Teaching Manual
The Teaching manual will lead you through the program. As you proceed you can print out the free flash cards to help your child progress.
Progress Charts
Progress Charts help you keep track of your child’s progress from learning letters, through the stories and outline the sight words and phonetic sounds they should know before proceeding. Click on the picture of the progress charts to download.
Teaching Manual
Have a positive and cheerful attitude at all times while working with the child. Find a quiet area free from noise and visual distractions. Make sure the child knows all the letter sounds before reading phonetic three letter words.
How to teach the letter sounds [Flash Cards]
Teach letter sounds in the following sequence:
s m t a p f c o
r b l i g n d h j
k w u v y z x e
Together with the child find words beginning with “s”. Letters are pronounced phonetically, i.e. by their sounds, ‘s’ as in snake, ‘m’ as in monkey. Teach the first two letters ‘s’ and ‘m’ with the Three Period Lesson using flashcards. Note: there is no ‘q’ at this point as it is taught with the double letter series as ‘qu’.
“Three Period Lesson”
- Hold up flash card ‘s’.
“This is ‘s’.”
“This is ‘m’.”
The child repeats each sound after it is said.
- Quickly drill the sounds by using such statements as:
“Show me ‘s’.”
“Where is ‘m’?”
Note: Keep this lesson moving quickly from one sound to another. Carefully mix and repeat the lesson using other questions or statements, always using the sound of the letter. The child clearly sounds out each letter as he points to it.
- When the child knows the sounds point to each letter and ask:
“What is this?”
[Not mentioning the sound.] The child will answer, saying the sound.
Gradually introduce one new letter at a time, making sure the child knows the letters first presented before giving new ones.
Use fun games to practice letters until they are mastered. Keep checking the letters the child can remember and tick them off on his progress chart. Make sure the child knows all the letter sounds before reading phonetic three letter words.
Phonetic Three Letter Words [Flash Cards]
Make phonetic three letter words starting with ‘a’ words: cat
“Let’s make ‘cat’.”
“What does cat begin with? ‘c’.”
“What comes next? ‘a’.”
“What sound can you hear at the end? ‘t’.”
When reading phonetic three letter words DO NOT break up the words as in c-a-t but rather blend one sound into the other as in c a t, slowly saying the whole word in a sliding fashion.
Help the child initially by saying the word for him or with him. This is a crucial stage as the child must not fall into the habit of breaking up the word into individual sounds.
Make three letter words in the following sequence:
‘a’ words: cat cap hat bat rat
‘o’ words: cot pot top dog fox
‘i’ words: pig pin lid six kid
‘u’ words: cup jug bus hut nut
‘e’ words: net hen pen peg leg
Check progress chart and tick off three letter word books which the child can read. IT IS IMPORTANT to keep a record of the child’s progress regularly.
Sight Words
Only start introducing sight words when the child can read the three letter words fairly fluently.
Sight words are not phonetic hence they are not to be sounded out! The whole word is shown and remembered as such. Most children learn sight words with repetition.
Teach the first three sight words by the Three Period Lesson using flash cards. Also use fun games to give the child lots of practice to remember these words.
Sentence Books
As soon as the child can read the three letter word books and knows three sight words he can read his first sentence book. Each consecutive sentence book has a new sight word added, e.g. sentence book 6 contains the first six sight words, sentence book ten the first ten sight words etc.
The child will get ample practice reading the thirty sentence books and remembering the Blue sight words so that she will be looking forward to reading the Blue Story Books.
Phonetic 4 & 5 Letter Word Books
Most children need little help working through the three books of 4 & 5 letter words. Once the child has been given the Yellow sight words, he can proceed to reading the Yellow Story Books.
Double Letters
The best time to start teaching the double letters is when the child can read phonetic 4 & 5 letter words. Teach the double letters using flash cards and the Three Period Lesson. Also use fun games as before. Start the child on the Green Story Books.
Phonograms
Phonograms are derived from the double letters. Practise phonogram words by reading Phonogram flash cards followed by the Red Story Books.. By now the child can read 2000 words and will have a sound basis for spelling.