I mentioned TATRAS Phonics in my previous post about language arts at our house. The big benefit is that it teaches all the sounds of a given phonogram, together. This not only saves the student from having to study each letter multiple times; it’s much closer to how he will need to use the knowledge to read. When you come across an “a” in an unfamiliar word, you have to try each sound to see if it fits. TATRAS (Teach America to Read and Spell) teaches all of the sounds, in decreasing order of usage frequency. That is, “a” as in “cat” is more frequently used than “a” as in “page,” which is more frequently used than “a” as in “father.” Therefore, this phonogram is taught as “a” (as in “cat”)/ “a” (as in “page”)/”a” (as in “father.”) (That’s really hard to explain in print. It sounds something like, “A says, “a, ay, ah.”)
TATRAS is also very cost-effective, at under $50. Unfortunately, the package can be a bit confusing; it has a lot of parts and can, therefore, look complicated. I’m going to tell you how we use it (which may or may not be precisely how it’s intended to be used), to hopefully make it less confusing.
Preparation for Beginning the Program
The first thing I would recommend is that, in preparation, you (the teacher) listen to the audiocassette once. This way you can be sure you understand correctly what the phonograms are supposed to sound like. (There are pronunciation guides in the printed materials, but it’s still good to hear them at least once.)
Also in preparation, you should make sure your child can readily identify all letters of the alphabet. The Alphabet Report Card included with the program is a great way to test this. It also works nicely as a testing/review/training tool for students who are still working on this stage and aren’t quite ready to start with phonics yet.
Beginning
Once the student knows the individual letters of the alphabet, and I know what the sounds should be, we begin teaching phonograms. For this, we use the flashcards, which allow me to isolate one phonogram at a time. (Hopefully, this helps prevent overwhelm.) We do not teach writing at this point. It is included in the program, and you certainly can. It is my belief, however, that this unnecessarily adds multiple new concepts for the brain to process, making learning more difficult.
At this stage, it’s mostly drill/rote. I point to the phonogram, tell the child what sounds it makes, and ask, “Can you say [relevant phonogram sounds]?” To start with, I usually do this several times, and then we’re done. After the first lesson, I’ll ask, “What does this say?” and see if the child remembers. If not, I remind him. Either way, we practice. During this stage of learning, it’s also helpful to occasionally review as we go about our day. Nothing major, just, “A says a/ay/ah.” Or “What does A say?” Or point to the letter someplace around us and ask the same question.
Moving On
Once the student knows the first few phonograms (in this case, A, S, T, and L – they’re presented in order of frequency, not in alphabetical order), then we worry about having “lessons” as laid out in the book. For the first few lessons you can use the Penny Primer, which is a small booklet. It has lessons like in the “big” book, but because there are only a few simple lessons in it, it’s a non-threatening introduction. Then the lesson format goes like this:
- one-minute timing: Set a timer for 1 minute (or 1/2 a minute when first starting out), then point to each phonogram in turn, repeating as necessary. The student should give all sounds of each phonogram as you point to it. This is a review only of the phonograms you have already studied! The goal is the equivalent of forty phonograms a minute. (Or eight phonograms five times, etc.)
- practice reading words
- practice reading text (introduced once you’re confident your student knows enough phonograms to be able to somewhat accomplish this)
Continuing On
When we get past the first eight phonograms, we’re finished with the Penny Primer and ready to move on to what I call the “big book.” It’s actually a very thin paperback (and has a title: The Great Saltmine & Hifwip), but it’s full-size paper, as opposed to the penny primer, which is a booklet about the size of a Chick tract.
The lessons in that book begin on page 14. There’s a lot of information earlier in the book, and it can be very hepful for you to read, but it’s not an integral part of the lessons. Starting on page 14, there are two-page spreads of word groups, which boxes of phonograms in the corners. Here’s what we do:
- Complete a 1-minute timing with the phonograms in the corner.
- Address any rules introduced in text boxes on the page. (These are logically located, so they’re introduced when you need them. The full text of the rules is provided on page 45.)
- Begin at the beginning of the word list and have the student sound out words, moving down the column, until we reach the end of the page or the student is getting tired/frustrated, whichever happens first.
We stick with the same word group until the student is very comfortable with the entire list, at which point we move on to the next group.
When the student seems ready, we add a step 4: reading from a book. (This occurs sooner than you might think, because TATRAS introduces phonograms in order of frequency of use in the English language.) The author suggests waiting until the student knows the first 20 phonograms and has read the words from groups one and two several times.
Other Stuff
There is some spelling material in the book, after the reading material, that we have not used yet but which could be helpful. And those who want to do the writing portion or have their children “write” the letters with their fingers will probably use the finger clock. Apart from that, I don’t use any of the other “stuff” that comes in the package. (This is the stuff that makes it look complicated, in my opinion – there are all of these parts and pieces and they really aren’t necessary.) Some of them are more useful for classroom instruction, or are alternatives to the pieces I do use.
In short, here are the components we use:
- audio cassette (teacher only, just once)
- alphabet report card
- phonogram flash cards
- Penny Primer
- The Great Saltmine & Hifwip (main manual)
- and a timer
The newer editions of this have a teacher DVD, so hopefully if you’re buying this new it will be less confusing to wade through all the parts!
This review/summary was so helpful–thank you! I am very interested in using this program with my daughter, but I can’t find it anywhere! It seems to be out of print I’m just wondering if you (or anyone else who may read this!) know of a source where I could buy a used copy of TATRAS.
Thanks so much!
RebekahW.
The author’s website is still live: http://verticalphonics.com/pricelst.htm It looks like it’s been a few years since it was updated, so you might want to email first to double-check that the information is current, but it’s a pretty good sign that the site isn’t offline. (I”m going to copy this to you in an email in case you aren’t following the comments here.)
I have been looking for a different phonics program for my son and have heard wonderful things about the TATRAS program, however, I have not been able to find where I can purchase this. I have tried contacting the company without any response. Do you have any resources that I may find the curriculum?
Hi. I’m a grandma and am helping my daughter homeschool. I used the TATRAS program for my children and LOVE it. I bought at least 3 copies to pass out to others over the years, including for a daughter teaching English in Burma. I even got to meet and communicate with “Our Mr. Rogers”, (Frank, the author). He was so accessible to me, and passionate about literacy. The method is brilliant. It breaks my heart that it did not seem to survive his presumed passing. My materials are missing the penny primer. If you are able to remind me of its content I could reproduce it to sit atop my refrigerator where Mr. Rogers said to place it to keep things casual and keep the little one wanting more. Or if you know of someone who has one to let go I’d appreciate the connection.
Yes, Frank Rogers passed away a few years ago. I, too, am sad that his program is no longer available — it’s by far my favorite! His children inherited it, and it’s my understanding there’s even stock left but, as they all have businesses of their own, keeping a storefront running isn’t a priority. I wish they’d digitize it and just sell it via TeachersPayTeachers or something!
I too am needing to rebuy our set. My youngest is now ready for reading, but trying to find a set used is impossible. 🙁 If only some enterprising homeschool family would buy the rights and start selling them again.
I’ve been trying to find a way to make them available again! I also suggested they might digitize them — I’d be happy to do all the work — so they can sell them as a digital download through TeachersPayTeachers or something and have no ongoing need to “do” anything with it. So far I haven’t had much success, though, with getting a response. 🙁
I also used TATRAS when I homeschooled my children. It was the BEST program for tutoring remedial readers and adults who were learning to read.
Sadly, I lent my last copy out a few years ago and cannot find another. If you could put me in touch with Mr. Roger’s family, I’d happily digitize everything for them for free.
Any news on getting ahold of this program?
Unfortunately, no. 🙁 This is one of those situations where copyright is very frustrating. It’s getting in the way of its own intent here, I think.
I too lent out my TATRAS notebook and was unable to get it back. I taught my three children with this easy method, including my daughter who has Down Syndrome. Has there been any movement on digitizing the program? All I have left is a Penny Primer and cassette tapes. Thanks
I haven’t been able to get any further communication through his kids. 🙁