PRAYATNA
'R.A.S.E.' AHEAD™
A Reading and Spelling Enhancement Kit
(Ages 6-10 years)
'R.A.S.E.' Ahead is a reading and spelling enhancement kit that helps children build these skills by playing a series of innovative games. The games tap basic skills that are required to read successfully. The games are ordered in a systematic manner and each game has a supplementary worksheet that emphasises the skill covered by the particular game. Two levels of worksheets are provided for each game: elementary & intermediate. 'R.A.S.E' Ahead was developed based on research findings in educational and developmental psychology. These games are tried and tested; over 300 children at Prayatna, Centre for Educational Assessment & Intervention, have improved their reading and spelling abilities after playing these games.
The 'R.A.S.E.' Ahead Kit contains 15 games that can be divided into three categories.
In addition, the kit contains a manual-cum-workbook. The manual is in the form of questions and answers.
More about 'R.A.S.E.' Ahead is presented below:
How was 'R.A.S.E.' Ahead developed?
'R.A.S.E.' Ahead was developed based on research findings in educational and developmental psychology. The 'R.A.S.E.' Ahead materials have also been used to impart the skills of reading and spelling effectively to over 300 children attending classes at Prayatna, Centre for Educational Assessment & Intervention, Bangalore & Chennai.
In order to teach children reading and spelling, 'R.A.S.E.' Ahead adopts a skill-based view of learning. The kit contains activities that enhance the two main skills that are involved in the reading process. Reading and spelling in a language such as English require two fundamental skills:
Each activity in 'R.A.S.E.' Ahead targets a specific skill. By playing the games, and doing the corresponding worksheets, the children enhance their abilities to discern sound segments of speech and associate them with an appropriate letter symbol. They also learn how to identify spelling patterns. Furthermore, the games are fun, interactive and have many colourful pictures to keep children engaged and interested. Each game is based on a concept that is likely to appeal to young minds.
How does a child become a fluent reader?
Research studies indicate that phonics instruction (i.e., explicitly teaching the sounds of the language) is the most effective method of teaching reading in the beginning stages. Once children know a few sounds of the language, they begin to read words by "sounding out" the individual sounds. For example, when young children see the word 'mat', they may read the word by saying the sounds made by each letter, "/m/-/a/-/t/*mat". (* The symbol, //, with a letter inside, indicates the sound made by the letter.) However, as they repeatedly encounter the word, they will begin to say 'mat' automatically without having to decode each letter. Thus, with increasing print exposure, children will automatically say the name of the word. Furthermore, there are many irregular words in the English language (e.g., the, could, have etc.) which cannot be sounded out. Children have to learn to recognise these words on the basis of sight alone.
What are the advantages of using R.A.S.E. for a child?
'R.A.S.E.' Ahead adopts a skill-based method for teaching reading. When children learn through such a method, they are not learning to read just a particular story or piece of text, but are actually learning (the method of) how to read. As children play the various games, they will begin to try and read any word they come across. With practice and sufficient print exposure, 'R.A.S.E.' Ahead can help children become fluent readers.
'R.A.S.E.' Ahead has been developed with the aim of enhancing the two main skills, namely phonological and orthographic awareness, that are involved in the reading process. Children play games that:
In addition, each game has two worksheets (at the elementary and intermediate levels) that tap the skill that was taught in the game.
Finally, children enhance their reading abilities while having fun. The games are full of colour, use engaging concepts and can be played at various levels to suit the learning needs of particular children.
What are the consequences of being poor readers or spellers?
If children fail to read in an age-appropriate manner, they are likely to fall behind in all academic subjects as knowledge in higher grades depends, largely, on the ability to read. Inefficient reading and spelling strategies hamper students in the following ways. If children are having trouble reading and are "sounding out" every single word, then they are not likely to pay attention to the meaning of the text. All their mental energies are directed towards saying the words out aloud, and they do not have sufficient "mental space" for comprehending what they are reading. Similarly, poor spellers produce sparse written work because they are more worried about how to spell words, and hence pay less attention to the quality of their written work. Thus, it is very crucial that children learn to read and spell well.
Which children are likely to benefit from 'R.A.S.E.' Ahead?
The 'R.A.S.E.' Ahead games can be played at different levels, and can be used with children aged 6-10 years. 'R.A.S.E.' Ahead can be used in different ways depending on the children's abilities, as each game has an elementary and intermediate worksheet. The adult working with the children can also provide different kinds of support depending on the children's abilities. Different approaches that are suitable to different developmental stages are described in the manual. This kit is especially useful for children who are having difficulties in reading and spelling.
What do children need to know before they can use 'R.A.S.E.' Ahead?
Children have to be familiar with the letters of the alphabet. They should also be able to associate at least 15 sounds with their corresponding letters. Phonics instruction, which teaches the sounds of the language, is a good preparatory activity for 'R.A.S.E.' Ahead. However, children need not know all the 43 sounds of the English language before using 'R.A.S.E.' Ahead. A list of the 43 sounds of English is provided in Appendix A for reference.
Is 'R.A.S.E.' Ahead played with an individual child or with a group of children?
'R.A.S.E.' Ahead can be played with an individual child or with a small group of children (maximum 6 children per game).
Can 'R.A.S.E.' Ahead be used in the conventional classroom?
Yes, 'R.A.S.E.' Ahead may be used in the conventional classroom if the teacher divides the class into small groups of about six children each. The groups should be divided such that there is one competent child in each group who can play the role of facilitator. 'R.A.S.E' Ahead can also be used by teachers to help children who have difficulties in reading and spelling.
What is the role of the adult?
The adult, whether (s)he is a teacher or a parent, serves as a facilitator while playing the game. The amount and type of support provided by the adult is described in the "How to Use R.A.S.E." section of this manual. Older children can play the games on their own, in pairs or small groups, once an adult explains how they might use the game.
What is the recommended pace for playing the games?
The ideal pace for playing the games depends, mainly, on the children's levels. The recommended sequence for playing the games is provided in Table 1. If children are able to grasp the skill targeted by a game and are able to do the worksheet, they are ready to move on to the next game. It is advisable to play only one game in each category per day. Each game may take between 20-40 minutes to play, including time for the worksheet. A game can be repeated till children have mastered it. If children are having difficulties grasping a particular skill, you may move on to other games in the category, and revisit the games and play them again till the children acquire the skills.
What skills do each category of games target?
Consonant Blends: Consonant blends are formed by combining sounds of two or more single consonants (e.g., /b/+/l/=/bl/). Digraphs are two consonants that make a single sound (e.g, ch, sh, th, wh). This category of games introduces all two letter blends & digraphs that appear as word beginnings in English.
Word Families: Many children experience difficulties discriminating short-vowel sounds (E.g, pat, pet, pit, pot, put). The games in this category provide ample practice for sorting words according to their vowel sounds.
Vowel Sounds: Each vowel makes a short and a long vowel sound (in addition to a few other sounds). The games in this category introduce children to short and long vowel sounds, along with their corresponding spelling patterns.
The 'R.A.S.E.' Ahead™ kit was launched on 4th May 2002.
Copyright © 2002 Aruna Sankaranarayanan. All rights reserved.