A copy of the original book.

Click here to download a copy of the original Now Read This book.

Highway to Literacy

This document is a near facsimile of the original. It is a guide for teachers using the original Now Read This programme. Unlike the original book, this document does not contain a copy of the programme. A facsimile of the original Now Read This will be available soon.

Click here to download.

Highway to Literacy

teaching guide facsimile available now from nowreadthis.com.au

nonsense verses from Now Read This

The daughters of the yachtsman
Were waltzing with the bears
The choir sang a chorus
That echoed down the stairs.

If you think this is crazy verse
Be patient - I can do much worse.

They thought I caught the many fish
I brought home in the yacht
They should have known
I have no shame
I bought the whole damn lot.

Onomatopoeia ...
Crash and splash and crunch.
Why do feeble judges sniffle
As they munch their lunch?

by Geoffrey Falkenmire

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

I have made up my mind
I will depart from hence
And do my humble teaching thing
Behind my little fence

Because there is enough
More than enough indeed
To keep me fully occupied
My students have real need.

I don't want seminars
Or workshops by the ton
About the methods I must use
The things that must be done.

The methods that we use
The hours that we spend
Must be those that are functional
The teacher has to bend.

If I can teach my folk
To read and write and spell
Then let me grapple with my lot
And let me do it well.

So I will go chez moi,
And do the first things first,
Don't organize me eins, zwei, drei! -
Or else I'll surely burst !!

by GWF

- some things never change!

Printable page from Lesson 1 - Aa

Introductory unit to Sight Words

the sound of a as in spar - from Lesson 1

Many units of Now Read This have lists of words that have the same sound. Each word is read out aloud and highlighted so that the learner can follow easily. The learner can interrupt this by clicking on a word to hear it alone. In each unit the easier words are on the left and only these need be learnt by the beginner. The other words are for more advanced learners. The tutor should supervise to ensure the learner is working at an appropriate level.

Lesson 10

This coloured image gives some idea of what this unit is like. The writing is read aloud to help the learner to understand what this lesson is about.

The buttons at the bottom of the page allow the user of the program to go to other pages in Lesson 10. Throughout the program, the green buttons will take the user to the next or previous units as set out in the program. The back button will take the user back through the units that they have been looking at.

 

This is the printable version of the introductory page to Lesson 10 of Now Read This. Every interactive unit in the program has a corresponding printable page. These are instant worksheets or homework or revision sheets.

567 units in Now Read This

Click here to see a list of all of the units that are in this extensive programme.

Learn at home, be a home tutor, use it in a classroom - there really is something for everyone.


This is the cover for the printable units in Lesson 10. These units look at words that end in sounds like shun, shuss and shul.

Poems On Pedagogy by GWF

These poems are the first chapter of a book of poetry by G W Falkenmire published in 1994.The book is called "Verse you can read". This chapter is "On Pedagogy".

'"These are poems that you can understand. They will make you laugh and they may bring  a tear. They will capture and retain your attention. They will not bore you. Read them aloud and be captivated by the pictures they paint."

Download 15 poems in pdf format by clicking here.

Sample unit from Lesson 1

 

Easy sentences using the A/a family of sounds

This unit from Now Read This has easy words in easy sentences. The image shows links at the bottom of the page, and the top right corner. These take the learner smoothly to other parts of the programme. They are carefully designed to answer questions that might arise from the reading on this page.

THE THRIFTY PRINCIPAL

THE THRIFTY PRINCIPAL

    He's been thrifty with his praises
    All his life.
    He's been thrifty with the dough
    He gave his wife.
    Now he's going to retire,
    It's the cold he feels, not fire,
    'Cause he's been just too damned thrifty
    With his life.

    He was thrifty with his tolerance
    And tact.
    And humanity was one more thing
    He lacked.
    So it isn't any wonder
    That he feels he's going under,
    That the dice are loaded
    And the cards are stacked.

    If the Sermon on the Mount
    Means anything,
    Then we'll have to have him back
    Inside the ring.
    We don't have to call him 'dear’,
    But, let's buy the man a beer,
    'Cause he's just an old bee now -
    Without a sting.

Another poem GWF from the 1994 book "Verse you can read" - The chapter called 'On Pedagogy'

WRITE NOW - printable pages of units in NRT

Every unit in NRT is interactive on the computer screen, and is also available as a printable page. These are some sample pages from the Write Now section.

 

Facsimile of 1978 programme and 'BASICS'

The cover of the programme from about 1978.

BASICS

I love to read
I love to spell
I love to use the language well
I think that grammar is a must
I don't mean just to earn a crust
But for its own intrinsic worth.

Do you know there is quite a dearth
Of people who know English well ?
Who read with ease ?
And who can spell ?

1994 "Verse you can read" -The chapter called 'On Pedagogy'

Sample unit from NRT Lesson 4

Lesson 4 contains 20 activities that focus on the forth vowel: 'o'.

This movie is the second activity of lesson 4. It animates single syllable phonic words that contain the letter o. Clicking on the image will take you to a page where this movie plays.

Click the image to see a sample unit

As each word is displayed, it is sounded so that the viewer can get used to how it looks and sounds.

It can also be used without the sound for testing purposes.

There are a set of 14 syllables across the top of the page. When clicked on, the movie goes to words that contain that syllable. This interactivity allows the user to control the movie and hence their own rate of learning.

This is one of 567 units in NOW READ THIS.

KINDERGARTEN CLASS

This is where we find the magic,
This is where the whole thing starts
This is where God put together
All these fascinating parts.

See those big eyes, trusting, glistening,
Ready smiles and gurgling laughter,
Confidences, gorgeous creatures,
Why should anything come after?

This is where the best things happen,
Children are such precious people,
Teach them number, reading, writing,
Here’s the church and here’s the steeple.

Let them show you too, my teachers,
All the secrets that they know of,
Secrets that the angels told them
Not too many seasons far off.

This one swings her shiny pigtails,
Tells you her new baby brother
Will be coming some time next week,
As a present from her mother.

This one with the short blond haircut
Tells you of the bike he’s getting
But you know the bike’s a dream thing,
That his crippled foot’s preventing.

So they come and say they love you,
Reaching out with chubby fingers,
Urge you here to do some skipping,
Hurry, hurry, no one lingers,

Can’t you feel their wild excitement,
Aren’t you happy, aren’t you flattered,
That these busy Lilliputians
Make you feel as if you mattered?

by G W Falkenmire

How to form each of the letters of the lower case alphabet

Click the image to see the movie in a new window.

This is a screen shot of an animation in NOW READ THIS.

This movie shows how each lower case letter is formed.

In an attractive animation, students can see the correct way to write each letter of the English alphabet.

The movie runs for about 8 minutes. It is in two sections, the first part forming each letter of the alphabet, stroke by stroke. The second part of the movie is all of the 26 letters fading in and out one at a time. This second part will loop endlessly unless interrupted by the user. 

There are control buttons to manage the replaying, pausing and stopping the movie.

An alphabet written across the top of the page is a row of links that allow the user to jump directly to the writing of the particular letter that they click on.

NOW READ THIS also has a matching movie that shows the writing of the uppercase letters. 

Have a look at this movie for free by clicking the image above or clicking here.

Attitude

Your life is ruled by attitude.
Whatever that may be,
So, good or bad, hot or cold,
Your attitude is Thee

It's your responsibility,
To keep yourself on top,
Your attitude will call the tune,
Until the day you drop.

So, when you know you are the best,
No matter what they say,
Just be ruled by your attitude,
And you'll enjoy the day.

Falkenmire

from GWF

The following is part of the FOREWARD written by G. W. Falkenmire for the version of Now Read This that was published in 1984 and called "Highway to Literacy"

Dear Students and Teachers,
This course is specially constructed so that anyone who can read and write can teach someone else to read and write.
It is the result of a lifetime of concern about literacy levels of children and adults. It is the earnest desire of the author that everyone should have access to the printed word.
This course is virtually an exercise in programmed instruction - where the progression from a known fact is made as simple as possible.

Our digital version of Now Read This holds true to this description. However it is programmed instruction, but the user has control of the programme and can take it in many directions. In this way the programme caters for learners at every level of English literacy and any speed of learning.

The title page of NRT with links to the 10 lessons.