An age-appropriate, early literacy curriculum targeting National Reading Panel components.
Meet Sam! She's the adolescent character featured in our new Early Literacy Skills Builder for Older Students curriculum. Your older students with significant intellectual disability or autism, who still need to develop the foundations of literacy, will have Sam to help them along the way.
Using the same scope and sequence as ELSB, this version was specifically designed to give older students who have not been exposed to foundational reading skills, age-appropriate activities to learn them. Seven levels present skills in 14 objectives including the conventions of print, phonemic awareness, letter-sound correspondence, listening comprehension, vocabulary, and writing. Skills increase in difficulty as students progress from Level 1 to Level 7.
The curriculum is delivered primarily via software or an app. Ideas are provided for blending instruction with print activities. The program incorporates the best practices of systematic and direct instruction. The software directs the student, provides feedback, and gathers data on the student's performance. Instruction can be conducted with individual students or with groups. Students love creating an avatar to represent them. Avatars also appear on screen to indicate whose turn in the group it is to respond.
Sam Stories, describing the adventures of Sam, her family, and her friends, are read to students in the software. They can follow along using the spiralbound book provided. A writing activity focuses on new vocabulary. End-of-level assessments scored instantly help determine when to move students to the next level.
The Teacher's Guide describes the underlying principles of the curriculum, the scope and sequence of ELSB for Older Students, how to use the curriculum, and the background and research supporting the curriculum. It also includes samples of the scripts used to teach objectives and includes reproducible pages for extension activities.
Several teaching resources are provided with the downloadable resources:
- PDF files of the Sam Stories book and the appendixes in this Teacher's Guide are provided as downloadable resources. The files come with a Classroom License for printouts and are provided for easy and convenient printing.
- PNG files of original art from the book Sam Stories are also provided. The illustrations can be printed and used for multiple purposes: decorating bulletin boards, adding to letters for families, making mini "Sam" books, creating activity pages, designing scrapbooks about Sam, etc. They can also be used to add images to a student's AAC device. An index is provided on the flash drive to help you choose the best illustration for your purposes.
- A blank card template (Blank Card Template.docx) is provided for creating response options if you choose to complete some activities in print form. This document is provided as Word document (you must have Word to read and use this file)
- PDF files of the response options included in the software if you choose to complete some activities in print form (Level X Print Cards.pdf). These files will print as full pages of response options found in the software.
The Curriculum includes: 1 device license for any platform (Windows, Mac, iPad, Android), 1-year subscription for web-based software, Sam Stories, Teacher's Guide, downloadable resources, and sight word and alphabet cards.
Features
- Provides a solution for older students to learn prereading skills
- Blends software and app instruction with print activities
- Offers seven progressive levels of instruction for students
- Integrates research-proven and systematic instruction strategies
Bridges accepts institutional P.O’s (purchase orders).
Call us for a quote or just fax or email a P.O. on your letter head.
How secure is my online order?
Any information submitted through the web store is safe and secure. Bridges uses state-of-the-art security encryption methods to ensure the highest standards of security for its online customers.
What payment methods are accepted?
We accept Visa and MasterCard for online orders.
What if I do not have a credit card?
If you do not have a credit card, please call us at 1-800-353-1107 (8:30am - 4:30pm EST) to discuss alternative payment methods.
How do I know if you have received my order?
When your order has been completed, you will receive a confirmation e-mail that will be sent to the e-mail address that you entered in the "Registration” page before checkout.
Shipping
What shipping options are available?
Most of our items are shipped by secured courier, which takes 3-5 business days to reach the customer. Where service is not available, or due to the special requirements of the product, we will also use UPS, Puralator or Canada Post.
Ordering multiple, heavy-weighted items?
If our store can’t calculate your shipping costs during checkout, your order may fall outside weight, size, or destination restrictions, for online ordering.
Sorry about that.
Just contact us by email or phone and we'll figure out another way to get your order to you.
How much does shipping cost?
Shipping is calculated individually depending on the weight and size of the item. This will be calculated automatically upon checkout and will be included in the total price when you go to the checkout.
How long does it take for me to receive my order?
Order processing time depends on availability of the product from the manufacturer, but typically products are shipped within 10-15 business days after the order is placed. See shipping options for the number of days it will take to reach you after it leaves our warehouse.
Do you ship internationally?
No, we currently sell our products and services only in Canada.
How can I track my order?
When the order is shipped out, you will receive an e-mail with a tracking number. If you do not receive this e-mail, please call 1-800-353-1107 (8:30am - 4:30pm EST) to receive your tracking number.
Returns
Do you offer a money back guarantee?
We offer a 21-day money-back guarantee unless otherwise noted. Products must be returned in a resalable condition as determined by Bridges. Returns are subject to a 20 percent restocking fee after 21-days. Many of our manufacturers offer additional limited warranties of longer durations on their products. Returns will no longer be accepted after a period of 90 days. Please call us at 1-800-353-1107 (8:30am - 4:30pm EST) or send an e-mail to info@bridges-canada.com for more information about manufacturer's warranties or returning your product.
Please note, customers cannot return software for a refund. However, we do offer a store credit for the full amount if returned within 21 days. After 21 days a restocking fee may apply.
How do I return a product?
To return a product you need to get a Return Authorization (R.A.) number from us. Please call us at 1-800-353-1107 (8:30am - 4:30pm EST), e-mail us at info@bridges-canada.com or fax us at 905-542-7242 to get an R.A. number and further instructions. Please note, Bridges will not accept returns without an R.A. number. The customer is responsible for shipping costs of returned products.
- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.