Learn how aMUSEinPHONICS teaches a new reader to seek out common letter patterns and their predictable sounds when reading unfamiliar words.
DecodingLearn how aMUSEinPHONICS teaches a new reader to understand and demonstrate what the author is communicating to them through the written word.
ComprehensionLearn how aMUSEinPHONICS ensures a reader can read words with unpredictable letter patterns and sounds.
Sight WordsLearn how aMUSEinPHONICS teaches a student to read simply for the love of reading.
EngagementHow do I use aMUSEinPHONICS to teach my kids phonics?
aMUSEinPHONICS volume 1 has 2 sets of 41 standalone non-sequenced, non-scaffolded, independent phonics books that can allow a student to learn to read independently. Parents and educators can come alongside their students to teach or target any of the included basic or complex letter combination at any time. aMUSEinPHONICS is an acrostic that will promote:
accuracy as each passage is short;
Memory and fluency, through reading and rereading each page;
Understanding/comprehension, through the completion of the illustrations and the “check-ins” at the bottom of many of the pages;
Sight words are underlined and explained, allowing a child to decode any non-targeted words;
Engagement with literacy and the learning process;
in PHONICS which is the foundation for the entire series.
What tools does aMUSEinPHONICS incorporate to teach my kids phonics?
Each 24-page book contains opportunities for the ASD, ESL, ADHD or emergent reader to fully engage with, and connect with, the text through:
- Distraction-free text
- Explicit pronunciation of sight words
- High concentration of words with target sounds
- A life lesson
- Numeracy practice
- Completion of juvenile-styled partial illustrations
- A place to record new vocabulary
- Suggestions for curriculum expansion
- Suggestions for at home activities, including sensory experiences, outings, games and STEM activities
When should I introduce
aMUSEinPHONICS to my child?
Any child who knows the names of their letters, and can blend simple 3 letter words, is a candidate for this series. They can start as young as 3 or 4 years old. The younger set would simply begin with any of the simple vowel/letter team books. Children 7 years old or anyone who is not decoding accurately and/or fully comprehending grade level text will also greatly benefit. The complex vowel/letter team books highlight, yet still teach, the letter patterns that typically challenge this demographic.
Who wrote aMUSEinPHONICS?
As a full time literacy and math tutor, part time motivational speaker, occasional classroom teacher, and past homeschooler, I, Laura, have empowered thousands of students to dream bigger dreams. I wrote the very first book in the series primarily to help one student practice his “ch” sound in modest isolation from other digraphs. I immediately saw the potential for reading support, decoding and sound practice outside of its speech therapy roots and knew this concept of one sound per book was a game changer. This series of books has evolved through (nearly) countless edits to encapsulate my energy, absolute determination and commitment to provide students with an enjoyable approach to targeted literacy learning. This is my third published work, but it is my first for children. In my spare time, you can find me learning something new. Over the last few years, I have taken up windsurfing, making rag rugs, nail art and now writing. I never want to forget how hard my students must work to learn something new.
Where is the best place to use
aMUSEinPHONICS?
The options are endless. The classroom. The kitchen table. The car ride. Grandma’s house. The school yard. The babysitter’s house. The restaurant. The books are engaging and fun, and can be used as a teaching tool, as review, or simply as entertainment.
How Does
aMUSEinPHONICS work?
The cover page starts teaching reading immediately. It features the target letter pattern and the sound it will make within the story. Students are engaged in the literary process right from the cover page, as they are recognized as the illustrator of the books.
Each book contains a page that specifically sounds out words found within the story that do not contain the target letter pattern, nor sound out with individual letter sounds. These words are underlined in the story to set them apart. It is this component in which a student can literally teach themselves to read. Capital letters are used to denote when sounds say the letter name, and lower case letters are used when letters make their sound.
The second page in each book has suggestions for talking points and traditional learning related to the material found in the book. Here you’ll find research ideas related to history and science and suggestions for real life math practice.
The third page of each book gives the students a chance to
practice basic number sense and 1:1 correspondence. In
addition, they LOVE seeing how many words they’ve read
in total!!
This is a typical page in any of the easiest of the “simple “ books. It contains one sentence and the first occurrence of the target sound on the page has been bolded, so students have a reading support in place. Most books have some level of repetitive phrasing in place.
This is a page from the ”ew” book. Note the high concentration of words with the target letter combination. Each of the underlined words are words without the target letter combination and are explicitly explained at the beginning of the book. The ew book actually contains a recipe to make the cashew stew mentioned here, along with a suggestion to experiment building something with screws AND a research project about how ships are constructed to withstand storms. This page was formatted intentionally with sentences that do not end at the end of the line, to provide an opportunity to practice appropriate phrasing based on punctuation.
This is a page from the “or” book. Again, note the extremely high concentration of words with the target letter combination. The life lesson in the book relates finding and pursuing a life passion. As such, it contains some art drawn by local youth, along with their age and first name. It encourages readers to experiment with a musical instrument. There is also a discussion about the use of capital letters as they are found in a proper name on a different page.
This is a typical page in any of the "complex " books. You'll find multiple sentences, that have multiple letter patterns or sounds. This is a page from the ea (complex) book and has a theme that everyone has a talent, and yet they still have things they have yet to learn.
Comprehension is accomplished through the completion of the juvenile- styled partial illustrations. Students have time to absorb and think about the material in the passage. The illustrations provide the opportunity to discuss vocabulary and relate it contextually to their understanding of the world. "Check-ins" can be found at the bottom of each picture. Once students experience a level of reading success, I have seen that their confidence leads them to look for additional material on the page to continue reading. As you listen to them work out these "check-ins", you'll see this is an amazing opportunity to see what they know and what still needs to be taught. This page comes from the ea (simple) story. As the story progresses, we find out the details of Easton's dream.
a MUSE at Home provides sensory activities, spelling suggestions, outings, games, crafts and STEM ideas to continue connecting the themes from the story to a real world context. These activities transfer well to small groups or even 1:1. Students naturally attempt to read these ideas as these pages use the same font and font size used in the story. This page can be found in the qu book, and is paired with a suggestion to construct a crown for the queen, and then act out the story.
The final page in the book contains a Teachable Moment, or life lesson. These encourage kindness, stewardship, compassion, perseverance and multitudes of other learning opportunities. This page can be found in the “au” book, and has the theme of Aubree living out her dream to become an astronaut.
What are people saying about
aMUSEinPHONICS?
Metroland Staff
Carleton Place Almonte Canadian Gazette
How Five Years of Homeschooling Set Laura's Kids up for Life - Podcast Interview
Cheryl
The Homeschool How To Podcast
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