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Phonics, Reading and Literature Curriculum

Reading Readiness and Movable Alphabets


Many reading readiness programs fail to include or suggest one of the most valuable tools for helping children learn letters and sounds--movable alphabets. A movable alphabet consists of letters of the alphabet —plastic, wooden, posterboard, magnetic, sandpaper, felt, etc. It is very helpful to have vowels in a different color than consonants to demonstrate the special role vowels play. Following are reviews of two movable alphabets.

Phonics Programs

Featured resource

Phonics Museum

Veritas Press has come up with a somewhat original way to teach phonics with Phonics Museum. This is a true multi-sensory program with its use of songs, stories, games, puzzle pieces for combining letters, flashcards, a "pop-up museum" with pictures to hang on its walls, paper dolls (to visit the museum), colorful original readers, a "museum bag," and traditional workbooks.
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Beginning Reading Books

Phonics Workbooks

Readers and Literature for grades 1-8

Literature for High School

Reading Comprehension and Skills Supplements

Reading comprehension skills are best handled with oral questions to ensure comprehension at early levels. Until a child is reading about 100 words a minute, his comprehension is usually not very good, so do not be overly concerned if a younger child is concentrating on decoding and not doing very well on comprehension.

If you choose not to use a complete reading program (with readers and workbooks), but use either real books or readers without companion workbooks, you might wish to supplement reading with comprehension activities by using one or more of the following books.

Novel and Play Study Guides

Games, Supplements and Other Helps

How to Choose Literature/Reading Books and Booklists