The picture book, The Bandit: A Greek Myth Retold aligns with Level 1 of the HOT ROD Series-
Higher Order Thinking through the Reading of Decodables. It was written for students (grades 3
and up) who still need work on decoding words that contain closed (short) vowels and
consonant blends. The story is appropriate for use with general education students as well.
 
This Activity Book includes word lists along with numerous activities that focus on the
Components of Reading (COR) that support reading comprehension and writing. Go to
www.wordtravelpress.com to find the Scope and Sequence of the series.
 
Students with a fifth-grade reading level or higher may read the entire book including the
introduction. Younger students and struggling readers may listen to the introduction read aloud
and read the story poem themselves with support.
 
Books from the HOT ROD Series can be used to supplement any reading program but were
specifically designed to support Orton-Gillingham based instruction. Level 1 may contain more
elements than are traditionally taught to beginning readers. That is because these stories and
poems were designed as a review and consolidation of concepts. They are also intended for
older readers who often have a higher sight word vocabulary than younger readers as well as
more exposure to suffixes and prefixes. The story may be used at any point after all closed
(short) syllable sounds from Level 1 and the concept of suffix s (as both /s/ and /z/) have been
introduced. It is intended to reinforce those concepts.