Below is an annotated list of the books I have published. I will explain why I published them and why I think they are among the best teaching tools available anywhere today. Just click on the title to purchase the book from Amazon.
1. There are three versions of my Natural Phonics Primer: A Universal Safety Net for Literacy.
A. Natural Phonics Primer: 6 x 9 Hardback
B. Natural Phonics Primer: 6 x 9 Paperback
C. Natural Phonics Primer, Expanded Edition - 8.25 x 11 Hardback.
This program has unique features for improving the literacy levels of all students. All the major English spelling patterns are taught in a developmental sequence with timed fluency exercises calibrated for every grade level through the eighth grade. There are 100 words per exercise with an arrow to the left of every fifth word in the columns to facilitate counting the words for the timings, Videos for each spelling pattern are available for parents, teacher, and students. The “Expanded Edition” includes a special section how on to use the Blend PhonicsTechnique to introduce sounding-out, which needs to be mastered BEFORE starting the fluency building timings. This proven approach provides four important functions.
1. It will provide beginning readers an excellent phonics primer for learning the fundamental skills.
2. It will provide universal screening for reading difficulties at the decoding level.
3. It will provide remediation for students seeking to overcome reading difficulties.
4. It will provide good readers an opportunity to further boost their reading and spelling fluency
Here is the webpage of Supporting Materials.
2. Reading Made Easy with Blend Phonics for First Grade and Blend Phonics Fluency Drills. This is my paperback edition of Hazel Logan Loring’s 1980 phonics masterpiece. It can be used for whole class, small group, or individual teaching. I first published it as a free ebook in 2003. I decided in 2015 to publish the 25 page pamphlet along with my Blend Phonics Fluency Drills as a handy 6 x 9 paperback. Although the title mentions first grade, I have found it effective for older elementary students, teens, and even adults. This program teaches all 44 English speech sounds and the major spelling patterns in 45 Units of study. The stories include all 220 Dolch List Sight Words, but taught with phonics and NOT look-say techniques. If you want your students to be able to identify and spell the 220 Dolch List Sight Words with lightening speed and flawless accuracy, this is the book to use. Directional guidance is built into the program, making it especially helpful with students with a tendency toward dyslexia. Comprehension training is a central feature of the program. It can be taught in the first four months of first grade.Blend Phonics Training Video.
3. Blend Phonics Lessons and Stories. This book is my pride and joy. It follows the same Scope and Sequence as Reading Made Easy with Blend Phonics for First Grade. There are 62 decodable stories, each accompanied by four comprehension questions (teaching eight comprehension skills: 5 literal and 3 inferential) and a list of spelling words for each story to reinforce mastery of the phonics patterns. I have used it with many students I taught it to one first grader in one month at the Odessa Christian School by working with her 1 hour per day. Blend Phonics Lessons & Stories Training Video.
4. Blend Phonics Lessons and Stories: Cursive Edition. Mr. Potter developed this unique book to help students develop fluency in reading in reading cursive. This also helps with spelling because the students are able to see the word in the same cursive in which they are going to write them. Students as young as kindergarten have learned too read and write cursive fluently with the help of this book. The text is the same as #2 above except the students read the stories in cursive instead of New Times Roman.
5. Blend Phonics Timed Fluency Drills. This is designed as a supplement to the Blend Phonics reading method. Speeds are calibrated for every grade from kindergarten through eight-grade. Students with dyslexia will benefit greatly from working daily with these drills and attaining their calibrated speeds through brief daily practice. Read "Fluency: Achieving True Mastery in the Learning Process" by Carl Binder, E. Haughton, and B. Bateman to understand the value of the drills.
6. Beyond Blend Phonics: English Morphology Made Easy. This book is designed to teach the Anglo-Saxon, Romance (Latin & French) and Greek Levels of English. To better understand the principles behind this book, read Marcia K. Henry’s brilliant essay, “Organizing Decoding Instruction .” Mrs. Henry was a past president of the Orton Dyslexia Society and author of several outstanding books on literacy and dyslexia. This book is for more advanced students who desire to increase their vocabulary and reading levels. There are 731 word in the program. One fifth grader recently finished the book and improved on my informal reading inventory from middle third grade this to independent fifth grade. Beyond Blend Phonics Training Video.
7. Word Mastery: Phonics for the First Three Grades. This is my large print edition of Florence Akin’s 1913 phonics masterpiece. This book was in print till the late 1990’s. It was used extensively by dyslexia teachers. In fact, it was given to all of Anna Gillingham's and Bessie Stillman’s dyslexia teachers as part of their teaching equipment. Dr. Marcia K. Henry tells me that she used it with lots of struggling readers beginning in 1958. I used it last year to teach a small group of 2nd grade tutoring students at my school. The results were outstanding. The children wrote all the words in wide-lined spiral notebooks in cursive. The book is a complete course in phonics including pictures for teaching the sounds represented by the letters. I also published a cursive edition of the book: Word Mastery Cursive: Phonics for the First Three Grades. Her is my Word Mastery Support Page.
8. First Readers Anthology. This is an anthology of decodable readers for first through sixth grades. It was first designed to be used with the late Samuel L. Blumenfeld’s Alpha-Phonics beginning primer. It can be used with any phonics reading program that begins with the short vowels. These stories are among the best decodable stories ever written. Every parent with young children should have a copy. I have published a large print cursive edition of this book, First Readers Anthology: Cursive Edition. This is a great book for helping students to read cursive fluently.
9. A Sound Track to Reading: advanced, intensive phonics book and reader. This is an updated edition of Sister Monica Foltzer’s advanced, intensive phonics book and reader for teenagers and adults wanting to improve their reading skills. It is the Pearl of Great Price of remedial reading instruction. Here is my webpage of supporting material.
10. Wise Owl Polysyllables: Advanced Reading Skills for Young Children. This very unique book represents what may prove to be my major contribution to reading instruction. This book teaches 936 multisyllabic words based on five groups of spelling patterns taught in a progressive manner. The first group, for example, consists of 137 multisyllabaic words consisting of only 20 phonograms. (A phonograms is a letter or combination of letters used to represent an English speech sound.) The words are divided into syllables and illustrated with interesting sentences and clear definitions. It is designed for young children who have successfully finished a good phonics program like Blend Phonics or Word Mastery. I have used it with students as young as first grade. It enabled them to increase their grade level reading ability by several grade levels in a very short time. Here are my special Slides for Teaching Wise Owl Polysyllables.
11. Noah Webster’s Spelling Book Method for Teaching Reading and Spelling. This is an adaptation of Webster’s 1908 Elementary Spelling Book for Twenty-First Century Children. Training Video for Webster’s Spelling Book Method. Here is Elizabeth Brown’s Webster Speller Livestream. Mrs. Brown is a highly experienced Webster teacher.
12. Playmates: A Primer: This beautiful reader was first published by Margaret Winifred Halliburton in 1906. It uses only 192 words, but is an intriguing book for young children and has a good storyline about children on the farm and two friends from the city who come to spend time with them in the country. It would be a great first-reader for children after a good start in basics phonics. It would also be a wonderful read aloud book for children. You children will fall in love with May, Nell, Will and their friends.
13. Psalms Reader: For Teaching Twenty-First Century Children to Read Fluently and Worship their Creator. This is the first book I published (Nov. 25, 2012). It was something of an experiment to see if I could figure out on my own how to publish with CreateSpace. Basically it is a selection of metrical psalms from the 1650 Scottish Psalter that I considered appropriate for young children. The words are divided into syllable like modern hymn books. This is what William Shakespeare would have read as a youth on his way to literary fame.
14. A Grammar of of the Greek New Testament for Beginners. I am listing this book last because it will be of interest only to adults who would like to learn or review New Testament Greek. It was written by the late Dr. J. W. Roberts, professor of N. T. Greek at the Abilene Christian College (now University) in Abilene, TX.
15. A Comparative Lexicon of New Testament Greek. This is a powerful tool for building Greek vocabulary by studying the roots. Greek is not so intimidating when we realize that some 400 roots of Greek words are known for 90,000 word sin the Liddell & Scott Lexicon.
