Program Overview

Flying Start to Literacy is a comprehensive early literacy program.
  • The program is ideal for early reading and intervention programs, including Reading Recovery.
  • The program provides effective support for ELL (ESL) students.
  • The program is research-based. For information about the research
    that underpins the program, download the Program Overview.

Program Overview for Flying Start to Literacy

Program Components

The program consists of:

Go to Program components.

Program Features

Key vocabulary is introduced systematically.
Key vocabulary is carefully introduced and constantly revisited. Paired books present the same key vocabulary in different text types.
High-frequency words have a high rate of repetition with a low ratio of unfamiliar words. 
Paired books present the same high-frequency words in different sentence structures and text types.
A variety of text types enable the development of a range of reading strategies. 
Text types with different structures and text features build reading strategies for texts that have different purposes.
                                                 
Text complexity carefully sequenced to build reading strategies. 
Flying Start to LiteracyTM is sequenced into 7 Developmental Stages and 30 Guided Reading levels. Reading strategies are developed and consolidated at each level.

The teaching of phonics and phonemic awareness is supported by the program. 

Underpinning Flying Start to LiteracyTM is a systematic and explicit sequence of phonemic awareness and phonics. This sequence is matched in the books to provide a context for learning.

Fluency enhances comprehension. 

Lesson Plans provide opportunities for oral reading and include the re-reading of books to improve word identification skills and comprehension.

Reading and writing are linked. 

The range of text types and the pairing of narrative and informational texts provide models of writing for the readers. Comprehensive Lesson Plans include writing as an integral part of each lesson.

Assessment is ongoing to inform instruction. 

Ongoing assessment forms part of each teaching sequence.

See the features of the program at each Developmental Reading Stage.