Hello, Everyone,

Welcome to the ABC Moonshot website! ABC Moonshot is a study guide for students who have been struggling with Reading or who are reluctant readers. ABC Moonshot is an easy way to "help students help themselves" so they can catch up in Reading, and move forward as quickly as possible.

With an uplifting Baseball theme, ABC Moonshot goes back to the beginning; fills in gaps in their Decoding ability; and builds a strong foundation for tackling difficult, unfamiliar words. With online resources and favourite Classic Baseball stories, students can hear, learn, practice, and understand their Reading better.

ABC Moonshot is simple, focused, and "confidence-building". It works fairly quickly with a bit of everyday practice, too! It is based on years of research, observation, and experience as a Special Education Specialist and Classroom Teacher, with many wonderful students from KIndergarten to Grade 8.

What do Baseball, Moonshots, and

Reading Breakthroughs, have in common?

ABC Moonshot!

A "Moonshot" in Baseball was named after Wallace (Wally) Moon (1930-2018). After an injury and other disappointments, Wally learned to hit so powerfully, that his towering balls went not only a long distance, but also, up and over a 42 foot left field screen! His awesome home runs were famously named "Moonshots"!

Baseball players are known for being able to "rise above" feelings of failure, and try again. They believe in "making a comeback" and "giving your very best". They understand the importance of daily practice, and being willing to try something new! These are great lessons for us!

ABC Moonshot will show students and their supporters a new way

to breakthrough Reading difficulties!

With a little help to get started, and some easy daily practice, students can:

• learn essential Decoding skills in a simple, unique way
• learn how to tackle and remember unfamiliar words
  
• develop greater ability to read Fry Words - the 1000 "instant" words needed to read successfully at a Grade 9 level. Almost 700 of them in ABC Moonshot!
  
• practice reading with classic Baseball stories and a famous script that they can listen to online. Discover a new heart-warming sequel to the famous poem, "Casey at the Bat"!
  
• enjoy the introduction to a well-loved Mystery story.
  
• use Checklists and Activities to keep track of what they know and have learned.
  

ABC Moonshot is simple, focused, and "confidence-building"!

It's a Moonshot for students, with the great reward of reading well at the end!

Readers' Favorite Reviews May 2023

Rating: 5 Stars. Reviewed by Amy Raines for Readers’ Favorite

ABC Moonshot by Susan Waters offers educational material and a workbook for those needing help with some of the more complex parts of language. The baseball quotes will inspire the student or reader to absorb the information, apply it, and learn from it. I love the reading pages that are baseball themed, especially the stories about Casey that are fun, entertaining, and educational. I also love the opening pages that explain much of what is necessary to understand how English works and the explanations of baseball references and analogies. I recommend it to anyone learning or interested in relearning the ins and outs of English. It is an excellent addition to the educational curriculum that will encourage users to practice and study in a fun way, and it is especially interesting for sports and baseball lovers!

Rating: 5 Stars. Reviewed by Diana Lopez for Readers’ Favorite

Children need to have good reading skills and comprehension to learn better in school and they must also know the basics of phonics.

I liked ABC Moonshot because it covers topics such as doing your best and not giving up. The baseball stories are interesting and factual. I loved the variety of exercises because, in some, the children can practice using songs to learn how to recognize phonemes. Another fun activity is reading a comedy sketch about baseball

called “Who's on First.” There is also a section with tips for young readers to remember new words.

Susan Waters is a certified teacher who has had students of all ages and she demonstrates her expertise in compiling this interactive material. She uses resources such as colorful pictures and vocabulary lists. In addition, she motivates a love for sports. This book is ideal for fostering a love of reading and improving children's learning skills.

About the Author

Susan Waters is a certified Ontario teacher who has taught students in many grades from Kindergarten to Grade 8, mainly in the Toronto area. She has also been a volunteer tutor for a well known Reading support program in local schools. In 2018, Susan was asked to design and deliver a pilot project for Grade 4 students. As a result of its success, the Reading support program was extended to Grade 4. Then the Covid situation intervened!

As a Special Education Specialist and Drama Specialist, Susan has often used scripts, songs, and poems to encourage shared reading, vocabulary development, practice, and enjoyment in Reading - especially for reluctant or struggling readers.

Baseball has been a very popular theme, with these much-loved Baseball classics. Like many of us, Susan grew up with

"the summer sound of Baseball", and at one time, she played on a CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) team at

Hanlan's Point in Toronto - where Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run!

Susan also worked in Television and Radio for several years. She is a Researcher "at heart" and remembers TIME magazine's January 2005 edition, on Happiness. Happiness in the Workplace includes having some control over your work and also, a friend at work, according to the experts. With ABC Moonshot, the students have a fun script, poems, and a suspenseful Introduction to the popular novel, "The Boxcar Children", that they can share with others, listen to online, or practice on their own. Similar to a Baseball player or team that successfully "pulls out of a slump", Susan has seen her students get a renewed enthusiasm for reading, and the ability to "catch up", with strategies from ABC Moonshot.

Free sample pages from ABC Moonshot!

Short Vowel Sounds

Use a special Checklist to make sure your student understands important things about the Vowel sounds.

When students learn the Short Vowel sounds and vowel combinations really well, reading new words becomes much easier.

How to Tackle Difficult Words

Many important sound and spelling combinations are practiced in ABC Moonshot. Now let these "familiar parts" help you tackle unfamiliar words.

Send your request to:

susangwaters@icloud.com