The Early Bird Reading curriculum consists of Orton-based phonics and basal readers that use a controlled vocabulary. Students will have a formal lesson in oral language, rhyming patterns and the 71 English language phonograms. We play word games, practice manuscript writing and work on art projects related to the phonograms we are studying. The group instruction is uniform because all the children need information about the phonograms, syllabication and the rules of English. The art project is an important component of the program because it gives the children time to practice fine motor skills, and to review the phonograms that are being illustrated.
After the instruction period, students work on phonics projects and each child reads aloud with Mrs. Cummins. Everyone completes a “packet” of exercises related to reading skills, including Word Challenge, which gives the students decoding practice. There are also drills involving vowels, diphthongs, rhyming, spelling and reading comprehension. More advanced students will go to the Comprehension Circle to read and complete a packet of comprehension challenges such as main idea, detail, inference, sequencing and fact-and-opinion. They take home a reader for practice; as soon as that reader is successfully completed, they receive the next book. In addition, students take home a folder containing their packet, art project, reader and other materials.
The way to see progress in your child’s reading ability is to be consistent. Please discuss the work with your “Early Bird,” and read with your child every day for 10 minutes. You will be amazed at the progress made, particularly if you participate in the learning process.