Reading Help

"Read to Rise: A Step-by-Step Literacy Support Program"
For Elementary Students Struggling with Reading

Course Overview

This course is designed for children reading below grade level, focusing on phonics, fluency, comprehension, and confidence. It blends multi-sensory learning, structured practice, and fun activities to make reading feel less like punishment and more like discovery. Parents can follow this at home or integrate with homeschool/FSA curriculum.

Duration

12 Weeks (can be repeated/extended based on progress)
4–5 sessions per week, 30–45 minutes each.

Core Components

1. Phonemic Awareness & Phonics

Goal: Recognize, blend, and manipulate sounds with automaticity.

Key Activities:

• Sound isolation games (“What’s the first sound in cat?”)
  
  

• Letter-sound drills using flashcards & tactile letters (sandpaper, foam, magnetic)
  
  

• Blending boards: practice reading CVC, CVCC, CCVC words
  
  

• Weekly “Sound Hunt” (find objects/pictures with the target sound)
  
  

2. Sight Word Mastery

Goal: Instantly recognize the most common words that can’t be sounded out easily.

Key Activities:

• 5–10 new sight words per week
  
  

• Flashcard races (timed challenges for speed)
  
  

• Memory match games with sight words
  
  

• “Sight Word Spy” — highlight/underline them in short reading passages
  
  

3. Vocabulary Building

Goal: Expand word knowledge to support comprehension.

Key Activities:

• Themed word lists tied to stories (animals, weather, feelings)
  
  

• Use new words in silly sentences/drawings
  
  

• Picture-to-word matching
  
  

• Word detective journal (log new words and their meanings)
  
  

4. Fluency Practice

Goal: Read smoothly with correct pace, phrasing, and expression.

Key Activities:

• Echo reading (adult reads, child repeats)
  
  

• Choral reading (read together)
  
  

• Reader’s theater scripts
  
  

• “Read it Like…” game (read passage as if you’re happy, sad, a robot, etc.)
  
  

5. Comprehension Strategies

Goal: Understand and remember what is read.

Key Activities:

• “Stop & Jot” — pause after a paragraph/page to write/draw what happened
  
  

• Story maps (characters, setting, problem, solution)
  
  

• Prediction practice (“What do you think will happen next?”)
  
  

• Q&A after reading (who, what, when, where, why, how)
  
  

6. Confidence & Motivation

Goal: Make reading a safe, rewarding activity.

Key Activities:

• Choice reading time (child picks from high-interest books)
  
  

• Progress tracker chart & celebration milestones
  
  

• Pair reading with an older student/mentor
  
  

• End-of-week “Show What You Know” mini performance for family
  
  

Weekly Structure Example

Day

Focus

Activities

Mon

Phonics + Sight Words

Sound drills, blending practice, sight word intro

Tue

Vocabulary + Comprehension

Themed word list, picture match, short passage Q&A

Wed

Fluency + Comprehension

Echo reading, story map

Thu

Phonics + Fluency

Word family practice, reader’s theater

Fri

Review + Celebration

Games with the week’s words, read aloud to family

Parent/Instructor Toolkit

• Assessment tools to check progress every 3–4 weeks
  
  

• Printable flashcards, blending boards, story maps
  
  

• List of high-interest, decodable books for each reading level
  
  

• Guide on how to praise effort without over-correcting mid-reading
  
  

• Resource list for dyslexia-friendly fonts and tools
  
  

Optional Add-ons for the FSA Site

• Interactive digital games (phonics and sight word focus)
  
  

• Downloadable practice packs by reading level
  
  

• Progress tracking sheets parents can submit for feedback
  
  

• Video library showing how to model reading strategies