Level 1 - Reading Readiness

The skills learned and developed here are the fundamental elements, the primary essentials, to performing and mastering the skills in the ensuing levels. Completion of this level is strongly suggested for all students of Discover e-Reading and achievement of the goals will establish a strong foundation for rapid development of the skills needed to become a proficient reader.

Goals :

• Have the student learn that every letter has a sound equivalent
• Have the student understand that there is a sound to symbol relationship in all text.

Reading Readiness teaches the student that every letter has a sound equivalent. That letters are pictures of the sounds we use when we speak. Students hear the sounds and learn how the sounds match the pictures. The sounds for the letters A-Z are called "consonants" (realizing of course that the letters A- Z are made up of vowels and consonants - here we are referring to the sounds of the letters) and should be pronounced exactly as they are heard. The exercises provided at the end of each lesson are designed to reinforce verbal knowledge of each consonant sound and give the student the opportunity to practice at their own pace until they have mastered the concept. In addition the exercises at the end of each lesson also develop and improve a child's fine motor skills.

It is very important that the student learns and knows that every letter in the alphabet is a picture of the sounds they speak. Parents and teachers must be exact in helping the student understand the sound associated with each letter (picture). For instance, with the letter f, make sure that the student uses the sound "f" instead of allowing the student to say "fa". Another common mistake that students make is to call the letter by its name, such as for "c" saying the letter name, "see". Finally, it is important for students to realize that each sound is separate, C, A, T. Many students try to link sounds such as "ca" "t" and don't give each letter (picture) a separate sound. With these few tips each student will quickly learn the sounds and be ready to move on and become a strong reader. Once again, the completion and mastery of this level is required for all students before moving on to Level 2 and beyond.

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