At the River and Other Stories for Adult Emergent Readers helps English learners with basic reading and writing skills, including:
The alphabetic principle: sound/symbol correspondence
Letter formation, uppercase and lowercase
Blending sounds into words
Common sight words
Print concepts
Phonics: short vowels, single consonants, and digraphs sh, ch, th, and ck
At the River and Other gives students the opportunity to acquire basic literacy skills in English. Phonics exercises provide direct instruction in letter sounds, letter formation and blending. Each of the ten units offers one or more decodable stories so that students can put their decoding abilities to work right away in a meaningful context. The stories about Pam, Bob and their family relate directly to students' lives. Story themes include: family, the household, transportation, clothing, shopping, health, work, and daily routines.
For more information, click here: At the River, Wayzgoose Press. Teacher's guide available free of charge.
Target Audience for At the River
- ESL students who speak a non-Roman alphabet language and are nonliterate or semiliterate in their first language (L1)
- ESL students who are literate in a non-Roman alphabet language
- Students who speak a Roman alphabet language but have gaps in their formal education and/or L1 literacy skills
- Adults, adolescents or children who are learning to read for the first time
- Adults, adolescents or children who need reinforcement in basic literacy skills in English
At the Lake and Other Stories for Adult Emergent Readers continues the ESL literacy instruction found in At the River. Skills include:
Long vowel sounds and common spellings
Consonant blends
Review: short vowels, single consonants, digraphs sh, ch, th, and ck
Rhyming words and word families
Basic comprehension: Who, when, where, what, why, yes/no questions
Reading fluency
Common sight words
Prerequisite skills:
- Write the letters of the Roman alphabet
- Know consonant sounds well
- Identify short vowel sounds
For more information, click here: At the Lake, Wayzgoose Press. Teacher's guide and audio files available free of charge.
Answer key for exercises: At the Lake answer key
Target Audience for At the Lake
- Adults in community college or adult education programs who need to strengthen literacy skills
- Preteens and adolescents who have some literacy in their L1 and can write the Roman alphabet
- Children, second grade and up, who need phonics and fluency instruction
- Preteens and adolescents who have some literacy in their L1 and can write the Roman alphabet
- Children, second grade and up, who need phonics and fluency instruction
Learning Environments
- Traditional classroom setting
- Small groups of learners
- One on one tutoring
- Community colleges
- K-12 schools
- Home schools
- Literacy councils and organizations
- Faith-based ESL or literacy programs
