The invention provides study aids that work in tandem with a preferred format of ancient or foreign texts. In one embodiment, the invention provides an overlay containing a partial or full set of the vowel and punctuation marks. The overlay can be transparent or otherwise fashioned to superimpose the text without being permanently affixed with the text itself. A beginning student can rely on a more comprehensive overlay containing nearly all of the vowel or punctuation markings, and the overlays can be modified to provide levels of assistance to match the skills of the student or the comfort of the parent or instructor.