Current research supports Zoo-phonics! How was Zoo-phonics
developed? Some interesting questions, from parents, teachers and administrators, about Zoo-phonics, as answered by Char Wrighton, Co-Author: What motivated you to create the Zoo-phonics Program? The children
in our classrooms motivated us. We were Special Ed Teachers.
If the children needed curriculum adjusted to their needs, we
made the adjustments. These adjustments became the "essences" of Zoo-phonics. The joy that
Zoo-phonics brings into the classroom through the Animals, the
movement, music, game format and through the ease with which
the children learn the basics of reading, spelling and writing. The presentation of Zoo-phonics is much the same whether in a classroom or home setting. Each Animal/Picture, in the shape of the letter, is presented to the child giving all three modalities at the same time: 1) visual; 2) auditory; and 3) kinesthetic. Holding up the picture, the teacher (or parent) and children say, in unison, "allie alligator, 'a'." At the same time, they stretch out their arms and give a clap to represent the alligator's snapping jaws. What makes Zoo-phonics different? Zoo-phonics: (a) Uses 26 animals to teach letter shapes and sounds. (b) Teaches the lowercase letters before introducing capitals. (c) Teaches letter sounds before letter names. (d) Teaches a body movement, or "signal," in association with each Animal/letter of the alphabet. These "Signals" aid memory and bring fun into the classroom. (e) Treats the alphabet as a whole and goes from "a-z." (f) Teaches short vowels before long vowels. (g) Uses "word family" patterns to teach reading and spelling, because children are "naturals" at finding and remembering patterns. In Zoo-phonics,
we take something that is very abstract (reading) and through
music, stories, puppets and games, turn it into something that
is concrete and understandable to young children. Current research supports the Zoo-phonics Program. Zoo-phonics teaches lowercase letters and sounds first. When these have been learned, uppercase letters and letter names are introduced. The alphabet is taught as a whole and in sequence. Zoo-phonics does not believe in teaching one letter per week. It teaches the alphabet from "a-z." To make it fun, the children sing and move to the Zoo-phonics alphabet song entitled, "Come Meet us at the Zoo" (from the Zoo-Music Collection On CD). A Body Signal is taught from "a-z" in association with each Animal. Not only is this beneficial to a young child's physical development, but it aids memory (for "When the body moves, the brain remembers"), and it's fun! Which Zoo-phonics Program is best suited for home school use? There is only ONE Zoo-phonics Program and methodology. This methodology is in both English and Spanish. There are, however, two different kits: the Preschool Kit and the Kindergarten Kit . You choose the Kit to match the age and/or developmental level of the children. In addition, most all of the materials can be purchased separately. Has Zoo-phonics been used with children who have special needs, i.e. developmentally delayed or those with ADHD, dyslexia, etc.? While Zoo-phonics has been successful in teaching the gifted program, regular education, immersion and bilingual classes, etc., we must remember that Zoo-phonics was born in a self-contained special education class. We have received many letters and phone calls through the years telling of how it has benefited children with very special needs. Besides ADHD and dyslexia, we have been told of children who, having been diagnosed as Autistic, have gotten their first sounds through Zoo-phonics. A little boy who had to be lifted to the carpet each day for Zoo-phonics practice got the first movement of his leg one day when they got to Kayo Kangaroo who "gives a kick." We could go on, and on, and on! Many parents like to work with their children during the summer months, but find it difficult to do so, because the children become bored and disinterested. How could your program be used to spark interest and promote enthusiasm in learning? The "Read and Spell with Zoo-phonics" CD-ROM would be a good place to start. Get the whole family involved in learning the signals so they can have their "own secret code." Include field trips as a reward: a trip to the Aquarium, the Zoo, a pony or horseback ride in honor of Honey Horse, a trip to the Library, etc. If there is an older child in the family, have him/her learn the Signals and Sounds, and then she/he can coach and/or play Zoo-phonics games such as 3 in 1 Game, The Gordo Gorilla Game, Zoo-Bingo, etc. Give the older child an allowance for helping. This has been proven successful. Let it be his or her summer job. We noticed you also offer the home and school educator an opportunity to create their own classroom materials using your cast of characters? You offer Zoo-Fonts in both English & Spanish. You mention that Zoo-Fonts save teachers time by allowing them to use a computer to develop Zoo-phonics lessons. This sounds so exciting! Could you tell us a little more about this? As you introduce Zoo-phonics to very young children, or beginners in Zoo-phonics, your Zoo-Fonts, whether in English or Spanish, will present the sequence of the alphabet as taught in Zoo-phonics (Animals, merged Animal/Letters, lowercase letters, merged capital letters (PC version only), and capital letters). The teacher can make captions and name tags for classroom use by either enlarging or reducing the printout using a copy machine. The handwriting and spelling pages use the zoo trace and handwriting lines. When sentences are introduced, or when children dictate their stories to the teacher, the punctuation included on the Zoo-Fonts will come in handy. The children can compose their own stories by using the Zoo-Fonts as well. The Zoo-Fonts in the classroom certainly make life easier. Can you tell me a bit more about your How to Draw Activity and Animal Alphabet Puppets? The How to Draw Activity has each of the 26 Zoo-phonics Animals represented. The art lessons can be performed as follows: (a) If the teacher is comfortable with drawing, s/he can lead the children in a step-by-step drawing of an Animal(s). The teacher works at the board and the children work at their desks, following along as they draw and color their pictures. (b) Each child is given a copy of the Animal. At their desks they color, cut and assemble the pieces onto another sheet of paper. (c) Templates are made of the Animals. If this is a "Center" activity, fewer templates would have to be cut. The children trace, using the template, then color, cut and assemble the pieces onto another sheet of paper. (d) This lends itself to a discussion of the habitat of each of the Zoo-phonics Animals. The discussion can take place at another time, and can be a lesson in itself or a short discussion can take place before each "How to Draw Activity." The habitat can then be incorporated into the picture, either before or after assembly. (e) Another idea would be to assemble the Animals together who share the same habitat. For example: Francy Fish, Jerry Jellyfish and Olive Octopus make their home in the ocean. This would make a good cooperative or group art/science lesson. (f) The Nature Wall Cards with Nature Notes are designed to be placed on the wall and used as alphabet cards. Find the pictures to the right and below the description of the product. This will give you an idea of the habitats. As to the Animal Alphabet Puppets, they bring not only learning, but fun into the classroom. Here are a few ideas: (a) Because each puppet is a blackline master, the children can have their own set of puppets at their desks. In this case, the small pictures of the Animals glued to a tongue depressor might work best. Now, as the teacher gives an Animal name (Missy Mouse), each child holds up his or her puppet and then gives Sound and Signal. If the teacher calls out a sound (g), and Signal (pantomime peeling a banana), each child holds up that puppet and gives the Animal name (Gordo Gorilla). (b) The teacher's set of puppets can be placed from "a-z" along the chalkboard. The teacher gives a slip of paper to a group of three children. On this slip of paper is written a CVC word (dog). One group at a time comes to the front. Each of the three chooses a correct letter to spell the word. They place themselves into the correct order, giving Sound and Signal, and then connecting the word. The children might need a little practice first. (c) Each child is handed a paper bag puppet. Play "The Jump Rope Rap" from the We Are Zoo-Music Collection On CD. As an Animal is mentioned in the rhyming couplet, the child holding that Animal will take it to the front, placing it on the chalkboard tray. When the "Rap" is finished, the puppets will be lined up in alphabetical order on the tray. A Safari Into Reading, Writing and Spelling--Kindergarten Level is full of ideas just like these. Would you explain how the Spanish and English Immersion programs are used to help ESL and other children master these languages? Since the Zoo-phonics in English and the Zoo-phonics en espanol Programs share 10 of the Zoo-phonics Animals, this is the place to bridge. Zoo-phonics builds skills so sequentially and playfully that the transition is easier than it might be traditionally. We have had positive feedback from teachers. They tell us that the Body Signals are very helpful to bilingual children. Though the sounds they hear may be foreign to them at first, they get meaning from the Signals. I know that some of our teachers will be very interested in learning more about your workshops? Would you give us a brief overview of what the participant will learn? The participants
would learn the Zoo-phonics Animals, their Shapes, Sounds and
Signals. They would learn the songs, "Come
Meet Us at the Zoo," and the "Jump
Rope Rap." They
would be taught strategies for teaching young children to read
and spell through this methodology. They would be introduced
to games, the music and to the materials, and so much more. Everywhere! Call 800.622.8104, or check the Workshop Schedule page of this site, to find the location nearest you. Or, invite us to your school. Can participants receive college credit by attending the workshop? Yes. Attending a full two-day Workshop will give you one unit at Fresno Pacific University without further requirements. |
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