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Reading Pains
Helping Our Children Read and Write

One of the most time consuming parts of helping a struggling reader is finding good resources.  Try the following recommendations and remember to modify or omit pages in workbooks when you need to; read books together if Johnny can't read unassisted; play games and generally keep it fun!

Tracey's books have a lot more resources.

Books
Workbooks
Phonetically controlled reading books
Easy readers for teens and adults

Word Lists
The Dolch List of 220 Sight Words

3 letter words (easier)
Words to teach after 3 letter words (easier)
When 2 vowels go walking the first one does the talking (harder)
Magic e (Bossy e) (harder)
Putting irregular verbs into the past tense

Workbooks (phonics based)
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Explode The Code
Book 1 ISBN: 0838814603
Published by Educators Publishing Service, authors Nancy Hall and Rena Price. There are 17 books in this series so far. The first 3 (pre school) books are, Get Ready (A), Get Set (B) and Go (C). Next are books 1 to 8 with some half numbers (ie 1 1/2) in case Johnny needs more practice. Explode the code is available online.

Building Spelling Skills
ISBN: 155799840X (Grade 2 book)
Published by Evan-Moor. A set of 6 workbooks, grades 1 to 6. Sets of Building Spelling Skills are available online.

Reading Freedom 1 ISBN: 1740200683
Reading Freedom 2 ISBN: 1740200691
Published by Pascal Press (www.pascalpress.com.au), author Hunter Calder. Reading Freedom Activity Books 1 and 2 are published in Australia and very easy to order online. Best used once Johnny knows the letter sounds and some sightwords, they have a grown-up appearance older kids like. (By the way, 'thong' in Australia means flip-flop, not the underwear!).
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Phonetically controlled reading books
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In order of difficulty:
Bob Books Published by Scholastic. Small books in a box, 12 books per boxed set. More than one set per levels A, B and C. Sets of Bob Books are available online.

Primary Phonics Published by Educators Publishing Service. 5 sets of readers, 10 books per set. Sets of Primary Phonics are available online.

Real Kids Readers Published by Millbrook Press, levels 1, 2, 3. Real Kids Readers are available online.

Hop On Pop, Cat In The Hat, Green Eggs and Ham (the easiest books of the Dr Seuss series) and Put Me In The Zoo. Published by Random House, Hop on Pop, The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, Put me in the Zoo are all available online.

Reading Rainbow Readers. Published by SeaStar Books, sets of short stories with different themes. Reading Rainbow Readers are available online.

Little Bill books for beginning readers, published by Scholastic. Use these after mastering the previous books in this list (or similar difficulty books). Great multicultural style. Little Bill Books are available online.

What next?
When Johnny's able to read simple books try popular book sets.  Favorites include 
Captain Underpants, Magic Tree House and Bailey School Kids
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Easy readers for teens and adults
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Check out books by Tana Reiff. The Hopes and Dreams series tells stories about immigrant life in America. The stories are realistic, visually appealing and high-interest/low vocabulary. Reiff has also written a Working for Myself series and a Timeless Tales series that includes stories of adventure, folktales and love.

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The Dolch List of 220 Sight Words
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a
about
after
again
all
always
am
an
and
any
are
around
as
ask
at
ate
away
be
because
been
before
best
better
big
black
blue
both
bring
brown
but
buy
by
call
came
can
carry
clean
cold
come
could
cut
did
do
does
done
don't
down
draw
drink
eat
eight
every
fall
far
fast
find
first
five
fly
for
found
four
from
full
funny
gave
get
give
go
goes
going
good
got
green
grow
had
has
have
he
help
her
here
her
his
hold
hot
how
hurt
I
if
in
into
is
it
its
jump
just
keep
kind
know
laugh
let
light
like
little
live
long
look
made
make
many
may
me
much
must
my
myself
never
new
no
not
now
of
off
old
on
once
one
only
open
or
our
out
over
own
pick
play
please
pretty
pull
put
ran
read
red
ride
right
round
run
said
saw
say
see
seven
shall
she
show
sing
sit
six
sleep
small
so
some
soon
start
stop
take
tell
ten
thank
that
the
their
them
then
there
these
they
think
this
those
three
to
today
together
too
try
two
under
up
upon
us
use
very
walk
want
warm
was
wash
we
well
went
were
what
when
where
which
white
who
why
will
wish
with
work
would
write
yellow
yes
you
your

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3 letter words
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Using letter cards to teach 3-letter words
Give Johnny the letters he needs and ask him to make the words:

a words: use letters a d g l n p s t
Make; pan nap sat pat gap gas lag lap pad pal sad sag sap

i words: use letters d h i n p s t
Make; pin win din sin tin hid hip hit pit sit his dip sip tip (dish ship)

e words: use letters: e g l m n p t
Make; leg let men met net peg pen pet ten get

o words: use letters: d g h o m p t
Make; dog dot hop mop pod pot top hog hot got

u words: use letters: b d g h m t u
Make; bug but hug hut mug tub hum dug tug mud gum gut
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Words to teach after 3 letter words
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cl dr fl gr
pl sl sp spr
st
nk bl br ck
dr st nd ng nk
ch sh th ph ch sh th ph
clap
clip
clot
drip
drop
flag
flap
flat
flip
flop
grab
grip
plan
slack
slim
slink
slip
slit
slop
spin
spit
spot
spring
stand
still
stop
bank
black
blank
Brad
brick
drank
drink
dust
hand
land
long
lost
must
past
peck
plank
rest
ring
sack
sand
sing
sink
stand
stick
sting
string
chat
check
chess
chick
chimp
chips
chop
chug
chum
Phil
shed
shell
shaft
shift
ship
shop
shot
shrimp
shut
sphinx
thank
then
thin
think
thrill
throb
ash
bash
belch
blush
brush
clash
crash
dash
ditch
fetch
flash
flesh
graph
itch
mash
match
math
patch
path
pitch
plush
posh
slash
smash
stash
witch

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When 2 vowels go walking the first one does the talking
(and says its name)
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ee ea ai oa
deed
feed
feel
feet
free
freed
jeep
meet
peep
seed
sheet
sleep
sleet
steep
tree
weed
weep
cheat
deal
dream
each
eat
heal
meat
neat
peach
real
seat
speak
steal
stream
teach
team
weak
brain
chain
drain
faint
frail
maid
mail
main
nail
paid
pain
rail
rain
sail
saint
sprain
trail
boast
boat
cloak
coast
coat
croak
float
load
moat
road
roast
shoal
soak
soap
throat
toad
toast

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Magic e
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When "magic e" is on the end of a regular short word like pin, the middle vowel changes its sound. It becomes a long vowel sound eg pin becomes pine. (Some teachers say "bossy e" makes the vowel shout it's name)

long a long e long i long o long u
blade
cane
cape
fade
hate
made
mane
mate
pane
spade
tape
trade
vane
wade
compete
complete
Eve
Pete
stampede
Steve
theme
bite
dice
ice
kite
mice
nice
rice
ride
side
site
slice
tide
twice
wide
bone
chose
code
cone
cope
home
hope
lobe
mope
pope
rode
rope
slope
tone
brute
cute
flute
plume
pollute
rule
salute

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Putting irregular verbs into the past tense
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present simple past
am
are
beat
begin
bend
bet
bite
bleed
blow
break
bring
build
burst
catch
choose
come
cost
creep
cut
dig
dive
do
draw
dream
drink
drive
eat
fall
feed
feel
fight
fly
forbid
forget
forgive
freeze
get
give
go
grow
grind
hang
has
hear
hide
hold
hurt
is
keep
kneel
know
lay
leap
leave
lend
let
lie
light
lose
make
mean
mow
put
read
ride
ring
rise
run
saw
say
see
sell
set
sew
shake
shed
shine
shoot
show
shrink
shut
sing
sink
sit
sleep
slide
sow
speak
spend
spin
spit
split
spread
spring
stand
steal
stick
sting
strike
string
swear
sweat
sweep
swim
swing
take
teach
tear
tell
think
throw
understand
wake
wear
weave
weep
wet
win
wind
write
was
were
beat
began
bent
bet
bit
bled
blew
broke
brought
built
burst
bought
chose
came
cost
crept
cut
dug
dived or dove
did
drew
dreamed or dreamt
drank
drove
ate
fell
fed
felt
fought
flew
forbade
forgot
forgave
froze
got
gave
went
grew
ground
hung or hanged
had
heard
hid
held
hurt
was
kept
knelt
knew
laid
leaped or leapt
left
lent
let
lay
lit
lost
made
meant
mowed
put
read
rode
rang
rose
ran
sawed
said
saw
sold
set
sewed
shook
shed
shined or shone
shot
showed
shrank or shrunk
shut
sang
sank
sat
slept
slid
sowed
spoke
spent
spun
spit
split
spread
sprang or sprung
stood
stole
stuck
stung
struck
strung
swore
sweat or sweated
swept
swam or swum
swung
took
taught
tore
told
thought
threw
understood
woke or waked
wore
wove
wept
wet
won
wound
wrote

For more about verbs, like what past participles and helping verbs are, visit www.esldesk.com/grammar/verbs.htm

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