A reading program for struggling readers

The road: ten steps, in order

Each step stands on the one before it. Your child starts at the first one that is not firm.

1. 1
   Ears FirstHearing the sounds inside words, with no letters yet.Fits when: “Cannot tell me the first sound of a word, or cannot rhyme”The goal: on day 10 your child hears the sounds in a short word. They say how it starts, push three sounds together into a word, and pull a word apart into its sounds.
2. 2
   Eight Sounds That StayThe first letter sounds, so they stay from one day to the next.Fits when: “Does not know the letter sounds, or learns them and forgets them”The goal: on day 10 your child says the sound of eight letters, in any order, a day after the last lesson. Then they use them to read short new words.
3. 3
   From Sounds to WordsPutting sounds together into words: blending.Fits when: “Knows the sounds, but cannot put them together into a word”The goal: on day 10 your child reads words they have never seen before.
4. 4
   Look at Every LetterReading every letter instead of guessing.Fits when: “Guesses words from the first letter or the picture, or “reads” books from memory”The goal: on day 10 your child looks at every letter before saying a word. They read new words and sentences with no picture to help.
5. 5
   Tell b from dTelling b and d apart, in reading and writing.Fits when: “Mixes up b and d”The goal: on day 10 your child tells b from d, in letters, in words never seen before, and in their own writing.
6. 6
   Words That StickCommon words like the, said and was.Fits when: “Cannot remember common words like the, said and was”The goal: on day 10 your child reads 16 of the most common words, on their own and inside sentences never seen before.
7. 7
   Cap to CapeSilent e and long vowels: cake, rain, boat.Fits when: “Reads short words like cat, but gets stuck on cake, rain and boat”The goal: on day 10 your child looks to the end of a word for a silent e, and reads words like cake, kite and hope never seen before.
8. 8
   Smooth ReadingFrom word by word to reading that sounds like talking.Fits when: “Reads slowly, one word at a time, or sounds out every word”The goal: on day 10 your child reads a short sentence they have never seen, smoothly, the way they would say it.
9. 9
   Read It, See ItTaking in what was read.Fits when: “Reads the words but cannot tell me what it said”The goal: on day 10 your child reads a short story they have never seen, tells you what happened, and draws it.
10. 10
    Hear It, Write ItSpelling the words your child can read.Fits when: “Can read simple words but cannot spell them”The goal: on day 10 your child writes short words they have never practiced, with every sound in order. Then they read each one back to check it.

How a plan works

What you get

10 plans

Each one a printable book, in color and ink-saving black and white, US Letter and A4, with a check on day 1 and on day 10.

A video every day

Each plan has a short video for you for every day: what to do, before you do it.

The program guide

The road, where to start, a chart for the whole program, and what to do beside the plans.