Familiar reading* for young readers, writers, and thinkers
At its most fundamental level, Triple Treat is based on the concept of 'familiar reading'*. The concept is grounded in the findings of Marie Clay.
Triple Treat is an integrated literacy program which promotes the development of oral language, reading and writing in connected and meaningful ways.
Triple Treat is built around trios of similar books. By using trios of books, emerging readers and writers are able to become familiar with the books' similarities and confidently transfer what they learn from one book to the next two. Each trio of books has similar elements that quickly become familiar to readers:
- Vocabulary
- Text placement
- Format
- Layout
- Language patterns
- Repetition
- Storyline
- Illustrations
'When children are allowed to re-read familiar material they are being allowed to learn to be readers, to read in ways which draw on all their language resources and knowledge of the text… That familiarity is supporting his move towards further independence as a reader… Opportunities to apply new skills or knowledge just learned on one or two more books of about the same level of difficulty [is an] example of revisiting the familiar.'
