Zoo-phonics® was developed by two experienced teachers in answer to the needs of their students
Zoo-phonics® is a method developed to make children strong readers and spellers using a “phono” (hearing), “oral” (speaking), “visual” (seeing), “kinesthetic” (moving), and tactile (touching)—whole brain approach. Students actually learn the sounds of the alphabet and advanced phonemic concepts through an easily understood, concrete method of presentation.
Zoo-phonics® was developed by two experienced teachers in answer to the needs of their students. The developers of Zoo-phonics®, with its accent on reinforcement through the multi-modal approach, are convinced that this system offers an outstanding alternative to past and present methods of teaching reading and spelling. It ties in easily with any reading series, literature and language arts program that a school may use.
Current research supports the Zoo-phonics® Program. It is used throughout the United States and internationally as a highly successful language arts program.
Meet the authors/developers
Zoo-phonics® was born in the classroom. In 1983, Georgene "Gigi" Bradshaw (photo, right side), who passed away in 2011, began using kinesthetic techniques tied to phonics to teach reading and spelling to her students. Her unique and highly successful approach quickly caught on with other teachers, including her sister Charlene "Char" Wrighton (photo, middle).
Gigi and Char, with illustrator Irene Clark who passed away in 2010 (photo, left side), took Gigi’s original techniques and made them the "Essences" and foundation for the Zoo-phonics® Program, developing a comprehensive, balanced, literature-based method for teaching reading and spelling.
Gigi and Char retired from the classroom to devote full-time attention to Zoo-phonics®’ curriculum development and the training of teachers in phonetic instruction. Materials, readers and teaching techniques are continually being developed to support teachers and students in the classroom, and parents at home. Zoo-phonics® has gone across the country and the world to become an international program.
Every aspect of the program has been field-tested and found to be effective. Educational research has repeatedly supported the focus of phonics in early reading programs, as well as the educational benefits of pictorial mnemonics and kinesthetic approaches to learning that are unique to Zoo-phonics®.
Zoo-phonics® en español, developed by Irene Clark, was launched in the fall of 1994, using the same brain-efficient and creative teaching techniques original to Zoo-phonics® in English.
Gigi Bradshaw holds a Masters Degrees in Education and Curriculum with credentials in Regular and Special Education.
Char holds five teaching credentials and four degrees including a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Instructional Leadership, a Master’s degree, an Administrative Credential, and a Child Development Program Director’s Certificate. She is an expert in curriculum, child behavior and child development and was recently voted Tuolumne County Chamber of Commerce’s “Entrepreneur of the Year.”
Irene Clark was a master of various art media, studied in the United States and Argentina and had won several awards in artistic competitions.
What motivated you to create the Zoo-phonics® Program?
The children in our classrooms motivated us. We were Special Ed Teachers. If the children needed curriculum adjusted to their needs, we made the adjustments. These adjustments became the "essences" of Zoo-phonics®.
What do teachers find most appealing about the Zoo-phonics® Program?
The joy that Zoo-phonics® brings into the classroom through the Animals, the movement, music, game format and through the ease with which the children learn the basics of reading, spelling and writing.
What makes Zoo-phonics® different?
In Zoo-phonics®, we take something that is very abstract (reading) and through music, stories, puppets and games, turn it into something that is concrete and understandable to young children.
Zoo-phonics®:
- Uses 26 animals to teach letter shapes and sounds
- Teaches the lowercase letters before introducing capitals
- Teaches letter sounds before letter names
- Teaches a body movement, or "signal," in association with each Animal/letter of the alphabet; these "Signals" aid memory and bring fun into the classroom
- Treats the alphabet as a whole and goes from "a-z"
- Teaches short vowels before long vowels
- Uses "word family" patterns to teach reading and spelling, because children are "naturals" at finding and remembering patterns
How does Zoo-phonics® differ from the traditional method of teaching phonics?
Current research supports the Zoo-phonics® Program. Zoo-phonics® teaches lowercase letters and sounds first. When these have been learned, uppercase letters and letter names are introduced. The alphabet is taught as a whole and in sequence. Zoo-phonics® does not believe in teaching one letter per week. It teaches the alphabet from "a-z." To make it fun, the children sing and move to the Zoo-phonics® alphabet song entitled, "Come Meet us at the Zoo" (from the Zoo-phonics® Music That Teaches CD). A Body Signal is taught from "a-z" in association with each Animal. Not only is this beneficial to a young child’s physical development, but it aids memory (for "When the body moves, the brain remembers"), and it’s fun!