A Reading Program Using Phonemic Awareness

A quick summary of the My Reading Coach program is that it first teaches phonemic awareness with letters and phonics. These tools allow the student to sound out words. The program then introduces sight words that don't follow rules. Finally, it shows the learner what to do when confronting words with two, three, or more syllables. At various points, the My Reading Coach program will say that there are offline lessons that can be done. These lessons include reading comprehension worksheets and other learning aids. Using those, a learner can go beyond the ability to read words and actually start seeing the ideas communicated by the words.

The heart of My Reading Coach is Jim Larrabee, a veteran teacher and speech pathologist. His proven methodology formed the basis of this reading program. He is also the face of the program since he appears in all lessons and activities.

 

Reading Assessment

The My Reading Coach program initially has the student go through a Placement Test. This assesses his/her initial reading ability. Based on how well the learner does, the program assigns lessons as needed.

This means that the program will adjust to more advanced users by skipping some of the basic concepts that they have already mastered--helping to avoid student boredom and disinterest.

 

Instructional Lessons

Via animations and videos of Jim Larrabee, the program introduces the learner to consonants, short/long vowels, letter formation, homonyms, word endings, syllabication, correct sound pronunciation, phonics, spelling patterns, and word attack strategies--all the basic tools needed for someone to comprehend what he/she is reading.

During each lesson, My Reading Coach gives the learner a series of activities and exercises based on the topic covered. Using Larrabee's methodology, the program is able to give immediate feedback for incorrect answers--such as, "You have the sounds backwards." Once the student has mastered the concepts of the lesson, the program advances to the next one the student needs to cover. My Reading Coach keeps track of each learner's skills and progress.

 

Reading Comprehension and Other Worksheets

The program also includes optional "off-line" worksheets that can be printed out. These can be used to help reinforce a lesson or as homework. They include the following skills:

• Reading Comprehension
• Reading
• Writing
• Spelling
• Memory aids for rules

The Reading Comprehension activities are for helping teach the learner how to understand what they are reading. They use words found in previously mastered lessons, so there is an added sense of accomplishment for the student as they see their reading ability improve.

 

Reviewing Material to Ensure Mastery

At certain points, the program will have the learner take a Review Test. This test covers all the topics covered up to that point. If the student does not show sufficient mastery of a topic, the program will automatically re-assign the corresponding lesson for the learner to take again. This helps make sure topics have been mastered and are retained in long-term memory. Students receive "Certificates" (which can be printed out) once a review test is passed.