Reading (Primary/Middle)

Learning Letter Sounds™
Learning Letter Sounds focuses on letters and how they are introduced in order of their frequency of use rather than in alphabetic order. The first six letters introduced (o, s, t, a, r, e) appear in 50% percent of the words in the English language. Once the next six letters (n, i, l, u, c, p) are taught, the child has 80% of the letters. Vowels are combined with consonants, and letters are paired for learning ease. Letter learning tasks vary in difficulty. Tasks, in increasing order of difficulty are: matching letters, identifying letters named, and recalling letters from memory. Learning letter names in this manner does not preclude the necessity for also learning alphabetical order.

Reading 1
Reading 1 introduces students to the identification of upper and lower case letters, vowels, consonants, patterns in consonants and vowels, classifying, word families, antonyms, homophones, compound words, synonyms, phonograms, prefixes and suffixes, introduction to nouns and verbs, predicting outcomes, interpreting feelings, drawing conclusions, story details, similarity and difference, cause and effect, spatial-position clues, charts, and graphs.

Reading 2
Reading 2 covers consonants and vowels, verbs, nouns, plurals, pronunciation, root words, prefixes and suffixes, context clues, abbreviations, core subject words, analogies, sequencing, main ideas and details, fact and opinion, classifying, characterization, common expressions, story elements, purpose in writing, fiction, and nonfiction.

Reading 3
Reading 3 continues with a review of consonants, vowels, verbs, plurals, syllables, prefixes and suffixes, context clues, core subject words, abbreviations, alphabetizing, sequencing, classifying, recognizing main ideas, story details, tables, diagrams, graphs, fact and opinion, comparison and contrast, predicting outcomes, fiction and nonfiction, folktales and fables, reality and fantasy, literary forms, and figurative language.

Reading 4
Reading 4 focuses on consonants, vowels, verbs, plurals, pronunciation, syllables, root words, prefixes and suffixes, homonyms, words with multiple meanings, recognizing main ideas, cause and effect, characterization and other story elements, summarizing and paraphrasing, point of view, purpose in writing, common expressions, fiction and nonfiction, tall tales, folktales, fantasy, literary forms, and figurative language. Selected authors include White, Henry, Irving, and Emerson.

Reading 5
Reading 5 covers sound-letter correspondences, blends, digraphs, diphthongs, review of vowels, verbs, contractions, plurals, word analysis skills including suffixes, prefixes, analogies, connotation and denotation, pronunciation and syllabification, comprehension skills including sequencing and classifying, recognizing main ideas, story elements, prior knowledge, reading selections to demonstrate setting, reality and fantasy, poetry, short stories, propaganda and bias, narrative and expository materials, and high frequency words. Selected authors include Irving, Burnett, Tennyson, Emerson, Twain, and Wordsworth.

Reading 6
Reading 6 instructs students in pronunciation skills and symbols, review of consonants, vowels, verbs, word analysis skills, sight words, core subject words, words with multiple meanings, sequencing, alphabetization, comprehension skills including conflict and climax, fiction, nonfiction, fables, poetry, figurative language including alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia, irony, personification, flashback, and foreshadowing. Selected authors include Burnett, Longfellow, Irving, Defoe, Crane, Burns, and Poe.

Reading 7
Reading 7 teaches and reviews verbs, consonants, vowels, word analysis skills including Greek and Latin words, connotation and denotation, word similarities, abbreviations, comprehension skills including classifying, comparing and contrasting, recognizing cause and effect, point of view, literary terms, elements of fiction, examples of newspaper writing, poetry, drama, and figurative language. Selected authors include Dickens, Twain, Washington, Crane, Stevenson, Hardy, London, Shelley, Dryden, and Sidney.

Reading 8
Reading 8 focuses on consonants, vowels, verbs, word analysis skills including Greek and Latin words, compound words, antonyms, homonyms, core subject words, comprehension skills including recognizing outcomes and conclusions, cause and effect, predicting outcomes, common expressions, biography and autobiography, poetry, literary devices, and figurative language. Selected authors include Tolstoy, Longfellow, Emerson, Henry, Franklin, Thoreau, Irving, Bierce, Bradstreet, Henry, Shakespeare, and Lawrence.