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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.

For Year Five and Year Six students who are underachieving, you can provide individual remedial help using caregivers, teacher-aides and/or classroom buddies (peer tutors). Continue to teach your learners essential dictionary skills, and encourage them to use a dictionary regularly. Teach them study skills and the skill of writing for different purposes. Homonyms occur frequently in English, so teach them these also. Teach your students the the following either sequentially, or as they arise: Long vowel sounds: a, e, i, o, u. (Students must hear the difference between long and short.) oi, ou, long oo, short oo vowel sounds. ar, ir, or, eer, air vowel sounds. Silent letters and complex ‘k’ sound. -le words, root words, prefixes, suffixes. Schwa (unstressed, neutral) vowel sound. You can use the Index Of Sounds reference card to find the relevant examples on the right pages in each of our Reading & Spelling Made Simple books.

Years three and four are the crucial years to start a more formal approach for spelling. At this stage, caregivers are ‘partners in learning’ and share developmental learning processes. The Next Steps To Spelling The following learning steps are covered in Reading & Spelling Made Simple Book One, within Steps 3 and 4. Consolidate short vowel sounds. Consolidate beginning consonant blends. Consolidate consonant digraphs, e.g. ch, sh, th. Consolidate consonant blends at ends of words. Pay special attention to nasal sounds -ng, -nk. Steer children towards observing how written English language works, including the first simple ‘rules’ (explanations) of English. Continue to develop the Word Family concept. Encourage children to use the Buddy Book as a self-teaching reference. Every pattern has a picture, key word, pattern and 3-4 matching words. Children should be able to read and write the 300 Basic Sight Words by the end of Year Four. The Sight Word Cards are multi-purpose. One set will last a caregiver for all of their children. Use these cards for ‘Zip-Zap Reading’ (70% of all words), and use the sentences on the backs of the cards for dictation. Caregivers can do this at home and also use the ‘extras’ on the backs of the cards, which can include word families, contractions (I’ll), say/write in syllables (un…der), and silent letters.

Children in Years 1 and 2 can benefit from our simple teaching strategies. Formal spelling lessons in Years 1 and 2 are not suitable for this age group. However, simple teaching strategies for letters and sounds can be used. This more relaxed approach to language works within both the New Zealand Junior school programme and Australian school curriculum. The First Steps To Spelling The following learning steps are covered in Reading & Spelling Made Simple Book 1, within Steps 1 and 2. Letter names must be known, plus (in time) their alphabetical order. Say and trace the A to Z letters while saying the sound of each letter. Games to link letters and sounds together. Mix and match alphabet cards; word boxes (choosing plus sequencing regular three-letter words). Choosing between sounds; e.g. using the shopping list game. Consolidate short vowel sounds. Make sure that the children are saying words aloud while listening to the letter SOUNDS when writing. Discourage ‘spelling out letter names.’ This is a highly counter-productive measure. It becomes a difficult habit to break. Use rhymes and jingles to establish the sound pattern groups of English. The First 100 Sight Words are particularly important for reading. Most Year 1 and 2 children learn these words within the class reading programme. However, some children need to use the ‘Look . . . Say . . . Trace . . . Cover . . . Write’ method, (originated by Grace Fernald and fully explained in Book 1). Enlist parental home help in mastering these essential 100 Sight Words. Encouraging a love of reading is your primary aim. Caregivers need to be informed about the school’s developmental approach. If this is not done, many parents will be undoing the excellent work done in our New Zealand junior schools by giving the wrong kind of help. Model share-reading books to groups of your caregivers. Also remind them that learning to read and write correctly takes time, and that pressure on ‘correct spelling’ inhibits progress.

Useful for teaching Preschool Literacy and Reading and Spelling Book 1 and Book 2. There may already be many useful things in your home or school that can be used to help teach early literacy in a fun way with your learners. From finding and pasting pictures beginning with a certain letter into a scrapbook to painting letters on the footpath with water, there are many ways to encourage learning. Here is a list of helpful resources you can have at home for helping to establish letter and sound relationships: Non-toxic paints and finger paints Paint brushes Glue and glitter Plastic bottle tops Lots of cardboard Spare blank paper Coloured paper and card Soft, wide-tip pencils Scissors, rubber bands Crayons, coloured pencils, chalk, felt pens Pictures in magazines, catalogues, newspapers Scrapbook Buy A Good Dictionary We highly recommend having a good dictionary in your home. There are some simple, pictorial dictionaries are available for young learners, but it is essential to gradually introduce the normal school-type dictionary and teach your learner how to use it. Extra Reading Ideas for Beginners or ‘Book Shy’ Learners For additional resources and ideas, talk to other caregivers, and have a read through our Reading and Spelling Made Simple Teaching Guide.

Useful for teaching Reading and Spelling Made Simple Book 1, Book 2, and Book 3. Creating Your Own Junk Box Creating a 'Junk Box' to keep a variety of interesting things in is a great resource. These items can help teach lots of different elements of language, including colours, first letters, introducing items, and rhyming words. Below is a list of useful items that you can include in your 'Junk Box'. The items in this list can be real, e.g. an egg cup, or they can be toys, plastic versions, or miniatures etc. (Good luck finding a real alien!) Activity 1: First Letters (for Book 1 & Book 2 learners) Create a box for storing lots of interesting items in it. Get your learner to pull out anything in the box that begins with the letter that you are focusing on. Remember that some items in the box may be able to be called by different names depending on the letter being studied, e.g. fruit, apple, red apple. Activity2 : Introducing Items (for Book 3 learners) Ask your learner to take things out of the Junk Box and to use the correct introducing word for each item: either ‘a’ or ‘an’. For words beginning with vowels, we say ‘an’, e.g. This is an apple. For words beginning with consonants, we use the word ‘a’ e.g. This is a banana. Use different adjectives to make mix it up. For example, the adjective ‘red’ begins with a consonant and the adjective ‘orange’ begins with a vowel. The correct introduction would now be ‘a red apple, an orange pencil’.

Here are the answers to some very common questions that we get asked from parents and caregivers. Q: My husband and I both work, so how do I/we find time to implement the programme? ANSWER: Use a planning strategy which involves time ‘slots’ and ‘helpers’. Much of the reading and writing work can, and should, be self-motivated by the learner. Give encouragement and supportive help, establish some firm time guidelines, and limit the amount of television they watch. Use correct, effective, simple helping methods as advised in the Reading & Spelling Made Simple Teaching Guide. Parents already try to help by ‘hearing their child read’ and by working on ‘spelling lists’. Use the plan! Your aim is to give your child a great start with the 450 ‘bits’ to learn. Don’t panic! The 300 sight words make up all but 150 of these ‘bits’. The rest are mostly A-Z letter shapes, the 44 ‘sounds of English’ and ways to write them. Encourage children to read an interesting book silently, in bed, before going to sleep. Help them choose a book and start reading it aloud to them. Stop at an interesting part and let your learner read the rest of the chapter or story to themselves. It helps if you skim the whole chapter or story before you read aloud to them, so that you know the best parts for them to read. Make children’s progress visible with ticks, stars, etc. Work in six-week blocks, five sessions weekly. Spend half an hour or three lots of ten minutes a night. Remember to consult your Teaching Guide. Q: I’ve tried helping my child but we end up fighting! ANSWER: Many parents say this! There are several causes of conflict, including the following: Anxiety. Don't worry about knowing everything before you start, or doing everything perfectly. If you are feeling overwhelmed, start small and add extra activities in as you feel more confident. Wrong methods used by parents. If you're not sure, go back to the Teaching Guide for instructions. One aspect introduced correctly is much better than lots of activities done incorrectly. Concentrating on ‘mistakes’ instead of ‘successes’. Your child feeling successful is the most important thing. Congratulate them for their right answers. Bad timing for helping your child. Remember to choose a time that suits you both, when you can concentrate, without distractions, and not too tired. Not taking a positive, light-hearted approach. If you are stressed about it, your child is more likely to be stressed as well. A positive attitude from you both will work wonders. Many of these issues are covered in the Reading & Spelling Made Simple Teaching Guide, with handy tips. Take the time to read through this by yourself or your partner before working with your child again. Q: Help! I don’t think I can balance all this. ANSWER: This is an extremely common problem! The answer is to: Learn the programme bit by bit. You don't need to know everything on day one. Trying to can leave both yourself and your learner feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. Give yourself time to learn and introduce different aspects of the programme. Have everything you need – reading book, exercise books, pens, pencils, gold stars, timer, and any other resources you have. Keep everything together. Have everything together, e.g. in a box. Always keep this in the same spot so it's ready to go when you are. NOTE: Remember, you are doing an excellent job by deciding to give your child the extra help they need. If we can help you in any way, please email us with your questions or concerns, and we will do our best to help.

There are many benefits for both caregivers and their children in using our literacy resources. We have seen and experienced children and their parents, grandparents or caregivers enjoying their time together while also learning. We would love to share some of these with you, and to let you know there can be many rewards with a little patience and time. 1. Greater Harmony Greater harmony can be achieved between caregivers and a child because the caregivers are more involved and hands-on. One of the most enjoyable, relaxing times of the day can be when you switch off the television and read a book with your children. Make it a family time. Go further… leave the television off and play some games with the whole family. 2. Caregivers' Literacy Improves Caregivers tell us that their own reading and spelling improves markedly while teaching this programme! Many parents today forgo the joys of reading, saying “I’m too busy to read.” Too busy? Really? Nothing beats curling up with an engrossing book. Revolutionise your life. Be peaceful, quiet. Learn how to help one of your children and you will know how to help your other children. 3. Less Pressure Caregivers often mention that there is much less ‘homework pressure’ when they have learnt how to help. Parents can now be confident that they are using the correct teaching techniques. Make sure to read the relevant Reading and Spelling Made Simple books in order to be very familiar with the programme, and to absorb the principles involved in how children learn to read and write. 4. Help Develop A Love Of Reading Encourage children to read an interesting book silently, in bed, before going to sleep. Help them choose a book, and start by reading it aloud to them. Stop at an interesting part and let your learner read the rest of the chapter or story to themselves. It helps if you skim the whole chapter or story before you read aloud to them, so that you know the best parts for them to read.

As technology becomes so ingrained in our everyday life, some people are questioning the importance of literacy for our youth. With the addition of writing software that incorporates spellchecking, grammar suggestions and online dictionaries, the importance of literacy skills has been undermined by many with the ‘need to communicate’. However, as a part of both the education and business sectors, I have seen first-hand how good literacy skills have never been more important. Literacy And Business The ability to clearly communicate with clients, potential clients and associates is critical, now that common loyalty to businesses is becoming a thing of the past. Access to more information, online suppliers, and therefore more competitors means the messages you are sending need to be superb, succinct, relevant and effective. Now that’s something spellcheck can’t do. In the same arena, research is a very important part of any business or career. The ability to use the correct language in finding what you need to know, processing what you find, and creating your own wealth of knowledge are essential skills in keeping up with technology and trends, both in your career and in your personal life. Literacy And Technology The written word is still the basis of the majority of our communication, especially when it comes to sharing information. The Internet has given us a library in virtually every home. New software is being developed and released all the time. Businesses are commonly using systems to make them more efficient and streamlined. This new technology is all around us, and in every industry – you now need a computer to tell you what’s wrong with your car. And all of these things need to be learned through words and comprehension. And to pass this knowledge on to others – to simplify, clarify and explain new concepts – you also need words. In this day and age of fast-changing technology, information and communication, the ability to use language effectively and comfortably is one of the best skills we can give to our children today. Article by Darlene Mathieson

Becoming literate is a lifelong journey, and there are some distinct stages to be aware of. Beginning (0 – 5 years) Becoming literate starts with learning to speak. A child will have a greater number of problems learning to recognise written words later on if they cannot say them correctly. Learning is always a social and interactive skill. The most valuable learning occurs when a child is engaged with someone they trust either watching or doing a new skill, but always talking about it. Getting Started (5 – 7 years) As children learn how to read (decode the words), they see letter patterns and associate them with sounds. Children hear sounds and learn how to write (encode) them. The English language has 44 separate sounds but unfortunately, many of these can be spelled in different ways. The ‘or’ sound is the worst! This is the main issue with children learning how to read, write and spell. Children learn through a lot of mileage the many choices there are for each of the sounds. Learning To Read (7 – 10 years) This is where children consolidate, extend and enrich their literacy skills. They do this by being encouraged to read and take risks without fear of criticism. Parents play a vital role in this. A child’s attitude to reading and learning will be set in these years. At the end of this stage they will be functional and enthusiastic readers. Reading To Learn (11+ years) This is where children read to find out information. They learn to get information from more than one source, evaluate what they have read and present what they have learned. Remember that different children will reach these stages at different ages.