PrimerPro is a computer application designed to assist literacy personnel in creating scientifically designed primers by leveraging the grammatical and phonological properties of languages. The application aids in determining the teaching order of consonants, finding buildable words for stories, checking stories for untaught letters, and other key tasks in producing reading primers. This guide will walk you through the steps to develop primers using PrimerPro to empower local language communities for better literacy and community flourishing.

Installing PrimerPro

Installation Requirements

  • Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP or later.
  • Additional Software: Microsoft .NET Framework Version 3.5 Redistributable Package.

Installation Steps

  1. Download the Installer: Run PrimerProSetup271.exe by double-clicking on it.
  2. Follow the Prompts:
    • Click Next.
    • Browse for the desired folder for installation and click Next.
    • Click Install.
    • Click Finish.
  3. Start the Program: Double-click on the PrimerPro icon on the desktop.

Setting Up PrimerPro

Initial Setup

  1. Create a New Project:
    • On the File menu, click Create New Project.
    • Enter the language name of the primer in the Project Name box.
    • Click OK.
  2. Verify Folder Options:
    • On the Tools menu, click Options and then the Folder tab.
    • Verify the Data Folder and Template Folder paths.
    • Click OK.
  3. Verify File Options:
    • On the Tools menu, click Options and then the File tab.
    • Default files should be GraphemeInventory.xml, SightWords.xml, GraphemeTaughtOrder.xml, and PSTable.xml.
    • Click OK.
  4. Verify Format Options:
    • On the Tools menu, click Options and then the Format tab.
    • Change the default font if necessary.
    • Click OK.
  5. Setup View Options:
  6. Setup SFM Options:

Initializing the Grapheme Inventory

  1. Initialize the Grapheme Inventory:
    • On the Tools menu, point to Grapheme Inventory, point to Initialize Grapheme Inventory, click From a word list or From a text data.

      • Select the word list or Text data, then select consonants, vowels, tones and multi-graphs.

    • Click OK.

    2. Complete the Grapheme Inventory:

    • On the Tools menu, point to Grapheme Inventory, click Update Consonant Inventory. Add missing graphemes and update their features.
    • On the Tools menu, point to Grapheme Inventory, click Vowel Inventory. Add missing graphemes and update their features.
    • On the Tools menu, point to Grapheme Inventory, click Tone Inventory. Add missing graphemes and update their features.

Verifying and Updating Grapheme Inventory

  1. Update Grapheme Inventory:
    • On the Tools menu, point to Grapheme Inventory, then click Update Consonant Inventory or Update Vowel Inventory as needed.
    • Add missing graphemes and update their features.
  2. Verify Grapheme Inventory:
    • On the View menu, click Grapheme Inventory.
    • Ensure all graphemes are listed correctly.

Importing Data

  1. Import Word List:
    • The word list must be a Standard Format Marker (SFM) file or a LIFT file in UTF-8 format.
    • On the Tools menu, point to Word List, then Import, and select the file type.
    • Navigate to and select the desired file, then click Open.
  2. Import Text Data:
    • On the Tools menu, point to Text Data, then Import.
    • Navigate to and select the desired file, then click Open.

Determining Grapheme Teaching Order

  1. Generate a Primer Progression report:
    • On the Report menu, click Generate Primer Progression Report.
    • This report will display the suggested grapheme teaching orders and the frequency counts from the word list and the text data. Using this report as input, draft a teaching order for the graphemes.

Creating Primer Lessons

First Lesson

  1. Add First Lesson Graphemes:
    • Update the Graphemes Taught list by adding the lesson’s grapheme(s).
    • On the Tools menu, point to Graphemes Taught, then click Update Graphemes Taught.
  2. Find Buildable Words:
    • Use the Buildable Word Search for the word list and for the text data:
      • On the Search menu, point to Word List, then click Buildable Words Search.
      • Display the results and select useful words.
      • On the Search menu, point to Text Data, then click Buildable Words Search.
      • Display the results and select useful words.
  3. Write and Verify Story:
    • Write a story using buildable words and save it as a UTF-8 plain text.
    • Run an Untaught Residue Search:
      • On the Search menu, point to Text Data, then click Untaught Residue Search. Specify the story.
      • Ensure the story has no untaught residue.
  4. Compile Lesson Data:
    • Compile all data for the lesson and use a publishing tool (e.g., MS Publisher) to create the primer’s first lesson.

Subsequent Lessons

  1. Add Lesson Graphemes:
    • Update the Graphemes Taught list with the new lesson’s graphemes.
    • Verify the list contains only valid graphemes.
  2. Find Words and Phrases:
    • Use Buildable Word Search for word list and text data to find words for the story.
    • Use Usable Phrase Search to find phrases for the story.
  3. Write and Verify Story:
    • Write the story and verify it has no untaught residue using Untaught Residue Search.
  4. Compile Lesson Data:
    • Compile all data for the lesson and create the lesson using a publishing tool.

Review Lessons

Every fifth lesson should be a review lesson:

  1. Refer to Primer Progression Chart:
    • Identify built and sight words to practice and design review exercises.
  2. Design Functor Lesson:
    • Create two functor activities and add them to the template provided.
  3. Creative Writing Syllable Boxes:
    • List frequently used syllables and create syllable boxes for practice.
  4. Write and Verify Story:
    • Write the story and verify it has no untaught residue using Untaught Residue Search.

Additional Resources

Feel free to explore the provided resources to deepen your understanding of PrimerPro and optimize the primer development process. For any steps that require more detailed explanation, please refer to the help documents provided in the links above.