Braille Courses from RNIB

 Feeling Ready to Read

This pack develops pre-braille skills in a "fun" way. It is ideal if Feeling Ready to Read is worked on at nursery school level, and enjoyed at home too. With pre-braille skills in place when a child starts reception, his/her chance of keeping up with the class and succeeding in braille learning is greatly increased.

Braille for Infants

A phonics-based structured course, now in need of a substantial face-lift. Braille for Infants has a successful track-record, with generations of blind children using it to start learning to read through braille. It is, though, not terribly motivating, compared with the kind of books sighted children are learning to read with. Pre-braille skills should be in place before starting to formally learn letters and braille signs):

Braille for infants does not currently include the capital letter sign.

Current order of sign introduction:

Book 1: a, g, b

Book 2: l, like, little

Book 3: i, I

Book 4: c, can

Book 5: t, that

Book 6: h, have

Book 7: and

Book 8: e, every

Book 9: go

Book 10: m, more

Book 11: p, people

Book 12: d, do, good

Book 13: s, so

Book 14: y, you

Book 15: the

Book 16: u, us

Book 17: n, not

Book 18: f, from

Book 19: o

Book 20: w, will

Book 21: x, it

Book 22: k

Book 23: v, very

Book 24: r, rather

Book 25: j, just

Book 26: q, quite

Book 27: z, as

(note: wordsigns "but" and "knowledge" not included).

 Reading Together

(Basic Pack and Extension Pack 1)

A new, real story based braille scheme, encouraging emergent literacy. Reading Together is divided into five levels, which fit fairly closely with Braille for Infants. Levels 1-3 contain a simplified text for the young braille learner to read, as well as the full story text to be read by the teacher first; this full text can also be used to encourage the child to scan for signs/words they recognise - which offers scope for incidental learning. Levels 4-5 can be read entirely by the young learner. All the books at any level are of similar complexity, and do not go in any order, giving the child an element of choice.

Capital letters are indicated from the start, and far more shortforms, a few composite (dot 5 and dot 4-5 signs) and additional punctuation marks are introduced than in Braille for Infants.

Order of sign introduction:

Level 1:

a, b, g, i, l, k

go, like

little, also

for

capital sign

Level 2:

C, d, h, o, t

can, do, have, that, but

good, could, about, today, again

and

day, here, know, one, time

full stop

Level 3:

e, m, p, s, y

every, more, people, so, you

almost, him, blind

the

ever, some, young, there

comma, question mark, apostrophe, long dash (marking space to fill)

Level 4:

f, n, u, w, x

from, not, us, will, it

would, after, afterwards, afternoon, tomorrow, either

work, under

quotation (speech) marks

Level 5:

j, q, r, v, z

just, quite, rather, very, as

across, always, friend, great, quick(ly), together, your, myself

name, upon

exclamation mark, ellipsis (…)

Using Braille for Infants with Reading Together

Level 1:

Start with Books 1-3 of Braille for Infants;

Introduce the letter "k", the "for" sign and the capital letter indicator;

Then use the 4 booklets at Level 1 of Reading Together for "real" stories.

Level 2:

Work through Books 4-7 of Braille for Infants;

Introduce letters d and o (plus "do"), the full stop, and the idea of the dot 5 signs;

Introduce specific dot 5 signs and shortforms as needed in each Reading Together story;

Encourage the child to read all 4 stories at Level 2.

Level 3:

Work through books 8-14 of Braille for Infants ("d" is already known, so it should be motivating for the child to whizz through Book 12);

Teach extra punctuation marks - comma, question mark, apostrophe, long dash (marking space to fill) needed for Reading Together Level 3;

Teach any specific dot 5 signs and shortforms needed in the Level 3 book being worked on;

Encourage the child to read the 4 stories at Level 3 - and to scan for words they know in the "full text" on the lefthand pages.

Level 4:

Work through Books 15-22 of Braille for Infants (Books 19 and 22 should be easy for the young learner, as "o" and "k" already familiar);

Teach quotation marks, and how they are used;

Teach any dot 5 signs and shortforms needed;

Enjoy the four stories at Level 4 - and point out that the child is now reading the complete story by himself/herself.

Level 5:

Work through Books 23-27 of Braille for Infants;

Teach the exclamation mark and ellipsis (three dots);

Teach any composite signs and shortforms needed;

Enjoy the stories at Level 5.

 Take Off and The Abi Books

These two, second-level courses, pick up from where Braille for Infants left off. Children who have used Reading Together will know several additional signs (e.g. some dot 5 contractions and a good number of extra shortforms and punctuation marks). This will be motivating, enabling the young braillist to cruise through some books in the Abi or Take Off series.

Take Off is not currently available in capitalised braille, although this work is in hand. The Abi Books 1-30 are only available in capitalised braille now.

The fit between The Abi Books 1-30 and Take Off (or the parallel Scottish scheme, Read On) is as follows:

Take Off/Read On Level 1 - Abi Books 1-10

(note: three shortforms must be taught before Abi Book 1 if only Braille for Infants has been used; only the shortform for "braille" will need special teaching if Reading Together has been used. These are shortforms for "about", "blind" and "braille").

Take Off/Read On Level 2 - Abi Books 11-20

Take Off/Read On Level 3 - Abi Books 21-25

Take Off/Read On Level 4 - Abi Books 26-29

Take Off/Read On Level 5 - Abi Book 30

PLEASE NOTE: The Abi Books 31-40 are in preparation, and will fit with Take Off/Read On Level 5-6. The Teachers' Notes to accompany The Abi Books series will be revised to include the 10 new titles. The Abi Books 31-40 and the revised Teachers' Notes should be available from RNIB by the end of 2006.

Braille for Infants (proposed revision)

A full revision of Braille for Infants is planned, so that it can be used more easily with Reading Together. The capital letter sign will be introduced, and hopefully some tactile pictures to illustrate the text. Print will be added, and coloured, tactile covers.

Proposed order of revised sign introduction:

Book 1: a, g, b

Book 2: l, like, little

Book 3: i, I

Book 4: c, can

Book 5: t, that

Book 6: k, for *** Reading Together (Level 1)

Book 7: h, have

Book 8: and

Book 9: d, do ***

Book 10: o ***

Book 11: but, go, good *** Reading Together (Level 2)

Book 12: e, every

Book 13: m, more

Book 14: p, people

Book 15: s, so

Book 16: y, you

Book 17: the *** Reading Together (Level 3)

Book 18: u, us

Book 19: n, not

Book 20: f, from

Book 21: w, will

Book 22: x, it *** Reading Together (Level 4)

Book 23: v, very

Book 24: r, rather

Book 25: j, just

Book 26: q, quite

Book 27: z, as