Sounding out words gets much easier after you practice blending!

These two homeschoolers are practicing blending nonsense words from the "Fluency" STEPS class.

"The STEPS program - I can't say enough about it. It gave my daughter a new life."

"The STEPS program - I can't say enough about it. It gave my daughter a new life. My six-year old was in first grade and could not even read the letter "I". Furthermore, she didn't have the confidence in her ability to learn to read. We had been doing Hooked on Phonics for months with very little progress. By January, half way through the first grade, I had a conference with her teacher. She had said that more than likely M*** was going to have to repeat first grade. We were even looking into getting her evaluated for a learning disability, but before we took that step, we wanted to try one more thing. We are so glad we did. We were introduced to E*** for tutoring M***. She started immediately. The change in M*** came almost instantly. She learned the correct sounds for every letter of the alphabet. She learned how to use the letters to make words. She started to read. She passed first grade. She went from not even being able to read on a kindergarten level in January to being able to read third grade chapter books in July. The best part was that she gained confidence in herself. Her whole world opened up. She was reading everything. Not only did the STEPS program help her to read, it helped her to spell. Homework was no longer a struggle for her. Whenever I hear about a parent whose child is struggling with reading, I can feel what they are going through, and the first thing I do is tell them about the STEPS program and how it changed our daughter's life."
Amy N.

"The STEPS program is a wonderful learning opportunity for children."

"The STEPS program is a wonderful learning opportunity for children. It not only teaches them sounds of letters, but also teaches them the rules of the English language. I volunteered in Mrs. C***'s class every week last year and was astonished at how quickly the students in her class learned the rules and started applying them to all aspects of learning, including spelling and writing. The children were excited and confident when they spelled words or read aloud in class. Their reading scores skyrocketed and, by the way that Mrs. C*** incorporated games into her curriculum using the sounds and the rules of the STEPS program, the students were not only learning, but were also having fun while they learned.
I have watched both of my children become stronger readers by not only knowing the sounds that letters make, but also understanding the rules of the English language. I know the STEPS Program helps students learn and also gets them excited about learning because I have seen it first hand by volunteering in Mrs. C***'s class and by watching my own children use it every day in their reading and writing."
Sherry W.

"We found the program to be fun to learn, while being educational."

"My child was in the second grade last school year. Mrs. C*** was her teacher. G*** was tested on her reading level at the beginning of the school year. We had transferred to *** from G****, SC. We were shocked to learn that our child was starting the second grade on a 1.5 reading level. Mrs. C*** introduced the phonics program to her class and to the parents. We found the program to be fun to learn, while being educational. G***'s reading level and spelling ability improved greatly. I am proud to say that by the end of second grade, G***'s reading level improved to 4.1. She still uses the phonics to help her spell and sound out third grade words. As a parent, I would encourage this program and strongly support the teachers who use it."
Kellee J.

It seems so simple to us now.

"I can never thank you enough for introducing this program to us. G*** is doing so well. It is so hard to believe that about this time last year she had given up. She loves to read and we often fuss at night because I have to ask her to put down a book to go to sleep. It was very heartbreaking to see your child so upset with just trying to put sounds together so she could read a sentence. It seems so simple to us now."
Hannah G.

Please allow us to brag, just a little?

We're working feverishly on the new STEPS Online Graduate class! It's all online and is a terrific class for parents or teachers. Registration begins August 1st. Until then, I thought I might share from the stack of parent and teacher notes I've got here. We're teachers, not business marketers, so we sometimes forget to share all the kinds things folks have said. If you're thinking of taking a graduate class or just working with your children on their reading, writing, and spelling in the upcoming year, you might enjoy seeing what other folks have had to say about STEPS.

"Spelling is just about everything!"

Just caught an interview with this year's National Spelling Bee winner, Anamika Veeramani, on Fox News. She was asked how she memorized so many words. She said she was not very good at memorizing, but that she learned the parts of speech, definition and etymology of words to learn to spell them. Then with the STEPS quote of the day she said, "That's why spelling isn't about memorizing. Spelling is just about everything!"

When you teach spelling with STEPS, you don't rely on children to memorize list after list of words. Like these super spellers, you'll teach students to spell sound by sound. The spelling of each sound is determined by its etymology. Even at a young age this study of the history of words and how their form and meaning have changed over time can turn a boring memorizing activity into a valuable lesson on geography, history, and vocabulary. And if you're really good, you might just be a spelling bee STAR!

Facebook Friends

I know many of you follow us on our Facebook page. Thanks! I just had to share a post from an old teaching buddy. Her son is 10. He said,

I hope when I become famous, I will still have time to read....unless I become famous for reading. That would be even better!

 

Summer tutoring in the Summerville area

STEPS Reading Center provides one-on-one tutoring for students of all ages. Our specially trained teachers work with your child to learn the letter sounds and how to write them either in manuscript or cursive. Students will learn all 70 phonogram sounds and then how to blend those sounds together to read. Your child will also be taught the process of spelling and the rules that determine the correct spelling of English.
Sessions meet 2 hours per week.
We are currently accepting summer students for the Summerville, SC area.
Sessions are available for Tues./Thurs 8-4.
Phone: 843-875-5169
Contact us now for scheduling.

Path to Success

Over the years I've read volumes of research pointing to "indicators of success" in reading and writing. This anecdote is sure proof that this little girl has the path to success all figured out! No research grant necessary. Taking ownership for her learning at this young age bodes well for her future endeavors! Thanks, mom, for sharing!

A couple of weeks ago my daughter lost a tooth and one of the first things she said was, "I wonder if I can still say my STEPS!" Then she went to her room and I heard her say, "Blue cards, numbers 1 through 26..." And she said them all! :)

If a picture is worth a 1,000 words, a video is invaluable!

The skill of blending sounds together can be practiced in so many different ways. You can employ the help of the computer and join a STEPS class, create stacks with your color-coded cards, or use magnetic letters on the refrigerator. In this video the teacher is using a magnetic doodle board. This is a fun and easy way to manipulate the phonograms for quick blending practice. Notice how the teacher says the sound of each letter as she writes allowing the student to see and hear it at the same time. While the main focus is on blending, the teacher is able to refine the accurate production of the sounds and continue toward the goal of automatic recall of the sounds. Have some blending fun using nonsense or real words.

Summer Tutoring Available

STEPS Reading Center provides one-on-one tutoring for students of all ages. Our specially trained teachers work with your child to learn the letter sounds and how to write them either in manuscript or cursive. Students will learn all 70 phonogram sounds and then how to blend those sounds together to read. Your child will also be taught the process of spelling and the rules that determine the correct spelling of English.
Sessions meet 2 hours per week.
We are currently accepting summer students for the Summerville, SC area.
Sessions are available for Tues./Thurs 8-4.
Phone: 843-875-5169
Contact us now for scheduling.

Let the Computer Do the Flipping!

The STEPS class, Fluency 101, has multiple presentations that are perfect for differentiated guided practice with blending. You can choose between the automatic pace of the transitions that are set for the desired fluency goal or user controlled presentations with or without audio.
The computerized practice can be done whole group or individually and it avoids awkward vowel consonant combinations, r controlled vowels, or sometimes just embarrassing words. I can think of a few that I would not want my students blending!
Some of the blending activities in Fluency 101 do include audio and user controls. The video sample activity below does not include audio and the automatically advancing phonograms encourage a fluent, quick pace. This activity would be used as your student's ability to blend sounds improves. Integrate phonogram practice and the skill of blending by using this activity on your Smartboard™ for whole class practice.
It is important to remember that this blending practice uses ALL first sounds, so short vowels every time!

Wear Out Those Blue Cards

Learning the accurate, isolated sounds of English to the point of automaticity is not an end unto itself. It would be similar to learning the addition facts and never using them to solve a problem. STEPS instruction has students using the sounds shortly after their introduction to blend the sounds of nonsense syllables. Blending nonsense syllables provides practice with the left to right directionality of reading. Practicing with nonsense syllables takes away the "guess the word" inclination and keeps attention on the process of accurate, quick decoding.
The small student-sized cards are easy to use when flashing for sound/symbol retention and blending activities in a pocket chart or desk top.
Stack up the Blue Set phonogram cards in three piles: consonants, vowels, consonants.
Go through sound, sound, sound: /v/-/a/-/p/
Blend the sounds dragging out the vowel sound slightly: /va....p/
Say the syllable quickly: /vap/
Remove a card from a stack to practice blending a different syllable.
For this type of practice use only the first, most common sound, of each phonogram and remind students that the vowel opens our mouth and the final consonant's job is to close our mouth.
STEPS offers computerized blending activities and more in the online class, Fluency 101.

Reading Fluency Class!

FREE SUPPORT!----Often students have learned the code necessary to read, but they are stuck reading slowly grinding it out, one word at a time. Building fluency is the key to helping a child learn to love to read! In this FREE course, learn how fluency impacts reading comprehension and how to build it in readers of all ages.

Success! Isn't this where we heading?

If you've ever had one of your own children learn to read, you know what a milestone this can be! This little guy is in kindergarten. He's known the Blue Set of phonograms for a while, but is just learning the Green Set. With those tools in hand, he's beginning to be able to decode easy readers. But the real giant leap is when they begin to try their hand at reading all alone! He's working through an old favorite, The Boxcar Children.

To help encourage your kids to develop independence in reading, try these ideas:

• Set aside a quiet time each day. She may be too old for naps, but quiet no-TV time makes reading more likely.
• Set 2 bedtimes. Everyone's in bed by 8:00, but anyone who's reading can be up until 8:30!
• Set the stage. Stick-on lights, like the one in this photo, make even a bottom bunk a reading nook.
• Of course, read aloud to your kids, but make read-alouds from longer more complex chapter books. It's a great place to read the classics - especially the ones you missed as a kid! Bambi by Felix Salten is a terrific read aloud. Do they have to understand every word or really "get" the details? No, the idea is that they read for themselves what they can, but you read aloud to show them what's out there in the world of books!
• Take a page from New Zealand. I've never been there, but they're supposed to have one of the highest literacy rates in the world. And one reason that's credited is the Saturday morning reading time. It's  tradition that Saturday mornings are spent in bed reading. Instead of hopping up to Saturday morning cartoons, kids find books placed on their pillows by, no doubt, tired moms and dads. So everyone is expected to sleep in a little extra and enjoy some quiet reading time. So if it's not a tradition, it should be! Try it at your house this weekend.

Phonogram Video Examples

This video example is "b" from the Blue Set.
STEPS teaches the phonograms through a multi-sensory approach so students see the printed symbol, hear the sound, and write and say the phonogram together. The face to face direct instruction of the phonograms includes discussion on how it feels to produce the sounds. Pointing out the placement of the teeth, lips, tongue, and where the air flows helps students that have trouble with auditory discrimination.
STEPS Support classes "How to Use the Phonogram Packet", "Phonogram Lab", and "STEPS Teacher Resources" contain Phonogram Video Examples of all the color-coded sets.
Stay tuned to the Blog for some tips on how to prevent students from reversing the letter "b" and "d"!

Spotlight on Phonograms

phono (sound) + gram (to write)

phonogram- the written symbol of a letter or letters representing a sound

There are approximately 45 sounds in the English language. So here is where the fun begins, we can spell those45 sounds in about 70 different ways. STEPS students learn the 70 phonograms to the point of automaticity. For reading, they must recognize the phonogram quickly to say the sound when they see it. And to spell, they must be able to quickly write the phonogram when they hear the sound. When these 2 processes become automatic, students can read, write, and spell with ease.

The first STEP is to learn the sounds. Teachers prepare themselves by studying the sounds in STEP 1. In STEP 4, students are taught the letters of the alphabet and how to write them. Progressing through the STEPS more phonograms are introduced in STEPS 9, 11, 14 and 25. STEPS has a variety of ways to help teachers, parents, and students learn the sound/symbol relationships of the 70 basic phonograms in STEPS Classes.

New Twist to Bingo

This new twist to bingo has students listening to the sounds and writing the phonogram on blank PHONO Bingo cards. Let your child make game boards for the whole family. In a school setting, each student builds a PHONO Bingo board to make a class set. Perfect practice with any of the color-coded sets because it provides students the opportunity to listen to the sound of a phonogram, visualize the correct symbol in their head, then quickly and correctly write the letter.

Print blank PHONO Bingo Boards to get started.
Choose the color-coded set your child is learning.
Now here's the important part, as you build the game board be sure to say the sound not the letter names. For example, if I want my students to write "oi," I would say, "/oy/ that we MAY NOT use at the end of English words." Students pick a space, any space, to write the phonogram as they repeat "/oy/ that we MAY NOT use at the end of English words." The phonograms have to legible and neat for others to use the bingo card so it's a great way to practice manuscript or cursive writing.

Free Brain Space!

Every year when standardized test results rolled in reading comprehension scores were an area of weakness. Year after year we worked to improve this school-wide. As teachers we found out the hard way that more and more reading comprehension practice did not improve reading comprehension. It was only after trying a different approach to fixing the comprehension problem did we see gains. Teaching students explicit phonics to the point of automaticity and how to effectively use the sounds for decoding was the key to marked improvement in comprehension.
As a committee member for, The Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children, Marilyn Adams commented, “In fact, the automaticity with which skillful readers recognize words is the key to the whole system…The reader’s attention can be focused on the meaning and message of a text only to the extent that it’s free from fussing with the words and letters.”

Researchers have found that the speed with which a child can read a sentence or paragraph is a vital force in how well he will be able to understand it. If he struggles with each word, he hasn’t the necessary “brain space” to think about the text as a whole. After years of working with students we find this true even at the word level. If he struggles with recalling the sounds, decoding new words is inaccurate or very slow.
STEPS encourages sound fluency and continues to quick blending of nonsense syllables in preparation to read words and connected text with speed and accuracy. Free up that brain space so your students can understand what they read. I'd even love to save enough brain space so that they can find their socks and pick them up!

STEPS Class That Has It All

STEPS Teacher Resources is the 24/7 repository of STEPS Tools! This is the class that keeps resources covering STEPS 1-25 at your fingertips.
Join the online community of teachers and parents with access to STEPS classroom teaching aids, printable homework paper, videos of STEPS instruction, multimedia games and worksheets for use with STEPS.
Sign up or renew a class.

True Confession

Prior to understanding explicit phonics and the spelling rules that are the standard for written English I passed on the following wealth of information found in the basal reading teacher's manual, "A vowel is any letter that is not a consonant. A consonant is any letter that is not a vowel."
True confession. I stumbled and mumbled my way through the definitions without realizing their importance. An appalling lack of information about the two types of letters that build words! I can't get those students back but I am a testament that teachers should never stop their own learning process.
STEP 6 provides you with all the information you need to ensure that even young students understand the concepts of vowels and consonants. You can help them feel the difference between a vowel and consonant sound. Encourage them to pay attention to consonant sounds that close their mouth and vowel sounds that leave their mouth open. Practice stretching out a vowel sound to see if they can make it loud. Watch as they produce consonant sounds that have them hissing or spitting but truly understand the purpose of these short, quick sounds.
Take your students' knowledge further than reciting the vowels, "A,E,I,O,U and sometimes Y." STEPS Support offers classes that will keep you learning!

Going Green on St. Patty's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Going GREEN in the STEPS world means learning the GREEN Set, phonograms 27-50. This set includes common vowel and consonant multi-letter combinations that are taught in pairs. Many of these pairs are taught with the spelling rule that determines its use in a word. Grab your phonogram cards from the Green Set, click to print Free PHONO Bingo Cards, find something green to use as markers and you'll be ready. Be sure to keep the focus on the sound and not the letter names. After shuffling the Green Set of cards, the Leprechaun Leader pulls the "ai" phonogram card and says, "/A/ two letter /A/ that we MAY NOT use at the end of English words." Little Leprechaun repeats the sound and rule as he covers the "ai" on his card.
Switch cards and let your wee student be the Leprechaun Leader and call out the sounds.
Complete sets of the PHONO Bingo versions are available for the Blue, Green and Yellow phonograms in the STEPS Reading Center class, Just Games. Want to learn the sounds? The Phonogram Packet is a great tool to get started learning the sounds.

STEPS Manuscript Log

(GREEN COVER) Made especially for use with STEPS, these Logs come preprinted in manuscript lettering with page formats, dotted middle lines, and sections for Wise Guide spelling words, vocabulary, and spelling rules. 2008 Edition Logs also include a special NO Change Check for adding derivatives. For grades K, 1 and 2

STEPS Cursive Log

(BLUE COVER) Made especially for use with STEPS, these Logs come preprinted in cursive with page formats, dotted middle lines, and sections for Wise Guide spelling words, vocabulary, and spelling rules, including the NO Change Check section for adding derivatives. For grades 3 & up

W.I.S.E. Guide - all the spelling words you'll need!

Created specially for use with STEPS, this spelling list contains words arranged by difficulty level from grades K to beginning college. Words are presented easiest to hardest. Use the index to help you determine the grade levels of words. Order online today.

Student Sets of Phonogram Cards

Student Phonogram Cards are sold in sets of 25. Each 3" x 4" ziplock baggy contains all 70 color coded phonogram cards ready to pass out to your students. Save countless hours and get your students practicing faster! Order online today.

Phonics and More

Yes, STEPS does teach explicit phonics to teachers and students but that is only one of the three learning components. Keep stepping through the 25 STEPS and students will learn how to fluently blend the phonograms together. This skill is vital for decoding unfamiliar words in their reading. The flip side of that process is segmenting the phonograms to build words in the spelling process. Along the way STEPS expands students' vocabulary by teaching word derivatives. Even young students learn that new and more complex words are built from base words by adding prefixes and suffixes. The bonus for all your hard work becomes apparent when students are able to write legibly and expressively when they take pen to paper! Learn more about all three learning components STEPS in Action.

Stretch and exercise their brains!

Had a great visit with the grandkids this weekend and was reminded of the benefits of exercise! That's partly because I'm always exhausted when they go and partly because I got to hear The Cat in the Hat recited from memory. This morning I just viewed an adorable Facebook video of a friend's child reciting The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Although neither of the 2 year olds are actually "reading", in the truest sense of the word, they are practicing some very valuable reading behaviors. You'd be shocked to know that in my first grade classroom I had kids who didn't know how to open a book and turn left to right. Add that to the heartbreaking realization that they had missed all that language, all those stories, and the amazing realization that print on a page could bring delight. Brain research also tells us that the brain works much like a muscle. The more you work it, the better it works! So my little performers are getting a workout! To encourage memory development in your child, start with nursery rhymes and poems. Bible verses, songs, and finger plays! If you know of some other sites with fun memory boosters, leave a comment below!

Handwriting Dictation Cards

Pin It STEPS instruction layers and builds on previous learning as students are introduced to new learning. STEP 3's Lesson teaches the names and correct formation of the 6 manuscript or cursive strokes. Plenty of guided practice works out problems with vertical and horizontal spacing of the strokes, and correct paper placement. The vocabulary for handwriting instruction such as topline, midline, and baseline has students well prepared for the introduction of the phonograms in STEP 4. Handwriting skills are put to good use as students concentrate on learning the sounds and their corresponding symbols.

Students of all ages are taught correct letter formation along with the accurate, isolated sounds of each phonogram. The first 26 phonograms are introduced in STEP 4 with the help of the Manuscript or Cursive Handwriting Dictation Cards included in the STEPS Teacher Manual. Each set is made of strong cardstock only needing to be cut apart to be ready for whole group modeling.

The card front shows the handwritten form and the book print version of each phonogram to help students see the differences and similarities.

The backside has the complete letter formation directions. Teachers and parents can choose to read the directions verbatim or paraphrase during instruction and handwriting practice.

STEPS Teacher Manual

Now in a compact binder! STEPS Teacher Manual comes complete with the Teacher Log, a WISE Guide, STEPS Teacher Phonogram Cards and step by step directions in how to teach STEPS to one child or a whole class! Included in your purchase price is one year’s subscription to STEPS Teacher Resources and STEPS Online Professional Development! You’ve got it all! Order today!

STEPS Teacher Log

This Log contains all the completed student pages including example words
and spelling highlights .

Great for modeling what the completed page should show. For all grade levels.

Order online.

In the Beginning....Before Pencil and Paper

Breaking bad habits is hard to do! Teaching the mechanics of handwriting correctly from the beginning saves time, energy, and frustration for all. The language of instruction STEPS uses to teach the manuscript or cursive handwriting stokes incorporates important directional words, "Start at the top and pull down.", "Form the circle "left to right.", "Now make that stroke half that size." Learning to listen and follow an oral direction is a bonus of this type of instruction. You can introduce the six basic stroke names and their form with tools that only require large muscle coordination and gradually move toward picking up the pencil paper. Read how teaching the Handwriting Strokes fits into the 25 STEPS.


The etch and sketch tools, like the one in the video, are perfect for repetitive practice, removing errors, and encouraging students to form the stroke quickly. Yes, even writing should be fluent and automatic! Always starting a stroke in the same place and forming it the exact same way saves lots of time and brain energy. Just imagine how many times your little darlings will take pencil to paper over a life time!

These practice suggestions fall under the category, "How brave are you?" Introduce and practice the handwriting strokes using shaving cream, chocolate pudding, or finger paint on a table top or tray. Depending on the season you can use a spray water bottle on hot cement, write with a stick in the sand or snow, take turns tracing the stroke on your partner's back and then naming the stroke. Get creative! Share your ideas here or on the STEPS Reading Center Facebook page.

Fire Away!

Fire away with any and all questions, comments, concerns or suggestions! Maybe you have a friend that has a child struggling to read, need a suggestion for selecting books for your child to read independently, or have a funny story to share. Learning to read and write is an exciting journey.
Here is a flash to my past. Long ago as a young parent, I was anxious when my child told me that she could "read" with her eyes closed because she had a "magic reading finger"! I was happy that she was so confident but still ran to express my concern with her teachers. She was, and still is, a very verbal child with an eager to please attitude. I was reassured that all was well. Cute and funny aside, the pit in my parental stomach kept nagging at me that this was a sign of trouble. Obviously her new found skill was a weak strategy. What was missing? Where were her gaps? What were her obstacles in the reading process? The kitchen table tears at my house helped STEPS grow into what we teach today.
Parents know their child's weaknesses and strengths better than anyone. We encourage you to ask for help and suggestions based on that knowledge. We all rely on our strengths to get us through, but parents and teachers have the job to strengthen the weaknesses.
No questions are too big or too small to discuss. For complete anonymity to the world go to

STEPS Reading Center and hit the Contact link in the top tool bar to send us a note. We can answer your question or discuss the topic as a future blog post. Want to cut to the chase? Just leave us a comment here.

Your baby can recognize words, but can he read?

On this rainy day, I admit to vegging in front of TV! I channel surfed across a guy explaining that you can teach your kid to read as early as 3 or 4 months. It reminded of the MANY discussions, ok fights, I had with parents and teachers during the 10 years I taught first grade. What does it mean to be able to read? If you can recognize words, you can  read them, I agree. And even a tiny baby can learn to say "boat" when he sees that arrangement of lines if he sees them a zillion times. But does that mean he can read? Learning this way, he'd have to memorize the shape of every word he'd ever need! And if he's learning it all word by word, he'll have to learn "boating", "boathouse", and "sailboat" as brand new words instead of words from the same word family.  Sadly, it's also the way many kids are being taught to read in their classrooms, too. Kids who are taught to read by memorizing words often do fine until about 4th grade. By then, the child needs to be able to read in science and social studies and math  encountering new words in every text he reads. The ability to memorize that many words is way outside the grasp of many of us! So your child needs to be taught to READ. That is, he needs to be able to take the symbols on a page that represent sound and decode them into words, any words, in any subject whether he's seen them before or not. And don't forget that if he learns to read this way, he's also learning to spell words that he hears into words he can write and analyze their spelling to help understand their meaning! So I turned the vegging into ranting...again :).

STEPS Teacher Cards

STEPS Teacher Cards are great for anyone teaching the letter sounds. They're the 78 phonograms of English separated into color coded sets. The Blue Set is the 26 letters of the alphabet. The Green Set is the basic multi-letter phonograms. The Blue and Green Set are essential for primary students. The Pink Set are the /er/ phonograms. The Yellow Set completes the ones that should be mastered to automaticity. Students should master all 70 by second grade. The last 8 are the advanced phonograms that we need for more specialized words. Teacher cards have sample words on the back and teacher hints on spelling rules. Join the Phonogram Lab class for more ways to practice.

The War Between the Vowels and the Consonants!

What? You didn't know they were at war? Where have you been? This terrific little book helps kids to visualize the differences between vowels and consonants. It even talks about how the letter Y is a spy, sometimes acting as a vowel, as in "style", and other times as a consonant, as in "yellow". Purchase a copy from the STEPS Catalog.

Check out the digital timer in the right hand column!

A timer is a great little tool to have on hand. We've been talking about fluency lately and its foundation is speed. We start worrying when a child reads a paragraph slowly. But we really start building speed with sounds. So get your students accustomed to being timed. They'll need to be able to say the Blue Set of phonogram cards in less than 30 seconds and eventually all the cards in 2 minutes. So even as you begin introducing them, make a game of timing them to get faster and faster! This online timer is easy to use and always at the ready!

National Reading Panel recommends the systematic teaching of explicit phonics.

In spring of 2000, the National Reading Panel released the results of their congressionally mandated review of 100,000 research studies on reading. Their goal was to help parents, teachers, and policymakers identify key skills and methods that consistently produced reading success. In the preface of the report, Susan Neuman states,

"In addition to identifying effective practices, the work of the National Reading Panel challenges educators to consider the evidence of effectiveness whenever they make decisions about the content and structure of reading instruction programs. By operating on a "what works" basis, scientific evidence can help build a foundation for instructional practice. Teachers can learn about and emphasize methods and approaches that have worked well and caused reading improvement for large numbers of children." Susan B. Neuman Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education Former Director, the Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement “Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read” by the NICHD. Order from www. nationalreadingpanel.org At STEPS Reading Center, we are vitally interested in the findings of these studies. Of these 5 key components of reading instruction, STEPS provides for the systematic teaching of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and vocabulary. According to the report, "Systematic and explicit phonics instruction significantly improves children's reading comprehension." It is imperative that explicit phonics instruction be done early in a child's school career. Again, the article reiterates, "Systematic phonics instruction produces the greatest impact on children's reading achievement when it begins in kindergarten or first grade." But what about the older struggling student who did not have the benefit of an explicit phonics program like STEPS? We, at the STEPS Reading Center, have used the same principles of systematic and explicit phonics instruction to retrain older students and adults. A learner can be taught the basic phoneme sounds through handwriting and be taught to use the blending and decoding skills necessary to read and write. We have also used STEPS very successfully to teach both children and adults for whom English is a new language. As the report suggests, the most effective time to teach students these skills is K.-2nd grade. However, STEPS can provide you with the tools to meet the needs of a diverse population of any age. Teachers cannot teach what they do not know. STEPS provides teachers with the tools necessary to better understand the alphabetic system and rule based nature of the English language. With these tools and the multi-sensory process involved in STEPS, the teacher will be prepared to follow the research based scientific guidelines delineated in this groundbreaking national report. Read more on how STEPS meets these guidelines with the Bridge to Research. * Please refer to: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (2001). Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (NIH Publication No.R305R70004). Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing For additional copies: "Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read," please contact: National Institute for Literacy at ED Pubs PO Box 1398 Jessup, MD 20794-1398 Phone 1-800-228-8813 Fax 301-430-1244 EdPubOrders@aspensys.com To download the document, go to the National Institute for Literacy website at http://www.nifl.gov

Red STEPS Pencils

When students highlight spelling words in their STEPS Log, they use red pencils. You can order these from our catalog. Seeing the multi-letter phonograms and long vowels at the end of syllables underlined helps students learn to spell new words.

We've added a handy search tool to the blog!

In the right hand column, you'll notice a Scholastic Search Box called the Teacher Book Wizard. Use this to help you determine the reading level of books. If you're testing for fluency levels, you need a book that is on your child's grade level. This tool helps you find those resources. And since it's from the Scholastic folks, you can even order them. It offers several other search features that you might find useful.

Remember, when you're testing for fluency, you'll want the child reading for one minute from a book on the grade level he's currently in. Get his Correct Words per Minute and compare that to the national norms to determine if he's performing appropriately for his grade level.

For more information on reading fluency, join the online STEPS Reading Fluency class.

What about older students or adults with reading problems?

This article by Louisa Moats addresses reading problems with the older student. It's really exciting to see older students and adults who've struggled for years with reading problems FINALLY get it! Not being able to read well is for some reason seen as a personality flaw. Why isn't it  the same way if you can't fix cars or  program computers? Reading is a skill that has to be learned and taught.
Learn the sounds, learn to blend, and practice until fluent.

What about a child who speaks slowly? Would his fluency rate be different?

A question from a STEPS teacher: If a child has a slow speech pattern, should this really affect their fluency score? What if a 2nd grade child reads slowly, 45wpm, but can answer comprehension questions almost verbatim from the story. Can we say that fluency plays a role in his comprehension?

This is a child that I'd keep an eye on. We measure oral reading to help us build reading fluency, but really the ultimate goal is for a child's "internal" reading or silent reading to be fluent, fast, and efficient. Very rarely, a child's speech patterns can interfere with our ability to really measure fluency. If he's in second grade and reading 45 CWPM, he's reading at well below the first grade goal. Does he speak this slowly in normal speech? For now he may be able to comprehend the simple questions for second grade stories, but if his reading rate doesn't increase, I'd expect he will have problems in the future. So you're right, for now,  his poor fluency rate isn't impacting comprehension. But my bet is that it will in the days and months ahead.

How do I find a child's reading fluency rate?

Run a timer for 1 minute. Have the child read from a book on his grade level. It's important that the book you're having them read from is one appropriate for their grade level. We all read slower on more complicated texts. Usually, the child's reading book from school is a good choice.  Count the total number of words read and subtract the number of words misread. That gives you his CWPM, Correct Words Per Minute. National norms say that at the end of the year a first grader should read about 60 CWPM, a second grader 95 CWPM, 3rd grade at least 115 CWPM, and anyone over 4th should read 135 CWPM or more. Stay tuned for ways to improve a slow fluency rate!

What's fluency and why is it a big deal?

Fluency is what makes reading comprehension possible! Ever listen to someone play the piano note by painful note? You listen to the whole thing and can't even recognize the tune! The same thing happens to a kid who reads slowly, word by painful word. He can't get a clue as to what the sentence is about, much less what the whole story could possibly mean. Officially, reading fluency is reading accuracy, speed, and prosody. Accuracy's pretty simple. He reads the words written on the paper correctly. No "he" for "she", no "she" for "he", no "truck" for "Jeep".
Speed is measured in how many words a child reads per minute. It's usually reported in CWPM, Correct Words Per Minute, so you get accuracy and speed in one measure. Prosody is a more subjective measure. Prosody is the ability to read with expression and timing so that the reading sounds like natural speech. Prosody makes a reader sound like he understands what he's reading. He stops at periods, takes a breath at commas. Most of the time, prosody's a terrific indicator of whether a kid is really comprehending what he's reading. If he sounds like it's making sense to him, it probably does!
Studies support the link between good reading fluency and good reading comprehension. But more importantly, to me anyway, common sense does, too! Lots of factors can influence whether a child can understand a story he reads. He may not have a basic understanding of the subject, it may cover a complex topic, or just be an entirely new idea for him. But if he can't read the words quickly and accurately, following punctuation clues to slow up or pause at certain words, he can't possible get the gist of what he's reading!

Check out this terrific article by Louisa Moats on the relationship between spelling and reading.

 This article by the highly respected reading researcher, Louisa Moats, explains how spelling instruction supports learning to read. It's a long article, but worth the read if you have students or children learning to read, write, and spell.
How Spelling Supports Reading and Why It Is More Regular And Predictable Than You Might Think.

Phonogram Packet

 

Perfect for parents that want to learn the phonogram sounds to help their children. FREE with purchase – One Month Trial subscription to "How to Use the Phonogram Packet" including the Phonogram Sound Lab! Packet includes directions for accessing this multi-media study tool, a CD of phonogram sounds (spaced for writing practice), sample Phonogram Test and spelling dictation, a set of Teacher Phonogram Cards, and directions for using the packet to practice and learn the basic phonograms of English.

Click here to order.

My child guesses at words when he's reading. How can I help him get over this habit?

Practice makes perfect! But what if your child guesses every time he comes to a word he doesn't know? He just looks at the picture and says the first thing that comes to his mind! To fix this, first be sure that your child really knows the letter sounds. He needs the tools to be able to decode words in order to give up guessing and to begin to read words quickly and on sight. Once he knows the sounds, you've got to get him to use them as his first line of offense, rather than guessing as a first choice.
One way to help overcome the guessing habit is to help bring it to his attention in a fun way. Put up a finger every time the child guesses at a word. If he can read a whole page without having one whole hand up, he wins or gets a point or an M&M! Place 5 chips or markers near the page the child is reading. Move them or take one each time the child guesses. The goal is to read the whole page without taking a single guess. Sounding words out one at a time will slow down the reading, but reading speed will improve as the child practices the quick decoding of words. Just remember that learning to read takes lots and lots of practice!

STEPS to Reading and Spelling

Want to learn more about how spelling and reading work together?
Click here to watch the STEPS to Reading and Spelling.

What if my child has trouble saying the sounds?

Many young children struggle to say certain sounds. As you teach the phonograms, teach him/her how the sounds feels as you say it. The videos in the Phonogram Lab show a close up of the correct sound production. Many parents and teachers find that students' overall speech improves as they learn the phonograms!

In what order do kids learn the Blue Set of phonograms?

Once you've gotten your student familiar with the handwriting strokes, quickly move on to teaching the Circle Letters. The first 3 are a, c, and g. They all begin at 1 on the Circle Slide board and move counter clockwise to 2, 3, and on to close at 1.  It's important to encourage kids to follow this pattern. It lays the foundation for learning cursive later and helps them start focusing on reading left to right. Stick to lower case at first. Next teach f. It starts as a circle letter upstairs in the second floor. Move on to g and o. Teach the letters q and u together with your first spelling rule, "Q is always followed by U." The last Circle Letter is s. Then teach the letters that begin with a straight line: b, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, t, u, and y. Finally end with e, v, w, x, and z.  For worksheets with arrows to practice the correct formation, join STEPS Teacher Resources.

How do I start teaching the sounds?

Some children begin to learn letters and sounds at a very early age, even 2 or 3 years old. Other kids show no interest and have to be dragged into it! No matter at what age we start teaching them, we want to be sure that they learn the SOUNDS of the letters! Start with the Blue Set of phonograms. Teach them 4 at a time. The best way is to have them write the letters as they say the sounds. Start with the "circle letters." They're the ones that we make starting with a circle. Start with the lower case a, c, d, and g. Say the sounds and write the letter at the same time. Practice writing the letter when he hears the sounds and also saying the sounds when presented with the letter. Even if your child isn't ready for writing the letters yet, use the letter sounds whenever you can. Have him bring you the /a//A//ah/ magnetic letter from the fridge. Have him say the sounds of sponge tub letters in the bath!
As soon as the child knows those first 4 letters, have him begin to read nonsense words with them. You'll need to explain that letters say their most common sound first, so we use the short A sound in these words. Try: dad, gag, cag, dag, gad, cad. Work on reading them quickly. Add new letter cards as you teach them.
Flip through the cards helping your child to decode these nonsense words as you build them. Watch as this child discovers rhyming words with the cards he knows.

Teach handwriting strokes quickly before starting letters.

So you're ready to get started? No matter what age your learner is, he'll learn the phonograms easier if he writes them as he says them. That multi-sensory stuff stores the little bits of info in multiple parts of the brain at the same time. Research shows that we can recall things better if they trigger more senses at once. So before you get too deep in the sounds, do some quick instruction on the handwriting strokes. We need 6 separate strokes to write all the letters in manuscrip, or printing and 6 for cursive. You don't have to belabor this. Just get some language of instruction clear. This is especially true if your child or student you're working with is a lefty! They seem naturally want to write letters top to bottom and right to left! This is a battle worth fighting. With very young kids, you can set some foundations here that will help them with both writing and reading. Here, Janet works with students on the cursive strokes. She makes sure they see her forming the strokes top to bottom and left to right. For more information and resources for teaching handwriting strokes, both manuscript and cursive check out STEPS Teacher Resources, STEP 3. For the complete STEPS Teacher manual, click here.

How soon is too soon?

Many kids are interested in reading at a very early age. As everyone knows, reading aloud to children is vital! Some studies even encourage you to read aloud to your child in the womb. With my oldest, I was in graduate school and read my textbooks aloud. I tried to make them sound exciting. Think... adolescent psychology to the tune of The Three Bears.
However, some kids are happy to be read to and never really express an interest. How to get them started reading is a post for another day!
How do you help a really young child, as young as 2 years old, who shows an interest in learning to read? The important idea is to encourage their interest in a way that focuses on the sounds of the letters, not necessarily just the letter names. This is especially true of those precocious little ones, because later they are the kids who learn to read by memorizing whole words and never really master the sound/symbol relationship required to be good spellers. So encourage them to learn the sounds of the letters. Use the Blue Set of phonogram cards to build words and help your child sound them out and build their own nonsense words. Encourage their writing by providing lined paper. Teach them the handwriting strokes. Let them trace your letters, then draw some dotted letters for tracing, and finally let them copy. Don't insist that they always write on lined paper, but many children really find that the lines help as they're first learning. For more help, download practice paper and other resources from STEPS Teacher Resources - it's not just for teachers! So the answer is it's never too soon to start learning to read! Just be sure to get started off on the right foot for that first STEP!

How does STEPS Support work?

The Sequential Teaching of Explicit Phonics and Spelling, or STEPS, began as a way to help teachers learn how to teach children to read using explicit phonics. At first, we taught teachers face to face in workshops and in traditional graduate classes. The biggest problem has always been how to provide teachers support, answer their questions, and provide modeling exactly when they need it. As anyone who has ever sat through training knows, you can only absorb so much in those boring professional development seminars! When you really need help is when you're standing in front of your class with that flippin' manual in your hand!
We also began working closely with parents. Some had children in our tutoring classes. Some were parents of homeschooled children looking for help in being their child's primary reading teacher. Still others had children in STEPS classes in public or private schools and wanted to be better able to support their kid's learning.
We began to work toward building a training class that could be at the beck and call of a parent or a teacher whenever she needed it. Online training has been the answer! We've designed several classes that help you learn to use STEPS as you teach. Each one is subscription based. You get 24/7 access to your classes and are just a click away from contacting others in your class or us as you work through the class. For a free 2 day trial, try Just Games. To see more, browse STEPS Support.

Welcome to the STEPS Blog!

We're excited to start blogging! This blog is for teachers, parents, tutors, grandparents, EVERYONE who is interested in helping children learn to read. We're teachers and parents ourselves. Visit our official bio page for the whole scoop on who we are.
On our website, we offer online classes for parents and teachers to help them learn to teach kids to read using explicit phonics. We also offer materials to help you teach. Here on the blog, we plan to answer those day to day questions folks have as they work to help the children in their lives learn to read, write, and spell. Think... part Ann Landers and part Dr. Phil! If we don't know the answers to your questions, we know lots and lots of experienced teachers who can help us both. So stay tuned and plan to join us as we enter this exciting new venture!