Your friendly resource for beginning and struggling readers.
Friends on the Block is a comprehensive and intensive early literacy program designed and piloted by Southern Methodist University researchers and our partner teachers. It is easy to customize so it can be used with beginning and struggling readers, particularly those with intensive needs, such as dyslexia, learning disabilities, and intellectual and developmental disabilities. Our goal is to help ensure that EVERYONE, regardless of disability or circumstance, learns to read.
The program focuses on foundational reading skills and is organized into 14 levels. Each level includes multiple books with a teacher's guide for each book, and a set of learning games that provide specific cumulative practice of key skills. The books are meaningful and foster the development of oral language and reading comprehension. Our 60 books and over 100 learning games provide motivating and intensive practice of high-frequency irregular and decodable words.