Beginning readers, of course, will begin with Level A, Part 1: A Pig Can Jig. Children with some prior reading experience should be tested by having them read a series of words and sentences selected from the Level A to F readers in the BRS Placement Test, found in the Resources section of this website. This is especially necessary when a child comes from a reading program that is markedly different from BRS in its fundamental features.
A day’s lesson ends when you decide to end it. Stop at the end of any story or poem, while the child’s enthusiasm and interest is still high. It’s better to stop too soon than to press on until the child’s attention starts to wander. Since each child differs, the Parent-Teacher Guides do not specify how much material you should cover in a day.
The BRS readers and workbooks are divided into sections. After completing a section of a reader, the child will be ready to work on the corresponding section of the workbook for that level. As with the readers, children should not be required to complete an entire workbook section at one sitting. It’s best to stop when the child’s interest is still high.
Give children plenty of oral reading practice, but don’t hold back the more advanced children by requiring them to read everything aloud. While every child should read aloud some of the time, those who are moving ahead independently need do so only often enough to demonstrate that their decoding is accurate.
Some children will be second graders when they finish the program; others will continue with BRS into third grade. How secure are their decoding skills, and what kind of performers are they? Pace, emphasis, and expectation will naturally vary from student to student. Some will be able to transfer to trade books before finishing BRS, while others will benefit by seeing the program through to completion. A huge advantage to using BRS in a homeschool setting is the flexibility of allowing each child to proceed at their own pace
Children who successfully complete BRS will be independent readers of virtually any English-language materials that match their own language capabilities and their youthful experience of the world. Most of what they can speak and hear with understanding, they will be able to read with equal understanding.
Since BRS uses a carefully chosen, controlled vocabulary, the use of outside reading material is discouraged while children are “getting their feet on the ground.” Instead, BRS should be taught at as fast a pace as each child can handle. At the same time, parents and teachers should provide additional stimulation by reading more advanced works to the children to aid in developing their vocabulary and comprehension skills.
If homeschool parents take the time to study the BRS philosophy and practical suggestions in the Parent-Teacher Guide for Levels A, B and C and the Parent-Teacher Guide for Levels D, E and F, then they should find implementing the program to be very intuitive. After all, BRS is a logical program and simplifies the process of reading instruction for both children and parents.