I have finished working through the Cracking the ABC Code program. What can I do next?
It is important that you continue to revise the material learned. An easy and fun way to do this is using the games and activities provided for each level (see Downloadable Resources). You may also find that after a break, your child will benefit from completing the next level of material or working through one of the other programs (Editing, Writing Creatively, Spelling, etc).
My daughter dislikes the timing element of the program and gets very upset.
Many students find the timing element very motivational. However, there are some students who become stressed from this level of perceived pressure. For these students, I would suggest that you put the timer away and concentrate on accuracy. In the boxes record how many errors are made (include all words that are not immediately read fluently and correctly without having to be sounded out). The goal is to continue practising to read the list until it can be read fluently without errors.
I have chosen the wrong level for my child and it is taking him a long time to learn to read the column of words in one minute. What should I do?
If you spend too long on any one activity it will turn the process into a negative experience. Try halving the work load. Work on half a column a day, which means you will only cover two columns a week (these should be columns 1 and 3). Similarly, only do 2 or 3 comprehension questions a day (the ones that relate to the words you are currently learning). Spend two days learning the oral reading passage (passages 1 and 3). On the first day have the child read the passage and practise words that are causing difficulty. On the second day, concentrate on the meeting the time goal. You will find although your child will not have the same level of vocabulary development, he will still make good progress. It is more important that the material that is learned is learned well. Alternatively, you could purchase the level below.
My son confuses /a/ and /u/ as well as /e/ and /i/.
This is a very common problem. In the Sound Hearing book you will find a whole range of exercises that deal with this and other similar problems.
Why aren’t the real words in the vocabulary section always syllabified according to the simplified syllabification rules used in the nonsense word section?
The simplified syllabification rules is a technique taught to students so that they have an easy strategy for decoding (reading) unfamiliar words. Unfortunately, because there are inconsistencies in the English language, this strategy is not always 100% accurate. However, it usually provides a close enough representation of the word that students are able to work out the correct pronunciation. In the original version of the Multisensory Reading programs the real words were syllabified according to the simplified rules. However, at times this interfered with students’ ability to read the words accurately and fluently and consequently the decision was made to syllabify the words according to how they are actually pronounced (although it is acknowledged that there are likely to be regional and dialect variations).