Step100.htm/20DEC2001

Step 100: be‑ re‑ de‑

Many words begin with be‑, re‑, de‑. If you get used to this, you will sound out 'begin' correctly, and not be put off by sounding 'beg .... in'.

Begin refresh decay

__ hind __ mind __ lay

__ come __ fuse __ fy

__ cause __ gret __ fend

__ long __ member __ sire

__ have (Long a) __ alise __ pend

__ lieve __ sult __ clare

and many more.

Now, how long did that take? Check the date you started. By now, reading will be safe. There are still rules to learn, but for most people this foundation is more than enough. Over 90% of words are regularly spelt. This programme does not cover irregular words, but even the irregular words will have some letters that are regular, that 'work'. If you would take the time, 1 would be most grateful if you, parents or class teachers, would let me know how long it took to work through this programme, giving the age of the learner.

You now know what "teaching how to read and spell" is. You will wonder how anybody ever believed that you can learn to read just by having stories read to you. We do need stories, and all the other print in timetables, road signs etc. 'but at some time early on, by 4th birthday or sooner, just six months or so of systematic phonics makes all the difference between plodding on and a great surge when the reader finds he can work the words out for himself ‑ from the letters. At that point, self‑tutoring sets in and usually there is no looking back. It is rather like pushing a bicycle up a hill, and when you get to the top, you can enjoy free‑wheeling down a lovely, long slope. It gets easier. Today's failure is needless, created by lack of a phonics‑first programme, and must be prevented (not "early INTERvention" but PREvention, getting it right first time), by phonics‑first.

If you want further work along these lines, "Alpha to Omega" by B. Hornsby and F. Shear (Heinemann Educational) is excellent. There are workbooks which are quite good but usually they are not systematically graded as this book and my materials are. They often neglect soft c, g. Also you should use large print at first, especially for 2 and 3‑year olds. The large letters are another feature of my materials. But now that you know the rules, you can use any books for practice if you wish ‑ it will not matter if they hop about without system or logic.

If the new reader can now have plenty of books, choosing them from the local library, large‑print first, and making reading an activity enjoyed by all the family, you will have given your pupil a lifetime of pleasure and, 1 hope, enjoyed doing so. Adults can with benefit read first the large‑print books available in libraries. You can make the games as described, or you can buy them. If you have doubts about your own teaching, you can buy the videos to help you. See the list of materials