Annie Ape Manual: 90 Days to Literacy - Paperback

by Dr Paul a. Lamarre Phd (Author)

This Annie Ape -90 Days to Literacy Manual is the instruction book for the Annie Ape - 90 days to Literacy Picture Book found here. Title ID: 5922017 ISBN-13: 978-1895112535 Together they form an instructional package to teach your child to read in 90 days. Preparation for learning to read is far more efficient and cost-effective than remediation. After more than 20 years of teaching beginning Grade One students who can barely recite the alphabet, three things are very clear. First, parents play a vital role in the preparation for Grade One while their children are in Kindergarten. Second, there is a strong need for a low-cost program that parents can use, at home, in a time-frame of half an hour or less. Third, it is essential that the materials develop skills that meet the teacher's expectations of what the children can say and do when they enter the Grade One classroom. What Alphabet Knowledge Means Research tells us consistently that knowledge of the alphabet is the single, best predictor of learning success. Year after year, research studies confirm that what happens in the first few years shapes the child's academic and social well-being later in life. Children considered prepared to learn by the time they start Grade One are usually set for a lifetime of academic success. Careful preparation and development of the skills needed is more efficient than remediation. Such preparation for learning is the driving force behind Annie Ape - 90 Days to Literacy. It is designed to help parents discover and understand what alphabet knowledge means and why it is so important for their Kindergarten children. A Comprehensive Program Annie Ape - 90 Days to Literacy is a powerful and comprehensive, alternate program. It establishes a climate for learning to read similar to the one in which the child learns to speak. Parents don't present formal speaking lessons to their infants and toddlers. Yet the child learns to speak in imitation of the speech that surrounds him. In the same way, and as much as possible, Annie presents the skills needed to learn to read in a natural environment so that learning to read can take place. It is such an understandable and comprehensive process that some children seem to be able to read spontaneously toward the end of the program. Others go on to learn to read in the classroom, seemingly with little effort. Annie Ape prepares the child so that reading can take place, naturally, when the child feels the need. Who Can Use the Material The activities in Annie Ape - 90 Days to Literacy are those that most parents WOULD DO , if only THEY KNEW. Annie Ape was designed to help parents discover what constitutes knowledge of the alphabet, how to determine readiness for learning, and to help them attain that goal. There are no pre-requisite skills beyond a commitment of time from the parent to the child. Read through the overview from beginning to end, at least once. It is good to have a general idea of what information is going to be presented and how best to use it. The overview is important. If it appears a bit overwhelming, at first, it will sort itself out as the strategy is put to use. After a while, it will flow logically and efficiently. Don't be surprised if you discover additional ideas for the use of the material. Annie supports any and all Kindergarten programs. Time Commitment Annie Ape asks for a commitment of time from the parent to the child. The commitment is a daily 20-30 minute period, for 90 days. The outcome of those 45 hours is a greater knowledge and understanding of the child's learning strengths. Follow the suggestions given in this manual, spending no more than 20 to 30 minutes a day. There are no formalized reading lessons to present. The question strategy that you need to develop the knowledge required for proficient reading is prepared for you.

Author Biography

Hi, I'm Paul Lamarre. I have a B.A., B.Ed from Western Washington University in French/Speech, graduate coursework at the M.A. level at the University of Washington. I was awarded a Ph.D. in Reading Education by the University of Georgia. I've taught French, English, Aboriginal Education, Gifted Education, and Special Education at every level from Kindergarten to university in Canada and the US. One year, I was a Remedial Reading/Learning Assistance specialist. September, 11 out of 16 first graders trooped into my class. Anxiety and concern etched on their faces. They were in "THAT" class! They couldn't recite the alphabet. Drilling the alphabet for 30 minutes was unacceptable. Repeating the same process and expecting a different result was insane. I was reminded of my son Greg, in Kindergarten the year before. He used a very basic booklet with a single page for each letter. Each page showed an upper case and a lower case letter. The upper case letter showed an animal using the form of the capital letter: A was an ape; B was a bear and so. At the bottom was a real sentence: Annie Ape ate apples to Zeke Zebra zips zippers. Using this simple, elegant tool, Greg had to read on his own. I decided to use similar material. The students learned the letters and memorized the sentences. When asked the animal's name, they answered correctly. When shown the picture, they remembered the letter story sentence. By the time we had worked our way through the booklet, all 11 children could recite all 26 letter stories - from memory. They remembered 104 words, in sequence. In just five months of daily classes, nine out of the 11 "graduated" from the special education class. The 10th and 11th students eventually learned all 104 words in sequence. Most astounding: over the next 5 years, none of the eleven "graduates ever returned to my Remedial/Learning class! What have I learned? My theories were proven true and formed the basis of my beliefs about how young children learn: I believe: 1.every child can learn to think. 2.every child can learn how to learn. 3.learning how to learn is the best preparation for an unknown future. 4.with the right approach any child can learn to read easily. 5.parents play a vital role in a child's preparation for Grade 1. 6.a parent needn't worry about not having teacher training. The skills in Annie Ape are the building blocks not only to reading, but other essential life skills: to spatial orientation, to reasoning, and to arithmetic.