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The initial concept of the Simplistikit (Reading and Spelling Made Simple) programme was created in 1967 by Mary Andrew. This step-by-step programme provides guidance for parents and teachers of underachieving children. It has also been successfully used in adult literacy, especially for those whose second language is English. The original, well-known red manual 'Reading and Spelling Made Simple' was first published in 1986. This, in combination with her other resources, has proven to be a valuable tool to help students of any age. 30 Years Of Passion Over the next 30 years, Mary refined her techniques and developed an entire literacy programme that has helped many children in New Zealand and overseas. Mary's passion for literacy and determination to empower these children led her to create the programme. "Many of these students would otherwise have fallen through the cracks in the New Zealand education system." Mary's original book has been carefully updated and reformatted into four separate books by Barbara Griffith and Darlene Mathieson. Together they have created an attractive, easy-to-use resource with many fun activities and colourful illustrations. ​ The Sight Words Cards have also been completely revised with brand-new, original illustrations. They are now in full-colour and a joy to use with your learner. Additional resources have been, and will continue to be, created to support and expand on the fundamentals of literacy.

Mary Andrew created a fresh method of teaching to get parents and children to learn words together. When Mary Andrew first started teaching in Morrinsville in the mid-60s she was deeply concerned to find that one-in-ten children had a reading age far below that of their classmates. As well, those same children also had spelling difficulties. It wasn't the fault of current teaching methods, Mrs Andrew discovered. The large class sizes meant that teachers had little time for individual tuition with strugglers. At first, Mrs Andrew wondered why the parents didn't help. She found out that they simply didn't know how. Creating The Programme So she set about creating a new method of teaching reading and spelling that could be used at home or in the classroom. The programme uses a step-by-step guide to the basic sounds of letters and combinations of letters, such as 'ce' as in fence, 'tion' as in action, and so on. The learner is shown a picture on the back of a card, and then asked to read the word and pronounce the sound made by each letter group. Memorising key words lets the reading flow, and means that patterns of sounds can be recalled for spelling or reading. Mrs Andrew did not promote her system as an alternative to the reading and spelling methods used in schools but as a support for these methods, yet she was criticised by the New Zealand Education Department. She was undeterred. "I am outside the department; I'm 59 and can jolly well say what I like." During her 30-year fight against illiteracy, Mary Andrew sold 20,000 copies of her programme material. The kit contains a copy of her book Reading and Spelling Made Simple, an alphabet letter case, sight word cards, a parents' video guide and teacher manual. Mrs Andrew put in $50,000 of her money to get it published because she felt the need was so urgent. Today the Mary Andrew Literacy Training Trust is financed by sales of the programme, through its website www.SimplyReading.com Mrs Andrew was a late starter in the teaching field, attending training college in Hamilton when the youngest of her three children was at school. A spell as a librarian at Morrinsville College had instilled an appetite for teaching and encouraging a love of reading in children. Her plan to teach parents and children together came when she realised how much parents already taught their children. "Of course parents can do it," she said in an interview in 1989. "After all, who helped the children to talk, to feed themselves, and potty-trained them?" She also reassured parents that reading and spelling difficulties are not caused by a lack of intelligence or laziness. Some may be because of hearing or sight problems, poor diet or allergies. Poor self-esteem and lack of confidence were also major factors, said Mrs Andrew. Even after her retirement from classroom teaching, and enduring health problems, Mrs Andrew continued to travel the country giving seminars to teacher groups. Her time at home was spent in the garage packing components of the programme to send to Australian and New Zealand customers. Mrs Andrew died on Sunday [29th October 2006]. She is survived by her husband, David, children Robert, Heather and Don, seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Original article written by Phoebe Falconer, New Zealand Herald, 3rd November 2006.

An Article Discussion Exercise Years 7 and 8 are a fun age when students enjoy a good discussion. You can run and article discussion exercise with reading material from other subjects, high-interest topics, current events, or any reading material. What they read doesn't really matter. The important thing for article selection is that it generates discussion and unusual or interesting words. The following programme was run over four days, taking just 15 minutes a day. Copy the reading material so every student has their own copy. Buddy-up poor readers with good ones if you need to. Discuss the article and any interesting words (Challenge Words – usually around 7 words). Discuss possible meanings. Have everyone turn over the article. Students should have a go at spelling each of the spelling words. Get them to repeat the word verbally, then write it down while saying it aloud in syllables. They then reread the word and self-correct it if they want to alter their ‘try’. When the correct spelling is shown, students should tick the parts of the words they got right. They learn the correct spelling ‘on the spot’. Retesting their errors over the next few days will put the word from their short-term memory into their long-term memory. Isolate the patterns in each of the words that is causing them problems. Use the Index of Sounds reference card to find them in the Reading and Spelling Made Simple books. Or use their own knowledge to think of other words that contain the same spelling pattern. Make a list of these words in a ‘Word Families’ notebook. This list should be added to as other words are found with the same pattern. Find the meanings of the 'Challenge Words' in the dictionary. Find out the root words, parts of speech, etc for each of these words. Written Expression Next, have your students explore the concept with written expression. You can allow or encourage different writing styles. For example, see below: The article chosen concerned a man who became enraged over feral cats digging in his garden. He caught his neighbour’s cat in a cage. Then he took it to the local animal shelter, pretending not to know who it belonged to. The police were called by his neighbour. The suggestions for writing were: police report, neighbour’s altercation, the cat’s report about this.

Books and resources to help learners of any age with reading, spelling, and literacy. Made for parents, tutors, teachers, and caregivers. Reading & Spelling Made Simple Programme One of New Zealand's most successful literacy programmes! Is Your Learner Struggling? The Reading & Spelling Made Simple programme can help learners at any level or age - from 6 to 60! This programme approaches reading and spelling difficulties by looking at sound and letter patterns. It then relates these to reading and written language. For greatest improvement, we focus on the need to teach all aspects of language together: Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing. Preschool Year 1 & 2 Year 3 & 4 Year 5 & 6 A Proven System That Really Works Help your learner to gain the skills to become a competent and fluent reader , a keen writer , and a successful speller . You can help improve their confidence and capabilities and increase the opportunities for their career and entire future. The Reading and Spelling Made Simple programme helps learners with the three aspects of the English Language : Oral Language Speaking, listening, and questioning. Reading Decoding texts and finding meaning in what is read. Writing Using their knowledge of the English language to express themselves in a meaningful way. This is a proven method that has been used since the 1960's and continues to be used extensively today. It is especially good for learners who are struggling with the basics or struggling within the standard classroom environment. Reading and Spelling Made Simple - NOW FULLY REVISED! After selling over 20,000 sets of our key Reading and Spelling Made Simple programme, we have given it a refresh! The original red manual has been carefully and fully revised and split into four easy-to-follow, practical, and more learner-focused books. Reading & Spelling Made Simple is a great step-by-step programme. It has been simplified for parents and caregivers, and is perfect for tutors and teachers needing a practical resource. Over 20,000 people agree with us! We have included additional fun activities, ideas for resources you can make yourself, extra teaching notes, and hands-on learning, as well as full-colour illustrations throughout. Learn more! Click a book below to find out more about it!

Printable Resources Set #1 What Is Literacy? Literacy is used to describe the skills of communication, including reading, writing, listening, and speaking. These skills help us to connect with other people and to understand the world around us. Our Customers Include: CAREGIVERS Parents Grandparents Foster Parents TUTORS LDANZ Tutors SPELD Tutors Private Tutors TEACHERS Relief Teachers Literacy Teachers Classroom Teachers SCHOOLS Health Schools Primary Schools Intermediate Schools OTHER Adult Literacy Home Schooling Distance Learning CAREGIVERS Parents Grandparents Foster Parents TUTORS LDANZ Tutors SPELD Tutors Private Tutors TEACHERS Relief Teachers Literacy Teachers Classroom Teachers SCHOOLS Health Schools Primary Schools Intermediate Schools OTHER Adult Literacy Home Schooling Distance Learning 20,000 + SETS SOLD in New Zealand and Australia!

Help and advice for caregivers who work with learners that are struggling with reading and writing. Info for Caregivers Useful Information for Caregivers Below is a collection of information specifically for caregivers. Whether you are a caregiver helping learners after school, or a parent homeschooling your children, here are some handy tips to help you. Let us know if you have any suggestions for future articles or more information. If you have any specific questions, please contact us. A special thank you to all the parents, grandparents, relatives, foster parents, adoptive parents, and mixed families that are bringing up and helping to educate our toddlers, children and teenagers. CONTACT US Revising the Resources 'Reading and Spelling Made Simple', first published in 1986, has proven to be a valuable tool. Darlene Mathieson 1 min read Mary Andrew's Fresh Teaching Method Mary Andrew created a fresh method of teaching literacy to children. Darlene Mathieson 3 min read The 'Reading & Spelling Made Simple' Difference Our programme and materials empower learners to solve their own learning problems by giving them positive, professional help in easy... Darlene Mathieson 2 min read Understanding Reading, Spelling and Writing Becoming literate is a lifelong journey, and there are some distinct stages to be aware of. Becoming literate starts with learning to speak. Barbara Griffith 2 min read The Importance Of Literacy Today As technology becomes so ingrained in our everyday life, some people are questioning the importance of literacy for our youth. With the... Darlene Mathieson 2 min read Weekly Visits To The Library Both you and your child can be benefit greatly from weekly visits to your local library. Take your time in the library. It is very... Barbara Griffith 2 min read 1 2