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67% found this document useful (6 votes)
5K views183 pagesPAF Teacher Manual
PAF teacher manual
Uploaded by
Anish PokharelCopyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF or read online on Scribd
/ 183
PASTS e os Fee |
PAF OS
DAILY LESSON
The daily lesson includes the teaching of decoding, comprehension, spelling, handwriting, and
grammatical concepts. The sequence of the lesson always remains the same. Each part of the
lesson sets the groundwork for the next, beginning with a review of sounds and ending with the
teaching of reading comprehension. Here are the the five components of the lesson.
1. Review (5-10 mines)
Children review previously leamed sound/symbol associations, nonphonetic words,
and suffixes,
2. Introduction of New Material (ainount of ime varies)
‘Anew concept is taught from one of the following areas:
+ Sound/Symbol Associations (Phonograms)
+ Nonphonetic Words (Red Words)
+ Suffixes
+ Syllable Types and Syllable Division
+ Spelling Rules
3. Spelling Dictation (20-20 minutes)
Children apply the new concept to the spelling of words in isolation and in sentences.
4, Reading (45-50 minutes)
Children read word, phrase, and sentence lists to develop accuracy and fluency. (10-15 minutes)
Children read decodable text with an adult to develop comprehension skills, (30-45 minutes)
5. Reinforcement (emount of tine varies)
Children work independently for additional practice, either at school or at home.
‘The lesson will take one to one and a half hours in total, but it does not have to be done in one
sitting. As you plan your daily schedule, you may intersperse parts of the lesson with other
activities. For example, you might do the Review, Introduction of New Material, and Spelling
Dictation, send the students to art classes, do Reading, and finally give the students home-
work for Reinforcement. The sequence of the daily lesson, however, must remain the same.
Each component of the daily lesson will be explained in greater detail, beginning on the
following page, Phonograms
Daily Lesson | Red Words
* sutixes |
Review
Introduction of New Material .
Spelling Dictation Review
Reading
Reinforcement
Each daily lesson begins with a brief review of previously taught
letter sounds (phonograms), nonphonetic words (red words), and
suffixes, using Review Pack I.
Separate the review pack into three sets: (1) phonograms,
(2) red words, and (3) suffixes. Review each set separately.
The review should take no more than ten minutes. Try to es-
tablish a routine so that your students know what response
you expect without prompting,
During the review of each set, you will give two different kinds of prompts: (1) a visual prompt,
meaning you show the children a card and they say and write their response; and (2) an auditory
prompt, meaning you say what is on the card without showing it to the children and again they
say and write their response, The children respond exactly the same regardless of the prompt.
Review of Phonograms
‘A phonogram is a written letter or group of letters that stand for a speech sound. For example,
the letter d represents the sound /di, the letters ph represent the sound /f?, and igh represents /1/*
After each phonogram js introduced, you will place the appropriate card in the phonogram sec-
tion of the review pack. During the review, the children will practice each phonogram they are
learning by associating the letter with its sound and motor pattern (how the letter is formed).
When reviewing phonograms, never use the letter names, because the names do not help in
sounding out words.
Children respond to visual prompt (letter form)
Show the phonogram card to the children, Have them respond in unison by saying its sound and
skywriting simultaneously.
‘Skywriting means writing the letter in the air using the muscles of the upper arm and shoulder in
a full arm swing. To ensure that the large muscles are used, the elbow must be straight and the
index and middle fingers extended.
*When you see a letter in slash marks inthis handbook, such as, say the sound of the letter, not its name, SESS SSSSSSSSTCEE TESTES SEESEEEEEEELETEeeee
PAF 7
Skywriting is an efficient way to do the review. It
takes children less time to skywrite than to write
on paper. Also, having students skywrite their
responses allows you to immediately spot and
correct their errors. Because students use their
large muscles to skywrite, they are able to feel
subtle differences in the formation of letters, such.
as b and d, Finally, large muscle memory is very
strong, You never forget how to ride a bike or
swim. By using large muscles, skywriting helps
students remember how to write the letters.
Remember to limit each review to the specific association between the letter form, the sound, and
the motor pattern. . Students do not need to practice saying the letter names.
Children respond to auditory prompt (letter sound)
Say the sound that appears on an unexposed card. Have the children respond by repeating the
sound and skywriting, Finally, show the review card to the class.
Review of Red Words
Red words cannot be sounded out, regardless of the children’s level of pho-
netic proficiency, and simply must be memorized. They are called red words
because just as a red traffic light means stop, children must stop at these from
words, because they cannot be decoded. Said, was, and from are examples
of red words. Since red words cannot be sounded out, children will say the
letter names instead of the letter sounds during this part of the review; for sa id
example, sai¢
was
searind.
Children respond to visual prompt (word form)
‘Show the red word card. Have the children respond
in unison, saying the word and naming each letter
as they skywrite it (said, s-a-i-d).
Children respond to auditory prompt
(word name)
Say the word on an unexposed card. Have the
children respond in unison by repeating the
word and spelling it aloud, naming each let
ter as they skywrite, Finally, show the class the
review card. 8 PAF
Review of Suffixes [ |
‘A sufx is an ending that is added to a word or root to change | -@d)
its meaning, such as -ing and -er Suffixes are only reviewed |
one way, by using their meaning as an auditory prompt. Say the
meaning of the suffix on an unexposed card: for example, Which suf-
‘fix means mote? Have the children respond by spelling it using the
letter names while they skywrite; for example, the children will -er
respond /er/, e-r —
Your review pack should change in content rath-
er than grow in size. Material that is mastered
is replaced by new material. You will periodically
give Proficiency Tests to help determine what
belongs in the pack. Seer res eee eeSeSeseSeSSeSsesessEssEsSssSsSSSSSSSSESSESESESEUTSSE
PAF 9
{ Phonograms
Daily Lesson | Red Words
Review J. Suffixes
Introduetion of New Material “[ > .
Spelling Dictation Introduction of New Material
Reading
Reinforcement
After the review, the new material for the lesson is introduced. The new material will be a
phonogram, red word, syllabication skill, or spelling rule. You will find information about which
concepts to teach and in what order to teach them in the Instructional Sequence.
Introduction of a Phonogram
Phonograms are always introduced with a picture of the keyword
containing the new sound, The first phonograms that you will teach are
the letters of the alphabet, using the Alphabet Picture Cards,
At the beginning of the program, when you are teaching the individual letters of the alphabet,
the introduction of each letter will include instruction on how to write the letter, Handwriting is
an integral part of multisensory instruction, because writing letters creates kinesthetic memory
of their form. This helps children to read and spell by compensating for auditory and visual
memory problems.
Here’s what you should do:
+ Hold up the picture card and tell the children, Today we are go-
ing to learn how to write the first sound in fish. What is the first
sound in fish? A child responds, The first sound in fish is /ff
Try to avoid adding /tV to the consonants, as this interferes with
blending sounds into words. For example, say /f, not /ftl/. Have
cach child repeat the sound to make sure everyone has the pro-
nuneiation correct,
+ Give the children the letter name: This is the letter £ (point to the keyword card) and the way
10 write the sound /f.
+ Demonstrate how to form the letter. You will begin by teaching the lowercase form of each let
ter, because that is what the children need to learn so that they can read and spell words, The
capitals are taught in separate lessons,
In the Appendix, you will find comprehensive
instructions on how to teach handwriting. Be
sure to read the handwriting section before you
begin teaching the program. 10 PAF
+ Have the children turn to the large model of the letter in
the Handwriting Program for Print book. Be sure the chil-
dren are facing forward and sitting up straight. Tell them to
write the sound, Write 7. Have the children say the sound
and “write” it by tracing the model with their index finger
several times. The goal is to develop an automatic response
between the sound of the letter and the correct motor pat-
tern. Have the children repeat the same procedure several
times using a pencil.
* Next, have the children trace the smaller letters on the following page of the handwriting book.
Then tell the children to copy the letter using the dots provided as starting points. Finally, have
them write the letter on the blank lines. —
Inall cases, whether tracing or copying, children must wait for your oral
instruction to write the sound, Write /f, and should repeat the sound
aloud as they write the letter. The children should not do the handwrit-
ing book independently; rather, they should work under your continual
supervision. In order for their handwriting to improve, they must receive
immediate feedback from you after each attempt to write a letter. E
* Each page in the handwriting book concludes with a word for the children to copy that is com-
Posed of previously taught letters. Some children will need help learning to place the letters in a
word close together. Some will need to be taught to use two fingers to help them leave adequate
space between words,
Affer the children have practiced the phonogram in the handwriting book, you will incorporate it
into a spelling dictation inthe next part ofthe lesson. Also, you should now place the phonogram
into your review pack.
At the beginning of the program, while you are still teaching the letters of the alphabet, you
should display the Alphabet Cards in alphabetical order across the front of the room. This should
be the only version of an alphabet on display in the room. The children will learn the sounds of
the letters more efficiently with only one keyword (/f’for fish) to remember. You may either put
cach card on the wall after the letter has been introduced or use two sets ofthe Alphabet Cards,
one to display and one to use during the introductory lesson.
Eventually, the new phonograms will contain letter combinations, such as
e, ar, and sh. By this point, the children will know how to write the individ-
ual letters, so there will be no handwriting instruction needed when you are
introducing the new phonograms. You will, however, still introduce these
phonograms with keywords, using the Keyword Picture Cards, You should
then display these cards in place of the alphabet cards, eee eee eee UU EEE EEE EEE EE EEEE
PAF //
Introduction of a Red Word
Some days you will teach a red word that the children have to memorize.
Here is what you should do:
+ Show a red word using the appropriate card from the review pack. Say, This
is our new red word, said. said
+ Have a few children use the word in oral sentences to demonstrate that they
understand the meaning of the word.
+ Have the children say the red word and copy it from the review card, using skywriting and
naming each letter as they write (said, s-a-i-d). Saying the letter names while skywriting helps
children with poor visual memory memorize these nonphonetic words. Repeat this procedure
several times,
+ Say the word aloud without showing the card, Have the children repeat and spell the word, say-
ing the letter names as they skywrite once again. Then show the card to the elass. Repeat this
procedure several times.
In the next part of the daily lesson, you will use the
red word in a spelling dictation, Once a red word is
introduced, place it in your review pack. Display the
red words on a bulletin board so that the children can
copy them correctly until memorized.
Introduction of Suffixes
In PAF, meticulous attention is given to the instruction
of suffixes, because understanding suffixes has been proven to enhance word
recognition, spelling, vocabulary, and comprehension. The first suffixes you a
will teach are related to time (-ing present tense, -ed past tense), quantity ¢-s. | INQ
and -es plurals, -er more, -est most), and possession (-’s).
Here is what you should do:
+ Think of questions that will elicit words with the new suffix from the children; for example,
am standing here right now. What are you doing? (Sitting, thinking, looking.) What do you
hear at the end of all these words: sitting, thinking, looking? The children respond that they
hear Aing/. .
+ Hold up the suffix card and say, This is the suffix -ing. We call this the doing suffix. It tells us
what someone or something is doing.
+ Say the doing suffix without showing the card. The children respond i-n-g, saying the letter
names as they skywrite. Then show the card to the class, Repeat this procedure several times. 12 PAF
In the next part of the daily lesson, you will use the suffix in a spelling dictation. As each suffix
is introduced, place the card in your review pack and on a suffix chart.
Suffixes
sing -s
-ed = -ful
Suffixes
-ing -s
-ed
-ly
Level 92 Level 156 a a a a: ee ee ee ee eee eee eee ee ee ee eee
PAF /3
Daily Lesson
Review
Sentences.
Introduction of New Material _--
Spelling Dictation 2427
Reading
Reinforcement
‘Afler the Review and Introduction of New Material, the newly introduced skill is incorporated
into a spelling dictation.
Spelling is a critical tool for teaching reading, In order
to spell, children must learn to break words into sounds
(phonemic awareness), and become familiar with the
letter and letter combinations that represent those sounds
(phonics). Learning how to spell improves word recog-
nition and vocabulary, which, in turn, support reading
ry program, reading and
spelling are taught as reciprocal subjects; children spell
comprehension, In a multisens
and read the same words in one lesson.
Learning disabled children are characteristically poor spellers because of poor phonemic aware-
ness, poor knowledge of letter-sound relationships, difficulty remembering words by sight, and
lack of reading experience. The type of spelling program that works best for them is one that in-
‘cludes the direct teaching of phonemic awareness, letter-sound associations, syllable types, and
spelling rules in a controlled sequence through the use of spelling dictations
Spelling is the process of translating a spoken word into its written equivalent (encoding). Dicta-
tions allow children to practice encoding words under a teacher's supervision. They provide an
opportunity to think and talk about language structure. Children practice spelling words before
attempting to read them.
Words and sentences used for dictation are listed in the Instructional Sequence and have been
controlled to contain only words that the children can spell based on prior lessons, Select six
to nine words and one to three sentences for each dictation, using,the lesser amounts for young,
students who are still learning to write and the larger amounts later in the program. Choose sen-
tences that contain words you have already dictated in isolation.
|
| J4 PA
Dictate Individual Phonetic Words
Spelling with Pocket Chart
Early in the program, you will use a pocket chart each time you introduce a phonogram. Using
a pocket chart allows you to model, and children to practice, the breaking of words into sounds
for spelling before writing words on paper. Once the students know how to write all the letters
of the alphabet, you will stop using the pocket chart and have the students write all the spelling
words directly on paper.
Set up the pocket chart by placing letter cards from the Pocket Chart Alphabet in
alphabetical order, with all the letters hidden. Put a colored piece of construction
paper in the top row of the chart as a background for words you will spell. As you
+h letter, you will turn over its card and use it to spell new words.
introduce
Here is what you should do: *Call a child to the chart and say a word to be
spelled. Use it in a sentence, For example, map.
We made a map of our classroom.
Ue a ie
Tt ee ee EY
Pt
+ Ask the child to repeat the word
+ Have the child isolate the first sound in the word
while simultaneously skywriting the letter. Then
have him locate the appropriate letter card and
place it in front of the construction paper. If he
cannot isolate the sound, help him by saying the
word while extending the first sound, mmm -ap.
+ Have the child continue this process for each of
the sounds in the word. Overlap the letter cards so
that the letters are next to each other.
+ Have the child face the pocket chart with his back
to the class and Jead the children in saying the
‘word, sounding it out while skywriting the word,
+ Have the class spell the word on paper, saying the
sound of each letter as they write it.
mip
ke a os a
te ee
i]t i i Spell one or two more words using the
pocket chart. PAPEETE eee
PAF 15
Spelling on Paper
After spelling a few words using the pocket chart, you will dictate more words for the children
to write directly on paper. For instructions on specific writing papers to use, see the handwri
ing section in the Appendix. A dictation is not the same as a spelling test; you must correct each
word on every paper before dictating the next one, By the end of each di
every paper in the room should be spelled correctly.
tion, every word on
Here is what you should do:
* Dictate a word and use it in a sentence; for example, cut: He has a cut on his finger:
+ Have the children repeat the word.
+ At the beginning of the program, model how to say the word sound-by-sound as the children.
repeat the sounds and write the corresponding letters. Over time, they will begin to automati-
cally sound out words by themselves.
+ Walk around the room to check each child’s work and give feedback. Ifa word is spelled cor-
rectly, place a check above it. Ifa word is incorrect, help the child by asking him questions so
he can correct his own work. Never correct errors for the children,
Here are some common spelling errors and examples of how to guide the children to
make corrections:
+ Vowel substitutions
Ifa child writes pin for pen, ask: What vowel sound do you hear in the word pen?
+ Final consonant substitutions
Ifa child writ
mob for mop, ask: What is the last sound in the word mop?
+ Letter omissions
Ifa child writes let for left, say: The word is left. What letter did you leave out?
When children have misspelled a word, have - 6.
‘o>
Wo ket Woe
23%
them draw a line through the word or put brack-
ets around it and then write the entire word
again. If a number of children make the same
error, ask the children to put down their pencils,
and discuss the correct spelling with the entire
class. One of the most important parts of dic-
tations is the opportunity to engage your class
in conversations about what they are learning.
Remember, make sure all the children have
spelled the word correctly before dictating the
next one, 16 PAF
+ Keep track of errors, Analyzing errors will help you determine whether a phonogram or a spe-
cific word requires additional practice. You can put any phonograms or red words that are being
spelled incorrectly back in your review pack if they have been previously removed.
Dictate Sentences
Having students write dictated sentences provides an opportunity for you to teach punctuation,
capitalization, and word spacing.
Here is what you should do:
+ Say a sentence using the proper inflection.
‘In the beginning of the program, have the children repeat the sentence aloud. Eventually,
the children should repeat each sentence silently to themselves,
* Have the children write the sentence on a clean line on their paper. You will probably need to
repeat every sentence several times. With short sentences, repeat the whole sentence in one
chunk. With longer sentences, you may choose to repeat the sentence phrase-by-phrase. In
cither case, do not repeat the sentences word-by-word, because children need to practice re-
membering information in units bigger than individual words. It is helpful to develop a silent
signal, such as raising a hand, which children can use to indicate when they need you to repeat
a sentence.
* Check each child’s work after dictating each sentence. Give positive reinforcement and help
children correct their own mistakes. Do not have them rewrite the entire sentence, just the mis-
spelled words
Here are some common errors and examples of how to guide a child to make corrections:
+ Omitting words
Read the sentence to me, please. Have the child point to each word as he reads back what
he has written. You can teach the children to use carets (‘) to write a missing word. Look at
Jayden’s spelling dictation on the next page for an example,
+ Misspellings
One of your words is misspelled, See if you can find and fic it. Ifthe child cannot find the mis-
spelled word, point to it and help him self-correct.
+ Errors in punctuation and capitalization .
Are you finished writing your sentence? How would I know? How do we start a sentence? PAF 17
Sample Dictations
nat [jo] job top fox
oots a4
Did Tom [quit his jobr
| Jayden
Z .
Keep thrne Gheet 2
[fyetion] peXbuttions
dinichiow
There ar
[Re Bo slag
2 WE in ta) yor
per ae humndned
X (Mot adoro ox cbavanps fichier,
AA Sik spl cone wnin, getbation
Level 145 Level 205, 18 PAF
Divided Dictations [
Over time the children may experience areas
of confusion that require your special atten-
tion. For example, in the beginning of the pro-
‘gram children may have difficulty hearing the
difference between sounds such as /&/ and fi
Later in the program they may have difficulty
choosing the correct spelling for sounds that
have multiple spellings, such as /a/, which
can be spelled ai, a-e, or ay. When these
issues arise, give a divided dictation to pro-
vide practice making the correct choices. The
children divide their paper into columns, and
you dictate a mixture of words to be placed in
the correct column,
Jession.
L
pn
[pet] pit -
LHe
Level 55
| -getde paint —“Feday
“bosebal rain “endiyber
pet
ten”
pen” — SESSESSESESSHSSEEFSFESFSEFEFFEFSFSFSHFHHSSESHSSSSSSESTCGCGCCSse
PAF 19
Dictations When Introducing a Red Word
The dictation for practicing a newly introduced red word is slightly different from that for
practicing phonograms. After the children have written the new red word from dictation
several times, dictate three or four sentences using the new word. Dictate fewer sentences for
young students who are still learning to write. Do not dictate any individual phonetic words dur-
ing a red word lesson.
real job -fudag! | |
he a
‘oes base $C
[Tie pe es sent
tee
Teme nec pb aon 7
Level 138 Level 186
Remember, this is a reading program. You must |
be sure your spelling dictations do not run into
the time allocated for reading even if you do not
finish the dictation you have planned. Daily Lesson
Review
Introduction of New Material .
Spelling Dictation Reading
Reading
Reinforcement
| { Word, Phrase, & Sentence Lists
., Merrill Readers
In the next part of the lesson, reading, the children read aloud to an adult, The reading section
has four components
+ Word, phrase, and sentence lists for developing accuracy and fluency
* Text reading for developing comprehension
+ Repeated Readings for developing automaticity
+ Reading to children for developing listening comprehension, vocabulary,
and background knowledge
Beginning to read involves forming a link between speech and print. Children must first learn to
decode, that is, to associate sounds with letters and blend those sounds into words, and then learn
to recognize words automatically. Decoding and word recognition are the foundation of reading
comprehension. Without these basic skills, children cannot focus on the meaning of text. Learn-
ing disabled children have particular problems developing accurate and fluent reading because
of their difficulties with phonologic skills, word retrieval, and visual memory for written words
Therefore, a primary goal of this program is to develop decoding and word recognition.
Decoding and word recognition are best taught using decodable text in which the vocabulary
is controlled to contain only previously taught sounds. It is counterproduetive to teach children
that a =/8/ and then ask them to read the words cake and away, in which the a~/a/. They need
reading material in which they can practice their decoding skills and avoid using inappropriate
strategies, such as guessing at unfamiliar words. In the PAF program, decodable text is provided
in two forms: (1) word, phrase, and sentence lists in the Stepping Up In Reading books; and (2)
stories and nonfiction selections in the Merrill Readers and Merrill Skills Books.
When children are learning to read, they need books with decodable text that allows for the appli-
cation of word analysis skills, The books should repeat the vocabulary from one selection to the
next in order to foster word recognition. Phonetic readers, which control vocabulary and present
words according to sound patterns, are the most appropriate typeof text to use for this purpose.
J
PAF uses the Merrill Readers, a series of eight phonetic books, because:
+ They are consistently phonetic, even at the higher levels.
+ They provide more and longer stories than those in most phonetic readers.
+ They are well-paced in the introduction of new material
+ They contain both fiction and nonfiction for teaching a variety of comprehension skills SSF FFE SF FFF FFF TTT TFT TEESE EEESSESESTESESETCESS
PAF 2/
Book A (I Can) focuses on fifteen consonants and the short vowel a. It gives you seventy-five
ages of text with only one vowel, so your beginning readers will have lots of practice blending
sounds into words. You will also introduce the first suffix, -s.
Book B (Dig In) contains stories with the remaining consonants and the short vowels i and u.
Book C (Catch On) completes the teaching of short vowels with o and e and introduces
digraphs (two letters making one new sound), such as ch (chin).
Book D (Get Set) provides additional short vowel practice and all the final consonant blends,
such as -nt in bent,
Book E (Step Up) continues the study of short vowels with initial consonant blends, such as
Ft flag).
Book F (Lift Of) contains all the common long vowel sounds, such as silent e (cake) and vowel
teams (teach).
Book G (Take Flight) presents the r-controlled vowels (er, ir, ur), soft c and g (city, magic), and
silent letters, such as kn (knee). Some children will transition from this book to chapter books.
Others will continue reading in one more Merrill reader.
Book H (Break Through) presents the remaining vowel sounds (00, au, oj). All children now
transition to chapter books 22 PAF
Ifyou are not familiar with PAF, you may at first be surprised by the Merrill. They will probably
look different from the books you have seen or used. The Merrills have no pictures and are full of
simple stories in familiar settings. Clearly, these are not examples of great literature; rather, the
Merrills are a means to an end, They are an instructional tool for teaching the skills necessary to
read increasingly difficult texts. The reason that the Merrills have no pictures is so that the chil-
dren are forced to focus on the print and cannot rely on pictures to guess at unfamiliar words
(which is an inefficient reading strategy). The stories are simple because the vocabulary is so
carefully controlled.
As your students progress through the Merrills, they will begin to read more interesting and
varied texts, Infact, by the time they reach the seventh book in the series (or at any time that they
demonstrate proficiency), they will be able to start reading chapter books with great confidence
and accuracy.
Reading comprehension is part of every lesson. The goals of teaching comprehension are to
improve children’s ability to understand information in a particular text and to improve their use
of reading strategies that can then be transferred to other reading material. Good readers monitor
their comprehension and employ a variety of strategies, such as rereading, to correct misunder-
standings. Students benefit from having these strategies taught through direct instruction and
modeled by the teacher. Direct instruction is as important in teaching comprehension as it is in
teaching decoding.
While the Review, Introduction of New Material, and Spelling portions of the lesson can be done
with large groups, it is advantageous to work in smaller groups for reading. This will give each
child more opportunity to read aloud under your supervision,
Word, Phrase, and Sentence Lists
‘Children read lists aloud from the Stepping Up In Reading books under teacher supervision.
Word Lists
Word lists only contain words with previously taught
sounds. Children must apply their decoding skills if they
do not recognize a word immediately, because the words
are in isolation (with no contextual clues). The word
lists provide an opportunity to reinforce sound/symbol
associations, teach and practice blending sounds into words,
and develop word recognition. They provide the repeated
practice needed to help children make the transition from
deliberate word reading to recognizing words without
conscious effort (word recognition), SSSSSSSESSHFESSSSSESSESSSESESSESLETCELELELECEES “|
‘There are three types of word lists.
PAF 23
Some word lists reinforce a new phonogram, and every word contains the new sound/symbol
association, For example, to teach u=/d/, the list includes run, mud, and nuts.
» os oe
bs be
et en oo
fn one my
om he se
be ue on
Level 44
Other word lists reinforce previously taught material. For example, after teaching that silent ¢
makes a vowel long, the mixed word list would include care, line, and these.
re om ste
ce = =~
i ee
me ne
Level 139 24 PAF
Finally, there are word lists that provide practice in reading multisyllabic words. For example,
to practice reading words with the suffix tion, the word list would include nation, fraction,
and pollution.
Level 205
Here is what you should do:
+ Read the first column, having each child take a turn reading one word. If a child does not rec-
ognize the word, have him decode it by saying the sound of each phonogram and then blending
the sounds. If he has difficulty blending the word cat, model blending /c/ and /4/ into /c&/, and
then adding the /t/ sound to make the word cat. Each word must be read as it would be naturally
spoken. Tell them, Read it the way you say it, The correct pronunciation is necessary to get to
the word’s meaning,
+ Have the children read the list a minimum of two times to provide sufficient practice, more
times if needed.
Blending is a difficult skill that must be mastered if children are to become fluent readers. Ini-
tially, however, it can be a slow, sound-by-sound process. While children are first learning to
blend, extra time should be spent rereading the word lists. Gradually, after much daily practice,
children will move from letter-by-letter decoding to word recognition.
Do not use the word lists as vocabulary lessons. Children will not learn the meaning of new
words when they are out of context, as they are on the word lists. If'a child asks for the meaning
of a word, define the word briefly and continue reading the list. It is more effective to address
vocabulary while the children are reading the Merrills, while you are reading aloud to the class,
or in content area classes, such as science or social studies alan ialalialaliaataiiataiainieiainir iain
PAF 25
Phrase and Sentence Lists
Words introduced on the word lists are reinforced in phrase and sentence lists. Poor read-
ers are often not fluent, instead they read word-by-word. These lists provide practice reading
text in meaningful units, provide examples of proper word usage, and enhance both fluency
and comprehension,
Phrase Lists
Explain to students that the word combinations on the phrase lists are only parts of sentences
and therefore lack punctuation. Tell them that the purpose of reading these phrases is to practice
reading in a way that sounds like the way they speak, Model how phrases should be read until
the children read them with the proper intonation. As with word lists, phrase lists should be read
with the teacher at least two times, with each child taking a turn reading a phrase aloud.
is ofhan sate bse
Meee a at
ge et to
se
Level 43 am
seb
sent a mr
ari sige
intent ian
oe se Re
Level 159 26 PAF
Sentence Lists
Sentence lists provide an opportunity to teach children to pay attention to punctuation, such as
stopping at periods or pausing at commas, which facilitates reading with expression. Sentence
lists also provide practice in reading at an appropriate rate, neither too slowly nor too quickly.
Level 135
Level 214
Children should spend approximately fifteen minutes a day, more if needed, reading word, phrase,
and sentence lists in their Stepping Up In Reading books with an adult. You should read the new
list several times during the lesson and review previous lists if time allows. One technique for get-
ting children to reread lists is to have them search for particular words or text. (Can you find two
things that are alive? Which phrase tells you where someone might be?) You will find sugge:
ns
for these prompts on the bottom of each list. You can provide additional reading practice by send-
ing the lists home to be read to an adult. Every list should be reread until itis read automatically,
at the word recognition level.
Repeated readings develop word recognition and fluency, which are the basis for reading compre-
hension. The easier it is for children to read the text, the more they can focus on its meaning, |
PAF 27
Merrill Readers
‘After you read with the children in their Stepping Up books, you will read aloud with them from
the Merrill Readers. At this point in the lesson, the focus shifts from teaching phonics to teaching,
‘comprehension. This shift is possible because of the preparatory work that the children have done
in their dictations and Stepping Up books. That work ensures that the children have enough word
recognition and fluency to give their full attention to the meaning of the text, There is no need
for further discussion about language structure. The ultimate goal of the instruction you do in the
Merrill Readers is to give the students the skills they need to read with understanding, indepen-
dent of a teacher’s questioning and guidance.
Gather the children around a table or in a circle
so that they can see each other and you while they
read and discuss the book. Children will take turns
reading aloud in random order while you stop them
to offer corrections or elicit discussions.
Inaddition tohelping children understand the textby
asking questions about the content and discussing it,
you need to teach them strategies to use when read-
ing on their own. As children begin to monitor their
‘own comprehension and apply reading strategies
appropriately, they become independent learners,
Examples of some research-based strategies include:
Visualizing
Constructing mental images has been proven to be a helpful strategy for young children when
they are reading fiction. Encourage children to make a picture in their head as they read. You can
raw pictures on the board while reading with the children to show them how written words can
be translated into images.
Predicting
Encourage students to make logical predictions as they read, and then have them stop
periodically to verify whether they are right or wrong. Some chapter titles lend themselves to
predictions (Eggs for a Cake might be about a bake sale, a party, or a cooking lesson); other titles
do not (Spelling, Bugs, and Plants), Examples of the types of predictions students may make
while reading include how a character will solve a problem or what might happen next. Predic-
tions do not have to be correct, but they must be logical. .
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing is an especially important reading strategy, because when readers put ideas into
their own words, they understand and remember them better. Also, beginning readers have thou-
sands more words in their spoken vocabularies than they are able to read. This is especially true
when the children are using texts with highly controlled vocabularies — the discrepancy between
what they can read and what they can say is vast. 28 PAF
‘You should encourage the children to discuss the text using their own words. Can you think
of another way to say that? What did Gus mean when he said Pam couldn't get a pet yet? You
particularly want to ask your students to paraphrase difficult sentences or concepts in the text
Similarly, you should be paraphrasing as you lead the discussions. When the text says, Dan was
mad, ask, Why was Dan so angry? When the text says, Kim has a bad cut on her leg, ask, How
did she get injured?
Remember, the reading vocabulary has to be controlled for beginning readers, but the language
used to discuss the text can be varied and sophisticated
+ Retelling and Summarizing
Before you introduce the concept of summarizing, the children will need lots of practice re-
telling stories, demonstrating that they remember details accurately and can put them in the
proper order. Ask the children, What happened? at the end of the story.
Summarizing is a crucial but difficult skill that develops over years. To summarize, children
must determine what is important and put that information into their own words. Over time,
you should encourage the children to leave out unimportant or redundant details and focus on
the main idea. Only after years of teacher modeling and feedback can children be expected
to create summaries independently. The chapters in the novels that are read at the end of the
Instructional Sequence provide excellent material for teaching and practicing summarizing.
When children do not understand the text, teach them to use one of these fix-up strategies:
+ Rereading
Encourage children to go back to the text when they are confused, rather than having another
child give the correct answer. When reading nonfiction, insist that children go back to the text
to verify new information. Where did the author say that?
+ Asking for help
Try to create an environment in which children feel comfortable asking questions about what
they do not understand, Be sure to convey to your class that good readers always ask for help
when they do not understand something.
When children make errors while reading aloud, their errors must be immediately corrected.
Here are some common reading errors and examples of how to make corrections:
+ Ifa child misreads a phonetic word, point to the misread word as a signal to the child to sound
it out again
* Ifa child misreads a red word, have him skywrite the word to trigger the correct response.
+ Ifa child cannot read a word that contains a sound that has not been taught, say the word for the
child. For example, supply the word Jook while children are learning short vowels. TS
PAF 29
+ Ifa child skips words or loses his place, encourage him to run his finger in a continuous motion
under the text (finger gliding). Finger gliding can improve accuracy by helping the child focus
his attention.
+ Ifa child struggles with a word or reads a sentence word-by-word, have him reread the entire
sentence, If the meaning of the sentence has been lost because of labored decoding, reread it
for the group before calling on the next reader:
+ If the meaning of a word is problematic, simply paraphrase or elarify the word quickly and
continue with the story. When a child reads, It is the dairy’s job to kill the bacteria, say: So the
dairy kills the bacteria—the germs —in the milk.
Because all eight Merrill Readers have the same set of main characters and the same setting, a
character chart is a useful graphic organizer. Displaying the chart will help the children learn the
characters and their relationships. Beginning with the second Merrill Reader, Dig In, and con-
tinuing through the fourth reader, Get Set, you can add each major character to the chart as he or
she is introduced. The character chart can be used before, during, or after the lesson, depending
on the particular story and lesson goal:
POBON., Grove City Families
Gus Dot Bell Yrs. Benton PF Gus Sen
ial Pet Bell | lac Benton
Tn Kim Fam x [im Oot | [Sim Bent | | Seva
Kids ds
Dan in FF Joan Get__| Lin Bent
iat | [lie Badan wy iar ot) | ft Bua a | | Chester Gay
BAS [Rags (oy) BAS [Rags (eos) Little Red
Character Chart atthe end of Book B ‘Character Chart at the end of Book D
For some lessons, the reading material will come from the Merrill Skills Books that accompany
each reader. These Skills Books should also be read with an adult for additional reading practice
and not assigned as independent work.
The Skills Books offer you the opportunity to teach a range of language skills
that are not taught in the readers, such as changing questions to statements, clas-
sification, synonyms, and antonyms, The Skills Books reinforcé the vocabulary
in the readers while providing different types of text, such as tables and graphs.
Many of the pages can be done by having the children answer orally or circling
the answers rather than writing them. 30 PAF
Repeated Readings
Rereading to an adult is an excellent strategy for improving accuracy, word recognition, and
fiuency. Therefore, the children should practice reading with someone at home every night.
Each day you should send home lists from Stepping Up In Reading and stories from the Merrill
Readers. For children without someone to read to at home or who need extra practice, be sure
to provide more opportunities to read to an adult in school.
Once the children have graduated from the Merrills to chapter books, their reading homework
should no longer involve rereading text. Rereading chapters disrupts the momentum of the sto-
ry. Instead, have children read the next chapter or chapters independently for homework. You
should review the chapters read at home in class the following day before reading the next chap-
ter aloud with the children.
Reading to the Children
Set aside time each day to read aloud to the students from a variety of children’s literature
and nonfiction, Reading aloud is essential to help beginning readers develop comprehension,
because it expands their background knowledge and exposes them to language that is more
sophisticated than what they can read themselves, They hear vocabulary and grammar that they
are not likely to hear in everyday speech. For children who are reading decodable text, reading
aloud is also an opportunity to introduce them to a range of genres and text structures.
Reading to children allows them to experience reading not only as a skill to be mastered, but as an
ongoing source of information and pleasure. This in tum motivates them to become independent
readers. Try to read to your class everyday but remember that reading to children should never
replace the critical time spent reading with them.
Children should be reading aloud
to an adult every day. |
PAF 37
Daily Lesson
Review
Introduction of New Material
Speling Dictation Reinforcement
Reading
Reinforcement
Each lesson concludes with activities for independent seat work or homework, What follows
are some general suggestions for reinforcement activities that can be used at any point in
the sequence.
Have the children reread a story in their Eno naLin yoann
Merrill Reader and complete one of the following |_| -————————
activities
+ For Books A-C, illustrate the story.
+ For Books D-H, answer one or two comprehen- |
sion questions,
+ For nonfiction selections in Books E-H, locate
facts and write them in sentences.
Mlustrating Stories
t+ ~
‘Answering Questions Finding Facts 32 PAF
On days when your students have read pages in the Merrill Skills Books and done the activities
orally, you may choose to have them answer the questions in writing as a reinforcement activity
At every stage in the sequence, you should send home lists from Stepping Up for the children
to read aloud to an adult. In addition, you can use Stepping Up to create assignments, such a
having the children find words on the word lists that fit into certain categories, or asking them to
use words from the lists in sentences,
a vo | oom
Categorizing Sentence Writing
There are certain activities that should never be used for reinforcement, For example, never ask
your students to write their spelling words multiple times, to do word searches, or to unscramble
misspelled words. These activites have little to no instructional value, and they are especially
inappropriate for children with learning issues.
While doing reinforcement activities at school or home, itis important for your students to spell
words correctly even if that means asking for help from adults. Spelling words incorrectly rein-
forces errors. Ifa child asks for help spelling a word, either ask him to sound out the word (if it
is composed of sounds he knows) or tell him how to spell it. Itis better that you or a parent spells
words for the child than for him to practice writing them incorrectly.
Finally, you can use the phonics books Explode the Code #1-3 to reinforce your Girly,
lessons. These books, like all PAF materials, can be ordered from Educators Pub-
lishing Service. On the PAF website, you can find and download a form that lists om
which pages in the Explode the Code books can be used at which levels in the r/
instructional sequence SSSSSSSSFSSSSSESSSSSSSSESSESSESseeeeseeeeeeegeeece
PAF 33
Ce eee te}
Here Is how the daily lesson would look for the introduction of the sound /é/.
1.Review Do a review of pre-
viously taught sounds, red
words, and suffixes using the
review pack.
2. Introduction of New Material Then teach
the sound using the keyword from the Al
phabet Picture Cards.
oe
You also teach the motor pattern for
writing the letter using the Handwriting
Program for Print.
3. Spelling Dictation Give a dictation
with the new’sound, using words and a
sentence you have selected from the
Teacher Handbook.
aera
Tenn yon the
. 34 PAF
4, Reading Now read with the
children. First you will read
words and phrases with the = 2 7
new sound in Stepping Up In : S 3
Reading to practice decoding, = 5 r
word recognition, and reading = C =
fluency. ® ~ |
“Vera tou he 9 Then read stories with the new sound in the Mer-
ed rill Reader for additional reading practice and to
renee teach comprehension strategies.
5, Reinforcement As a final reinforce-
ment activity, you might ask the chil-
dren to reread the story independently
and illustrate it. Se
PAF 35
INSTRUCTIONAL SEQUENCE
This section of the handbook contains directions for using the instructional sequence, ideas for
lesson planning, an overview of what is taught in PAF, and the full instructional sequence.
PAF must be taught in a step-by-step progression, with students learning cach step before
progressing to the next. Every level in the sequence builds on the skills and concepts taught
in previous levels. When properly implemented, the program should take approximately three
‘years to complete, although the exact length of time will depend on your students’ abilities and
the amount of time allocated for reading instruction. In general, each level in this program will
require more than one day of instruction to complete. There is no set formula, however, for
how long to spend at a given level. Some levels take Jonger than others, particularly when the
material is complex. On most days you will find that there is no new material to introduce and
the lesson will focus on review, practice, and reinforcement of prior material.
Every level in the instructional sequence lists the skills and concepts to be taught,
materials to be used, words and sentences to be used for spelling dictations, and specific
teaching instructions.
The words on each list have been controlled to contain only the sounds children have already
learned. The sentences are composed of words the children can sound out and of previously
taught red words. Keep in mind that you do not have to dictate every word and sentence listed at
a given level. Only dictate as many as necessary to teach the skill
On the next page you will find one example of a level in the sequence 36 PAF
Level 37 introduces the sound and motor pattern -x as follows:
LEVEL 37 Print Book” Stepping U Reader” Skills Book
“x (box) 70-71 23 17-20 12-13, eres
(ernie 1)
The letter x says /ks/. The hyphen indicates that it makes this sound only at the end of a word :
or syllable.
six fix wax mix |
Fix the fan,
Si pies ant Ie Pit dictations from these lists.
} Sid has six tin cans.
§ Jim can wax his van,
Sid said to mix the dip,
‘The keyword in parentheses is illustrated on
‘the corresponding card from the Alphabet
Picture Cards or Keyword Packs. You will use
the illustration as a reference, to help elicit
These are the books
‘you will use during the
lesson and the page
numbers to do. The
ages are not always
in numerical order.
‘the correct sound. Do not dictate the keyword
Unless it appears on the spelling list.
‘As you proceed through the curriculum, you will find levels marked for reading only. The
concepts presented for reading only are to be practiced using the Stepping Up in Reading books
and Merrill Readers but are not included in dictations.
Keep in mind that while there are no new words for dictation at a for reading only level, some
teachers use the opportunity to give a review dictation of previously misspelled words. It is up to
you, based on the specific needs of your students, whether to give a review dictation at this level
or to skip it to focus only on the reading.
Finally, the instructional sequence will tell you when to stop to give proficiency tests. Remember,
the success of this program depends on completing the sequence in order without omissions
This includes administering the proficiency tests when indicated, Your students’ performance on
the proficiency tests will help you determine when they need more opportunities for review and
when you can proceed to a new level. EEE EEE EEE EEE EEE EY
PAF 37
Getting Started
In order to begin the sequence, children must be able to isolate the initial sound in a word
(What is the first sound in apple). This is a basic phonemic awareness task, While there are
other, more difficult phonemic awareness tasks, stich as blending sounds into words for reading
(b-a-t: bat) and segmenting words into sounds for spelling (bat: b-a-f), these skills will be taught
throughout the program and are not prerequisites to getting started.
Ifyou are using PAF as a preventive program in kindergarten or first grade, you should begin at
Level 1. Although some of your students may demonstrate isolated skills, such as knowing the
sounds of letters or writing letters correctly, they all must be taught to associate each letter with
its sound and motor pattern, so you should start the entire group at Level 1. By Level 3, the
children will begin to spell and read words.
sia, If you are using PAF as a remedial program, you should
download the PAF Placement Test to determine at which
level to begin. For older students who are still learning
the alphabet, display the Cursive Alphabet Picture Cards
rather than the Alphabet Picture Cards, because they are
more sophisticated.
Planning the Lesson
‘There are two parts to planning a lesson: (1) filling out a lesson plan form, including the words
‘and sentences for spelling dictation and pages to be used in the materials; and (2) writing directly
in your copy of the Merrill Readers to plan the comprehension part of your lesson. While you
are teaching, be sure to make notes about student errors to help you plan future lessons. The
effectiveness of your instruction depends on careful lesson planning and monitoring the students’
daily performance.
In the Appendix, you will find three sample lessons that demonstrate how to fill out the lesson
plan form and how to create the comprehension lesson in the Merrill Readers. These sample
lessons include stories in a variety of genres, from a simple decodable story, to a retelling of
a fable, to a nonfiction selection. When it comes to reading comprehension, there are many
effective ways to introduce, discuss, and review a story. The sample lessons provided represent
only a few of the many possible approaches.
Before reading further, take tite to review
the three sample lesson plans in the Appendix.
These will give you an idea of what your lesson
plans should encompass. 38 PAF
Part I: Filling Out the Lesson Plan Form
In addition to the sample lessons, the Appendix contains four blank lesson plan forms. Three of
the forms are for general use, and which one you choose depends on the level you are teaching,
‘The fourth form is designed specifically for teaching red words.
+ First, choose six to nine root words that you want to dictate from the list of words provided in
this handbook. You should dictate fewer words to young students who are just learning to form
the letters.
+ Once your students have learned suffixes, begin adding them to some of the words
used for dictation. For example, when teaching ai, the word rain is listed, but
you may decide to also dictate the words raining and rained. Be careful not to add suffixes
that require the application of a spelling rule that the students have not yet learned
(run + ing = running).
+ Next, choose one to three sentences for dictation, making sure to choose some sentences that
contain words you will plan to first dictate in isolation,
+ Finally, decide how many days you plan to allot to teaching this level and how you will allocate
the three different reading materials: Stepping Up In Reading books, Merrill Readers, and
Merrill Skills Books. Be sure to organize your lessons so that you read and reread the lists in
Stepping Up with your children every day. As for Merrill Readers and Skills Books, decide
whether to use one or the other, or a combination of both, on any given day. Write the page
numbers to be read on your lesson plan form.
Part Il: Planning for Oral Reading in the Merrill Readers
+ Read the selection for the day and decide what the story is about, For fiction, ask yourself:
What happened in the story? How did the characters feel or change? Is there a main idea? Is
there a moral? For nonfiction: What are the important facts to learn?
+ Next, make notes about places in the text where comprehension is likely to break down because
of unfamiliar vocabulary or grammar. (This is an area of particular difficulty for students with
oral language problems and for students learning English.) Recognizing potential trouble spots
in the story will help you plan ahead for where to stop for questions and discussion.
ally, decide what you will do with your class before, during and after reading a story.
Write these plans directly in your copy of the Merrill Readers. Remember, every reading
comprehension lesson must be done in a group format, with you, the teacher, leading the
students in oral reading and group discussion.
Before Reading
Decide how to introduce the story to the group. Think of ways to give the students a purpose
for the reading, such as PAF 39
+ Using the title to make a prediction, (The title of today’s story is “Look at the Pets.” What do
‘you think the setting of the story might be? Let's read and see if you are right.)
+ Connecting the story to a previous selection. (Yesterday we read that Jim decided to save his
money for a fishing trip with his grandpa. Today we will find out if he was successful)
+ Creating interest. (Today we are going to read another story about that mischievous cat, Nat.
Wait until you see the trouble he gets into!)
Usually, with the everyday language of beginning readers, it is not necessary to teach new
vocabulary prior to reading the story, The vocabulary is best taught while reading the story
aloud as a class, because the words will make more sense in context. Also, Merrill stories tend
to be about everyday activities that require little background knowledge to understand. For
most of the stories in the readers, the best prereading activities will be those that set a purpose
for reading.
During Reading
Deciding in advance where to stop for questions and discussions is a critical part of lesson
planning, Plan to stop at logical breaks in the story to discuss what is happening and how the
characters are responding. Be sure to ask questions that keep students focused on the main ideas
of the story, not on unimportant details. Be careful not to ask too many questions, as this can
disrupt the flow of the story and impede comprehension. On the other hand, if you ask too few
questions, you may not notice when comprehension has broken down. In general, you should
plan to ask more questions when reading nonfiction texts than fiction, because these texts will
contain new information for the children to learn.
When preparing your lessons, keep in mind that the quality of the questions is as important as
the quantity. Good questions focus students on significant information in the text and stimulate
thoughtful responses and class discussions. (What does Grandma mean when she said that Dan
has a heart of gold?) Avoid asking literal questions or questions that elicit simple yes or no
responses. (Was there a new girl in Jane's class?)
When reading fiction, remember that your students’ comprehension depends on their ability to
understand the characters’ feelings and motivations. In other words, you want your students to
be able to put themselves in someone else’s shoes. It is not important for children to imagine
or guess how shey would feel under the same circumstances. It is very important for them to
empathize with the characters. For this reason, you should avoid asking questions that thrust
the reader into the story and discourage empathy for the characters, as this will impede deep
understanding of the story.
‘Ask: How do you think Mike is feeling since he wasn't invited to the party?
Avoid: How would you feel if your friend didn t invite you to a party?
Ask: What do you think will happen now that Josh told everyone Amy s secret?
‘Avoid: Have you ever told a secret that someone had asked you to keep? 40 PAF
After Reading
Plan a discussion that encourages your students to think about what they have just read and helps
them organize and reinforce the important ideas. Be sure the discussion relates to the central
events and characters of the story or, with nonfiction, to the relevant information presented.
Discussions that focus only on the students’ personal experiences or feelings can interfere with
their understanding of the story.
Ask: What did Peter learn about how to be a good friend?
Avoid: Who is your best friend? Why do you like him?
Ask: What did we learn about how snakes protect themselves?
Avoid: Do you like snakes? Why?
Ask: What made Gail's birthday party so special for her?
Avoid: What was the most special birthday party you ever had?
Some effective ways to promote concluding discussions include having young students retell the
story in sequence and, with older students, helping them generate a summary of the text.
Instructional Sequence
The instructional sequence consists of 215 levels, divided into nine sections. The first section
covers the concepts that your students must master in order to begin reading the first Merrill
Reader. Each of the next eight sections corresponds to a Merrill Reader, Books A through H.
Levels 1-16 Preparation for Book A. wd
Levels 17-33 BOOK A wasn 48
Levels 34-52 Book B 54
Levels 53-74 Book C .. 60
Levels 75-96 Book D 69
Levels 97-129 Book E a 19
Levels 130-158 Book F 95
Levels 159-186 Book G enisepceel 17
Levels 187-215 Book H & Chapter Books ........134
On the following pages, you will find an overview of the sequence. For a detailed list of the
contents, see the Instructional Sequence at-a-Glance in the Appendix. TS
CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
PAF 4/
‘The Curriculum Overview is a summary of when skills are taught in the sequence. The summary
does not, however, list reading comprehension strategies, because they are taught throughout
the sequence rather than at any one particular level. These include: visualizing, predicting, para-
phrasing, summarizing, and rereading. Beginning with Book G, underlining and note-taking are
introduced as well. Language concepts—for example, multiple-meaning words, idioms, pronoun
referents, and categorization—also spiral through the sequence. Finally, whenever possible, the
children are made aware of text structures, such as: problem and solution, sequence of events,
list of facts, cause and effect, and compare and contrast.
Levels 1-74 Levels 75-129
Levels Book A (Can) Book D (Get Set)
Book B (Dig In) Book E (Step Up)
Book C (Catch On)
alphabet initial and final blends
short vowels -ng, -nk
hth
Sonar ane) ch, sh t triple blends
we ar, oral
“ll, fF
open syllable words
the of from | don't one off
© are were | won't. none walk
you they very ~— | who done talk
RED WORDS your put do school there where
said was goes-~—«| want = some _friend
what come full
‘open syllables
closed syllables
rreontrolled syllables
SYLLABICATION
syllable division:
vecv
vev
capitalization contractions
final punctuation synonyms
word families antonyms
multiple meaning words suffixes: -ed, -e, -est,
ural s es ful,
MISCELLANEOUS oe Seated
CONCEPTS +s (verb form)
compound words
abbreviations
root words
suffixes -ing, -ed 42 PAF
CURRICULUM OVERVIEW (continued)
Levels 130-158 Levels 159-186 Levels 187-215
Book F (LiftOf) | Book G (Take Flight) Book H
LEVELS (Break Through)
‘Chapter Books
silent e vowels ven om
long vowel teams et on fi
igh ore ea= ie
whe soft ca= iil
“y= ikl soft g ar = /er!
aii -age au, aw
wr, kn silent b, h, and t
PHONOGRAMS ce eo lonh hast
twin consonants ew = i /60/
-ild, -ind
-old,-ost, old
er, it, un, oi, oy
ou, ow = /ow aught, ought
al=/all/ gu
sw(or) = /wer! ph
‘w(at) = wor
could been | woman built | father tough
would does =| women any buy enough
should prety | once many | half ocean
RED WoRDS —_| their only Jaugh together | rough island
sure again | people water Wedinesday
because against | build
says
silent e rale doubling rule yrule
SPELLING RULES | -dge adding s to y words
silent e syllables syllable division: -tion
vowel team syllables | VCC -sion
SYLLABICATION special syllable -ture
endings -ain
multisyllable oot «
words
nouns
verbs
MISCELLANEOUS | adjectives
concerts | adverbs
homonyms
suffixes, -ly PAF 43
The sequence begins with teaching the sounds of the alphabet
and how to read and spell words made of these sounds. You can
download an image of the Alphabet Picture Cards to send home
to parents as a reference for the correct sounds. sora,
a
_Dd
_Ff
BSEPPPIPIPPIPSSSSSEseeeseeasesesesesese 7.8. ee 44
Levels 1-16
Handortne Program for Prin
First Steps In Reading Preparation for Book A
Alphabet Picture Cards
Pocket Chart Alphabet
Review Pack I
LEVEL 1 Print Book First Steps
¢ (cat) 13 13
Alll sounds are introduced with the lowercase form of the letter, The letter ¢ will be the first
card in the phonogram section of your review pack.
LEVEL2 Print Book Pirst Steps:
a (apple) 4-5 4-6
With the introduction of /a/, begin to use the terms vowel and consonant, Tell children that
some of the letters are very special, that these letters are called vowels, and that every word
must have at least one vowel. The vowels in Review Pack I and in the Pocket Chart Alphabet
Cards are printed on colored cards to help distinguish them from consonants.
LEVEL 3 Print Book First Steps
1 (tiger) 6-7 7-10
Begin spelling dictations and introduce the pocket chart with the letters , a, and f.
at cat
LEVEL 4 Print Book First Steps
d (dog) 89 11-15
dad
LEVEL5 Print Book First Steps
g (girl) 10-11 16-19
You will teach the concept of multiple meaning words using page 19 in First Steps In Reading.
You can read the book Where Do You Look, by Marthe and Nell Jocelyn, to introduce that part
of the lesson.
tag gag
LEVEL6 Print Book First Steps
s (sun) 12-13 20-24
sat sad gas sag ean
PAF 45
LEVEL 7 Print Book First Steps
f (fish) 14-17 25-29
fat fad
LEVEL 8 Print Book —Fitst Steps
m (moon) 18-19 30-36
Teach the children to count the number of times they hit the writing line as they write.
_— eee]
am mad mat
LEVEL 9 Print Book Fin Steps
1 (lion). 20-21 37-40
lad gal
LEVEL 10 Print Book Fist Steps
Red Word: a 22.23 4l-dd
Capital A
Use of capitals and periods
“This is the first red word, It isa littl tricky, because the children have just learned to associate
the sound /i/ with the letter a at Level 2. Now you are going to tell them that when the letter a
stands by itself, it says /W/. To avoid confusion, you will dictate the word in phrases and sen-
tences, not in isolation. Also, there is no card for this word in Review Pack I. The red word has
to be taught at this time, because it appears in the reader.
alad adad
a gal atag
a mat a fat cat
‘A cat sat.
‘A dad sat.
A gal sat.
A fat cat sat.
LEVEL 11 Print Book First Steps
h (hammer) 24-25 45-48
had hat ham
Acat had a ham.
A lad had a hat. 46 ‘PAF
LEVEL 12 Print Book First Steps
P (pen) 26-27 49-54
tap map pad cap
lap pal pat
A dad had a map,
A gal had a cap
LEVEL 13 Print Book First Steps
n (nest) 28-29 55-61
Teach the children to count the number of times they hit the writing line as they write.
N
12
Teach the word and even though it contains a consonant blend, because it is a common word
that increases the complexity of the dictated sentences.
can man tan nap
and pan fan
A sad man sat,
‘A man can pat a cat
‘A man had a gas can.
A fat cat had a nap.
‘Aman had a ham and a pan.
‘A cat had a pan and a mat.
LEVEL 14 Print Book First Steps
Red Word: 30-31 62-63
The word / is another tricky red word, because it is phonetic. It is only taught as a red word,
because it is always capitalized. Like the red word a, the word / has no card in Review Pack I
and is not practiced in isolation.
Thad a nap.
Tam aman.
Thad a tan hat.
Tam a fat cat.
I can pat a cat.
Thad a pan and a ham, SSSSSESSESSESESESESEEHE SSF SSS ESSSSSEseseseeveerrrvwvernw
PAF 47
LEVEL 15 Print Book Fits Steps
Plural s 32-33, 64
This is the first suffix taught. AC this level, it is only added to words when it makes the sound /s/,
not /z/, Tell the children that sometimes when you want to show that you have more ‘than one
of something, you add the letter s. Begin the suffix section of your review pack by adding the -s
card, You will do the review by asking children, Which letter shows more than one?
Here’s what you should do:
+ Ask the children to write cat, and use it in a sentence for them: My friend has a cat.
* Tell them to make the word say cats: I have two cats,
+ Ask them to add the letter s to the words they have already written.
cats hats maps caps
Thad tan hats.
‘Arman had maps.
‘A dad had cats
Thad hats and caps.
If the children have difficulty reading words with a plural s have them:
+ cover the final s with one finger,
+ read the word without the plurals, then
+ uncover the s and read the whole word.
LEVEL 16 Print Book Fist Steps
Capital N 34-35 65-68
Teach the use of capitals for names.
Tam Nat.
Tam fat Nat
1 can pat Nat
Lam mad at Nat.
A man can pat Nat. 48 PAF
Cc. _
Levels 17-33
Handwriting Program for Print
Stepping Up In Reading | .
Vieril Roster Pood A Merrill Book A - | Can
Merrill Skills Book A.
Alphabet Picture Cards
Pocket Chart Alphabet
Review Pack I
X
LEVEL 17 Print Book Stepping Up Reader Skills Book
Red Word: is 36-37 1 5-6 23
(omit 1)
A few common phonetic words needed by beginning readers (such as is and you) are included as
red words until their phonetic elements are taught later in the sequence. This is the first word in
the red word section of your review pack
In order for the children to write is, they must be taught the motor pattern using the letter name
i, not the sound /i/
Nat is a cat,
Nat is fat.
Nat is a fat cat,
Nat is sad.
Nat is a sad cat,
LEVEL 18 Print Book Stepping Up Reader ‘Skills Book
Red Word: the 38-39 2 78 45
Question Marks (for reading only)
In order for the children to write the, they must be taught the motor patterns for e using the let-
ter name, not the sound. Begin a Red Word Chart, adding each word as itis taught throughout
the year.
the fan the fat cat
the maps the tan hat
the caps the gas can
Thad the caps.
Tam mad at the man
Nat had the ham,
A man pats the cats.
A man had the maps.
A man can pat the cat. SFFFFFSSSSSSESSESSESSSSSSSSSSSSSSESSESSSESESSsESESESEESE
PAF 49
The red words listed in this sequence are taught for reading and spelling, and are practiced in
dictations and on sentence lists. There are other sight words in the readers (circled before each
story) that are not drilled for mastery, because they are taught as phonetic words at a subsequent
level. For example, on page 9, children will encounter the circled word on. Tell them the word
in the circle before reading the story, and supply it if needed while they read.
‘The reader introduces question marks. Make sure the children attend to the final punctuation
and read the questions with proper intonation.
LEVEL 19 Print Book Stepping Up Reader ‘Skills Book
Capital T 40-41 3 9-10 6-7
The cat is fat.
The man had the hats.
The fan is tan.
The cats can nap.
The man had a gas can,
The man is mad at Nat.
LEVEL 20 Print Book Stepping Up Reader Skills Book
Capital D 42-43 4 11-12 89)
Dad is a man,
Dan had the maps.
Dad is mad at Dan.
Dad and Dan nap.
Dad and Dan had the caps.
Dad and Dan pat the cats.
LEVEL 21 Print Book Stepping Up Reader _—_Skills Book
i Get) 44-45 5 13-16 10-16
Exclamation Marks (for reading only)
‘The reader introduces exclamations. Make sure the children attend to the final punctuation and
read the exclamations with proper intonation.
jam
Dan and I had the jam.
The cat had the jam.
Dad had ham and jam. .
Thad the jam.
The man had the jam. 50 PAF
LEVEL 22 Print Book Stepping Up Reader Skills Book
b (boy) 46-47 6 17-200 17-21
With the introduction of the letter b, confusion may arise between b and d. These letters sound and
look alike. One way to help children discriminate these letters is to emphasize the difference in
how the letters are written. The b is a tall letter and goes away from the green line. The d is a
two o’clock letter and goes to the green line,
B82 Download the b and d chart and cut it in half, Place the on the left side of the
{ board and the d on the right side. These images can be reduced and placed on
individual desks if needed.
be wtd
bat bag tab jab
Dan is at bat.
The bag is tan.
Dad can bat.
Dad had a tan bag.
The can had a tab.
‘The man had the bats.
Ina follow-up lesson, ask children to spell the word bad.
Dictate the following sentences:
Dad had a bad ean.
A jab is bad.
The ham is bad.
LEVEL 23 Print Book Stepping Up -Reader’-—_Skils Book
r (robot) 48-49 7 21-23 23-25
(omit 22)
ran rat rag
Dad and Dan ran.
Dan had a rag
The man ran and ran.
The cat ran at the rats, .
The rat had a nap.
‘The bad rat had the ham, Se FFF F Fee Ee ETE SESE E SE
PAF 5]
LEVEL 24 Print Book Stepping Up Reader Skills Book.
Red Word: to 50-51 8 24-26 © 26-27
In order for children to write fo, they must be taught the motor pattern for o, although the sound
161 is not taught yet.
‘Nat ran to Dan.
Thad to nap.
The rat ran to the mat.
Dan had to bat.
Dad ran to the man,
Dan had to pat the sad cat
LEVEL 25 Print Book Stepping Up Reader Skills Book
v (valentine) 52-53 9 27-30 29-31
van (omit 28)
‘The man had a van.
The van is tan,
Dad had a tan van.
Dan ran to the van.
‘The man ran the van.
‘The man and | ran to the van,
LEVEL 26 Print Book Stepping Up -Reader__Skills Book
‘Sas in fags 54-55 10 31-32, 32-36
Capital J
Plural s sometimes makes the sound /z/. Point out the new sound without reference to the
letter z. The words as and has have been included, although they are not plurals, because they
are common,
as has
cans hams bags rags
vans pans fans tags
Jan has to bat.
Jan has the bags.
Tam as mad as Jan.
Dan and Jan had the rags.
Jan ran to the vans.
Jan has the hams and the jam,
LEVEL 27 Stepping Up Reader Skills Book
Possessive 8 ll 33-38, 37-40
Jan’s cat Jan’s bag,
Dan's hat the cat’s mat
Nat’s pan the man’s van 52. PAF
Dan has Jan’s bag.
Jan has Nat's mat.
The cat’s mat is tan
‘The rat ran to the cat’s pan.
Dan ran to the man’s van.
Nat is Dan and Jan’s cat.
LEVEL 28
y- (yan)
Print Book Stepping Up Reader
12 39-44
Skills Book
41-47
(omit 48)
The letter y only makes its consonant sound when it is the first letter of a word or syllable.
yam
Dan had a yam.
Nat has Jan’s yam,
Dad has the yams.
Jan’s yam is fat,
Jan has hams and yams.
The rat ran to the yam,
LEVEL 29
Red Words: you, your
Print Book Stepping Up Reader
13-14 45-50
In order for children to write you, they must be taught the motor pattern for
however, is not taught yet.
The cat ran to you
Jan’s cat ran to you.
Dan can tag you.
Tam mad at you,
Jan and you can pat Nat.
Dan and you had the bats.
Nat is your cat
Dad ran your van.
Jan is your pal.
Jan has your bags.
Tan pat your cat.
Dan has your bat.
Skills Book
49-52
u, The sound /i/,
LEVEL 30
Capital Y
You had a nap.
You and Jan ran.
You can pat your cat.
You ran to the van.
You had Dan’s rag.
Print Book
Stepping Up Reader
15 51-56
Your cat is Nat
Your dad’s yan is tan,
Your cat has a yam.
Your bag has a tag.
Your dad had a nap.
Skills Book
53-59 Oe SSUES |
PAF 53
LEVEL 31 Print Book — Stepping Up Reader ‘Skills Book
Capital S 62-63 16 57-62 60-66
Sam is a man.
Sam's van is tan.
Sam has your bag.
Sam is mad at you.
Jan has Sam’s map.
LEVEL 32 Print Book Stepping Up Reader ‘Skills Book
Capital R 64-65 17 63-68 68-72
(omit 67)
The word wag appears in the Reader and Skills Book and must be read for the children until
they learn w= /w/ (Level 35).
Rags and Nat ran.
You can pat Rags.
Rags ran to the van.
Rags has your cap.
‘Nat ran to Rags.
LEVEL 33 Print Book Stepping Up Reader Skill Book