gdata.io.handleScriptLoaded({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","xmlns$blogger":"http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2522593221428423055"},"updated":{"$t":"2020-08-26T08:12:09.894-05:00"},"category":[{"term":"homeschooling"},{"term":"IEP"},{"term":"liquid watercolor art activities"},{"term":"children's books"},{"term":"siblings"},{"term":"curriculum"},{"term":"OT"},{"term":"busy book"},{"term":"Testy Shop"},{"term":"Testy Homeschool \u0026 Teacher Shop"},{"term":"crafts"},{"term":"CEU Challenge"},{"term":"review"},{"term":"cardsets"},{"term":"quiet book"},{"term":"light box"},{"term":"preschool"},{"term":"language"},{"term":"therapy"},{"term":"Michael"},{"term":"supplements"},{"term":"weeklyreview"},{"term":"daily life"},{"term":"tidbits"},{"term":"blogging"},{"term":"audiofiles"},{"term":"app"},{"term":"giveaway"},{"term":"reference"},{"term":"car ride activities"},{"term":"Apraxia"},{"term":"Ava"},{"term":"SLP"},{"term":"articulation"},{"term":"Dala"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Testy yet trying"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":"A Speech Pathologist Mother and Her Daughter Diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech"},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/-/curriculum?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026max-results\u003d6"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/-/curriculum?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026max-results\u003d6"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/search/label/curriculum"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Dala"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09390391982768152147"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//lh3.googleusercontent.com/zFdxGE77vvD2w5xHy6jkVuElKv-U9_9qLkRYK8OnbDeJPtjSZ82UPq5w6hJ-SA\u003ds35"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"https://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"2"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"6"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2522593221428423055.post-5778063576585666044"},"published":{"$t":"2013-08-26T05:00:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-08-26T05:00:00.656-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"curriculum"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"review"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"homeschooling"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"All About Reading - Level 2: Curriculum Review"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ch2\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1184\"\u003eAll About Reading: Level 2\u003c/a\u003e - A Homeschooling Parent's Review\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W7KcgeJhhCo/Uhab8K6jmsI/AAAAAAAAEkU/0eHx4DReyck/s1600/All+About+Reading+Level+2.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W7KcgeJhhCo/Uhab8K6jmsI/AAAAAAAAEkU/0eHx4DReyck/s320/All+About+Reading+Level+2.jpg\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eBackground\u003c/h3\u003e I am a certified Elementary and Early Childhood teacher and a certified Speech-Language Pathologist.  I am homeschooling my kindergartener and preschooler.  My son was always precocious where reading is concerned.  He's reading independently at this point and I credit our experiences with \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1144\"\u003eAll About Reading\u003c/a\u003e for much of that.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e Even as a toddler, he was always interested in his letters.  When we read \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0066U1SJU/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003dB0066U1SJU\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003eChicka Chicka Boom Boom\u003c/a\u003e to him as a toddler he was very interested in identifying all the letters at the beginning and end of the book.  We fed that interest.  He just loved to tune into letters and their sounds.  So, a little over a year ago, when I began to think about homeschooling I decided to dip my toe into the water, so to speak, with a reading program.  Michael loved letters.  I loved reading.  It seemed like a great place to start.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e After researching many programs and trying the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1146\"\u003efree sample materials\u003c/a\u003e for All About Reading Level 1, I decided that I wanted to go with the All About Reading curriculum.  I wanted a phonics based program.  Research supports a solid understanding of phonics as being essential to reading.  I also knew I wanted a program that specifically addressed fluency.  The fluency sheets in this program are well designed to practice single words, phrases, and sentences.  The readers are exquisite and address phonics skills at the story level and reading comprehension at the same time.  The flash cards teach sight words to mastery.  The teacher's manual ties together all of these elements in an easy to teach way.  I liked the design of the program.  I liked it a lot.  Also, they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee for a whole year.  \u003cb\u003eYou have a full year to try the materials.\u003c/b\u003e  If you are unhappy for any reason, just return the materials for a full refund.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e When I received them, the materials were amazing.  The program is comprehensive and full-featured.  The \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1185\"\u003eactive online forums\u003c/a\u003e were helpful more than once.  The customer service was prompt and went above and beyond to be helpful (they sent me out a free replacement CD-ROM that I had lost).  After completing Level 1 with Michael I purchased Level 2 for Michael and the Pre-Reading Level for Ava.  That is how happy I am with the reading programs by the All About Learning Press.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eProgram Overview - All About Reading: Level 2\u003c/h3\u003e The program is multi-faceted.  You get two lovely hardback readers.  The black \u0026 white line drawing illustrations are beautiful and Michael found the stories to be genuinely entertaining.  The words used in each story are matched to highlight the new phonics concepts recently taught and review phonics already mastered.  You have a box of index cards that lets you review sight words and phonograms (the sounds that are associated with each letter or letter combination).  There are magnetic letter tiles that help you build words and practice blending and breaking words apart.  The teacher's manual is well written and easy to follow along with.  You are walked through exactly what to do and when.  Lessons move along at a pace that introduce new concepts while still reviewing the old ones so that concepts are consistently practiced until mastered.  The lessons are accompanied by fluency pages for essential practice and fun games and activities that my children absolutely adore.  They even include a progress chart to keep track of lesson progress with stickers and a certificate of achievement for the end of the level.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e For the most part, the lessons follow an A B pattern.  In the first lesson you teach a new phonics concept, play a game or activity to reinforce using that concept to decode words, and read fluency sheets that feature words that use the new phonics concept.  Then you practice flash cards with words that use the concept.  Those cards are then intermixed with the other flash cards that are not yet mastered for review at the beginning of the next lesson.  In the second lesson of each pair, you begin with a pre-reading worksheet that previews key words and phrases that will be in the story.  The lesson plan walks you through some brief pre-reading conversation designed to activate prior knowledge and then the child reads the story from the reader to you.  There is some kind of post-reading discussion or activity to be done after the reading of the story.  I often begin the second lesson in each pair by having Michael choose one story from the reader that he has already read to re-read before we move on to the new material.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eOrganizing the Materials and Using the Program\u003c/h3\u003e Michael and I are 10 lessons away from finishing \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1184\"\u003eAll About Reading: Level \u003c/a\u003e2.  We have loved going through the program and are anxiously awaiting the release of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1186\"\u003eLevel 3\u003c/a\u003e.  When I received the program materials there was a lot of preparation.  I spent at least a couple of hours - maybe more - getting all the materials organized.  All of the flashcards are printed on full sheets and have to be torn apart along the perforated lines and then placed behind the appropriate index card dividers in the index box.  I took all of the activities and fluency pages out of the student book (again along perforated lines) and 3-hole punched them and put them in a binder.  I did the same with the lesson plans.  That way I have everything I need in one binder.  I keep all of the materials together in a single bin on a nearby bookshelf.  When it is time for Michael's reading we simply have to grab the bin and go.  (Here's a peek in our bin.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e   \u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cOLYD8cZVJk/UhaeDzNuF4I/AAAAAAAAEkg/-rtAN_vRx-s/s1600/All+About+Reading+_+Level+2+What's+in+the+box.JPG\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cOLYD8cZVJk/UhaeDzNuF4I/AAAAAAAAEkg/-rtAN_vRx-s/s400/All+About+Reading+_+Level+2+What's+in+the+box.JPG\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Once the initial preparation is done, very little planning time is needed after that.  At the end of each lesson I let Michael have a few minutes of free time (no more than 5 minutes usually) while I preview the next lesson.  I highlight the sections of the lesson plan I need to focus on.  I cut out the parts of the activity for the next day.  I make a few notes about how the day's lesson went and what I want to remember for next time.  That way, everything is absolutely ready to go for the next day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eTime Commitment\u003c/h3\u003eOnce the initial setup is done, planning does not require more than 5-10 minutes (at most) per lesson.  If you're happy to cut a few things out during a lesson rather than before, preparation time is even less.  The program is designed to be done with a teacher.  It is not the type of curriculum where you can set a child up and then let them work independently while you do something else.  You need 30-60 minutes at least 3-5 days a week to devote to this.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eDownload Free Samples\u003c/h3\u003eYou can download generously sized free samples of key program components like the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1187\"\u003eteacher's manual\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1188\"\u003estudent activity book\u003c/a\u003e, and the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1189\"\u003efirst\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1190\"\u003esecond hardback readers\u003c/a\u003e.  It isn't quite try before you buy, because the included lessons are not consecutive, but it is enough to get a good feel for how the program works.  The teacher's manual includes the table of contents, introduction, and lessons 1, 4, 5, 27, 38.  The student activity book samples include some sample games and activities and some sample fluency pages.  The sample from the first reader includes 3 entire stories out of the 12 stories in the reader.  The sample from the second reader also includes three full stories of the eleven in the reader, including Pumpkin and the Kitten.  We just read this one last week.  Michael was fascinated by the story and Ava abandoned her independent play to come over and follow along while he read it.  When Pumpkin is jealous of the new kitten and verbalizes a plan to get rid of the kitten Michael's voice got very quiet and his sister and I had to strain to hear him.  He obviously found the story to be quite powerful.  Both children were delighted when Pumpkin learned to give the kitten a chance at the end of the story.  The storybook samples are definitely worth checking out!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eWhich of the products I actually bought.\u003c/h3\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbsolutely necessary:\u003c/b\u003e  You definitely need the teacher's manual and one student packet for each student you will be teaching with the program.  You'll definitely need the two readers as well.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e\u003cb\u003eVery nice to have:\u003c/b\u003e  I very much enjoy having the reading review box and the index divider cards.  You could just as easily buy an inexpensive index card box and make your own divider cards though.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e   \u003cb\u003eDepends on the child:\u003c/b\u003e  The letter tiles and magnets for the letter tiles are considered to be a main part of the program.  If you have a child who is tactile and learns best with manipulatives you'll want these.  I bought them, but rarely use them.  Instead I use a small dry erase board and dry erase markers for the sections of the program that are designed for the magnet tiles.  I find it quicker and more space efficient and Michael simply doesn't need to move tiles around to get the phonics concepts.  In fact, when I do get them out he's distracted and I spend more time keeping him on task.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e    \u003ci\u003eSome of the links in this post are affiliate links.  If you click on one of those links and make a purchase a portion of your purchase will go towards offsetting the costs of running this blog.  I purchased all of the products I reviewed in this post on my own, long before I started using affiliate links and the opinions expressed are completely my own.\u003c/i\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/feeds/5778063576585666044/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/all-about-reading-level-2-curriculum.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/5778063576585666044"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/5778063576585666044"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/all-about-reading-level-2-curriculum.html","title":"All About Reading - Level 2: Curriculum Review"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Dala"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09390391982768152147"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//lh3.googleusercontent.com/zFdxGE77vvD2w5xHy6jkVuElKv-U9_9qLkRYK8OnbDeJPtjSZ82UPq5w6hJ-SA\u003ds35"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W7KcgeJhhCo/Uhab8K6jmsI/AAAAAAAAEkU/0eHx4DReyck/s72-c/All+About+Reading+Level+2.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2522593221428423055.post-499316303888026431"},"published":{"$t":"2013-08-05T05:00:00.000-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2013-08-05T10:27:27.022-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"curriculum"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"review"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"homeschooling"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Curriculum Review: All About Reading - Pre Reading"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ch2\u003eAll About Reading: Pre-Reading - A Review\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eMaS3I_Ck_M/UflHOLXQ0CI/AAAAAAAAEeA/cSjjhyoSVPQ/s1600/All+About+Reading+Pre+Reading+Program.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eMaS3I_Ck_M/UflHOLXQ0CI/AAAAAAAAEeA/cSjjhyoSVPQ/s320/All+About+Reading+Pre+Reading+Program.jpg\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e So you know where I'm coming from, let me give you a little bit of background about myself.  I have an undergraduate degree in psychology, a master's degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education, a second master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology, and was just shy of getting a doctorate in Communication Disorders with a focus on Reading when life took a detour into motherhood a little earlier than I had planned.  Priorities shifted, and lots happened in between, but now I'm homeschooling my preschooler and kindergartner.  Because I have such a strong background in education I really enjoyed searching for just the right reading curriculum for my little ones and when I found \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1144\"\u003eAll About Reading\u003c/a\u003e I fell in love.  I've been using their curriculum materials for over a year now and I have personally purchased and used the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1145\"\u003ePre-Reading program\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1146\"\u003eLevel 1 program\u003c/a\u003e and the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1147\"\u003eLevel 2 program\u003c/a\u003e with my children.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eProgram Overview - All About Reading: Pre-Reading Program\u003c/h3\u003e The program takes your child through the alphabet twice.  First you do uppercase letter activities and then lowercase letter activities.  You are working on letter recognition, letter sound correspondances, pre-reading skills (such as finding specific letters on a page, parsing print on a page into words, reading from left to right, etc.), and critical phonological awareness skills such as rhyme, syllable awareness, and isolating initial, final, and vowel sounds in words.  All of these skills are critical pre-reading skills.  I really wish the All About Learning Press would publish a stand alone phonological awareness program for children who are fine with the visual aspects of pre-reading, but seem to really struggle with the phonological awareness part of things.  Speech-pathologists that work with young children would LOVE it.  But I digress.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e Each lesson teaches one letter.  You show the letter, read one to three short stories or poems featuring that letter, do a simple craft-based activity page with that letter, and do a phonological awareness activity.  The lessons are pretty short.  If your child isn't craft oriented or you choose to omit the craft the lesson may only take 5-10 minutes.  If your child really lingers over the craft it may take as much as 20 minutes.  If you supplement the program (more on that later), you might spend 30 minutes on the lesson.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eOrganizing the Materials and Using the Program\u003c/h3\u003e I'm using the program with my four year old daughter.  With my son I skipped the Pre-Reading Level and started with Level 1, but Ava has a history of a speech disorder called apraxia.  Children with apraxia often have co-existing problems with phonological awareness and struggle with reading as they progress through school so I particularly wanted Ava to have a good grounding in phonological awareness skills.  I specifically chose to start her with the pre-reading level because of the phonological awareness component.  Also, Michael was starting homeschooling in earnest and Ava was feeling left out.  She wasn't ready for Level One, but she was tired of watching her brother get to do reading every day without being able to do reading herself.  And so we invested in the AAR: Pre-Reading Program.   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e   We keep all of our materials for a specific lesson (Ava's reading, Michael's reading, Math, Handwriting, etc.) in a bin on a shelf in our schoolroom.  Here's Ava's reading bin.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-by7y3l1B6Rk/UflVKjaD-kI/AAAAAAAAEeQ/wBNPrWh54dI/s1600/All+About+Reading+_+Pre-reading+Storage.JPG\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-by7y3l1B6Rk/UflVKjaD-kI/AAAAAAAAEeQ/wBNPrWh54dI/s400/All+About+Reading+_+Pre-reading+Storage.JPG\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Inside I have a binder (where I put the teacher's manual pages, activity pages, and keep the progress chart), the two hardback books that come with the program, and the card box with dividers and phonological awareness cards). You'll also find our ziggy puppet in there.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f0NnURBTIyU/UflVSH6_eyI/AAAAAAAAEec/PPpf6SHcs7E/s1600/All+About+Reading+_+Pre-Reading+What%2527s+in+the+box.JPG\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f0NnURBTIyU/UflVSH6_eyI/AAAAAAAAEec/PPpf6SHcs7E/s400/All+About+Reading+_+Pre-Reading+What%2527s+in+the+box.JPG\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e The teacher's manual is well written.  It tells you exactly what to do in each lesson and educates you, where necessary, about how to do things or why you need to do things in a certain way.  Ava began the program very excited about the simple activity pages, but eventually we abandoned them because she lost interest.  They are a simple coloring sheet for each uppercase and lowercase letter of the alphabet combined with a fun craft you can do with things you find around the house.  (Crumple tinfoil to make stars and glue on, glue on construction paper to make water, etc.)  The phonological awareness activities strongly lean on a character you introduce named Ziggy the Zebra.  I underestimated Ziggy.  I chose not to purchase the optional $18 hand puppet and then found myself making a sock puppet version of Ziggy because Ava LOVED Ziggy and using the hand puppet adds so much to the phonological awareness activity.  He isn't used in every single lesson and Ava often begins the lesson by asking me if it will be a \"Ziggy Day\". \u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e Almost all of the preparation is when you first receive the materials in the mail.  It takes time to review the materials, separate all the perforated cards, and if you wish - transfer the teacher's manual and activity pages to a three-ring binder.  After that, the program requires very little day to day preparation.  If your child is doing the craft, you need to gather a few simple materials.  Otherwise once you're into the program, you can pretty much sit down with your bin and go.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eA Typical Lesson\u003c/h3\u003e\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003eGrab bin.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eIntroduce letter of the day.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eRead selection(s) from hardback book.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eDo phonological awareness activity.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eDo craft (optional).\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eDownload Free Samples\u003c/h3\u003eYou can \u003ca href\u003d\"http://allaboutlearningpress.net/go.php?id\u003d764\u0026url\u003d1144\"\u003edownload free samples of the key program components\u003c/a\u003e (scroll down a bit).  I recommend it.  It gives you a good look at the teacher's manual, activity book, and the two hardback books that are integral to the program.  (I love the hardback books in the AAR programs.  I particularly like the poetry in Lizard Lou.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eWhich of the products I actually bought.\u003c/h3\u003eI bought the basic package and added on the activity box and animal stickers.  Essentially I skipped the reading tote bag and the ziggy puppet.  In retrospect, since I ended up making my own ziggy sock puppet I think some kind of zebra is a nice addition to the program.  Buy their puppet, make one from a sock, find an inexpensive stuffed zebra, or just print a picture of a zebra, but I do recommend some kind of zebra visual aid for the phonological processing activities.  Want to see our Ziggy sock puppet?  Promise not to laugh?  Squint your eyes and use your imagination and maybe, just maybe, this looks like a zebra...\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LxQpOJ--klE/UflVrMI1PbI/AAAAAAAAEeg/FKW5rsVCrvI/s1600/All+About+Reading+_+Pre-reading+Our+Ziggy.JPG\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LxQpOJ--klE/UflVrMI1PbI/AAAAAAAAEeg/FKW5rsVCrvI/s400/All+About+Reading+_+Pre-reading+Our+Ziggy.JPG\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e \u003ch3\u003eGreat Supplemental Materials for the Pre-Reading Program\u003c/h3\u003eI found that Ava wanted to do a little more so I found some materials to supplement the AAR: Pre-Reading Program.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUsborne Farmyard Tales - Alphabet Book:  This book is a perfect complement to the program. It has a sentence on each page with the targeted letter in red so it stands out.  There are many items included in each picture that begin with the targeted letter.  There is a little duck hiding in each picture and Ava loved to search for the duck.  We would read the page in this book for the letter that matched the letter in the AAR lesson of the day.  Unfortunately the book seems to be out of print, but there are many used copies available \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?qsort\u003dp\u0026isbn\u003d0746030142\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cBr\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0439784395/ref\u003das_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026camp\u003d1789\u0026creative\u003d9325\u0026creativeASIN\u003d0439784395\u0026linkCode\u003das2\u0026tag\u003dtesyettry-20\"\u003eABC Sing-Along Flip Chart \u0026 CD\u003c/a\u003e:  This product is amazing.  There is a song for each letter of the alphabet - one per page.  Each page has a full color illustration.  The songs are sung to familiar tunes.  The songs are really, really well done.  Ava and Michael can sing every one from memory (up to V - that's as far as we've gotten).  We often sing these in the car or while I'm fixing Ava's hair to pass time.  We use dry erase marker to circle all the targeted letters in the poem as we sing the song on the first day.  (You could also listen to them on the CD - the production value on the songs is really nice.)  We actually sing through all the songs we know, looking at the page and reviewing the highlighted letters at the beginning of each lesson.  The songs are short, so it only takes 5 minutes or so to do the entire set and Ava loves it!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eSome of the links in this post are affiliate links.  If you click on one of those links and make a purchase a portion of your purchase will go towards offsetting the costs of running this blog.  I purchased all of the products I reviewed in this post on my own, long before I started using affiliate links and the opinions expressed are completely my own.\u003c/i\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/feeds/499316303888026431/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/curriculum-review-all-about-reading-pre.html#comment-form","title":"11 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/499316303888026431"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.blogger.com/feeds/2522593221428423055/posts/default/499316303888026431"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://testyyettrying.blogspot.com/2013/08/curriculum-review-all-about-reading-pre.html","title":"Curriculum Review: All About Reading - Pre Reading"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Dala"},"uri":{"$t":"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09390391982768152147"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//lh3.googleusercontent.com/zFdxGE77vvD2w5xHy6jkVuElKv-U9_9qLkRYK8OnbDeJPtjSZ82UPq5w6hJ-SA\u003ds35"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eMaS3I_Ck_M/UflHOLXQ0CI/AAAAAAAAEeA/cSjjhyoSVPQ/s72-c/All+About+Reading+Pre+Reading+Program.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"11"}}]}});