Our Programs
Our Literacy Program Strands
The Ants in the Apple Literacy Program includes nine separate strands:
- Assessment
- Phonemic Awareness
- Reading
- Spelling
- Handwriting
- Grammar
- Comprehension
- Written Expression
- Remediation
Although each of these strands is able to ‘stand alone’ they are designed to be combined into an integrated literacy program. The weekly spelling list provides the central core on which the other literacy strands are based. For example, the spelling list words are targeted for their:
- sounds and syllables (phonemic awareness)
- (multiple) meanings in various contexts (semantics/comprehension)
- parts of speech (grammar)
- use in the construction of simple, compound and complex sentences (syntax/written expression)
- synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, eponyms, etc. (vocabulary/comprehension)
- use in idiomatic language; sayings and expressions (semantics/comprehension)
- spelling structure (including spelling rules and dictation sentences)
- reading (single words, sentences, whole texts)
- handwriting
- general knowledge (including research questions)
The scope of the spelling program covers regular and irregular words and spelling rules. The sequence of the program is hierarchical, i.e. the difficulty of the words increases with each grade.
Our Numeracy Program Strands
The Ants in the Apple Numeracy Program includes three separate strands:
- Basic Facts for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
- Teaching Each Operation for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
- Tell the Time mathematics and support materials
Each mathematics book includes an assessment package to place students at the correct step in the teaching sequence, extensive practice samples for each step in the sequence and discrimination exercises to maintain previous learning. The ‘operations’ books also include teaching scripts and diagrams to facilitate the teaching process, and a cueing system on the worksheets to support students through the acquisition of each concept.