CHICAGO, Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading elementary educational publisher Wright Group/McGraw-Hill has introduced The Wright Skills, a comprehensive skills program developed for Grades Pre-K-3 that helps students develop phonemic awareness, phonics, and vocabulary. Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds in words, a fundamental skill essential to learning to read in an alphabetic writing system.

The program also provides opportunities to develop fluency and comprehension by its systematic skills instruction that introduces key concepts that build on one another. In addition to addressing these components from the National Reading Panel report, Wright Skills also teaches spelling and writing, oral language development, print awareness, and alphabet knowledge. According to the National Early Literacy Report (2004), these areas are most closely linked to later achievement in literacy.

Curriculum materials also include explicit instructional strategies, specific instruction for English-language learners, and several components to support the instructional plan for Grades Pre-K-3. These components include decodable books, various Big Books, card sets, and an audio CD.

"If we want our students to become effective and independent readers, they need to understand the structure of our language and the phonics skills that contribute to reading accuracy and fluency," said Dr. Wendy Cheyney who authored The Wright Skills with Dr. Judith Cohen.

Students using the curriculum will develop skills in blending, segmenting and manipulating sounds, oral language, and word structure and analysis.

"The research-based program will help districts solidify students' phonics skills to become successful readers," said Bodie Marx, executive vice president of Wright Group/McGraw-Hill.

About Wright Group/McGraw-Hill

Wright Group/McGraw-Hill publishes innovative, alternative core and supplemental literacy and mathematics programs for differentiated instruction and teacher training in Grades Pre-K-8. The research-based approach is anchored in real-world applications and is based on the assessed needs of students, combining developmentally appropriate materials with explicit outcomes.

Wright Group is part of McGraw-Hill Education, a leading global provider of instructional, assessment and reference solutions that empower the success of professionals and students of all ages. McGraw-Hill Education has offices in 33 countries and publishes in more than 40 languages. Additional information is available at http://www.mheducation.com/. For more information on Wright Group's products, call 1-800-648-2970 or visit http://www.wrightgroup.com/.

CONTACT: Linda Schilling
Wright Group/McGraw-Hill
(312) 233-7788
linda_schilling@mcgraw-hill.com
Melina Metzger
Paul Werth Associates
(614) 224-8114 Ext. 236
mmetzger@paulwerth.com

Web site: http://www.mheducation.com/
http://www.wrightgroup.com/