn the stories, they USE them. A student hit a tricky word yesterday and said 'Oh! That's Mommy E!' without me prompting. That never happened with our old phonics program."
T
Tara K.
1st Grade · UFLI user
"It's not another program to learn. I teach my UFLI lesson, and Secret Stories® makes it stick. The stories do what decodables alone can't, kids actually remember why letters do what they do."
A
Andrea
1st – 2nd Grade
"I had every phonics rule taped to my wall. Kids walked right past them. With Secret Stories®, they point at the posters mid-sentence and correct themselves. The stories make the rules real."
M
Micki
1st Grade · 24 years teaching
"I've been teaching 24 years. The gap between kids who've been read to and kids who haven't is bigger than ever. Secret Stories® is the only thing that closes it for both groups at the same time."
H
Homeschool Mom
Parent · Pre-K homeschool
"My 6-year-old went from refusing to read to begging for 'one more secret' before bed. He corrects words on cereal boxes now. Worth every penny for our family."
J
Jenna L.
1st Grade · Bought out of pocket
"Bought it with my own money. Within two months my principal asked what I was doing differently. She ordered it for the whole grade level. That never happens."
A
Coach Adriana
Reading Specialist · 15 yrs
"I've used 11 phonics programs in 15 years. This is in the top 2, and it's the only one kids actually beg to do."
K
Kerri
Kindergarten
"I turn all the posters face-down on day one. When we find a Secret in our reading, the kids yell 'THERE'S A SECRET!' and we flip it over together. When someone's absent, the first thing they check is if we turned any new ones over."
Teachers, in their own words
- "3 of them moved up two reading levels in a month. I was skeptical. I am not anymore."
- "The only phonics tool my ELL students actually remember."
- "I've never had a parent email me about phonics before. Three did this year asking what we're doing differently."
- "Kids who can't sit still for 5 minutes will sit for 20 when there's a new Secret to learn."
Results You Can See, Not Just Hear About
A loyal teacher community nearly 25 years in the making. Real classrooms, real growth, year after year.
★★★★★
"What a difference in only 2 short weeks."
✓Verified teacher review
★★★★★
"Closed the phonics gap for my Tier 3 group."
✓Verified teacher review
★★★★★
"The most useful and interactive posters I have."
✓Verified teacher review
★★★★★
"11 students at grade level last year. 34 this year."
✓Verified teacher review
The Phonics Supplement
Secret Stories® isn't a curriculum, it's a phonics supplement
It layers on top of whatever phonics program your school or home is already using, Heggerty, UFLI, Orton-Gillingham, your district adoption, anything. Start with the Kit + Workbook combo, then build out from there.
Recommended
Classroom Kit
Complete classroom setup with the Secret Stories® book, teaching guide, 12.5" × 12.5" embedded mnemonics sound posters, and musical phonics songs download.
- Secret Stories® Book + Teaching Guide
- 12.5" × 12.5" Sound Posters
- Musical Phonics Songs Download
- Available in 5 color themes
$149.99
$199.99
Shop Now
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Student Workbook Level 1
250+ pages of structured guided practice. Reinforces the Secret Stories® phonics patterns for independent student work.
- 250+ pages of guided practice
- Structured phonics exercises
- Independent student work
- Aligned to Secret Stories® method
From
$129.95
$299.99
Volume pricing: 6-packs from $449.95, class sets from $1,950
Shop Now
Highly recommended, layer these on
Secret Stories® App
iOS & Android
Mobile companion for at-home practice and on-the-go review. Kids beg to use it, parents love that it's actually screen time worth having.
Phonics Flashcards
Every Secret pattern
Printed cards for spaced review and small-group rotations. The single most-used companion piece in our Class Kit classrooms.
Great add-ons, when you're ready
Better Alphabet Cards™
1 deck per classroom
Whole-class alphabet deck for daily warm-ups and shared instruction. Works alongside the phonics flashcards.
Take-Home Literacy Packs
1 per student family
Sends Secret Stories® home with the family. Closes the home-school practice loop and keeps caregivers in sync with what's happening in class.
Buying for your child at home?
See how the Workbook gives your kid independent practice that actually sticks - no teaching background required.
Tell us your situation
Parent / Homeschool Recommended Start
Student Workbook + Homeschool Bundle
For at-home learners, the Workbook is the easiest entry point - your child gets 250+ pages of guided independent practice with zero teacher prep. Pair it with the Homeschool Resource Bundle for the full hands-on system, or just hand them the workbook and watch them work through it solo.
Highly recommended next
- Homeschool Resource Bundle for the full hands-on set
- Secret Stories® App for screen time that's actually useful
- Phonics Flashcards for car rides and quiet practice
The Research
The science behind why Secret Stories® works
Secret Stories® was built on 25+ years of cognitive science research into how the brain learns to read, bridging phonemic awareness, decoding, and meaning-making through narrative.
What does ESSA Strong mean?
The Every Student Succeeds Act's highest evidence rating
ESSA defines four tiers of evidence. "Strong" (Tier 1) is the top, it requires at least one well-designed, randomized controlled trial showing statistically significant positive effects. Districts can use Title I, II, and IV federal funding to purchase ESSA Strong programs without additional approval.
27
Peer-reviewed studies
Across K–5 classrooms, ELL populations, and Tier 3 interventions.
1.5-2+
Grade level growth
Average reading fluency gain across classrooms using Secret Stories®.
92%
Of struggling readers
Reached benchmark within 12 weeks in 2023 efficacy study.
6×
The impact of core curriculum
Effect size on phonics mastery vs. district-adopted basal alone.
EFFECT SIZE → HIGHER IS BETTER
SOURCE: EVIDENCEFORESSA.ORG
Avg. of 100 most-researched programs
McGraw-Hill · Wilson · Scholastic · F&P…
.24
+ Explicit phonics added
Core curriculum with phonics layered in
.41
+ Secret Stories®
1.62
★ 6× THE AVERAGE
ESSA TIER 1
.24 ES · industry average
.41 ES · + explicit phonics
1.62 ES · + Secret Stories®
Implementation
From box to breakthrough in under 8 weeks
Designed to slot into your existing literacy block, no curriculum overhaul required.
Day 1
01
Open the box, start tomorrow
No training, no scripted lessons, no pacing guide to memorize. The Quick Start Guide gets you running in 5 steps.
10 min prep
Week 1–2
02
Introduce the Secrets
Teach the first phonics "Secrets" through storytelling. Students start spotting them in everyday text.
15 min/day
Week 3–6
03
Guided practice and application
Workbook activities scaffold from recognition to decoding to spelling to fluency.
15 min/day
Week 7+
04
Mastery and assessment
Built-in quick-checks measure mastery. Most teachers see DIBELS gains by week 8.
Ongoing
Quick Start Guide
5-step setup. Read it in 10 minutes.
Facebook community
175K+ teachers in our private group sharing lessons daily.
📦
Ships in 1–2 Days
From South Carolina warehouse
💳
4 Payments via Shop Pay
Interest-free, instant approval
🏛️
Purchase Orders Welcome
Schools & districts approved
How Secret Stories® Outperforms Traditional Phonics
Secret Stories®
Other Programs
Backed by 27 peer-reviewed studies
ESSA Strong evidence rating
Designed for both teachers AND parents
Works without scripted lessons or training
Engages students through storytelling
Teaches WHY letters make their sounds
Used in 100,000+ classrooms
Frequently Asked Questions
No, and that is the point. Secret Stories® is a phonics supplement, not a curriculum or program. It is designed to layer on top of whatever phonics program you are already using, Heggerty, UFLI, Orton-Gillingham, your district adoption, anything. Most teachers see lift in 2 to 3 weeks when they slot it into their existing literacy block.
Most teachers report visible shifts in confidence and decoding within 2–3 weeks. Measurable fluency gains typically appear by week 6–8.
Yes. It is specifically designed to layer on top of decodables, basal readers, and structured literacy programs without conflicting with their scope and sequence.
Level 1 is ideal for K–2 first-time learners and any 3rd–5th grader still struggling with tricky phonics patterns. We have higher levels for older students.
Absolutely, the storytelling approach gives ELLs a meaningful framework to remember sounds rather than memorizing rules in a second language.
No. The Quick Start Guide gets teachers or parents using right away. We also include free professional development videos for those who want them.
Because each workbook is a printed consumable, all sales are final, but you can preview every section in our flip-through video and sample pages above. We have also been around 25+ years and our 4.9★ rating from 9,000+ reviews speaks for itself.
For Schools & Districts
Buying with a purchase order?
Tap to view the Vendor Pack & PO terms
For Schools & Districts
Buying with a purchase order?
Download the Vendor Pack. It has everything your AP team needs to issue a PO today: ordering instructions, signed W-9, sole-source affidavit, product catalog, and editable order form.
- POs accepted from U.S. school districts and schools
- 11% S&H itemized on the PO · Payment by check (Marenem, Inc.)
- Email POs to support@thesecretstories.com · Invoices mailed within 5 business days
✓ Sole-source verified
✓ ESSA Strong Tier 1
✓ Title I / II / IV funding eligible
✓ EIN 66-1097428
The phonics workbook 100,000+ teachers can't teach without.
Order in the next few hours for same-day dispatch from South Carolina. 25 years of teacher-tested results behind every page.
TRUSTED BY
100K+
TEACHERS
