4. A method according to claim 1, further including an auxiliary learning reinforcement aid including a set of game elements for use seriatim according to a teaching plan, said elements including individual background means, each one of said means having a front face bearing a different alphabetic indicia representing one of said high-frequency words to be learned represented by the corresponding alphabetic indicia of said instructional elements and having a rear face bearing a different sentence indicia representing a sentence including the high-frequency word represented by the indicia on its front face.
1. A method of using an educational aid for facilitating the instruction of learners in the ability to read comprising, in combination: an ordered set of instructional elements for use seriatim according to a teaching plan, each element including: background means having indicia thereon; said indicia including an ordered series of sentence indicia; a first one of said sentence indicia including a first alphabetic indicia representing a first single high-frequency word to be learned and at least a first rebus indicia representing a word equivalent cooperating with the high frequency word to help form a first sentence to facilitate the decoding said first alphabetic indicia in accordance with a teaching plan; a second one of said sentence indicia including a second alphabetic indicia representing said single high-frequency word to be learned for repetition purposes and at least a second rebus indicia representing a word equivalent cooperating with the high frequency word to help form a second sentence to facilitate the decoding said second alphabetic indicia in accordance with the teaching plan; a third one of said sentence indicia including a third alphabetic indicia representing a second single high-frequency word to be learned and at least a third rebus indicia representing a word equivalent cooperating with the second high-frequency word to help form a third sentence to facilitate the decoding said third alphabetic indicia in accordance with the teaching plan, wherein said third one of said sentence indicia includes a fourth alphabetic indicia representing said single high-frequency word to be learned for reinforcement purposes; a fourth one of said sentence indicia including a fifth alphabetic indicia representing said second single high-frequency word to be learned for repetition purposes and at least a fourth rebus indicia representing a word equivalent cooperating with said second high-frequency word to help form a fourth sentence to facilitate the decoding said fifth alphabetic indicia in accordance with the teaching plan; displaying the first one of said sentence indicia to the learner according to the teaching plan; directing the attention of the learner to said first alphabetic indicia representing said single high-frequency word to be learned for explaining said word to the learner; displaying the second one of said sentence indicia to the learner; requesting the learner to read said second sentence to facilitate the decoding of said second indicia; displaying the third one of said sentence indicia to the learner; requesting the learner to read said third sentence to facilitate the decoding said third alphabetic indicia; and repeating the displaying and requesting steps for the fourth and any additional ones of said sentence indicia; whereby each subsequent sentence indicia includes at the most only one new alphabetic indicia representing a single new high-frequency word to be learned and possibly some alphabetic indicia representing one or more previously learned high-frequency words.