Toe by Toe changes lives. Buy the number one reading manual for struggling readers now. #TBTchanges lives BULK SALES FOR SCHOOLS AND INSTITUTIONS A. As is the case with Toe by Toe, reinforcement and over-learning of skills previously covered are essential features of the scheme.

At the age of 14 Keda became a ‘mill girl’ at the famous Salts Mill, in Saltaire, West Yorkshire. Later, she became part of the Second World War effort making bomb releases for Lancaster bombers. After the war, she returned to Salts Mill, married and brought up a family. Keda always had a keen and inquisitive mind and this question of why some children had difficulties in learning to read nagged at her. She thought that she had somehow failed these students, so she made an offer to their parents. She asked their permission to teach their children at her home - without charge - at the end of the school day. To a large extent the timing targets in Stride Ahead are arbitrary. In essence, we have timed a ‘normal’ person reading the passage at ‘normal’ speed and then added a few seconds to come up with our target. Therefore, it does not really matter whether students are achieving the precise target. Toe By Toe can be found in use in many diverse places worldwide, ranging from Aboriginal prisoners in the deserts of Western Australia, to posh prep schools in the highlands of Kenya, to remote regions of the Yukon in Canada. It is used in the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic and the Gilbert Islands in the South Pacific. Maori school children use it in ‘buddy schemes’ and it is working well with ethnic Chinese children in Hong Kong and Singapore.Regardless of the nature of literacy problems, everyone can be taught to read using Toe By Toe. It requires only 20 minutes of coaching a day and you’ll see immediate improvements in your child’s reading confidence. It can be used by parents or by teachers – you don’t need to be a trained educator to help a child read with Toe By Toe. If the child is younger than 7 we would suggest that you do the following. ‘Drill’ the short and long vowel sounds and the initial consonant blends until there is little or no hesitation beforehand. This would be adequate preparation for the first part of the book. It would ensure that they got off to the ‘flying start’ which can be so important for confidence and motivation. Certainly, by the time they have reached Part Four they should be reading something which matches their interests away from the scheme itself. A. We consider that a child should be 7 years old before starting the Toe By Toe. That said, don’t consider 7 years old as the absolute minimum age to start Toe By Toe. As a parent or teacher you will know the child best. You will know when the child is capable of studying Toe By Toe.

This is the ‘holy grail’ of reading. We are unlikely to get to this point with a severely dyslexic student but we can aim to get as close as possible. Non-dyslexic people are more likely to be unaware of the rules and skills Lewis Carroll applied when he wrote the poem. Stride Ahead aims to free them up from this distraction, giving them more time, desire and ability to understand a text and to extract more meaning from it. Developing and improving this skill is critical for everyone’s education. After all, isn’t exam success linked to a clear understanding of written questions? A. The methodology underpinning the manuals is exactly the same. Both are equally effective at improving students’ reading ability and their confidence and self-esteem. Toe by Toe USA has been altered slightly to reflect differences between British and American English with regard to vocabulary, spelling and the use of certain idioms.Typically, they would begin with a ‘benchmark time’ of 20 seconds and make several mistakes and / or get tongue-tied. Just try to do any ‘manipulating’ discreetly so students remain unaware that they have ‘failed’ (as they might see it) in any reading task. They should be able to appreciate that reading is not a chore, but something to do for entertainment as well as enlightenment.