Reading Made Easy with Blend Phonics for First Grade was first published in 1980 by Hazel Logan Loring, who had taught it for many years in her first grade classes. It features instruction in directional guidance, which helps prevent reversals in reading. It has also proven very valuable in helping older students with reading problems. The accompanying Blend Phonics Fluency Drills were written by Mr. Donald L. Potter to help students to develop high levels of decoding fluency (accuracy and speed). The Fluency Drills have proven particularly valuable in helping struggling readers to overcome the whole-word guessing habit and improve reading efficiency.