The Barton Reading and Spelling System consists of 10 levels designed to build progressively on students’ reading, spelling, and writing skills.
Here’s a breakdown of the ten levels:
Level 1: Phonemic Awareness
Focuses on helping students develop phonemic awareness, which is the ability to hear and manipulate individual sounds in words. This foundational skill is crucial for reading success.
Level 2: Consonants & Short Vowels
Introduces students to basic consonants and short vowel sounds, blending them into words. It emphasizes correct sound production and simple spelling patterns.
Level 3: Closed Syllables & Units
Expands on closed syllables (a syllable with a short vowel sound followed by one or more consonants). It also introduces letter combinations (units) like -ck, -tch, and -dge.
Level 4: Syllable Division & Vowel Teams
Teaches how to divide words into syllables and introduces vowel teams (two vowels working together to make one sound). This level helps students read longer words with more complex structures.
Level 5: Prefixes & Suffixes
Focuses on teaching common prefixes and suffixes and how they modify root words. It also reinforces previously learned skills in reading and spelling multisyllabic words.
Level 6: Six Reasons for Silent E
This level explains the six reasons why English words have a silent “e” at the end (e.g., to make the vowel long, to keep words from ending in “v” or “u”).
Level 7: Vowel-R Combinations
Teaches vowel-r combinations (like “ar,” “or,” “er,” etc.) and their influence on vowel sounds. It also focuses on reading and spelling words with these patterns.
Level 8: Advanced Vowel Teams
Introduces more advanced vowel team combinations, including less common ones (like “ea,” “we,” and “us”), to improve reading fluency and spelling accuracy.
Level 9: Influences of Foreign Languages
Covers the spelling patterns and sounds in English that come from foreign languages, such as French, Latin, and Greek. This level helps students recognize and spell borrowed words.
Level 10: Latin Roots & Greek Combining Forms
Focuses on studying Latin roots and Greek combining forms, helping students decode complex multisyllabic words and understand the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary by recognizing common roots.
Each level is carefully sequenced to ensure students master the skills at their current level before progressing to the next, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of reading and spelling rules.
