Reading -- Systematic, Structured, and Fun! Part 1, Let's Get Started Reading
In this six week class students will get off on the right foot using scientifically proven techniques and tried-and-true programs. We learn letters and sounds, we decode simple words, and we read stories with common words in little books.
Victoria Haliburton
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(81)
What's included
12 live meetings
5 in-class hoursHomework
1 hour per week. Students are encouraged to re-read little stories with parents for practice Students can also do the work in the Ladybird c books and some of the Ladybird workbooks with parents if desired.Grading
Parents may check in after class for a daily update. A detailed report on progress and certificate of completion can be offered on request.Class Experience
US Grade Kindergarten - 2
Beginner Level
The class is relaxed and usually happy, but we are following a planned structured approach to literacy and it is important that students follow along. In class we will do phoneme recognition exercises and directed printing practice (lower case only) in our phonics text/workbook, then practice reading and printing some high frequency words and sentences in our little readers and matched workbooks, or reading a decodable story in our decodable readers and doing some practice writing decodable words. Each day we practice work from previous classes and we learn two to four new words. We sound out all words and always use phonics skills to decode; students at this stage are still working on vowels but can use consonants to verify their reading. We don't do memorize and guess, and we use pictures only for enrichment. Over the course of six weeks we will aim to cover Level 1 and 17 words in the Ladybird Key Words Readers (high frequency words, connected text, fluency), twenty plus pages of consonants in Check and Double Check Phonics Book 1, plus the vowels short a and short i to support SPELD, and about six little decodable stories from the beginning part of SPELD Level 1. Please note that speed and coverage is adjusted according to student needs and can vary highly depending on age, language issues, coordination and ability to write, etc. Approximate schedule planning (variable according to need) Week 1: CDC Phonics Book 1 unit 1 b, f, m Ladybird Book 1a pages 4 to 14 about six high frequency words (and, here, is, the, dog, like/likes), workbook pages 1 to 5 same vocabulary, book 1c for extra practice SPELD go over sounds s, a, t, p, i, n then read one or two simple booklets/stories A Tin, An Ant, A Tap Week 2: finish CDC Phonics Unit 1, Start Unit 2 t, s, c Ladybird Book 1a pages 15 to 25 about six high frequency words (I, in, it, shop, has, ball), workbook pages 6 to 10 same vocabulary, book 1c for extra practice SPELD go over sounds s, a, t, p, i, n then read one or two simple booklets/stories A Tin, An Ant, A Tap, A Pan Week 3: finish CDC Phonics Unit 2 t, s, c Ladybird Book 1a pages 26 to 36 about six high frequency words (toy, tree, play, with), workbook pages 11 to 16 same vocabulary, book 1c for extra practice SPELD go over sounds s, a, t, p, i, n then read one or two simple booklets/stories A Tin, An Ant, A Tap, A Pan, Ants in Ann's Pants, etc. Week 4: CDC Phonics Unit 3 d, r, h Ladybird Book 1a pages 36 to 46 about five high frequency words (toy, tree, play, with, us), workbook pages 17 to 22 same vocabulary, book 1c for extra practice SPELD go over sounds s, a, t, p, i, n then read one or two booklets/stories A Tin, An Ant, A Tap, A Pan, Ants in Ann's Pants, etc. Week 5: CDC Phonics finish Unit 3 d, r, h, start Unit 4 p. g. l Ladybird Book 1b pages 4 to 22 review 17 words from Book 1, workbook pages 23 to 27 same vocabulary, book 1c for extra practice SPELD go over sounds s, a, t, p, i, n then read one or two simple booklets/stories A Tin, An Ant, A Tap, A Pan, Ants in Ann's Pants, etc. Week 6: CDC Phonics finish Unit 3 d, r, h, start Unit 4 p. g. l Ladybird Book 1b pages 23 to 46 review 17 words from Book 1a, workbook pages 23 to 27 same vocabulary, book 1c for extra practice SPELD go over sounds s, a, t, p, i, n then read one or two slightly more complex booklets/stories A Pan, Ants in Ann's Pants, Stan and the Ass etc.
Learning Goals
Students go from non-readers to readers. This is exciting!
They learn about half the letters of the alphabet and associate a consistent phonic sound to each one. They learn to scan words left to right and blend the letter sounds into simple wordsStudents learn to recognize two names and about fifteen very common (high frequency) words; we do these sound by sound (Teacher supports sounds we have not yet covered) and use known phonics sounds to recognize them in print.
Other Details
Learning Needs
I have worked with ADHD, ASD, DL students. The very small group or individual format helps. Students need to interact verbally for 25 minutes and be able to follow a highly structured class. Parents welcome to sit in and help with papers.
Parental Guidance
This is not upsetting or scary, quite the opposite.
Since students in this class are very young and inexperienced with school, they will often need help with using several different books and their attention may wander. I suggest putting workbooks into plastic duotang folders (three prong type) and colour coding them.
Then parents may sit beside the child as needed to help them get going. Outschool policy is just keep adult faces off camera; and please don't answer, let the child do it even if it's difficult. It's important in learning to wait a bit for the child to dig up the answer, don't coach.
Pre-Requisites
Students in this first structured reading class should speak and listen on at least a kindergarten level. They should know the alphabet, at least most. They need to listen, respond, print letters, and follow instructions for 25 minutes.
Joined August, 2019
5.0
81reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Teaching Certificates
Non-US Teaching Certificate in Secondary Education
Non-US Teaching Certificate in Foreign Language
4 Degrees
Master's Degree in Education from Tufts University
Bachelor's Degree in Foreign Language from Bishop's University, Canada (second copy for double major)
Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics from Bishop's University, Canada
Bachelor's Degree in Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Hello! I have been teaching since 1974 and tutoring privately since 1984. I've been on Outschool since 2019. I've taught a lot of people to read with these same materials. I work with students with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, as well as those who just fell through the cracks. I also teach reading in French (which I speak and read fluently), high school French, and advanced mathematics for college and university.
These books I use are much loved and many people look back on them with nostalgia -- the Ladybird Key Word readers have gone out of print and have been brought back by popular demand several times. The Check and Double Check series has also been brought back simply because it is good and it works. It is based on principles fully supported by the Science of Reading. The newer SPELD decodable texts add variety and humour as well as vocabulary and practice. We touch on all the pillars of reading, vocabulary, phonics and phonemic awareness, comprehension, and fluency. I keep up to date with reading about the latest in reading education and I participate actively in educational Facebook pages.
My academic background includes a BSc from MIT, MA in Education from Tufts University, Honours BA in Mathematics and double major in Foreign Languages and linguistics from Bishop's University in Quebec. I also studied for three years in graduate school math but had to leave for health reasons (respiratory failure of unknown cause). After some years teaching in classrooms from K to college level and four decades tutoring, I now live semi-retired in a Quebec village.
Reviews
Live Group Class
$120
for 12 classes2x per week, 6 weeks
25 min
Completed by 1 learner
Live video meetings
Ages: 5-7
1-4 learners per class
