A guide to the

teaching of reading
using the
Ladybird
Sunstart Reading
Scheme
A guide to the teaching of reading using the
Ladybird Sunstart Reading Scheme
Introduction
This illustrated guide has been created especially for parents and teachers who are
teaching children how to read. It explains how to use the Ladybird Sunstart Reading
Scheme and how to get the most from the resources available which accompany
the scheme.

The Sunstart Reading Scheme uses the key words method of learning to read, featuring
characters and stories set in the Caribbean.

The clear structure of the key words method allows for steady progression through the six
readers. When used alongside the three Sunstart workbooks, the series provides
children and teachers with a complete scheme.

Contents
Page 2 Ladybird Sunstart Reading Scheme
Page 3 Dialect, patois and standard English
The importance of learning to read and write
Page 4 The whole child
Page 5 The pattern of learning - thinking, speaking, reading, writing
The first stages of reading - from pre-reading to reading
Page 6 Pre-reading activities
Page 7 When is the child ready to learn to read?
Reading readiness guide
Page 8 Teaching reading with a reading scheme
The Ladybird Sunstart Reading Scheme
Page 9 The scientific use of key words in early learning
The researched key words list and the Ladybird Sunstart
Reading Scheme
Page 10 Using the Ladybird Sunstart Reading Scheme
Page 11 Teaching a class or group to read
Page 12 The use of flash cards
Wall pictures and flash cards
Reading games and flash cards
Page 15 The link with the workbooks
The use of phonics
Page 16 Three books at once
Links between reading and writing
Page 18 The formation of letters
Page 19 An example of a page from the Sunstart Workbook A
Page 20 An example of a page from the Sunstart Workbook B
Page 21 An example of a page from the Sunstart Workbook C

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Ladybird Sunstart Reading Scheme
● A series of six carefully graded mini hardback readers.

1 Lucky dip 2 On the beach 3 The kite 4 Animals, 5 I wish 6 Guess what?
birds and fish

● Workbooks A, B and C reinforce the words learned in the six readers, whilst teaching
handwriting and introducing phonic training.

Workbook A Workbook B Workbook C

(Linked with Books 1 and 2) (Linked with Books 3 and 4) (Linked with Books 5 and 6)

● For classroom use, flash cards from the

Key Words Reading Scheme, containing the over
first 100 key words. here
see

● One double-sided
A1 wall picture
featuring illustrations
from the scheme.
Ideal for use with flash
cards for reading
activities to develop
reading, interaction and
imagination.

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Dialect, patois and standard English
In a number of English speaking countries many young children come to school speaking
varieties of English known as dialect or patois. Each of these has its own richness and
worth, but contains many differences from so-called standard English. The local variety of
English and standard English have many complementary not opposing roles, and both
are essential.

However, learning to read in standard English can present considerable difficulties to a

young child if he meets sounds, word forms and grammar strange to him, in his first
standard English reading books. With this in mind, care has to be taken in the early stages
of this Ladybird Sunstart Reading Scheme to use only standard English word forms and
grammar, which are not peculiar to standard English but used in other dialects and
patois also.

The importance of learning to read and write

Most people agree that English has become the first global language. English is the
preferred language in the increasing use of the internet, multi-media use and in many
other ways. Therefore, many parents and teachers consider it is very important for
children to learn to speak, read, write and spell English.

Parents are often the first and only continuous teachers

of their child, although they may have little formal
instruction in how to teach. Parents and teachers
will find it easy and rewarding to teach a child to
read and write if:

● The adult really wants to do so, and

has a kind and understanding
approach

● He/she understands the basic

principles of learning

● The adult has an attractive, scientifically

prepared reading scheme available

● He/she has time to give the child some

personal attention each day

This guide gives the basic information needed, and explains how to use the Ladybird
Sunstart Reading Scheme. It also offers teachers realistic advice and help over possible
difficulties arising from large classes of children; many of whom may have varying
standards of ability, behaviour and attendance.

The understanding of child development and method of teaching reading described are
those developed and used throughout the English-speaking world.

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The whole child
There is general agreement that the teaching of a child, whether by a parent or teacher,
should be in the context of child study. Before any programme of instruction is drawn up,
it is necessary to consider whether the basic needs of the child are being satisfied.

At the planning stage of this reading scheme an international consultant group of

headteachers and teachers drew up the following list of points, based on their experience
and worldwide research on child development:

● Children are people in their own right and

should be treated with respect and
understanding. The characteristics and
behaviour of children should not be discussed
in front of them. They need to feel secure in
the love of their parents

● It is what a child feels within that matters.

With understanding one can tell from the
child’s action what he is feeling

● Parents and teachers can help to give children

an environment in which the real self of the
child can grow and not be stifled or lost

● Children should be allowed to do things for

themselves from the earliest possible moment

● Character is developed through experiment

and experience. Children should be
encouraged to explore and should not be punished for mistakes or for curiosity, for by
these we all learn

● Always laugh with children, never at them. A child’s fears should never be laughed at,
for there is nothing cowardly in fear itself

● Encouragement is essential to the development of the child

● When a child seems not to be healthily inquisitive, encourage discussion. If left

unsatisfied, he will inevitably make enquiries outside the home, sometimes getting just
what he needs, and sometimes not

● It is wise for parents and teachers to recognise the important part played by each
other in the child’s development and to co-operate fully

● The children of yesterday are the world’s citizens of today. Tomorrow’s citizens are as
yet, our children

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The pattern of learning - thinking, speaking, reading,
writing . . .
When a child is learning to read and write, three
of the greatest achievements of the human mind
are being brought together. Ideas come first in the
developing mind, then speech through which
thought is expressed. Later comes the ability to
record and interpret thinking, through writing and
print. Man is essentially a symbol-using animal
and progress in a literate community is difficult
without the skills of reading and writing. Reading
is vital. It’s a resource we all need for enjoyment,
information and for our work. Above all, as
parents and teachers, we want children to be able
to read with confidence and to enjoy reading for
life. The teaching of reading and writing should
flow through the natural interests of children;
learning to read by reading, and to write
by writing.

The first stages of reading - from pre-reading to reading

Children will develop gradually at their own pace towards successful reading. During
pre-reading, parents and teachers should foster positive attitudes towards books and
reading, an understanding of how books work, and give happy experiences of stories
and rhymes.

Some specific pre-reading skills to encourage are:

● Retelling - remembering and saying what happens in a story

● Sequencing - putting pictures and events in the right order

● Predicting - saying what will or might happen next

● Matching - spotting what’s the same and also saying what’s different

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● Picture reading - telling a story from pictures

● Focusing on detail - around us and within books

● Sound awareness - hearing sounds, especially at the beginning of words

● Rhyme awareness - hearing that certain words rhyme

● Rhyme memory - remembering nursery rhymes, songs and simple rhyming (or
repetitive) stories

● Knowing letter names and letter sounds - beginning phonic knowledge

● Being able to read his/her name and a few other words

Pre-reading activities
The best way to increase a child’s experience and support language development is to
encourage awareness and concentration and introduce stimulating activities to develop
hearing, speaking, reading and writing.

Hearing and speaking skills can be developed by:

● Listening and telling stories, rhymes, jingles

and poetry

● Giving instructions

● Sand and water play

● Listening to radio and watching television

programmes

● Dressing up, role play and telephoning

● Taking part in table games (snap,

dice, Lotto, dominoes, snakes and ladders)

● Sorting and matching by colour/shape/size in

various materials

● Playing with construction toys and

doing jigsaws

Outside games can include parents, or the teacher or her assistant, taking a group of very
young children on an educational walk or visit and then drawing or painting several
pictures of where they went and what they saw, or did.

Reading skills can be developed through:

● Picture books and pictures in comics

● Flash cards (of road signs, children’s names, commands etc), labels, notices
and storybooks
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Writing skills can be developed through:

● Pictures and patterns with finger and brush paint

● Patterns with fingers in sand and pencil on paper

● Drawing a story in pictures, tracing pictures, writing his/her name etc

● Adding words to picture

Memory plays a key role in reading and all other

learning. Enjoyable repetition is important to train
memory, so encourage memory and concentration
games such as “Today I saw” (name five things
from an outing to the neighbourhood/shopping
trip) and spot the differences between two pictures.

When is the child ready to learn to read?

Reading readiness combines many aspects of child development, and there are very wide
differences in physical and intellectual maturity among children of the same age. For
example, one child between four and five years of age might understand and use several
thousand words, while another of the same age might have only a few hundred in his
vocabulary.

Nevertheless, the age of reading readiness is now believed to be much lower than was
previously thought. Many normal children of four years can learn to read, if the material
presented daily is linked to their interests, carefully
graded and has adequate word repetition.

In every community, there are a few specially

gifted children of high intelligence who can learn
to read earlier than this, if they have the same
enlightened programme, a kindly understanding
approach, and sensitive teaching. Attempting to
teach a child too early, before he is ready for it,
can not only fail, but also condition him adversely
against reading.

Reading readiness guide

Reading readiness takes account of a child’s
language, co-ordination, play, concentration and
curiosity about stories and the written word.

The following checklist offers readiness

guidelines:

● Can the child see and hear properly?

● Does he/she ask questions and want to know

about the objects and things happening
around him/her?
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● Does he/she understand spoken instructions and can he/she carry them out?

● Does he/she listen to a story?

● Can he/she retell a simple story in a fairly logical sequence?

● Can he/she see similarities and differences in simple drawings?

● Does he/she draw recognisable objects?

● Is the child fairly self-reliant and able to work alone for short periods?

● Can he/she match identical shapes?

● Does the child shows signs of wanting to read?

If the child has reached this point and is eager to start, now is a good time to begin!
Choose a simple structured reading scheme, such as Ladybird Sunstart Reading Scheme.
Keep all sessions short and happy and praise constantly.

Teaching reading with a reading scheme

Most teachers use a reading scheme to teach reading. A good reading scheme is a
carefully planned series of illustrated reading books, workbooks and supporting apparatus,
for example flash cards to develop reading skills. These are designed to take the beginner
from the earlier stages of reading to reading fluency. A well-written reading scheme’s
vocabulary is controlled so that new words are introduced gradually, repeated a number of
times, and carried over to the following book of the series. The best schemes ensure a sci-
entific word control. The books of the Ladybird Sunstart Reading Scheme use these key
words in the early stages to accelerate progress in
learning to read. This method has proven successful worldwide with Key Word Reading
Scheme being sold in many countries.

The Ladybird Sunstart Reading Scheme

Approximate New phonic

Book reading age To be used with New words words in workbook

1 4-5 Key Words flash cards, 34

2 5-6 wall pictures and Workbook A 49 4
3 6-7 Key Words flash cards, 74
4 7-8 and Workbook B 101 32
5 8-9 124
Workbook C
6 9+ 144 45
Total 526 Total 81
Overall Total 607

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The scientific use of key words in early learning
Part of the scientific basis of this reading scheme is use of key words. This is the name
given to a group of the most used words in English. These were formulated in the world
famous research conducted by William Murray and Joe McNally, entitled Key Words to
Literacy.

Their research found that the vocabulary of the ordinary adult has been assessed at about
20,000 words

the first 12 a further 200

the next 20
Key Words
make up 14
of those we 19,700 words
read and write 68 more words

The 100 words in the first three sections are introduced and then repeated at frequent
intervals in the early books of the Sunstart Reading Scheme.

The total of these three sections shows that 100 words make up half of those in common
use.

Parents and teachers will immediately realise the importance of this to children’s learning.
Of these 20,000 words only 12 form a quarter of those in common use. If children know
these 12 words they then will recognise 25 per cent of any script put in front of them. The
complete list of 300 Key Words represents two-thirds of the words in everyday use. The
diagram printed above illustrates this, and when children know these they are well on their
way to learning to read. The findings of this research was checked by a group of interna-
tional educationalists. In their opinion the first two sections of the key words list represents
approximately the proportional use of the words in their countries.

The researched key words list and the Ladybird Sunstart

Reading Scheme
The diagram below contains words in the first three sections of the key words list. It also
shows, by the number printed above each word, in which book of the Sunstart Reading
Scheme that word first appears.
2 3 1 3 3 3 2 3 4 4 1 4 4
1 1 1 all as at be but about an back been before big by call
a and he 2 1 5 5 1 1
came can come could did do down first
5 6 3 3 3

1 1 1
are for had 3 3 2 2 3 4 4 2 5 2
2 2 2 from get go has her here if into just like
1 1 6 3 2 4 6
I in is have him his little look made make me more much
3 2 1 3 5 2 6 5 2 6 4 5 4
1 3 1 must my no new now off only or our over
not on one 3 4 6 1 1 2 4 3
it of that 6 3 2 other out right see she some their them
said so they 3 3 2 1 2 1 5 5 3
1 1 5 then there this two up want well went who
2 2 1 5 2 5 4 5 4 3 3
the to was 12
we with you 20 were what when where which will your68old

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Using the Ladybird Sunstart Reading Scheme
If the teacher is in doubt as to whether a child is ready to learn to read, she is
recommended to use the first five openings of Book 1 Lucky dip with him, to aid her
judgment. There are no words for the child in these 10 pages.

Pages 4 and 5: A double spread picture in colour

of a school fete or fair, showing many activities

Pages 6 and 7: A picture story of six

numbered parts

Pages 8 and 9: Sixteen small pictures of

people, animals, objects and buildings

Pages 10 and 11: Two pages of objects shown

in groups of the four primary colours

Pages 12 and 13: A visual discrimination test,

based on the selection of identical shapes

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The child is encouraged to talk to the teacher about the contents of the page as described
above. If reluctant, he is prompted by questions. His responses may add to the knowledge
the teacher already has about him regarding his confidence, speech development, concept
development, general knowledge, spoken vocabulary, experience, observation, perception,
auditory and visual discrimination and general intellectual ability.

Guided by the overall impression the teacher has formed, she can then either start
teaching him to read, or guide him through a programme of pre reading activities as
outlined in this booklet.

Pages 4 to 13 of Book 1 described can,

of course, be used with groups of
children as a basis for teaching the skills
required for learning to read. For
children ready to learn to read,
straightforward teaching of reading can
be started from page 14 onwards,
supported by wall pictures with
sentence cards, and Workbook A, as the
teacher describes.

A1 colour wall pictures available

free of charge from your
Ladybird representative.

The 34 words in Book 1 are in the Ladybird Key

over Words Flash Cards, which contain the first 100
here key words. These are convenient for reading
see games and drills, and for testing.

Teaching a class or group to read

Every day teachers have to make decisions about the best way to teach individuals, groups
and classes, including large classes. All good teaching demands a thorough knowledge of
the subject, the materials used, and good class organisation.

Personal contact between teacher and child is important, since everyday teachers will
spend a little time teaching individuals. However, the majority of their time is divided
between teaching the whole class and group teaching. When teaching large classes it is
essential the teacher is given the support and structure they need. The Ladybird Sunstart
Reading Scheme including the workbooks and flash cards provides this and used sensibly
never fails to prepare children for independent reading.

For many teachers the best classroom aid for a large class is the help of another adult.
Increasingly, parents, grandparents or another adult give their time voluntarily to help in
schools. When chosen carefully and guided by the teacher they are invaluable when help-
ing in large classes.

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The use of flash cards
I see a girl.
The Key Words Flash Cards
containing the first 100 I see a boy.
key words are an integral
part of the scheme. The
cards are useful for a
variety of activities and
reading games.

boy

I see a girl

Wall pictures and flash cards

A happy and effective start with beginners in learning to read can be made with the use of
wall pictures and flash cards, which are available from Ladybird or can be produced by the
teacher. At this early stage the teacher may find that some young children in the class or
group do not know that English is read from left to right. They may not understand such
words as letter, word, and sentence. The teacher begins by getting the children to talk
about the picture pinned up in front of them. Then the teacher tells the children that they
are going to learn to read, and pins up flash cards below the picture. The teacher points,
moving their hand from left-to-right, from word to word, and reads, ‘I see a girl’. Then
another flash card is produced bearing one word - ‘boy’. The teacher encourages the
children to compare the words on the flash cards and the words on the picture. Children
take turns to shuffle the four word cards and then arrange them in the same order as the
ones on the picture.

Reading games and flash cards

As children progress, key words flash cards can be used in enjoyable reading games such as
Lotto, with 12 key words written on cards, and where children are encouraged to place
their flash cards over the correct words. Another popular game is to place words round an
arrow, which spins, and children are asked to read the word where the arrow stops
spinning. A correct answer gets a token and gentle team competition adds fun to learning.
Teachers regularly use other group games using flash cards of key words. For instance, a
football game where a correctly read word gives the player the chance to move the football
nearer the goal, or a fishing game where a magnet on a string hooks a fish upon which is a
paper clip, upon which is a key word to be read.

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Spinner Game - The child or team receive one point each time they read or spell a
word correctly.

Football Game - Each time a child spells or reads a word correctly, the football should
be moved one step closer to the child’s or team’s goal.

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Racing Game - The child or team can move their car forward each time they read or
spell a word correctly.

There is a wide range of ability in most classes, and at any given time some children are
likely to be ahead of others in reading ability. In learning to read, well-organised small
group work can play an effective part with most large classes. The members of the group
(probably about four to eight in number) are chosen according to their level of reading
skill, and for their ability to get on together. They each have, or share, a copy of the same
reading book, and take turns in reading aloud to each other. The teacher moves from
group to group, listening, checking, and giving some of their time to individuals.
Sometimes a teacher needs to appoint a group leader, who may have a higher reading age
than the others in the group. Here again, volunteer parents or grandparents are very
useful in assisting in group work.

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The link with the workbooks

The workbooks are an essential part of the Sunstart Reading Scheme as:

● Children find this kind of exercise enjoyable, which helps them develop a good atti-
tude towards learning

● Valuable repetition is given in the workbook to the words in the parallel reading
book

● Including writing practise helps greatly when a child is learning to read, especially if
the same vocabulary is used

● Phonics are taught in the latter part of each workbook and knowledge of the sounds
is an important aid in tackling new words

● Many of the exercises assist in diagnosing difficulties some learners experience

● Some of the test pages can form a useful section of the child’s progress record

An example page from each of the Sunstart Workbooks can be found at the back of
this pack.

The use of phonics

Blending in the phonic method
Most reading schemes use ‘sentence’, ‘look say’ or ‘whole word’ methods in their first
stages. With these, the child soon becomes confident in his growing ability to learn to
read, if the words are introduced gradually, with interest and adequate repetition. Then,
when more than 100 words are known by these ‘whole’ approaches, the phonic
method is used, to give an additional means of getting to know new words.

The phonic method is used in the teaching of reading because with ‘regular’ words, the
sounds of letters (not their names) when uttered rapidly produce the words. English is not
a purely phonetic language, so care must be when introducing this method to the learner.

Applying the phonic method

The teaching of phonics in the Ladybird Sunstart Reading Scheme is supported in
Workbooks A, B and C.
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Successful phonic teaching ensures that:

● Phonic teaching is used after an enjoyable and successful start to reading has been
made by sentence and whole word methods

● Phonic instruction is given initially on words already known to the learner

● Maximum pictorial aid is provided

● A variety of interesting approaches is employed which gives disguised repetition

● Writing is used to assist retention of the sounds taught

● The sounds are applied in a meaningful reading situation directly they are learned

Three books at once

There is common agreement that there should be at least three books in the life of a child
who is learning to read.

The first is the one the teacher reads to the class or group. Besides giving the child
pleasure and interest and encouraging him to listen carefully, story reading helps to
develop a love of books and a desirable attitude towards reading. This book, carefully
chosen by the teacher, gives the child his first glimpse of the wonderful world of literature
awaiting him once he has achieved reading skill. Discussion often follows a reading lesson
of this kind, and during this the teacher guides the child towards critical thinking.

The second book is the one in the chosen reading scheme. It is important that this is
matched to the level of ability of the child, and that he should enjoy using it. Linked to
this there can be the workbook, reading games and apparatus of various kinds,
employing in the main the vocabulary of the reading book.

The third book should be the child’s free choice, selected from the attractively set out
book corner or library. Here a wide variety of colourful and interesting books are
displayed so that the front cover of each is seen. Some of the appeal is lost for young
children if books are stacked so that only the spines are shown. Plenty of space should be
allocated to this book display and some kind of grading is necessary. One section should
show picture books without words, or with very few words, to cater for the beginner.

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Links between reading and writing
William Murray considered that reading; writing and spelling should proceed as one
functional learning whole. Writing is taught for its own sake and also helps
greatly when the child is learning to read, if the same vocabulary is used. Workbooks A, B
and C of the Sunstart Reading Scheme teach the learner to write, using the parallel
vocabulary of the reading scheme. In the very first stage, every possible assistance needs to
be given to the learner. The maximum amount of pictorial aid is provided, and the
large print in the books is similar to the rounded script the teacher uses.

As the child progresses, he could also be supplied with a ‘free’ exercise book in which to
write, draw, or trace whatever he likes. With a child who finds reading difficult, this often
helps to overcome inhibitions caused through previous failures.

Later, writing to important people, television and sports personalities and pen friends can
expand the usual letter and note writing to his friends. Purposeful writing generally
awakens interest and often stimulates enthusiasm.

Further reading and writing exercises are provided in the Ladybird Keyword Reading
Scheme Activity Books and the Picture Dictionary, which is useful when pupils are
learning to write. There are many additional books available in the sister schemes of
Sunstart, which are the Ladybird Key Words Reading Scheme and Read with me.

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The formation of letters
Many teachers believe that handwriting should be in a print-script, as near as possible to
the type-face of the child’s first reading books, so that he will have fewer characters to
learn. The guide below shows the formation of the letters.

© Ladybird Books Ltd 2006. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or copied by any means,
without the prior consent of the copyright owner.
LADYBIRD BOOKS LTD., 80 STRAND, LONDON, ENGLAND, WC2R 0RL
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An example of a page from the Sunstart Workbook A

© Ladybird Books Ltd 2006. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or copied by any means,
without the prior consent of the copyright owner.
LADYBIRD BOOKS LTD., 80 STRAND, LONDON, ENGLAND, WC2R 0RL
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An example of a page from the Sunstart Workbook B

© Ladybird Books Ltd 2006. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or copied by any means,
without the prior consent of the copyright owner.
LADYBIRD BOOKS LTD., 80 STRAND, LONDON, ENGLAND, WC2R 0RL
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An example of a page from the Sunstart Workbook C

The workbooks can be ordered from your Ladybird representative. They are shown here
at smaller than actual size of A4.

© Ladybird Books Ltd 2006. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or copied by any means,
without the prior consent of the copyright owner.
LADYBIRD BOOKS LTD., 80 STRAND, LONDON, ENGLAND, WC2R 0RL
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