Power Tools for Literacy : Accelerated Phonics, Syllables and Morphemes Designed for Ages 9-21

Discover a treasure-trove of 300 engaging lessons proven successful for struggling readers, students with learning disabilities or dyslexia, and English learners. Aligned with Orton-Gillingham principles, this program uses an evidence-based approach resulting in rapid improvement in reading, spelling, and vocabulary. Become an expert in teaching phonograms, syllables, base words, prefixes, suffixes, Latin roots, and Greek combining forms. Learning to master and blend these phonetic elements and morphemes enables students to decode and spell short and long words accurately.
Each of the 14 chapters is prefaced by a Note to Instructor, which explains every lesson and gives directions for best practices. Teachers all over the country have expressed how thrilled they are with the user-friendly lessons and the progress of their students.
Designed for grades 3 through 12 and adults, Power Tools for Literacy lends itself to individual or group instruction. The appearance of the lessons is appropriate for any age group; material that seems tailored to young children has been avoided. Feedback from teachers indicates that their students find the program challenging and enjoyable.
Power Tools for Literacy uses a variety of interesting activities to cover the following topics:

• Short and long vowels with consonant blends and digraphs
• R-controlled vowels, diphthongs, and vowel digraphs
• Seven types of syllables
• Rules for dividing polysyllabic words
• Compound words
• Reading, spelling, and defining 50 suffixes
• Spelling rules for adding suffixes to base words
• Vocabulary enrichment by reading, spelling, and defining 50 prefixes
• Accented and unaccented syllables
• Free and bound morphemes
• Latin roots and Greek combining forms
• Weekly spelling lists that incorporate high frequency sight words

The unique aspect of Power Tools for Literacy is the use of syllable codes. Each type of syllable has a code abbreviation. Using codes reinforces the structure of previously covered phonograms/morphemes and builds in review to achieve automaticity.
Power Tools for Literacy is only one component of an effective reading program. It should be coupled with a literature-based curriculum, accompanied by intensive vocabulary development.