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Mary Minor Johnston is a master teacher. If ever there was a success story, it is illustrated by her determination to develop and implement a reading system that works for all children. From its beginning as a short phonetic instructional booklet, written more than thirty years ago, Total Reading has grown to a complete reading/language arts program used successfully by public and private schools, as well as homeschoolers, all over the United States and in many foreign countries as well.

Here at The National Right to Read Foundation we have many calls from principals, teachers, school board members, and parents who want recommendations on language arts programs that include direct, systematic phonics FIRST. Total Reading does just that.

The Basic Philosophy

The basic philosophy of Total Reading is not new. It is a time tested, well researched, scientifically validated approach to teaching children to read. In the late 1920's Dr. Samuel Orton described what he called "multisensory decoding," espoused in the 1990's as explicit and sequential instruction in the alphabetic code, by such renowned researchers as Marilyn Adams, Isabel Beck, and Connie Juel.

The contrast between some of today's popular reading and spelling programs and the Total Reading Language Arts Program is vast. Why would a teacher accept a program such as the Sitton spelling program where 1200 words are memorized over a period of eight years, when a program like Total Reading teaches the child to decode and blend words phonetically, unlocking the ability to read and spell thousands of words by the end of third grade? Within just a few weeks most children can read "real" stories rather than pointless, repetitive little (or big) books that require only mindless memorization of whole words.

One argument often heard from some "reading specialists" is that children who learn to read by phonics are not taught the meaning of words and fail to comprehend what they read. In Total Reading's decoding dictation lessons, every new word is used first by the teacher and then by the children in Super Sentences, answering the key questions: who, what, where, when, how, and why. Throughout the Total Reading program, comprehension and vocabulary development proceed from daily oral comprehension readiness lessons that stress literal details and the main idea concept, to complex interpretation and evaluation of children's literature.

This is truly a balanced approach to reading. The essential ingredient missing from most reading programs is direct instruction in decoding. Total Reading offers teacher training by knowledgeable professionals who understand reading theory and how to apply it in the classroom. It also is an approved inservice training provider for California grades K - 3 and 4 - 8, AB 1086 Grants. Primary and Upper Elementary Teachers, Reading Specialists, Chapter I Staff, and Administrators are welcome to learn how this program is used with beginning and "at risk" remedial readers.

How to Order

One of today's unsung heroes is Mary Minor Johnston. Thousands of children in schools all across America have learned to read with Total Reading. If you are looking for a complete language arts program in your school that blends the best in decoding skills with a strong literature based curriculum you should call 800-358-READ or check out their web site at www.totalreading.com and see for yourself.

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