Zigzag Zebra Puppet

All About Reading is an Orton-Gillingham-based phonics program incorporating five key components of reading: Phonological Awareness, Phonics and Decoding, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension. Course components include a Teachers Manual, a Student Packet (which includes an activity book, review cards, and stickers), and hard-backed readers. The complete program consists of five levels: Pre-Reading (PK or K) and Levels 1-4 (grades K-3/4). All teaching and lesson activities are multisensory with a strong emphasis on mastery learning based on reinforcement (games) and review. 

In general, the organization of this program is similar to its sister/companion program All About Spelling. The easy-to-use Teachers Manual provides the path (detailed and lightly scripted lessons) for the teacher-student interaction that is central to the program. Each lesson starts with telling you what you will do and what you will need; then follows review, new teaching, reinforcement and a read aloud time. Lessons can be done at whatever pace is comfortable for both parent and student. Reinforcement and review are provided through games (at least your child will think they're games). A key component to all levels is the designated Read Aloud Time and suggestions for age-grade appropriate read-alouds are provided.

Lessons follow a typical pattern and are multi-sensory; starting with a preview of the letter sounds (for the teacher) and review (for the student). New Teaching segments are easy to follow and illustrated. The general role of the Teachers Manual is to provide the teacher with all background information, procedures (Hold up the Phonogram Card and say the sound), the plan (what to do, when), and methodologies (use of letter tiles). New Teaching also includes activity sheets, reading practice (using word cards), and fluency practice. Helpful Teacher Tips are provided at all relevant points. Each lesson ends with a designated Read-Aloud Time and a reminder to Track Your Progress (putting stickers onto the progress chart). Every other lesson is typically centered around the child reading a story from one of the three readers. Since all words in the story have been previously introduced, the focus of the lesson is on fluency, vocabulary development, and reading comprehension.

Activity Books are packed with reinforcement activities as well as the reading sheets. Activities include games, Word Flippers, and matching activities. Fluency Practice sheets (2 pages each) include new words, mixed review, and phrases and sentences.

Student Activity Packets for each level provide the specific items needed by the student. In Pre-Reading there is an activity book, picture cards, letter sound cards, capital alphabet chart, lowercase alphabet chart and a Certificate of Completion (cardstock). Levels 1-4 include an activity book, phonogram cards, word cards, syllable tags, stickers, and additional tiles needed at that level. Cards for each level (2.75x 4.25) are printed on heavy cardstock, perforated for easy separation, color-coded, and clearly marked as to type of card and lesson used. Readers for each level are hardcover with poems and stories designed to capture and hold a child's interest. Divider Cards provide the divisions specific to each level and used to keep track of what to review when. There are two free apps that are used in conjunction with the program. Letter Sounds A-Z accompanies the Pre-Reading program and Phonogram Sounds is used with the other levels.

Review Boxes are specifically sized and well-constructed; designed to hold the All About Reading cards for each level (you can use an ordinary file box, if you choose). The Tote Bag is a handy place to keep everything so you can do reading on the sofa, at the kitchen table, on the deck, or wherever your day takes you.

The Pre-Reading program has a Basic Package (Teacher Manual, Student Packet, divider cards, readers, animal stickers, and Letter Sounds A-Z app) and a Deluxe Package (same as Basic Package plus activity box and tote bag). Other levels have Level Kits which include Teacher Manuals and Student Packets. Two additional components are required for Levels 1-4: Letter Tiles (#30381) and the All About Reading Review Box with Divider Cards (#50474). These must be purchased separately from the leveled sets if you are just starting into this program, but they are a one-time purchase that is used throughout the program. At the start of each level its assumed that the student has either completed the previous level of All About Reading or has mastered comparable skills.  Additional items needed include common craft materials (scissors, glue, etc.), a 2 x 3 magnetic white board (optional but highly recommended), and a few optional items sticky notes, globe or world map, candies/raisins, etc.

It might seem a little presumptuous to label your products All About . . . but when you can deliver a comprehensive, thorough learning program like this author/company does, you've earned the right. ~ Janice

The Pre-reading program covers letter recognition (capitals first, then lowercase) and letter sounds (consonants and short vowels). The author has identified the Big Five Skills which are foundational to the educational mission of this course. Print Awareness (text carries meaning and is related to spoken language specific tips in lessons), Phonological Awareness (the ability to hear and identify parts of words), Letter Knowledge (recognizing the letters and knowing the letter names and sounds), Listening Comprehension (precursor to reading comprehension), and Motivation to Read (no parenthetical clarification needed). Were obviously talking more than simple ABCs here, arent we? And Ziggy is eager to illustrate the difference. Ziggy is a personable, strokeable, fun-loving young zebra (puppet) with a tendency to say the wrong word, drop sounds from words, and distract your child away with game-playing (wink-wink). Lessons are written around Ziggys participation. I suppose you could do "work arounds" and cover the same material, but Ziggy will win your childs heart and youll be off and learning before you even know it. In addition to Ziggys games and antics, lessons include an introduction to the letter or sound, poem-reading from either the Zigzag Zebra or the Lizard Lou book, completion of a craft sheet, additional activities (chosen from a list in the appendix), games, and the read aloud time. The two hardbound books Zigzag Zebra and Lizard Lou (each a collection of poems for letters or letter sounds; also available as optional audio-books) are used daily (one or the other) to introduce or reinforce sounds.

The Pre-reading Activity Book (My Book of Letters) contains the craft sheets for the lessons; each of which have supplies needed and instructions on the back. These perforated activity sheets include coloring, dot-to-dots, mini craft projects involving adding construction or tissue paper accents or various types of sparkleees, games like "Circle the Letter t", sound match-ups, and hidden pictures. Common craft materials needed include crayons, markers, scissors, glue, tape, and a miscellaneous assortment of optional craft materials.