Book excerpt: Reading is a basic and necessary skill in ones life and in the marketplace. The media is constantly presenting our nations educational position. Innovative programs in all areas of the curriculum are televised. There is a constant need to help all students to arrive at a grade level and above. With the adoption of the national core curriculum, there is a stronger emphasis on higher levels of performance in all areas, especially in reading. Teaching Someone to Read emphasizes teaching the initial reading skills. It will serve a variety of students: kindergarten to English as a second language for all levels. This handbook gives specific procedures for diagnosing to determine the students current skill level. Then the sequence and lists of phonics are presented in a systematic way. Stress-free strategies for teaching phonics are described. Along with decoding, ideas are presented for comprehension and writing. Teach Someone to Read is a helpful and practical tool for the instructora quick hands-on manual.