Sample of the Grapheme & Picture: Multisensory Reading Program Level 1.
1. This section is the key to the success of the program. Five letters are introduced each week. Each letter is linked to a key word that begins with the most common pronunciation of the letter. Unlike other programs, the picture associated with the letter not only begins with the sound of the letter but also has some resemblance to the shape of that letter. This process of embedding has been demonstrated to be an effective technique for learning letters (see Shmidmann & Ehri, 2010).
2. A space is provided for you to print (using a black marker) the letter, using the correct formation and shape that the student is being taught at school. At the beginning of each session the student traces over the letter while saying the sound of the letter and the accompanying key word (e.g., /a/ for apple NOT /ay/ for apple).
4. The student practises writing the lower case version of the letter. It is important to make sure the student begins the letter in the correct position, moves in the correct direction and positions the letter correctly on the lines.
5. Each day the student practises the 5 letters being learned that week by singing the song to the tune of ‘Skip to My Lou’ while using the listed movements and an appropriate action (e.g., for ants on the apple – make a fist with one hand to represent an apple and then run the fingers of the other hand over the ‘apple’ to represent the ants). Incorporating the actions is very important as research shows that movement enhances learning (see for example, Cook, Yip, & Goldin-Meadow, 2010).
Ants on the apples /a/ /a/ /a/
[Action resembling ants on an apple] [trace over the letter]
Ants on the apples /a/ /a/ /a/
[Action resembling ants on an apple] [trace over the letter]
Ants on the apples /a/ /a/ /a/
[Action resembling ants on an apple] [trace over the letter]
Lear-ning sounds is ea-sy.
[Slap partner’s hand crossing the mid-line]
References
Cook, S., Yip, T., & Goldin-Meadow, S., (2010). Gesturing makes memories that last, Journal of Memory and Language, 63 (4), 465-475
Shmidman, A., & Ehri, L. (2010). Embedded picture mnemonics to learn letters Scientific Studies of Reading, 14 (2), 159
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