THE MBR BEGINNING READING PROGRAM
OVERVIEW OF UNIT II

From Unit I the students know the letter names and how to read at least one word for every letter of the alphabet. The main objective of the forty lessons of Unit II is to build on what the students know from Unit I and teach them the consonant and short vowel sounds of the letters. Signing again plays a key role - this time in the form of the finger alphabet, chanting of the letter sounds and connecting sounds with the beginnings of words.

FORMAT OF THE LESSONS IN UNIT II

Most of the lessons in Unit II have the following format:

• Letter names - about 5 minutes
  
• Review previous letter sounds - about 5 minutes
  
• Review words on the word ring - about 5 minutes
  
• Introduce new letter sound - from 20 to 30 minutes
  
• Worksheets - about 15 minutes
  
• Review sessions later in the day - about 2 minutes each

MATERIALS FOR UNIT II

• Pocket chart
  
• Hand puppet
  
• Alphabet strip or cards with lower and upper case letters
  
• Finger Alphabet Poster
  
• Word Cards - Index cards (5"x8") with the words introduced in the lessons
  
• Word Ring - A large loose leaf ring with the words that need review
  
• Letter Cards - Index cards (5"x8") with lower and upper case letters of the alphabet
  
• Letter Ring - A large loose leaf ring with the letters of the alphabet
  
• Sentence Strips - Card strips (3"x28") for sentences used in the lessons
  
• Worksheets - Linked to lesson plans
  
• MBR Books - Story books linked to lesson plans
  
• Materials needed for word games:
  
  
  • Bean bag
    
  • Bottle that spins easily
    
  • Bag that can hold objects or pictures
    

REFERENCES FOR UNIT II

Adams, M. (1990). Beginning To Read: Thinking and Learning About Print. Center for the Study of Reading: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Adams, M. (1998). Phonemic Awareness in Young Children. Baltimore, Maryland: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company.

Commission on Reading (1985). Becoming a Nation of Readers. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.

Daniels, M. (1996). Seeing Language: The Effect Over Time Of Sign Language on Vocabulary Development in Early Childhood Education. Child Study Journal, 26, 193-208.

Felzer, L. (1998). A Multisensory Reading Program That Really Works. Teaching and Change, 5, 169-183.

Fry, E. (1992). How To Teach Reading. Laguna Beach, CA: Laguna Beach Educational Books.

Hafer, J. (1986). Signing For Reading Success. Washington, DC: Clerc Books, Gallaudet University Press.

Vernon, M. (1983). A New Approach to Reading. Claremont Reading Conference Yearbook, 170-181.