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How Wee Read

$77.00 Regular price $97.00
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We now know exactly how children learn to read. Starting today, you will too.

How Wee Read is your complete learn-to-read resource. In 70 simple, sequential, and playful lessons, I walk you and your child through everything you need to learn to read.

It all comes down to four steps:

  1. Phonological Awareness (7 lessons): These are the seven essential pre-reading skills that every child needs to know.
  2. Letters, Sounds, and Blending (12 lessons): In this section, we introduce the letters in a very special order. Through playful activities, your child will learn the letter names and sounds. Next, blending begins! After the first letter grouping, your child will already be reading words like sat, nap, and tin.
  3. Special Rules (4 lessons): Here, we introduce some special rules that young readers need to know, including digraphs and vowels.
  4. Decodable Readers (47 lessons): In this section, we explicitly and sequentially introduce a new rule or letter combination, one at a time. Story by story, you will see the word complexity and length increase as your child goes from reading: “A bat and a rat sat” to “A week later, he won the first place trophy for his photo!” 

Everything you need is included—coursebook, rhyming pictures, word puzzles, alphabet cards, word family wheels, and more—all featuring beautiful watercolor art.

Specifications

Number of Pages (Coursebook): 85
Number of Pages (Printables): 69
Recommended Ages: 4 to 10+ Years
Program Length: 70 Lessons

Bundle and Save! How Wee Read is also available as part of The Everything Kindergarten Bundle and the How Wee Read & Write Bundle.

Shipping

Digital downloads are emailed to you immediately upon purchase.

All Printed & Shipped orders receive FREE Shipping to Canada and the USA, plus a Complimentary Digital Copy of the resources delivered to your inbox immediately. Printed & Shipped orders are delivered in 3-6 business days.

Let's take the mystery out of learning to read.

Teaching a child to read can be broken down into four steps:

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Phonological Awareness
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Letters, Sounds, and Blending
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Special Rules
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Decodable Readers

Teaching a child to read can be broken down into four steps:

Step 1: Phonological Awareness

In Lessons 1-7, simply open your coursebook, read the activity, and play as your child develops these auditory skills:

  • - Rhyming
  • - Word Awareness
  • - Sound Identification
  • - Syllable Awareness
  • - Sound Segmenting
  • - Sound Blending
  • - Deleting Sounds

The detailed descriptions of each skill and simple instructions will empower you!

Did you know?

Phonological awareness is one of the strongest predictors of early reading success!

Step 2: Letters, Sounds, and Blending

In Lessons 8-19, we teach the letters in a very special order. We begin with the letters satip, and n in Lesson 8. Through a simple game, your child learns:

  • - Lowercase letter names
  • - Uppercase letter names
  • - Letter sounds

Next, in Lesson 9, blending begins! Your child will read words like satnap, and tin.

We continue one lesson and one letter grouping at a time until your child knows all of the letters and sounds.

Step 3: Special Rules and Exceptions

In Lessons 20-23, we cover some common rules that our young readers need to know:

  • - Digraphs
  • - Blends
  • - Vowels
  • - The Magic Letter E

All other rules and letter combinations are covered in Step 4: Decodable Readers.

The Science of Reading is based on decades of interdisciplinary research, drawing from fields like cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and linguistics.


How Wee Read aligns with the latest research on how young minds learn to read effectively.

Step 4: Decodable Readers

Your child is about to learn they can read stories—already!

Now that the foundation is set, Lessons 24-70 switch to using Decodable Readers. Each decodable story:

  • - Explicitly introduces a single rule
  • - Sequentially adds a new rule or letter combination
  • - Builds on vocabulary
  • - Slowly increases in complexity

One story at a time.

What's Included with How Wee Read?

Everything you need is included—rhyming pictures, word puzzles, alphabet cards, word family wheels, and more—all featuring beautiful watercolor art.

Step One: Phonological Awareness

Includes activities to playfully practice each phonological awareness skill:

  • Lesson 1: Rhyming
  • Lesson 2: Word Awareness
  • Lesson 3: Sound Identification
  • Lesson 4: Syllable Awareness
  • Lesson 5: Sound Segmenting
  • Lesson 6: Sound Blending
  • Lesson 7: Deleting Sounds

Step Two: Letters, Sounds, and Blending

Includes activities to teach letters, sounds, and blending for each letter group:

  • Lessons 8-9: s, a, t, i, p, n
  • Lessons 10-11: c, k, e, h, r
  • Lessons 12-13: m, d, g, o
  • Lessons 14-15: l, f, b, q, u
  • Lessons 16-17: j, z, w
  • Lessons 18-19: v, y, x

Step Three: Special Rules and Exceptions

Includes activities to teach some common rules and exceptions in the English language:

  • Lesson 20: Digraphs
  • Lesson 21: Blends
  • Lesson 22: Vowels
  • Lesson 23: Magic Letter E

Step Four: Decodable Readers

Includes 47 short stories that explicitly introduce rules and letter combinations:

  • Lessons 24-34: CVC and CVCe Words, FLOSS Rule, R-Controlled Vowels, Common Endings, and Double Consonant Rule
  • Lessons 35-49: Long Vowel Letter Combinations and More Common Endings
  • Lessons 50-64: Diphthongs, Sneaky Letters, Trigraphs, Silent Letters, and Other Common Endings
  • Lessons 65-70: Rare Vowel Letter Combinations, and Rare Digraphs

As a teacher and reading specialist, I know how to teach little ones to read—and you will too.

Here's what other parents and caregivers have to say:

We did your program and she learned her letters in the order you gave. It was absolutely mind blowing how well she picked it all up. I just wanted you to know that the program gave her such a good head start and I’m so proud of her. And this program!!! I have told everyone about it. ♥️

Just to say that your fantastic ideas and resources on reading have been so helpful. I began teaching my daughter at 3.5, using a rather boring method, but heavily supplemented by your activities to make it fun. She is now not yet five and has just been made the youngest 'free reader' in her school, normally for children aged 6/7, as the teachers have no more phonics books worth giving her and she can pick what she likes from the school library. They are all wowed by her, as am I!

Zoe F.

We have LOVED your resources - my 7yo is excelling at his reading, and my 5yo is finally mastering phonological awareness (she wasn't as 'ready' as my 7yo so we took it a little slower for her) thanks to your tools! Thank you - you've had such an impact on our lives!

Tanya K.

Your kind and loving teaching style shone through every single idea that came from you.

Susie K.

I just wanted to say that I have had 6 children and had my oldest reading before she entered Kindergarten. Yet, I was so excited to see the order in which you suggest to teach ABC's. I bought your program for my last daughter and wished I had it for my son. She was 4 at the time of purchase, and she really enjoyed going over the letters. Thank you teaching an old Mom a new trick!!! I truly recommend this program to everyone!!!

Shirley S.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are your qualifications?

I am a certified teacher and reading specialist, and taught Kindergarten in the classroom for 10+ years. Currently, I am a homeschool teacher to my 4 children. I also support parents, caregivers, and fellow teachers in their journeys with little ones through my blog and my homeschool curricula. Through decades of teaching young children (including my own!), I have refined the best activities to build strong foundations in literacy and mathematics.

What is phonological awareness?

You will learn all about phonological skills in How Wee Read! Phonological skills actually have nothing to do with the letters in the alphabet, but they are essential for building a strong foundation for reading. Phonological awareness focuses on auditory skills, hearing the relationship between words—the rhymes, the sounds, the syllables, etc. Did you know that a child’s ability to rhyme in Kindergarten is a direct predictor of his or her reading success in Grade One? It’s true! Rhyming is the first of seven phonological skills that your little one will master with How Wee Read.

What is The Science of Reading?

The Science of Reading is based on decades of research (rather than a single study). This body of research spans from the 1960s to the present and includes studies from various fields such as cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and education. The insights are drawn from extensive longitudinal studies, experiments, and reviews of how reading skills develop and how best to support them.

How do I know if my child is ready for How Wee Read?

There are no prerequisites, as we start right at the beginning! Progress nice and slow through the lessons, pausing as needed to allow your child time to continue to play with skills as needed. Most educators recommend starting phonological awareness at the age of four, however every child develops differently, so some may be ready earlier and others not until later.

How long does the program take?

How Wee Read is divided into 70 lessons, with each lesson taking approximately 20 minutes to complete. The program could be completed in as little as a few months. However, as you go through each lesson, additional practice time may be needed for certain skills. Extra activities are included for each skill should your child require additional practice in that area.

When will I receive my order?

Instantly! After purchase, you will be sent an email with a link to download the How Wee Read Coursebook and Printables. You will be able to view your materials on your computer, tablet, or phone. You can also print a hard copy at home or at your local print shop.

Printed & Shipped orders are delivered via Priority Post and generally take 3-6 days to arrive. All Printed & Shipped orders will also receive a digital copy delivered to your email as described above.

Can I see a sample?

Absolutely! There is a sample linked at the top of this page directly under the description.

Does the printed version come cut out?

The Printed & Shipped version of How Wee Read comes with the coursebook printed and bound and the printables printed on sturdy cardstock. Nothing is pre-cut. It is recommended to only cut the cards for the lessons as you go!

If I order a printed copy, will I also get a digital copy?

Yes! All printed orders also receive a digital copy emailed to you immediately upon purchase. You can use this digital copy to start browsing and using your new resources right away!

Does this program teach writing too?

I’m so glad you asked! To combine writing with this program, you can bundle How Wee Read with How Wee Write and you are all set! How Wee Write complements How Wee Read perfectly. We use the same sequence and the same stories to turn your reader into a writer! Learn more and purchase the bundle here.

What's new in the 2nd Edition of How Wee Read?

This new edition of How Wee Read places a more explicit and sequential focus on the decodable readers. We have included many additional letter combinations and rules, and progress through each story in a more intentional way. We are forever seeking to provide you with the best resources for your children!

I'm already using Kindergarten at Home (or Grade One Literacy), should I also use How Wee Read?

Absolutely! How Wee Read includes instructions on how to meld the programs together seamlessly.

Have another question? I'm here to help! Start a conversation using the chat button or send an email to sarah@howweelearn.com. I can't wait to hear from you!