1) This is a "mastery class," meaning that the goal is for your learner to master each stage of their phonics progress as they learn to read. 
2) Your learners will profit most from this class if they are not eating during our lesson. This will help them to participate to the fullest. Thank you!
3) This class runs on a 6-week cycle that does not build. This means that your learner can join at any time and not miss out on any of the lessons offered. Most learners remain in the class for several 6-week cycles in order to gain mastery of the blends.

Worlds of excitement and adventure open up for children as they experience the joy of reading! When a student is given a strong foundation of phonics, this joy is entered into eagerly and without reservation. 
In this phonics class your student will take their knowledge of the alphabet (basic consonant and short vowel sounds) and apply it to forming words using "blend ladders." This is a technique that will help them avoid common frustrations of early readers as they learn to "sound out" words. 
For example, in each lesson we will first practice our 5 short vowel sounds. Secondly, we will pair them with a consonant to form a blend: ba-, be-, bi-, bo-, bu-. Finally, we'll add an ending consonant: ba-t/bat, be-t/bet, bi-t/bit, bo-t/bot, bu-t/but. At the beginning, we will sound these out together as a group so the students gain confidence in their success. Then, we will practice individually to pinpoint any areas of pronunciation that need improvement. 

Students taking this class will benefit from being familiar with the alphabet and letter sounds. However, mastery is not a prerequisite as we will be practicing the sounds in class as well. 

PLEASE NOTE: Each lesson will be tailored to fit the needs of the class. Some lessons may focus on basic vowel/consonant blends, while others will move on to adding an ending consonant sound. Lessons will vary by necessity.