Picture Packets vs Crazy Cursive Letters Lite

Center for Innovation in Education Picture Packets - Phrases Dekodiphukan Description The eighth of the fourteen apps that comprise the Baratta-Lorton Reading Program. The Reading Program is a reading and writing curriculum for beginning readers and any child who has already experienced difficulty in learning to read. 99% unique – 100% effective - 100% free Background for the fourteen apps The Baratta-Lorton Reading Program also known as Dekodiphukan (pronounced decode if you can) was developed by the Center for Innovation in Education whose many other offerings include Mathematics Their Way, the first non-traditional math curriculum adopted in by the State of California. Dekodiphukan has been in use in classrooms across the United States and Canada since 1985. The Program has been used to teach thousands of children to read and to write regardless of background or supposed lack of reading readiness. To date, no child using the program in a classroom setting has ever failed to learn to read or to write. This Dekodiphukan reading and writing curriculum is now a series of fourteen apps plus a parent-guide for the iPad that, within a period of six months to a year (or occasionally a bit longer for some special needs children), will enable every child using it to read and to write. Reading with enjoyment. Writing creatively. Dekodiphukan is a full fledged curriculum. It is a set of specific learning activities, not a set of games. The curriculum’s fourteen apps are all free with no ads - popup or otherwise - included. While the apps may be downloaded all at once and stored in a folder on the iPad, no more than two or three of the apps are used at any one time by the child. Picture Packets - Phrases The eighth of the Fourteen Apps There are 38 Picture Packets pages. The prerequisites for beginning Phrase Picture Packets are knowing all of the sounds and being able to blend two and three sound words without any audio hints. The difficulty for the child who is learning to blend two and three sound words is in hearing the word formed by the sounds.  At the phrase level the child already knows how to blend sounds together to form words.  The challenge for the child now is remembering each of the words already blended so that by the time he or she has finished blending the last word, the child still remembers the earlier words blended.  The phrase level gives practice in this remembering. Picture Packets - Phrases Prerequisites - knowing all of the sounds and being able to read two and three sound words The skill of reading individual words is expanded to include reading whole phrases

Full Version Features include; * Choice of cursive style letter e.g. two styles of the letter r. * Personalised feedback to tell kids which letters they are totally awesome at and which letters they could focus on practising. * Practice of single letters in cursive style. * The 100 most frequent words to try in cursive style. * Multiple Players, useful to track the progress of siblings or of up to 10 players in a class. * 'My Words', section where you could type in the weeks spellings to practice. * A phonics based approach supporting the writing practice. * Left / right handed adaptation * You can also use Crazy Cursive to help learn a new language! Select from American English, UK English, French, German, Italian or Spanish words and phonics. In the full version your child can practice writing the top 100 words in cursive style and can also type in their own words to practice. Letters are sounded out phonetically to allow your child to develop skills of breaking down words which is particularly useful for children with Dyslexia. Thank you to the Teachers, Children and Parents of Fairlawn School London for your support and feedback. Special thanks to Fairlawn Teachers for being inspiringly Crazy for Cursive! 10 Benefits of Teaching Cursive Handwriting 1.Relative ease in introducing cursive penmanship to preschoolers. 2.Prevents reversals and confusion of letters 3.Enhances spelling ability 4.Develops internal control systems that can be used as tool for learning 5.Potential for errors are diminished 6.Improved reading skills 7.Enforces the skills for patterns in reading and writing 8. Prevents erratic spaces between letters and words 9. Helps Left Handed Children 10.Use as a tool to put thoughts on paper quickly and easily Conclusion: We should teach our children ‘Cursive First, Print Later’. Source: Samuel L. Blumenfield, "How Should We Teach Our Children to Write? Cursive First, Print Later!" The British Dyslexia association recommend that children learn the continuous cursive style. The cursive style has some significant advantages for Dyslexic students. The key advantages to this system are: * By making each letter in one movement, children’s hands develop a ‘physical memory’ of it, making it easier to produce the correct shape; * Because letters and words flow from left to right, children are less likely to reverse letters which are typically difficult (like b/d or p/q); * There is a clearer distinction between capital letters and lower case; * The continuous flow of writing ultimately improves speed and spelling.