The Pack contains 6 workbooks. What's ORT (Oxford Reading Tree)? Oxford Reading Tree is one of the most popular reading schemes in the world. It is highly successful because children love the characters and want to read about them, it is easy for teachers to use, and is an ideal way to encourage more parental support. Every book in the scheme tells a complete story. Young children can remember a simple story told in natural sounding language even if they cannot read separate words or letters. Features of ORT ORT is divided into stages. You can easily identify each stage by the colour on its cover. As children progress on to each new stage the stories gradually increase in number of words and the difficulty of the sentences. Children follow the 'trunk' of the tree. This is made up of core stories from Stages 1 to 9. Stage 1 teaches important prereading skills. Stages 1+ to 5 introduce specific reading skills, which are developed as children progress through Stages 6 to 11 to become fluent and confident readers. TreeTops extend the tree for 7 to 11 year olds. Children learning English may take one or tow years to complete Stages 1 to 5. The stories in the scheme are written in the simple past tense. This is the natural tense we use for stories, for example, 'Once upon a time there was a princess'. It is also the tense we use when questioning children. Teachers all over the world find this to be a positive feature of ORT. Why use Oxford Reading Tree with children learning English? ORT has a proven track record and is used successfully in thousands of schools all over the world where English is taught as a second language. ORT makes reading enjoyable, motivating the child to learn English. The stories are based on familiar situations and experiences so your children can easily relate to the characters. The language is authentic and natural sounding, allowing children to experience native speaker English. The vocabulary and sentence structures are repetitive and predictable following the pattern of subject, verb, object. The gradual increase in key words and grammatical structures means that your children will acquire new skills and vocabulary at their own pace. The books have a clear storyline with a beginning, middle, and end making it easy for children to follow and understand. There is a direct link between the pictures and the text making it easier for your children to recognize words and predict language. The Big Books allow you to share the stories with the class. This shared experience is an excellent introduction to reading in English. The wordless picture books at Stage 1 encourage children to develop their vocabulary. The children can also discuss the stories in their mother tongue. The extended stories set the scene, stimulate interest, and increase children's understanding so they are confident when reading the books themselves. There is wealth of support material for pre-reading, while- reading, and post-reading activities to enrich and extend the reading experience.
