# Picture Packets - Transition > Reading and writing curriculum app for beginning readers and those with literacy difficulties. (iPhone/iPad app by Bob Baratta-Lorton.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/picture-packets-transition/id499955675 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Bob Baratta-Lorton](https://appshunter.io/developer/499646138) - Category: Education - Price: Free - Rating: 5.00/5 from 2 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 15.6 · 28 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2012-02-15 - Data updated: 2026-06-11 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/picture-packets-transition/id499955675/reviews.md ## What is Picture Packets? Center for Innovation in Education Picture Packets - Transition Dekodiphukan Description The twelfth of the fourteen apps that comprise the Baratta-Lorton Reading Program. The Reading Program is a reading and writing curriculum for beginning readers and any child who has already experienced difficulty in learning to read. 99% unique – 100% effective - 100% free Background for the fourteen apps The Baratta-Lorton Reading Program also known as Dekodiphukan (pronounced decode if you can) was developed by the Center for Innovation in Education whose many other offerings include Mathematics Their Way, the first non-traditional math curriculum adopted in by the State of California. Dekodiphukan has been in use in classrooms across the United States and Canada since 1985. The Program has been used to teach thousands of children to read and to write regardless of background or supposed lack of reading readiness. To date, no child using the program in a classroom setting has ever failed to learn to read or to write. This Dekodiphukan reading and writing curriculum is now a series of fourteen apps plus a parent-guide for the iPad that, within a period of six months to a year (or occasionally a bit longer for some special needs children), will enable every child using it to read and to write. Reading with enjoyment. Writing creatively. Dekodiphukan is a full fledged curriculum. It is a set of specific learning activities, not a set of games. The curriculum’s fourteen apps are all free with no ads - popup or otherwise - included. While the apps may be downloaded all at once and stored in a folder on the iPad, no more than two or three of the apps are used at any one time by the child. Picture Packets - Transition The twelfth of the Fourteen Apps The child begins Picture Packets-Transition at the same time as he or she begins the Writing Worksheets. Despite the lack of specific letter instruction accompanying the Picture Packets, the parent will observe that when his or her child reads the Picture Packets-Transition phrases, the child often attempts to read the words in letters, as opposed to the words in sounds.  The sounds above the letters are used when the word they represent is not known.  Children use the sounds to check the accuracy of their reading without having to ask a parent or anyone else a word they do not know. It may seem like more should be said about teaching children how to read the letters in the transition phrases, because it is the transition level of the program that produces the most parental anxiety.  The concern is that a child may not be able to make the switch from sounds to letters to become what the parent feels is a real reader.  But the most difficult learning level has already past.  It passed for each child when that child mastered the art of blending two and three sounds into words.  The child who can read phrases comfortably and who is at the transition level has already cleared all the hurdles.  The child now is merely finishing out the run. Picture Packets - Transition Introduced in tandem with the Writing Worksheets No specific lesson with the letters is given to the child Letter association take place in the Writing Worksheets and Sightword apps ## Key features - Part of a 14-app reading curriculum - Aids transition from sounds to letters - Develops independent reading skills - Encourages creative writing - No ads or in-app purchases ## Recent user reviews (1 of 1) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/picture-packets-transition/id499955675/reviews.md ### 5/5 — The Guide – how to use Picture Packets-Transition *2012-02-27* My five star rating cannot be based entirely on my actual use of this app, since the instructions say it will take six months to a year for the program to complete the process of teaching a child to read and the program has only recently been released in app form. However, I used the classroom version of the program in my school and found its statements of 100% success to be quite valid. I am writing this review in response to a negative review posted for the Writing Worksheets app (the eleventh of the fourteen apps) claiming the app is worthless because it contains no instructions for how to use it. It occurred to me after responding to that particular review that it would better serve potential users of the program if I posted a similar review for all fourteen of the apps that make up this program, since none of the apps are meant to be used in isolation. The Apple App Store description for each of the fourteen apps indicates its position in the learning sequence. For app eleven, the Writing Worksheets app, to be useful, the use of ten other apps would have to have preceded it. Apparently the author of the review to which I responded skipped steps one through ten and started at step eleven - a problem easily remedied by starting at step one and not at step eleven. The reviewer also stated that no instructions were available for the app in question. This is an interesting assertion, since on the descriptive page in the Apple App Store for each of the fourteen apps there is an App Support button that, when pressed leads directly to a web page called “The Guide”. The title of the page provides a hint as to its purpose. In addition, written in red underneath “The Guide” title is the phrase “bookmark this page”. Clicking on icon image for any app on The Guide leads directly to that app’s set of instructions. Clicking on the Developer Web Site link in the App Store links to the Home page of the Center for Innovation in Education’s web site. The Guide is available there by clicking The Guide button at the bottom of the page. Clicking on the FAQ link at the very bottom of The Guide produces a set of instructions for how to create a permanent “The Guide” app for the iPad. Clicking on the Dekodiphukan book cover on the Center’s Home page also leads to The Guide app-making instructions. The classroom program from which these fourteen apps were created is an excellent program. How well the apps recreate this learning experience on the iPad remains to be seen. However, for the program to have a chance to accomplish in home-schooling environments what it has done in my classroom, it must be viewed as an actual curriculum with a beginning, middle and end, and not as a set of isolated experiences to be done at random. ## Frequently asked questions about Picture Packets ### What is Picture Packets - Transition? Picture Packets - Transition is the twelfth app in the Baratta-Lorton Reading Program, a curriculum designed to teach children to read and write. It specifically helps children transition from reading words by sound to reading them by letter. ### Is Picture Packets - Transition free? Yes, Picture Packets - Transition is 100% free. The entire Baratta-Lorton Reading Program, consisting of fourteen apps, is offered at no cost to users. ### Does Picture Packets - Transition have ads? No, Picture Packets - Transition is completely free of advertisements. The developers have stated that none of the apps in the curriculum include popup or other forms of advertising. ### What is the learning methodology of Picture Packets - Transition? This app focuses on a specific learning activity within the Baratta-Lorton Reading Program. It guides children to read phrases by recognizing letters, using phonetic sounds as a backup when a word is unknown, facilitating a transition to independent reading. ### How does Picture Packets - Transition track progress? While specific progress tracking features are not detailed, the app is part of a structured curriculum. Parents observe their child's ability to read transition phrases and attempt to read words in letters, indicating progress. ### What devices does Picture Packets - Transition support? Picture Packets - Transition is designed for the iPad. It is part of a series of apps available for this platform. ### How often is Picture Packets - Transition updated? The latest version of Picture Packets - Transition is 1.3, last updated on December 24, 2025. This indicates a recent update, suggesting ongoing support and development. ### What age rating does Picture Packets - Transition have? Picture Packets - Transition has an age rating of 4+. This makes it suitable for young children beginning their literacy journey. ## Version history (last 4 releases) ### 1.3 — 2025-12-24 - Bug Fixes and Improvements. ### 1.2 — 2025-07-17 - Support for new iOS releases. ### 1.1 — 2019-11-27 - Support for new iOS releases. ### 1.0 — 2012-02-08 No release notes. ## Apps similar to Picture Packets | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Namco UK](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/namco-uk/id1475083840) | — | Free | Education | | [영 단어즙](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id1480979760) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Education | | [Victoria International Schools](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/victoria-international-schools/id1480979200) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Education | | [Montessori - Puzzle dla Dzieci](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/montessori-puzzle-dla-dzieci/id973067887) | — | Free | Education | | [ANZAC Correspondent](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/anzac-correspondent/id1469171280) | — | Free | Education | | [MATC - Mid-America Tech Center](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/matc-mid-america-tech-center/id1475301420) | 5.0 (7) | Free | Education | ## More apps by Bob Baratta-Lorton - [Dekodiphukan](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dekodiphukan/id499677046) - [Two-Sound Flipbook](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/two-sound-flipbook/id499728444) - [Three-Sound Flipbook](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/three-sound-flipbook/id499735475) - [Booklets](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/booklets/id499757385) - [Reading Worksheets](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reading-worksheets/id499884790) - [Stamping Words](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stamping-words/id499896936) All apps by Bob Baratta-Lorton: https://appshunter.io/developer/499646138 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-11.*