Why The Funny Name?

There are so many rules in teaching basic reading skills, it is difficult for the struggling reader to remember.

My Breakfast Reading Program minimizes the number of rules.  The program uses breakfast food symbolism to teach the fundamental rules.  Therefore, the funny name for the program.

Even if you do not use My Breakfast Reading Program, the symbolism used in this program can help children quickly classify vowel sounds so they can blend the words much quicker.

My - The program activities and materials can easily be modified to meet individual needs.  Thus, the MY in the program title.

 Cold Cereal - Sight Words: 

These are the most commonly used words.  These words need to be memorized.  Some of them can be sounded out, but because of the high frequency use, they need to be learned at an automatic level. That is, sight words should have a one second or less response time. 

My Breakfast Reading Program introduces 110 sight words based on three popular word sight word lists  in lessons 1 - 16.

Hot Cereal - Irregular Rimes:

Irregular rimes are words that follow the opposite normal phonic rules.  These words or word families should be memorized.  Only 10% of single syllable words fall into this category.

Pancakes and Waffles - Short and Long Vowels:

Single syllable words with one vowel have a very high probability of having a short vowel sound.  For symbolism, pancakes are cooked one side at a time which represents words with one vowel.

Single syllable words with two vowels have a high probability of having a long vowel sound.  For symbolism, waffles are cooked two sides at a time which represents words with two vowels.

Based on this, it is easier to teach the child to look for how many vowels there are in the word. 

If one vowel, the sound most likely will be a short sound = pancake.

If two vowels, the sound most likely will be a long sound = waffle.

Using this simple categorization principle, approximately 70% of single syllable words can be correctly categorized as short sound (pancakes) or long sound (waffles).

Short vowels only are presented in lessons 1 - 16.

Long vowels only are presented in lessons 17 - 22.

Short and long vowels combined are presented in lessons 23 - 42.

Orange Juice - R Controlled Vowels:

R controlled words are vowels followed by an "r" that makes a special sound.  Looking for an "r" after a vowel will categorize only 7%.  This rule is taught in lessons 43 - 46 for words with single vowels and in lessons 52 - 53 for words with two vowels.

Only 7% of single syllable words are R Controlled.  For symbolism, orange juice symbolizes R Controlled vowels.

Fruit Toppings - Diphthongs:

Diphthongs are special sounds for two vowels that are not long.  Examples: coil; taught; round

Diphthongs are taught in lessons 48 - 53.

Only 13% of words are categorized as diphthongs.  For symbolism, fruit toppings is used to represent diphthong vowels.