OUR APPROACH

A SIMPLE VIEW OF READING THE SCIENCE OF READING

A Formula introduced by Gough and Tuner in 1986.

A Simple View of Reading is a mathematical formula that can be used to predict reading comprehension.

A Students Reading Comprehension (RC) score can be predicted if decoding (D) skills and Language Comprehension (LC) abilities are known.

Scarborough's Rope, a visual tool used to teach reading and literacy, illustrating the connection between phonological awareness and reading skills.

BRIGANCE EARLY CHILDHOOD SCREENING ASSESSMENTS

"Brigance reading readiness test" refers to the reading-related assessments within the Brigance Early Childhood Screen, a comprehensive developmental screening tool used to evaluate young children's skills across various domains, including reading and language development. It assesses a child’s abilities in phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and comprehension, offering a holistic view of their literacy progress. By measuring a wide range of literacy skills, the Brigance Test helps educators tailor their instruction to meet each student’s specific needs, promoting a well-rounded literacy education. All children will be assessed before beginning any of our programs.

STUDENT-CENTRED APPROACH

 

At A Level Up, we take a personalized and student-centered approach to learning. We believe every child is unique, so we tailor each lesson to their individual needs, building a strong foundation in early literacy skills. By using proven methods from the Science of Reading, we focus on phonological awareness, phonics instruction, heart words, and fluency building in a fun, engaging way. Our expert tutors work closely with each child to boost their confidence and foster a love for learning, all within a flexible and supportive online environment.

Graphic illustrating the student-centered approach to learning by Collins and O'Brian (2003), highlighting key principles such as personalized learning, active engagement, and collaborative problem-solving.

ACCELERATED READING PATHWAY

Curriculum:

1. Phonological Awareness and Phonemic Awareness

  • Science of Reading Foundation: Phonemic awareness is the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. This is the foundation for understanding how letters represent sounds in written words.
  • Alignment: The Pathway includes phonological awareness activities, which are vital early steps in reading instruction. 
  • Online Implementation:
    • Games and activities 
    • Interactive learning exercises to detect letter sounds or syllables
    • Fun visual aids and animations to illustrate blending and segmenting sounds.

2. Letter-Sound Correspondence (Phonics)

  • Science of Reading Foundation: Phonics is critical because it teaches children the relationship between letters and sounds, which is key for decoding words.
  • Alignment: The Pathway starts by teaching letter sounds in a sequence, allowing students to begin blending these sounds into words. This systematic approach is a key principle of the Science of Reading.
  • Online Implementation:
    • Introduce letters and sounds using engaging resources 
    • Provide opportunities for children to practice letter sounds 
    • Regular practice of letter-sound correspondences using games

3. Building Words and CVC Words

  • Science of Reading Foundation: Decoding simple words using phonics rules is a core component of the Science of Reading. CVC words are foundational for children to practice sound-to-letter connections.
  • Alignment: The Pathway introduces CVC words as soon as 6 letter sounds are mastered, following the phonics progression model.
  • Online Implementation:
    • Use interactive tools that allow children to build and decode CVC words.
    • Activities like word-building puzzles or dragging and dropping letters to form words.
    • Read-aloud sessions

4. Heart Words

  • Science of Reading Foundation: While phonics is the primary focus, the Science of Reading acknowledges that some words cannot be easily decoded and need to be memorized (e.g., “the,” “was,” “have”).
  • Alignment: The Pathway teaches heart words alongside phonics, which is a balance between decoding and memorizing high-frequency words that children will encounter often.
  • Online Implementation:
    • Introduce heart words using contextual usage and repetition.
    • Use games to help children recognize these words.
    • Include heart word activities within CVC word practice, reinforcing their recognition in context.

5. Fluency

  • Science of Reading Foundation: Fluency involves reading with accuracy, speed, and proper expression. It develops over time as children practice decoding words and recognizing high-frequency sight words.
  • Alignment: Once children can recognize CVC words and some heart words, they begin reading simple sentences and phrases. This promotes fluency.
  • Online Implementation:
    • Children practice reading aloud to the tutor.
    • Provide opportunities for repeated reading of short, simple books aligned with what has been learned.
    • Track progress through interactive assessments that measure fluency. 

6. Building Sentences and Phrases

  • Science of Reading Foundation: The ability to read whole sentences relies on children applying their phonics skills to decode unfamiliar words and recognizing sight words.
  • Alignment: The Pathway scaffolds reading with sentences and phrases as soon as children are comfortable with individual words. This aligns with the Science of Reading’s focus on comprehension through increasing text complexity.
  • Online Implementation:
    • Provide exercises that include sentences with both CVC and sight words.
    • Offer practice reading short sentences, with visual aids to support comprehension (e.g., illustrations that correspond to the text).
    • Encourage guided reading sessions where children read simple phrases or sentences aloud.

7. Comprehension and Vocabulary

  1. Science of Reading Foundation: Comprehension is built on a solid foundation of word recognition and phonics skills. Additionally, vocabulary development should be integrated throughout the learning process.
  2. Alignment: The Pathway moves children toward reading books carefully written for their level, which isolates phonetic elements and sight words. This progression helps enhance vocabulary and comprehension in context.
  3. Online Implementation:
    • Comprehension questions to check understanding
    • Discuss new vocabulary words that children may encounter in stories, using visuals and simple definitions.
    • Use interactive stories or short books that focus on themes or contexts children can relate to, promoting both comprehension and vocabulary development.

8. Lesson Frequency and Engagement

  • Science of Reading Foundation: Regular and consistent practice is key to successful literacy development, especially for young children.
  • Alignment: The Pathway’s frequency of lessons (3 times a week) supports consistent and regular engagement. The Science of Reading emphasizes frequent exposure and practice.
  • Online Implementation:
    • Design lessons that are interactive to maintain high levels of engagement.
    • Offer brief but frequent sessions (30 - 60 minutes) keeping lessons engaging and manageable.

 

 

*All lessons come with hands on activities and games (PDFs). As well as a list of materials that children can use to help in

mastering decoding and encoding. (Reading and Spelling)

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Learning Outcomes

  1. At A Level Up, our tutoring program is designed to help children achieve key literacy milestones. Skills that will last a lifetime . . 
  2. Master Letter-Sound Correspondence: Recognize and confidently blend letter sounds to form simple words.
  3. Build Phonological Awareness: Identify and manipulate sounds in words, such as rhyming, segmenting, and blending.
  4. Expand Sight Word Recognition: Recognize and read high-frequency words to improve fluency.
  5. Improve Reading Fluency: Read simple sentences with accuracy, expression, and speed.
  6. Enhance Comprehension Skills: Understand basic story elements and respond to simple questions based on text.
  7. Develop Confidence in Writing: Begin to write simple words and sentences, reinforcing sound-to-letter connections.
  8. Our goal is to provide children with the foundational skills needed for a lifetime of successful reading and writing.

"At A Level Up, we combine the Science of Reading with Montessori principles to create an

accelerated reading pathway for children. Our personalized tutoring helps kids develop strong reading

and writing skills, ensuring they thrive in a supportive, engaging learning environment."