Creator of The Ladder of Reading & Writing
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Secret Code Actions™
(click each sample image to enlarge)
TEACHER EDITION SAMPLES
Here are some samples of pages from my book, to enable teachers to see how the secrets of the code are revealed simply and creatively throughout Secret Code Actions™. The segmented presentation of information is designed so that students (and their teachers!) learn about the important and fascinating English alphabetic code in ways that are manageable, interrelated and fun!
Introduction / Guide to Using:
Click here to download a PDF sampling the first part of the book, including part of the Guide to Using.
Chapter 1: /er/
Here is the sound /er/. The slashes tell us this is a speech sound (phoneme) heard in spoken words. To read we need to be able to go from what we hear in speech to what symbolizes that speech in writing. Phoneme /er/ is represented by six graphemes, the letter patterns in the angled brackets. You will see that the right-hand page contains tips for teachers, including ways to help your students learn the concept as well as information that will help you know which students might have more difficulty mastering this phoneme.
Chapter 2: <or>
Here is the symbol <or>. Now we are looking from the opposite direction, from the written symbol (grapheme) to the sounds (phonemes) represented by that symbol. We need to be able to go in both directions, grapheme-to-phoneme to read and phoneme-to-grapheme to spell. As you can see, that the keywords and movements are cross-referenced to help your students learn the correspondences (see /er/= <or> in the above sample page for Chapter 1). Again, more tips and activities are on the right-hand side, to help you strengthen your students’ learning further!
Chapter 3: r-controlled syllables
Learning the six syllable types is valuable for many students, and especially important for your students with dyslexia. The whole class can engage in the fun chant before all students or only certain students (vary this) perform the movement. The words and actions will help your students remember the unique features of this syllable. Note that you are expanding and practicing a concept presented in Chapters 1 and 2, as seen on the pages for /er/ and <or> above.
Chapter 4: Bully-e Goes into Hiding!
Most reading/spelling programs call English spelling conventions rules or generalizations–but Secret Code Actions™uses the fun acronym MOTT. There may be exceptions to some rules, but this term reminds learners that English is predictable Most Of The Time. Each of the 14 MOTTs in Chapter 4 has a unique and creative name. If your students are practicing the spelling variation for VCe words beginning with <r> (see Frog or Monster below), and the word ends with a suffix beginning with a vowel, be sure they have learned Bully-e Goes into Hiding!
Chapter 5: Frog or Monster!
What a fun activity to use to help your students learn how to discern between an r in front of the vowel and an r-controlled vowel. Start them out listening only, and then gradually expand to using the same activity for spelling practice. Help your students get the needed repetition for skill mastery by playing Frog or Monster in the classroom, in the gym and even out on the playground on a fine day!
