KEY WORDS... what they are and how they are used Some of the words in the English language are used much more fre- quently than others. These words which appear more frequently can be called Key Words. Research shows that twelve of these Key Words make up one quarter of all those we read and write. One hundred of them form half, and three hundred about three-quarters, of the total num- ber of words found in juvenile reading. Reading skill is acceler- ated if these important words are learned early and in a pleasant Way.The Ladybird Key Words Reading Scheme is based on these commonly used words. Those used most often in the English language are introduced first—with other words of popular appeal to children. All the Key Words list is covered in the early books, and the later titles use further word lists to develop full reading fluency. The total number of different words which will be learned in the complete reading scheme is nearly two thousand. The gradual introduction of these words, frequent repetition and complete ‘carry-over’ from book to book, will ensure rapid learning. The full colour illustrations have been designed to create a desirable attitude towards learning — by making every child eager to read each title. Thus this attractive reading scheme embraces not only the latest findings in word frequency, but also the natural interests and activities of happy children. Each book contains a list of the new words introduced. W MURRAY, the author of the Ladybird Key Words Reading Scheme, is an experienced headmaster, author and lecturer on the teaching of reading. He is co-author, with J McNally, of Key Words to Literacy — a teacher’s book published by The Teacher Publishing Co Ltd.THE LADYBIRD KEY WORDS READING SCHEME has 12 graded books in each of its three series—‘a’, ‘b’ and ‘c’. These 36 graded books are all written on a controlled vocabulary, and take the learner from the earliest stages of reading to reading fluency. The ‘a’ series gradually introduces and repeats new words. The parallel ‘b’ series gives the needed further repetition of these words at each stage, but in a different context and with different illustrations. The ‘c’ series is also parallel to the ‘a’ series, and supplies the necessary link with writing and phonic training. An illustrated booklet—Notes for using the Ladybird Key Words Reading Scheme—can be obtained free from the publishers. This booklet fully explains the Key Words principle. It also includes information on the reading books, work books and apparatus available, and such details as the vocabulary loading and reading ages of all books. Published by Ladybird Books Ltd 27 Wrights Lane London W8 STZ ‘A Penguin Company 1098765432 ©) LADYBIRD BOOKS LTD MCMLXIV LADYBIRD and the device of a Ladybird are trademarks of Ladybird Books Lid Al rights reserved. No pam of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system. of transmitted in ar recording ot otherwise, with Fm oF by Any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying the prior consent of the copyright owner Printed in ttalyBOOK 4a The Ladybird Key Words Reading Scheme Things we do by W MURRAY with illustrations by J H WINGFIELD Ladybird BooksPeter and Jane are at home. They want to make a car to play with. They want to make a car like Daddy's. Jane helps Peter. ‘It looks good,” she says. “We can have fun with it.’“| want to make it red,” says Peter. "Yes," says Jane, “we can make it red. You and | like red.” new words make sheJane likes to help Mummy. She wants to make cakes like Mummy. “Let me help you, Mummy,” she says. "Will you let me help, please? | can make cakes like you.” “Yes,” says Mummy, “| will let you help me. You are a good girl.” “We will make some cakes for Peter and Daddy,’ says Jane. “They like the cakes we make.” new words Let let willPeter and Jane like to draw. “Let us draw,” says Jane. “I will draw you, Peter,’’ she says. “Yes, let us draw,’ says Peter. “Tl will draw a tree.” “Here you are, Peter,’’ says Jane. “‘Here is Pat, and here is a ball. | will make the ball red. Come and look, Peter, come and _ look at this dog.” new words draw us“I will draw,’’ says Peter. ‘I like to draw. Look, Jane, look at this tree,” he says. “I will draw a house in the tree. See this house.” “Let us make a house in a tree, Jane,” says Peter. ‘Will Daddy let us? Will he let us make a house in a tree?” “Yes, Peter,” she says. “He will help us make it.” new word houseEl » fe. a ithe. eget ) TPS Se \\ = (a ey A a Pm = Pog on iDaddy lets the children have a : house in a tree. He draws the house, and helps’ the children to make it. f “It will be a good house,” says Peter. “It will be a good house for us to play in.” t “Yes,” says Jane, “it will be fun to play in it. Look, Pat wants to come up with us.” new words children beThe children are in the house in the tree. The dog is with the children. “Let us have tea here,” says Jane. “That will be fun,” she says. “Yes,"" says Peter, “you make the tea. | will draw. | will draw some flowers.” “Yes, | will get the tea,” says Jane. “I like to get the tea.” no new wordsThe children are on the bus. Pat is with the children. He wants to jump up with Jane. “No,” says Jane to the dog. “Get off, Pat. Get off. Be a good dog.” “Look,”” says Peter. “There go the Police. There is a Police car. Can you see, Jane? There they m” go. “Yes,” says Jane, “here are the shops. Let us get off here.” new words off There thereThe children get off the bus, then they go off to the shops. “Let us shop for Mummy, then we can look at the sweets and toys,” says Jane. “There is the fish shop,” she says. ‘We have to get fish.” “Yes,"" says Peter. “You get the fish. | will get apples and cakes.” The children go into the shops. new word thenThe children are at home. They make a shop. “I! will be the man in the shop,” says Peter. “Then let me be Mummy,” Jane says. “| want some things for the house,” she — says, “and then | wantsome things for tea. Give me some flowers, please, and | want some apples.” Peter puts in the flowers and the apples. ‘There you are,”’ he says.22 The children have to work. Peter has to help Daddy work with the car. Jane has to help Mummy work in the house. She and Peter like to help Mummy work. “It is good to work, and it is good to play,’’ says Mummy. ‘Let us put the play things away, and then water the flowers. Then we will make the beds,’” she says. f new words work awayPeter is at work with his daddy. He and Jane like to work with Daddy. “Go away,” he says to Pat. “Go away. Be off with you. | want to work.” Daddy says, ‘Put the things down there, and then help me make a fire.” Peter puts his things down. “Good,” he says. “I want to, make a fire.”” new words his firePeter helps his Daddy to make a big fire. “| like this work,’ says Peter. “It is like play,” says Jane. “Put some things on ” the fire. Daddy wants p>) a big fire.” ~“Yes,'"’ says Daddy, “make a big fire. Keep the dog away. Keep Pat away.” “Come here, Pat,” says Jane. “Come to me. Be a A \ good dog and keep - away.” ;You can see Daddy at his big fire. The children like to play with water. Jane has a little boat and Peter has a big boat. Pat wants to play with Peter's big boat. “Keep Pat away,” says Peter to Jane. “He wants my boat. He wants my big boat.” “Come here, Pat,” says Jane. “You can have my ball to play with.” new words little myThe two children are in the water. They want to fish. Peter has a fish. ‘Look at my big one,” he says. “Will you keep it?’ says Jane. “No,” he says. Peter puts his big fish into the water. Jane says, “Look, | have two little ones.”” She puts her fish into the water. She puts her two little ones in. “Off they go,” Jane says. new words two. herThe two children are at the farm. They want to help at the farm. They like to work there.Here they are with the horses. Jane likes her little horse. She gives it an apple. She wants to keep her little horse. Peter has a big horse. “| want to get on my horse, Jane,” he says. “Help me up, please.” new words farm horseJane helps Peter to get on his big horse. “There you are,” she says. ‘Away you go.” “Thank you,” says Peter. “Thank you, Jane.” Then Jane gets on her little horse. 34“Away | go, on my horse,” she says. The two children go off to work on the farm. “Let us help with the cows,” says Peter. “Yes, says Jane, “we will help with the cows.” new words Thank thank cows 35“Let us help the man milk the cows,” says Jane. ‘Will he let us help him milk?” she says. “Yes,'" says Peter, ‘‘he likes us to help him with his work.” “Can we help you?” says Peter. 36“Thank you,’ says the man. “Yes, please. You two can help me with the milk. Put the horses away. Come in and help me with the cows.” new words milk him 37The two children play at home. “What will you do?” says Peter. “IT will make a toy farm,” Jane says. “What will you do, Peter?’ “| want to help you make the farm,” he says. “Thank you,” says Jane. “The farm house was_ there,” she says. “Here is the big horse and my little horse. Let the man milk his cows. Keep the dog away. Put him with the horses.” new words What what doJane likes cats. She has a little cat. “What do you want?’’ she says to her cat. ‘‘Do you want some milk?’’ “The cows on the farm give good milk,’’ says Jane. ‘‘l will give her some.” Peter comes in with his big rabbit. ‘‘What is that, Jane?’’ he says. ‘‘Is it milk? Give some to my rabbit, please.’’ “Thank you,’’ he says. ‘‘Keep the cat away.”’ 40 new word catThe children, Daddy and Mummy all go to the sea. Here they all are in the train at the station. The cat and the dog are at home. Jane says, “Away we all go to the sea. What can we do at the sea, Daddy?” “You can all do what you like,” Daddy says to her. Peter says, ‘“‘We can go in a boat, and play in the water.” 42 new words all seaHere they all are at the sea. The children can do what they like. They can go into the sea, play games, or fish, or be with Mummy and Daddy. “Play a game with us, Daddy,” says Peter. “Yes, play a game, please,” says Jane. Daddy says he will play a game with the big ball. “Good,” says Jane. “It is fun to play games with him.” 44 new words game games or& My RVCAE | .The two children like to play games. The cat looks on. Peter says, ‘“‘Do you want to play with my toys or play at schools?” “Let us play at schools,” says Jane. “What will you do, read or draw?” “| want to read,” says Peter. “All children like to read.” “Read this,” says Jane. ‘Read this, Peter.’’ Peter reads. “It says DANGER,” he says. “| can read DANGER.” “Yes, it is DANGER,” Jane says. 46 new words read DANGERJane’s cat is not big. She likes to-go up the tree for a game. “Stop her,” says Jane. ‘She gets up the tree and can not get down. Stop her, Peter. Please stop ” her. Peter can not stop the cat. ‘She can not get down,” he says. ‘‘There is no danger. You or | can get her, or we can get Daddy to help.” “ “No,” says Jane, “all we have to do is get some milk.” The cat sees the milk and then comes down. 48 new words not Stop stopDaddy, Mummy, Jane, Peter and Pat are all here. The cat is at home. “Look,” says Peter. “There is DANGER, STOP. | can read DANGER, STOP.” Jane says, “| can read TO THE SEA and TO THE STATION.” Daddy says, ‘Yes, that is good. You can read.” Jane says to Pat, ‘Come here. You are not to jump up at the car. It is not Daddy’s car.” “Let us all go home to tea,” says Mummy. “Yes,"" says Daddy, ‘we will all go home.” 50 no new wordsTO THE STATION - DANGERWords new to this book Page 5 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 21 22 24 27 make she let will draw us house children be off there then things puts work away his fire big keep Page 28 30 33 35 37 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 little my two her farm horse thank cows milk him what do cat all sea game games or read DANGER not stop Total number of words new to this book 42Number of new words in this book . . 42 All the 16 words from Book 1a, the 27 from Book 2a, and the 36 from Book 3a (total 79) are also included. Average repetition per word ...... 13 Capital letters new to this book, in order of appearance B, K, O, E, R. All the words in this Book 4a are carried forward into Book 5a which introduces further Key Words.LOrhe Key to The Ladybird Key Words Reading Scheme There have been countless reports that children make exceptional progress with the Ladybird Key Words Reading Scheme. The complete scheme consists of 36 titles (a, b and c readers) plus 2 picture dictionaries and 6 workbooks. The learner starts with book 1a. He/she then reads 1b and 1c. 2a follows, then 2b and 2c and so on, until at the final stage he/she reads 12a, 12b and 12c. Phonic teaching starts in book 4c and continues through the c books until 1 1c. Also linked with the scheme is the Read it Yourself series. These books provide supplementary reading at various levels in the Reading Scheme. Well known folk and fairy stories are retold to give any child pleasure and a sense of achievement. £ 1.50