"Children that cannot read, cannot excel."

This is a copy of a letter written to a STEPS teacher.

Dear Mrs. C***,
Our family cannot begin to thank you for the turn around we have witnessed in Jordan's ability to read. It has improved his attitude and self-confidence in all areas of his school work. Last year about this time we had a second grade child that had a reading level that was barely first grade. He was unwilling to participate in any classroom activities that involved reading because he was embarrassed. He had great Math skills but once his class began reading their own instructions, even his math grades suffered. He hated to read at home because he stumbled over every word. It was an emotional ordeal for all of us. We purchased every program and every game that you can name to help him improve (including Hooked on Phonics), to no avail.

STEPS Spring 2012 Online Graduate Class

The STEPS Online Graduate class officially begins Monday! You can join us any time before February 27th. You do the class independently, at your own pace. You just have to finish before May 1st. Work as slowly or as quickly as you like. Parking is free and you can do your classwork in your slippers. You can have 3 hours of graduate credit under your belt BEFORE summer begins!

http://stepsreadingcenter.com/

We're up and running! Check out our all new website!

We are SO excited to finally be unveiling our new and much improved STEPS website. We've been able to add lots of FREE areas and slash prices on the STEPS Teacher Manual. Even if you are an old friend, you'll need a new account, but it's painless and free. We really want it to be perfect, so bounce us a line at any problems you see! Enjoy and help us spread the word on the NEW STEPS website! Click on the title link to visit our new site!

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.