The Phonetic Reading Chain works…

The PHONETIC READING CHAIN is a masterpiece, an extremely accessible form which is truly the work of genius ... head and shoulders above anything else in print for teaching dyslexic students. Seeing students learn from it is a valuable experience for all teachers. Thank you from all of my students through the years.

Gary Scott Miller, Adult Basic Education
Kwantlen Community College
British Columbia, Canada

WHY IT WORKS

The PRC incorporates several unique features into its highly structured design. When used together, these proven techniques form a simple yet powerful learning model.

ALL SENSORY MODALITIES ARE USED
Each exercise in the daily lessons uses the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic (speaking and writing) learning modalities in varied combinations. This results in lasting retention of learning-to-read skills, and makes the program lively, interesting, and fun.

CONTROLLED READING CONTENT:
This eliminates confusion, because all of the phonetic words in each unit are comprised of only the letter sounds of the current and previous units. All words can be decoded; there is no need to guess. Learned sight words are included.

CHAINED CONTENT:
Each new section is joined to previously taught lessons, forming strong, reinforced links in the phonetic learning chain. Students experience a constant recycling of learned patterns as they read the oral reading material.

WORD BUILDING EXERCISES:
Students learn left-to-right sequencing of learned sounds within syllables, and syllables within words. Accented syllables are underlined in each unit's word lists, but not in the subsequent text (For example: cal, calis, calisthen, calisthenics).

REPETITION
Carefully conceived in many guises, this allows for the necessary review and reinforcement of decoding skills so the goals of correct and automatic word recognition is achieved.

ORAL READING MATERIAL:
This is a must. The visual, auditory, and kinesthetic (VAK) learning modalities must be used simultaneously for lasting results. This also allows for the reading to be monitored.

CUMULATIVE TESTING:
These tests are included in the program, and are administered at the end of each unit. The goal of 90%+ competency is easily attained by following the daily format and reading the oral reading material.

Students of all ages enjoy the fast pace, interesting content and humorous stories.

HOW IT WORKS

Classroom tested and proven, the letter-sound introductions, daily exercises, and student-teacher involvement are carefully orchestrated. Read the outline for the daily exercise structure, view the unit-by-unit letter-sound introductions, and see a sample from a typical unit.

DAILY EXERCISES -The lesson plan

Students and the teacher are actively involved throughout the daily exercises. Simple multisensory teaching techniques - visual, auditory, and kinesthetic - are used in four activities, with each exercise reinforcing the previous one.

The combined use of at least three senses in daily exercises ensures the decoding instruction will be learned, stabilized, and applied in reading words correctly.

Most importantly, instruction from this learning method is retained despite a student's problems associated with visual and auditory memory, directionality, symbol use (letters), and inefficient automatic level of organization (the level that organizes information to - and responses from - the brain).

A brief outline of the daily exercise structure follows, with sensory focus noted:
V for visual (seeing), A for auditory (hearing), K for kinesthetic (speaking and/or writing).

Exercise 1. Fast-paced card drill
(recited in unison by the class, overhead projector may be used)

• Part 1 (VAK): Students read letter names and quickly say their sounds one after the other.
• Part 2 (AK): Students hear the letters' sounds spoken rapidly, and quickly say their letter names.
  
• Part 3 (AK): Students hear the combined letters' sounds spoken rapidly, and orally spell them.

Exercise 2. Written reinforcement of Exercise 1 (performed in unison by the class)

Students see (V) and hear (A) as they say (K) each letter's name while writing (K) it several times.

From dictation (A), they write (K) from left-to-right learned letter sounds within syllables, and syllables within words, as they quietly repeat (A,K) the letters they are writing (K).

Exercise 3. Written and oral sight word spelling (performed in unison by the class)

A modification of Grace Fernald's method. Indicating the phonetic letters that need no memorization, and emphasizing (through the use of VAKK exercises) the particular letters or patterns that must be memorized (for example, ai in said, ould in would, could, should). Students see (V) and hear (A) as they spell orally (A, K) the letters they are writing (K).

Exercise 4. Controlled oral reading

Oral reading is essential for retention, providing the students simultaneous use of visual (seeing the words), auditory (hearing themselves read), and kinesthetic (speaking and subvocalizing). The PRC Oral Reading Books form the heart of the program. Content is designed to be non-confusing and chained to effectively reinforce the learning experience.

As each student takes a turn reading aloud, subvocalization is required by the others. Sub-vocalization, the silent mouthing, articulating, and pronouncing of words, provides students with accurate reading practice, and is the next best thing to reading aloud the entire time.

Unit

Letter Sounds

Example words

1

short a, d, j, m, y, h, t, p, k, l, v, r, f, n, w, z, b

at, am, an... Manhattan, Alabama, vandal

2

short i, wh, th

in, ill, if . . . timid, invalid, infinite

3

short o, qu, s

mop, job. .. opposite, Indianapolis

4

short u, hard c, hard g

pup, pulse... active, condominium

5

short e, x

let, fed. . . hectic, infinitesimal

6,7,8

introduces and develops all initial blends

9

ending blends: -ct, -nt, -nd, etc.

act, spent. . . restrict, insignificant

10

ing, ink, ong, onk, ang, ank, etc.

pink, hang... thankful, orangutan

11

ch, ph, sh, shr, -ck, -tch

shed to Bangladesh; chop to attachments;
sack to Chappaquiddick; patch to Hutchinson;
shrub to shriveling; graph to staphylococcus

12-18

or; er, ir, ur, ar, -sion, -tion; oi, oy, ee, ea

19

endings -my, -ny, -ry, -sy, -ty, -vy, -ly, -dy, etc.

silly, candy. . . approximately, incompatibility,
improbability, inflammatory, compulsory

20

endings -le, -ble, -dle, -ple, etc.

sniffle, tumble. . . agreeable, impenetrable,
indivisible, incompatible

21-25

aw, au, augh; ai, ay, eigh, ou, ow, oo, oa

26

soft c; soft g

center; justice... reminiscence, inconsis-tency
gem, drainage...imaginative, originality,
generosity

27

long a
long e
long i
long o
long u

hatred... alienation... asphyxiation…
eke... extreme... anesthesiology…
private... pesticide... autobiographical…
phony... episode... claustrophobia…
produce... situation... individualism…

28

ar (as in marry)

barricade... necessary… familiarity

29-31

ea (sea); ie (field); ei (seize); oo (foot)

32

t series: ti, -tial, -tious
c series: ci, -cial, -cious

ratio... partial... superstitious
glacier... beneficial… ferocious

33-35

ow (flow); -ture (picture); er (very)

36

endings -ous, -eous, -ious, -uous

famous... intravenous; hideous ...
simultaneously.
studious... industrious; strenuous ... inconspicuously

37

ch (sh); ch (k)

chef... chivalrous; anchor... characteristically

38

miscellaneous ambiguities

aisle... colonel... mesa... reservoir… muscle...
queue. . . etiquette. . . etc.