Introduction
Let me introduce myself. My name is Heather Doolittle. I have always loved books and the stories they hold. Growing up, I listed "reading" as one of my hobbies. Even with my love of books, I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be writing a book, much less a book series. Yet here I am starting a blog for the book I will soon publish.
How did I get here? Dyslexia. Dyslexia is a part of my family's life. Now my interest in reading has expanded beyond consuming the words. I am interested in how we read. I am interested in the complexities of what reading is. (Would you call a student who listens to book after book but can't yet read the text a reader?) And I am interested in helping others learn to read.
One thing I have learned is the importance of decodable text to a beginning reader especially when they are struggling. I also learned that when you are committed to break the cycle of guessing and frustration by sticking to books that are highly decodable, the number and variety of books available to read suddenly shrinks. Libraries have many decodable readers that use all 7 syllable types*, but those are NOT highly decodable to a student who has learned one, two, or three syllable types. Usually reading programs will provide decodable books that follow their scope and sequence. Sometimes this is all that is needed. Sometimes, students and parents want additional decodable reading material.
So, I am writing a book series to help provide one more option. I have chosen to follow the reading scope and sequence of the The Barton Reading & Spelling System for my books. It is what helped improve my son's reading and spelling. I also see the logic and wisdom in its scope and sequence. The series will follow Barton Reading & Spelling System's Level 3, Level 4, and Level 5 scope and sequence for reading. It may be a good match for other reading programs or instructional methods as well. If I can help just a few students with this project, it will be worth it.
*The Barton Reading and Spelling System uses 7 syllable types. Other programs and methods use 6 syllable types.
How did I get here? Dyslexia. Dyslexia is a part of my family's life. Now my interest in reading has expanded beyond consuming the words. I am interested in how we read. I am interested in the complexities of what reading is. (Would you call a student who listens to book after book but can't yet read the text a reader?) And I am interested in helping others learn to read.
One thing I have learned is the importance of decodable text to a beginning reader especially when they are struggling. I also learned that when you are committed to break the cycle of guessing and frustration by sticking to books that are highly decodable, the number and variety of books available to read suddenly shrinks. Libraries have many decodable readers that use all 7 syllable types*, but those are NOT highly decodable to a student who has learned one, two, or three syllable types. Usually reading programs will provide decodable books that follow their scope and sequence. Sometimes this is all that is needed. Sometimes, students and parents want additional decodable reading material.
So, I am writing a book series to help provide one more option. I have chosen to follow the reading scope and sequence of the The Barton Reading & Spelling System for my books. It is what helped improve my son's reading and spelling. I also see the logic and wisdom in its scope and sequence. The series will follow Barton Reading & Spelling System's Level 3, Level 4, and Level 5 scope and sequence for reading. It may be a good match for other reading programs or instructional methods as well. If I can help just a few students with this project, it will be worth it.
*The Barton Reading and Spelling System uses 7 syllable types. Other programs and methods use 6 syllable types.
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