Sound Steps to Reading

About the Book

Sound Steps to Reading is a revolutionary spelling program based on new discoveries about the structure of the English writing system. Research by the author has revealed that about 90 percent of words in print are represented by 176 spellings. When these spellings are taught in an orderly way, consistent with the logic of an alphabet code, students of any age can learn to read and spell with relative ease. Sound Steps to Reading lessons are partially scripted, and no special training is required to teach this program. Lessons are designed to work for all ages and in any setting, ranging from home tutoring to the classroom. Lessons are set out in two programs. Sound Steps to Reading teaches spellings for common English words up to three syllables long. It is designed for students with a reading or spelling age of seven to eight years, who have some knowledge of basic phonics. Allograph I consists of a teacher manual, a spelling dictionary with 3,000 words, and a workbook or storybook.

About the Author

Diane McGuinness is a leading expert on the nature and structure of writing systems and how this applies to teaching reading and spelling. She is emeritus professor of psychology at the University of South Florida. She currently lives in England and is chairman of the trust of Our Right to Read. Professor McGuinness is the author of over one hundred research and scholarly papers and has published six books on learning and reading instruction. These include the following: Why Our Children Can't Read (Simon and Schuster, 1997; Penguin Books, 1998) and Early Reading Instruction (MIT Press, 2004).