Comparing Our Early Reading Programs
Pre-K/K “Basic Phonics” Program
From learning letters to reading short words!Basic Phonics begins as if the student does not know anything about the alphabet or any of the sounds, yet does not move so slowly that a student would be bored if he knew some of the sounds. Basic Phonics covers all the sounds of the alphabet, all the vowel sounds (short, long and additional) and, at the end of the year, covers some of the two-letter sounds such as ai, and sh, etc. By the end of the year, the student will be reading three to five letter words, or even reading easy sentences, depending on the motivation of the student.
The Basic Phonics program starts with studying one letter a week for 27 weeks. Each week, each letter is introduced with all its letter sounds, i.e. that “a” says three sounds, “g” says two sounds, etc. Most parents are surprised by how quickly students catch on to this methodology. When a parent introduces decoding of the words, they can say, “This word uses the second sound of ‘a.’ ” Each of the basic letter sounds also has a coordinating character” that helps them learn their sound and its physical letter shape.
For the remaining weeks of this program, students go on to add to their knowledge of the alphabet other 2-letter phonogram sounds. Examples include: er, or, ir, ai, oi, sh and so on. Throughout the year, students have a weekly list of words that they need to decode, starting in Week 10. An additional feature of this program is that letters are introduced in the same week they are used and practiced in the “Animals and Their Worlds” program, fitting hand in glove with this program.
This program offers a lot of flexibility to parents. The Phonogram Cards and Character Cards, together with the Hands-On Phonics Activity Pack, offer a variety of activities that reinforce the learning process in an active way. These resources can help you fill gaps in learning, reinforce skills, and even extend the learning if you want to move more slowly through the program.
Here are some examples of students who will use this program effectively, and how:
- Parents of students who need to start learning to read and want a solid reading program will love this program.
- Parents of students who know some of the letter sounds, but not all, usually have great success using the program as it is.
- Parents of younger learners, such as a four-year-old who can’t wait to read, could use this program without using the last 9 weeks of more advanced phonograms, but instead, used other learning activities included with the program to continue building reading skills.
Advanced K “Just Starting to Read” Program
From reading short words to reading short paragraphs!Advanced K starts just as the student has learned most of his phonics sounds and is ready to start putting together and reading three-letter words such as mat, set, and kit. The readers support this goal, and the phonics cards and instruction continue to introduce and reinforce more advanced letter combinations such as ea, ch, tch, and so on. By the end of the year, the student will be reading short paragraphs from easy readers.
Advanced K begins with a three-week review of the phonograms learned in the “Basic Phonics” program. After that, students begin to decode readers with short three-letter words or less. These readers usually have one short sentence per page. Students also work on word families, building their decoding skills. The program brings the student to the point that he is reading short paragraphs by the end of the year.
Here are some examples of students who will use this program effectively, and how:
- Parents of average kindergartners who have fully mastered the alphabet sounds and are ready to decode (or are just now reading) three-letter words will find this program will work perfectly using the program as it is.
- Parents of younger learners, such as a five-year-old who has learned his alphabet and is a motivated student may be able to use this program if the parent is willing to spend more than three weeks on the initial review (using the phonics cards) to really ground the student before moving on.
- Parents of older students who not “motivated” readers may find that this is a safe, handleable program for students who haven’t effectively made the leap from decoding simple words to reading. Usually such students reach a certain point where all of a sudden the “key turns” in their heads, and they suddenly make reading progress at an incredibly rapid rate, catching quickly up to their more “motivated” peers. This may mean parents will not be able to use this program for an entire year as their student suddenly “outgrows” the program, and parents may find they need to supplement the program, or move on to the next level. This may seem like an additional expense, however, the step from decoding to rapid reading is a vital part of reading instruction, and cannot be missed.
Accelerated Reading Program
Basic Phonics + Advanced K in a Year-Long Program
From learning letters to reading short paragraphs!The Basic Phonics program plus the Advanced K program have been accelerated into a single year program, which offers another option for our parents to help with placement of their student. Here are some examples of students who will use this program effectively, and how:
K Students who demonstrate an eagerness to learn to read early, or have begun to learn, but not mastered, some of the phonetic sounds. 1st grade students who now show readiness to move quickly through the basic letter sounds and into early independent reading. New students switching from another program who need thorough grounding in vertical phonics to be fully prepared for our 1st grade program.Fast-Track Phonics Program
Last Half of Advanced K in Twelve Weeks
A quick course in phonics for students already reading!This option provides a bridge to our 1st grade program with a quick trip through our phonics program. It provides a thorough look at the essentials of our vertical phonics instruction. It also is a great review program for students who need a little help to be ready for our 1st grade program.
Here are some examples of students who will use this program effectively, and how:
- Late-K or 1st grade students now show readiness to move quickly through more advanced phonics skills and into early independent reading.
- New students switching from another program who need a quick course in vertical phonics to be fully prepared for our 1st grade program.
1st Grade LA Program
Reading On My Own!
From reading short paragraphs to short chapter books!1st Grade LA begins with the student reading 1-2 paragraphs each day and progresses to the student reading easy chapter books by the end of the year. They will be prepared to progress to short chapter books in the second grade when they complete this program.