Guidedreadingjourney.com

An average of forty-seven percent of adults between the ages 16 and 34 in Canada do not have the minimum literacy skills to cope with everyday life and work.
— Statistics Canada, measured 2012

Are you looking for opportunities to improve and enjoy reading and writing? Are you a reading coach in search of lesson ideas? Welcome to Guidedreadingjourney.com — a rogue literacy site.

The lessons here provide an opportunity to self-study or study literacy with a coach. (An older audience is assumed.) I started with some old-school books. Then selected, edited, or composed new content with these objectives:
- provide enough material for self-sufficiency;
- provide a stress-free environment;
- lift spirits with a little whimsy.

These lessons are not a substitute for formal education. Nor do they replace the excellent literacy programs provided by literacy organizations. (You could start there.) This site provides an alternative for those who want to approach literacy on their own. Happy journeys!

New coaches: If you can read, you can help someone else learn to read. You do not have to be a straight A student, a 'do good er', or a perfectionist to help someone with literacy. (Perfectionism might work against you as a coach.) Don't let anyone dissuade you — you can be a reading coach! I hope you find the material on this site useful in your efforts.

Read the site planning document.

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Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, Zz

Start with the basics by learning English letters and sounds. Try out the interactive alphabet. Word drills introduce groups of words by sound. The drills include definitions, exercises, rhyming, games, and short stories — to help you learn to read. You will find audio recordings, picture icons, and other reading aids for self-study. Still, I encourage you to work with a learning coach.

For your reference, I also included rules and exercises for spelling, syllables, prefixes, suffixes, and how to use a dictionary.

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Research suggests writing improves reading, and reading improves writing. You will find quite a bit about both topics on this site.

To improve writing (and reading), learn some grammar. Grammar is the same whether you are in elementary school, high school, or university. It is a foundation block upon which all written text rests, so consider spending time on it. You don't have to become an expert. Every job requires some reading and writing — so dig in.

The grammar section has basic information about forming and punctuating sentences. (The composing topic includes how-to information on writing effective sentences and drafting paragraphs.)

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Reading materials include posts, letters, short stories, newsletters, reviews, and interactive text adventure games. (The composing section provides guidelines on how to write such documents.) I am the author of most of this work. However, I have accredited the work to members of a fictional family — just for fun.

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This site has "things to read" and guidelines on how to write them. Use these blueprints to plan your own writing.

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Reviews a selection of poems and some articles debating wetland protection. This work has depth and I use it to introduce critical thinking. Critical thinking happens when we stop reading for information or pleasure and we start questioning the author's work.

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Is your learning environment stressful? Sometimes we need to change our study environment or habits to make learning easier. Read some ideas about how to make that happen.

Adult Topics

The material here may seem whimsical at first glance, but it was selected for adults. For example:

• Topics include buying a car, cooking a meal, and eating at a restaurant.
• The read aloud sentences are based on the adult topics. For example:
  • Travel: My electric bike is great for summer travel.
  • Weather: The sun heats the Earth unevenly.
  • Food and Health: Limit salt and sugar in your cooking.
• The country store, (where you can learn currency), sells beer and wine.
• Most of the textbooks, novels, or poems referenced are highschool or college level.

A special thank you to contributors of Flaticon.com. Without your little icons, this site would be less functional and much less charming.