How Do You Keep Your Mouth Shut? (JAWM)

[Crimson Wife]

I'm volunteering in the reading lab at youngest DD's school, which happens to be our neighborhood school (the various special ed classes are spread out over the district so it's actually pretty unusual for her to be attending our zoned school). I'm working with 3rd and 4th graders who are struggling readers. It has become obvious to me that most of these kids just need some good basic phonics practice. Something like OPGTR, AAR/AAS, WRTR, etc. Instead what the teacher in charge of the reading lab is having the volunteer coaches do is have the kids simply read aloud and then do comprehension worksheets.

 

While there may be some value in being able to identify the climax of the story or whatever, that's a more advanced skill than knowing c makes a soft sound when it comes before an e and that when two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking. Again, these are 3rd and 4th graders not primary grade students.

 

Put me in charge of the reading lab and I'd have gotten more progress in 2 months than I suspect they're going to make in the whole year.

 

The teacher in charge of the lab asked me yesterday how I liked being a coach and I had to give some vague answer about it being nice the kids could get some individual attention when class sizes are so large (there are 32 in a general ed class). What I wanted to do was tell her to shove the comprehension worksheets and do phonics drills with the kids instead.

[SKL]

I agree that more phonics would be better than the comprehension worksheets.  I wonder if you could pick out some words from the reading selection, before or after they read, and spend some time going over the phonics rule(s), and then "unfortunately" not have enough time to complete the comprehension worksheet?  ;)

[texasmama]

I would tell myself that I had joined their world and accept that I would need to play by their rules.  If this was too painful for me (and it might be), I would find another way to volunteer or serve out my time and not return.  This sounds like a bad fit for you, though I'm sure the school needs parent volunteers.  I would not feel guilty for opting out in the future.

[OneStepAtATime]

Crimson Wife, I say more power to you!  Keeping mouth shut...not easy.   :grouphug:  Genuinely sneaking in some actual worthwhile help...priceless.   :hurray:

 

My kids needed phonics.  They got rote memorization of list after list after list of words.  7 years of unsuccessful reading instruction in school vs. 1 1/2 years of phonics (OG) as a homeschooler, DD went from Clifford books in 5th grade at brick and mortar to Divergent mid-7th with a targeted OG system as a homeschooler.  What DD needed was someone like you.   :)

[Crimson Wife]

I'm in the process of applying to a Master's program in Educational Therapy and need a letter of recommendation for my application. So I can't just quit even if I felt right about leaving my assigned students without a coach (already there are more kids who need a coach than volunteers).

 

I'm sneaking in phonics teaching as the kids stumble over words in the books they're reading aloud. But it would be much more efficient in terms of helping them if I could divide the session between reading aloud and systematic phonics teaching rather than between reading aloud and filling out comprehension worksheets. By and large it's not the comprehension part I'm seeing these kids struggle with.

[MBM]

If you get along well with the teacher, you could make a suggestion very nicely. Whether you get anywhere with it depends on the teacher and school. Some are rigid.

 

If the above doesn't work but you volunteer away from the teacher, you could observe where the kids tend to have problems, and then give them a quick mini-lesson. When I volunteered to run the library period at one of my kids' schools, I actually turned it into a sort of literature class for about 20" of the period. The other 20" was spent learning about the library and helping kids find books that fit their interests.

 

My kids' schools all taught phonics beginning in kindergarden and first grade. In fact, they asked some of us to volunteer to work one-on-one with students.

[EKS]

I'd get the letter and then say something!  But I'm not good at keeping my mouth shut when children are being harmed.

[texasmama]

How frustrating, OP.

[SKL]

On the other hand, if they are not struggling with the comprehension part, that might be a relief to the child after working hard in an oral reading session.

 

Do you have the opportunity to view the reading material in advance?  If so, perhaps you could pick out the words they are likely to struggle with and work on them (phonetically) first.  That could help the oral reading go more quickly and still leave time for the comprehension?

 

I used to tutor 3rd graders (who were supposed to be 4th graders).  The books the teacher provided weren't really working for the kids, so I started bringing my own, and I would come ready with a list of challenge words they would encounter in the story.  Not sure if any of that would work in your situation.

[Crimson Wife]

I'd get the letter and then say something!  But I'm not good at keeping my mouth shut when children are being harmed.

 

I don't know that they're being harmed so much as their time is not being used in the most efficient manner. The comprehension worksheets are not bad per se but they do tackle more advanced skills rather than foundational ones.

[justasque]

I wouldn't hesitate to talk to the teacher about the students' needs and how they might be addressed during your volunteer sessions.  Typically, schools do not get highly-qualified volunteers, so they can't run the program expecting targeted phonics work from them, you know?  

When I volunteered in the local ps, I worked with the teacher to change what I did while I was there from the standard model - I saw fewer students, for more time per student.  I discussed phonics rules and tucked little half-page handouts into their take-home books to let their parents know what we had gone over, so that they could practice it at home if desired.  Sometimes I did phonics games instead of just reading together.  The teacher was more than happy to have her students get this extra instruction.  The kids were grateful too.  

 

[Crimson Wife]

 Do you have the opportunity to view the reading material in advance?  If so, perhaps you could pick out the words they are likely to struggle with and work on them (phonetically) first.  That could help the oral reading go more quickly and still leave time for the comprehension?

 

I am preteaching the words that I would expect kids to have difficulty with (somersault, sausage, proper names, etc.). But what's happening is that the kids are stumbling over words that I don't anticipate because those words are phonetic: silent e words, soft c words, vowel team words, ph words, etc. Because I give my own kids systematic phonics instruction it doesn't occur to me that I should preteach a word like "stare", KWIM?

[Farrar]

Stuff like that is why I bombed out of doing the free afterschool tutoring program that I tried to volunteer for. It was just incredibly frustrating on a number of levels to see bad educational practice compounded in a tutoring program. I couldn't do it.

 

So no advice. Just commiseration and more power to you if you can make it work or do whatever good you manage to do.

[regentrude]

n knowing c makes a soft sound when it comes before an e and that when two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking.

 

Off-topic, but question about the bolded: what does that mean? There is no "o" sound in "out". There is no "i" sound in retrieve. No "e" sound in "neutral".

Maybe I don't understand. Please be gentle - English is not my native language.

 

[Crimson Wife]

Off-topic, but question about the bolded: what does that mean? There is no "o" sound in "out". There is no "i" sound in retrieve. No "e" sound in "neutral".

Maybe I don't understand. Please be gentle - English is not my native language.

 

 

Not all vowel teams follow that saying. The team "ou" has 4 sounds. The o is long when paired with u in words like court or pour.

 

Ea can follow the saying in team but makes a short e sound in head and a long a sound in break.

 

Ie can make a long i sound in words like pie but a long e sound in words like field.

 

It's a shortcut that works much of the time but not always.

[Dmmetler]

You may want to try to feel out the teacher. It may well be that she knows the kids really need reading instruction, but has to stay on the district pacing guide, and would be thrilled to have you step in and close that gap. I volunteered as a math tutor in a similar situation (where the kids could NOT do 3rd grade math because they simply didn't have the conceptual understanding. If they didn't have it memorized, they didn't know it), and when I asked the teacher about it, she was more than willing to let me teach them where they were. I think she was relieved, actually, to have it brought up-the kids weren't far enough behind to qualify for special ed, her job would be on the line if they didn't pass the state test, and she simply couldn't teach three grade levels of skills at once.

 

 

[albeto.]

Depending on how long you've volunteered there, I'd maybe be a bit more proactive in taking the lead in giving the kids what they need. If you are bound to these worksheets, then maybe do some measure of what you see to be most valuable first, you know, to prepare them, warm them up, that sort of thing. The longer you are there, the more the staff gets to know you, the more weight your opinion will carry. The more success your kids show in class, the more weight your opinion will carry. If this is a short term project for you, I'd think maybe just keep doing what you're doing. If you want to develop this a bit more and plan to be there for some time to see it through, maybe figure out how to do a little of both until you can start to show some concrete reasons for your opinion, and some objective support for your method.

[AimeeM]

Just want to throw out there that the teacher may have her hands tied, regarding materials used, and even WHAT is taught in the room... and what volunteers are allowed to do.

 

With that said, I wouldn't be able to do it (keep my mouth shut). You're a bigger woman than I am!

[MistyMountain]

Wow that is a tough situation to be in. If you really are not in a position to say anything to the teacher I would write to someone and tell them what you are observing. I would write an article and send it somewhere and back it up with facts. They are heavy on sight word methods in my area too but not at my kids' school where they use Spaulding. That must be hard to see. It is a travesty that all these kids don't get real help.

[EKS]

I don't know that they're being harmed so much as their time is not being used in the most efficient manner. The comprehension worksheets are not bad per se but they do tackle more advanced skills rather than foundational ones.

IMO the longer a kid is delayed in learning to read effectively, the more he or she is harmed.

[DoppeltGemoppelt]

I would definitely approach the teacher and play dumb. Ask her if these kids also receive phonics instruction throughout the day. You already know the answer, but this question may give you the opportunity to come up with a compromise.

[Heathermomster]

Maybe, ask the teacher if you can spend 5-10 minutes covering basic phonics at the beginning of each lesson.

[EmilyGF]

This frustrates me so much. The kids in our neighborhood school are all basically below poverty level and are taught to read using sight words. They teach words like "sit" as a sight word, for crying out loud!

 

These kids have so much less vocab exposure to begin with that they are already behind. Then, to be deprived of tools for unlocking the language, seems like a social injustice.

 

OK, I'll stop fuming now.

[mathnerd]

Maybe, ask the teacher if you can spend 5-10 minutes covering basic phonics at the beginning of each lesson.

 

I have volunteered in PS classrooms - and the teacher always sets the rules and regulations of the tutoring sessions. But, I always played dumb and asked if it was OK to do some "warm up" exercises for a few minutes before we moved on to the actual tutoring. In my case, it was in math - I used those few minutes of "warmup" to review mental math and play some math based games or use math manipulatives to teach a concept before starting on the math worksheets that the teachers had provided for my sessions. I even got permission to make my own manipulative from laminated pictures and bring my own cuisenaire rods, money manipulative etc. So, I suggest that you ask for a small "warm up" period before you start and use that time to teach phonics  :)

[Tsuga]

I can't. I do things that support the curriculum only, like organization of field trips or supply procurement. Something it's hard to object to. Otherwise I'd go insane. I admire you.

[Kalmia]

Is it possible to contact the parents directly? I'd certainly want a heads up from someone if a real need was identified in my child and it wasn't being met. You'd have to be a bit of a sleuth to figure out which kids belonged to which parents in town, but it could be done. You could just mention it and send them a list of phonics curricula to work on at home and a list of tutors in their area, at least then you wouldn't feel like their needs were being totally ignored. Or you could give each child a handmade pack of phonogram flash cards to take home and study. If you are worried about the parents storming in to the principal and using your name, just contact them after you get your letter of recommendation.

[Jennifer N.]

I've taught in public school, I've gotten my master's in reading education, I've continued to study while at home with my kids learning more about methods homeschoolers use, how reading is taught in Montessori, how Orton-Gillingham programs work.  I had to do so much "unlearning" before I could even begin to understand how Jessie Wise advocates teaching reading in OPGTR.   And phonics is a word that means so many different things in different circles.  I now truly understand what phonics is but as a public school teacher, I did not.  I don't think being confrontational is a strategy that works well in public schools or will benefit the students.  I like Ashley's suggestion of having warm up time and using some materials you like during this time.  I know some people might struggle morally with using less than optimal materials with students but think of it this way, with your background knowledge of the importance of phonics or Orton-Gillingham methods, aren't those students so much better off having you teach them using less than optimal materials and tweaking here and there on the fly than having someone without your background knowledge go in and just teach the script given to them? 

 

I've spent a lot of time (and probably too much money) studying and using with my own kids various reading materials since being home, always with an eye to returning to the classroom as a reading teacher and how on earth I am going to get this important information to the kids within the framework of whatever is current best practice (best practice as considered by the schools/principals etc).  That is my personal project.  If you go with Ashley's suggestion of a warm up, I'd go with something that has the backing of Common Core or a state approved resource.  For example, while OPGTR is a very thorough phonics program, you might think about using Phonics Pathways instead.  I can't remember now but when I was researching it a little while ago, I think it's actually approved for use in the public schools in California.  It's also a book readily available in the library. 

[Jennifer N.]

Someone mentioned using phonogram cards...you may already have them but if not, there are free printable ones over at the Barefoot Meanderings website, along with some other free resources that might be useful to you.  Go to Kathy Jo's Freebies section and then to free items on her lulu storefront.  One idea for working in phonogram work with public school students is to mix it with handwriting practice.  Perhaps these 3rd or 4th graders could use a review of how to write in cursive (I know my older two needed the review this summer!).  They could briefly practice handwriting while learning the phonograms or spelling patterns you want them to learn under the guise of handwriting practice.  You would have to figure out how you'd want to sequence this instruction.  But just starting with the regular alphabet to review letter formation in cursive would give you the consonants and vowels and that some letters stand for more than one sound and vowels have 1st sound, 2nd sound, etc.

 

You'd have handwriting practice and o-g work rolled into one.  I can't think of the articles right now, but I've seen more than one this year (and not just from homeschooler's perspective but in national newspapers) of the important link between children learning letter-sound relationships at the same time as learning letter formation.  That they need the physical experience of writing letters to imprint this information in the brain solidly.  One way to do this for older children is to teach them cursive and use that as review time for the earlier phonics they have missed.

 

 

[Crimson Wife]

This week's episode of "Adventures in Sneaking in Teaching You Should've Had Prior to Fourth Grade" was about how sentences have to have at least one subject and at least one predicate. Every single child I worked with this week struggled with that concept (the actual concept, not just being unfamiliar with the terminology) [insert banging-head emoji here]

 

The sad thing is that these are not special ed students and they don't strike me as having unidentified LD's (though it's possible a neuropsych eval might find some "stealth" issues). I really think that most of them just need better instruction.

[Jennifer N.]

I also think it is really important for kids in public schools to get the phonemic awareness component as it is presented in Orton-Gillingham materials.  Do you have Denise Eide's Uncovering the Logic of English or even her Essentials program?  Her chapter on phonemic awareness instruction in Essentials is the best I've ever read and really taught me so much.  Denise is the one who taught me what a vowel really is (a sound made with the mouth open, no parts blocking, you can sing it) and a consonant (a sound made with a part of the mouth blocking). 

 

If you don't have a copy of Denise's Uncovering, I can send you one.  I do some volunteer work for her company and I have some extra copies.  I give them out whenever I can.  I think you can PM me.

[Crimson Wife]

Oh, and one of the 3rd graders had never heard of vowels and consonants before. My 3rd grader does still need reminding when revising his writing to use "an" rather than "a" before a word starting with a vowel. So I wasn't surprised that the little girl had some difficulty with that rule. But I wasn't expecting to have to teach her the difference between vowels and consonants.

[Crimson Wife]

The saga continues, unfortunately.

 

So apparently on Monday (when I'm not volunteering), the format switched over from the students reading aloud from a book of their own choosing & answering comprehension worksheets (which wasn't great but at least the kids got a chance to practice reading) to working through a Common Core test prep workbook. I now read aloud to them and then they answer multiple choice questions. Shoot me now!!!!

 

The teacher in charge of the reading lab is not happy about the change either but it's what the classroom teachers want. Gotta get those standardized test scores up. Who cares if the kids are actually improving their real world reading skills? [insert rolling-eye smiley here]

 

One of the kids finished the test prep worksheet faster than the other so I did use the extra time to do some phonics work with her. Because I didn't know exactly what she needed work on, I just picked the first topic that popped into my head (adding vowel suffixes). So my time there today wasn't a COMPLETE waste.

[EKS]

The saga continues, unfortunately.

 

So apparently on Monday (when I'm not volunteering), the format switched over from the students reading aloud from a book of their own choosing & answering comprehension worksheets (which wasn't great but at least the kids got a chance to practice reading) to working through a Common Core test prep workbook. I now read aloud to them and then they answer multiple choice questions. Shoot me now!!!!

 

The teacher in charge of the reading lab is not happy about the change either but it's what the classroom teachers want. Gotta get those standardized test scores up. Who cares if the kids are actually improving their real world reading skills? [insert rolling-eye smiley here]

 

One of the kids finished the test prep worksheet faster than the other so I did use the extra time to do some phonics work with her. Because I didn't know exactly what she needed work on, I just picked the first topic that popped into my head (adding vowel suffixes). So my time there today wasn't a COMPLETE waste.

 

Do they get the text read aloud to them during the test as well?

[Tsuga]

The saga continues, unfortunately.

 

So apparently on Monday (when I'm not volunteering), the format switched over from the students reading aloud from a book of their own choosing & answering comprehension worksheets (which wasn't great but at least the kids got a chance to practice reading) to working through a Common Core test prep workbook. I now read aloud to them and then they answer multiple choice questions. Shoot me now!!!!

 

The teacher in charge of the reading lab is not happy about the change either but it's what the classroom teachers want. Gotta get those standardized test scores up. Who cares if the kids are actually improving their real world reading skills? [insert rolling-eye smiley here]

 

One of the kids finished the test prep worksheet faster than the other so I did use the extra time to do some phonics work with her. Because I didn't know exactly what she needed work on, I just picked the first topic that popped into my head (adding vowel suffixes). So my time there today wasn't a COMPLETE waste.

 

How the heck will that help them on the test if they can't read the text????

 

Oh, how lucky we are at our school! The only read-aloud is chosen by the teacher according to what he or she liked as a child. :)

[Crimson Wife]

Do they get the text read aloud to them during the test as well?

 

I believe that is a test accommodation offered to students with a 504 plan on file. My older two were reading fluently before they reached testing age so I'm not 100% positive.

[EKS]

I believe that is a test accommodation offered to students with a 504 plan on file. My older two were reading fluently before they reached testing age so I'm not 100% positive.

They take a reading test without actually reading? That ought to make the scores go up!

[EmilyGF]

Wow. 

 

Sorry.

[Reefgazer]

Oh God, this.  When DS started homeschool this past year for 4th grade I had to put him into the R+S 3rd grade book to start out.  The 4th grade book has so many things he was just never taught/never presented with.  We're progressing at a good clip through that 3rd grade book, and he'll be on "grade level" according to R+S criteria within a year or two, but I was stunned to see how much DS didn't know (and he's an excellent reader with advanced pass scores on state tests).  We pulled DD out of public school at the end of 5th grade and I have been struggling with teaching her the basics that are in R+S textbooks that are far below her grade level, while still keeping her engaged with literature and vocabulary (where she is far, far above grade level).  But the mechanics of writing and grammar?  Ugh; they are far below grade level 

CW, the dumbing down in LA occurred about 10 years ago.  Phonemes became 'chunks'.  Grammar is not taught in the classroom, its done in pullout for below grade level students...the assumption is that native English speakers speak well enough that they don't need instruction, they can merely write as they speak. Sentences and paragraphs are learned by observation, then the hamburger model is introduced in late elementary.  In middle school English they will go over the grammar rules as a quick summary unit.

 

There is a reason for textbooks staying at school...its not obvious to elementary parents that they are getting a watered down curriculum in comparison to what they were offered, if they can't see the book.

 

[Tsuga]

Oh God, this.  When DS started homeschool this past year for 4th grade I had to put him into the R+S 3rd grade book to start out.  The 4th grade book has so many things he was just never taught/never presented with.  We're progressing at a good clip through that 3rd grade book, and he'll be on "grade level" according to R+S criteria within a year or two, but I was stunned to see how much DS didn't know (and he's an excellent reader with advanced pass scores on state tests).  We pulled DD out of public school at the end of 5th grade and I have been struggling with teaching her the basics that are in R+S textbooks that are far below her grade level, while still keeping her engaged with literature and vocabulary (where she is far, far above grade level).  But the mechanics of writing and grammar?  Ugh; they are far below grade level 

 

You  know I think this is what I need to do with DD1 as well. What are R+S criteria?

 

[Reefgazer]

Not sure what you mean by criteria.  But the R+S books have very explicit and direct instruction in writing and grammar (as well as other things), starting with sentences in the 3rd grade book, progressing slowly and with instruction as to form into paragraphs, and finally into longer pieces.  The grammar instruction starts out very basic (subject + predicate, nouns and verbs) and progresses to fancier stuff, and it does so gradually and relates these things to sentence and paragraph composition.  It has been a godsend for my kids; clear instruction that lays the foundation.  They got no clear instruction on these things in public school, and we were lucky that they picked up enough of the basics to compose an intelligible sentence/paragraph without such instruction.  But when we brought DD home in 6th grade, we found her punctuation and spelling to be pretty bad for an intelligent and college-bound child, and her usage  needed some clean-up also.  Although my family religion is liberal-leaning Christian, I find the conservative religious content of R+S a bit overbearing, but I'll happily suck it up because it's that good instructionally.

 

How old is your DD?  She is still in school, correct?  If so, R+S might suit you, if you can cope with the religious content (I know many can't).  The lessons are short and direct, and are easily do-able for someone who also goes to school all day.  We skip some lessons, such as Bible concordance, telephone manners (taught on the fly long ago), book reports and sentence diagramming (they are learning grammar analysis from MCT also, but his instruction on sentence composition is not as clear).  That shortens the book a bit.  DD is working in the 5th grade book for sentence and paragraph composition and punctuation, while at the same time reading adult classics and studying science from a college text.  So I really have a kid who has very disparate levels for different skills.  DS does not have the widely divergent abilities because he was not in public school for too long.

You  know I think this is what I need to do with DD1 as well. What are R+S criteria?
 

 

[Ellie]

 

While there may be some value in being able to identify the climax of the story or whatever, that's a more advanced skill than knowing c makes a soft sound when it comes before an e and that when two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking. Again, these are 3rd and 4th graders not primary grade students.

 

 

Wait...what? I was going to JAWM, but the two-vowels-go-walking thing isn't applicable most of the time. It's why I like Spalding so much. :-)

 

Sorry for the rabbit trail, lol. Carry on, because I *totally* feel your pain. It is why I started a little school at my church, because I would have trouble working for someone else, lol.

[Ellie]

The saga continues, unfortunately.

 

So apparently on Monday (when I'm not volunteering), the format switched over from the students reading aloud from a book of their own choosing & answering comprehension worksheets (which wasn't great but at least the kids got a chance to practice reading) to working through a Common Core test prep workbook. I now read aloud to them and then they answer multiple choice questions. Shoot me now!!!!

 

The teacher in charge of the reading lab is not happy about the change either but it's what the classroom teachers want. Gotta get those standardized test scores up. Who cares if the kids are actually improving their real world reading skills? [insert rolling-eye smiley here]

 

One of the kids finished the test prep worksheet faster than the other so I did use the extra time to do some phonics work with her. Because I didn't know exactly what she needed work on, I just picked the first topic that popped into my head (adding vowel suffixes). So my time there today wasn't a COMPLETE waste.

 

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

[Tidbits of Learning]

Is it a testing year?  Do these kids have IEPs?  My guess is that if they are struggling readers and may have other diagnosis that their actual testing will be read aloud to them per a 504 or an IEP.  Thus, they need to work on the comprehension of stories to pass a state mandated test?  Just a guess off the top of my head.  Here reading doesn't necessarily mean the act of reading as a subject.  It encompasses Literature analysis.  The physical instruction of reading is over by 1st grade.  These are just guesses off the top of my head.  I would guess it is more important for them to be able to answer comprehension questions on testing than for them to greatly improve reading skills.  

You may want to offer reading tutoring as a side way to help the kids and make money.  I would guess most parents think that the kids are doing something much different than what they are in the extra class for struggling readers.  As far as within the system, I would guess that being able to test well is more important than being able to read well.  However, I have a dyslexic student and no amount of phonics is ever going to cement all those rules or make him a terribly fluent reader at grade level so it is important to just work with him, correct his mistakes, read over him as he reads, and help him to work on answering literary analysis questions.  Otherwise, he would still be doing 1st/2nd grade phonics as a 6th grader.  I would expect any extra reading help if he was in school would encompass ways to make his grades better which might not necessarily be to improve his reading but to improve his test taking skills based off of what he has read.  We do go the extra mile and help him with Verticy materials, but he does need the "test-prep" given in the manner that he will test as well.  

I guess the biggest question is what is the purpose of this "extra" class.  While it is called reading lab, the goal may not necessarily be to improve the physical act of reading, but to improve these students ability to process what they read through comprehension questions.  That would be the first question that I asked was what was the goal of the lab.  It may simply be to bring up their reading grade which is most likely based off of a test.

 

ETA-read through all the posts and you confirmed it.  They won't be reading the test so your reading lab is really a test prep lab.  Sorry. :(  If I had the time and energy and maybe needed some extra income, I would target parents to get extra tutoring on reading specifically and see if you could advertise to your students that if they come an extra 20 min. early or stay 20 min. late that they will receive extra "reading" help from a reading tutor.  If you don't need the money and have 20 extra min., offer it for free.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I'm volunteering in the reading lab at youngest DD's school, which happens to be our neighborhood school (the various special ed classes are spread out over the district so it's actually pretty unusual for her to be attending our zoned school). I'm working with 3rd and 4th graders who are struggling readers. It has become obvious to me that most of these kids just need some good basic phonics practice. Something like OPGTR, AAR/AAS, WRTR, etc. Instead what the teacher in charge of the reading lab is having the volunteer coaches do is have the kids simply read aloud and then do comprehension worksheets.

 

While there may be some value in being able to identify the climax of the story or whatever, that's a more advanced skill than knowing c makes a soft sound when it comes before an e and that when two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking. Again, these are 3rd and 4th graders not primary grade students.

 

Put me in charge of the reading lab and I'd have gotten more progress in 2 months than I suspect they're going to make in the whole year.

 

The teacher in charge of the lab asked me yesterday how I liked being a coach and I had to give some vague answer about it being nice the kids could get some individual attention when class sizes are so large (there are 32 in a general ed class). What I wanted to do was tell her to shove the comprehension worksheets and do phonics drills with the kids instead.

 

It's like asking people with low vision to describe the details of what they see. 

[Crimson Wife]

Is it a testing year?  Do these kids have IEPs?  My guess is that if they are struggling readers and may have other diagnosis that their actual testing will be read aloud to them per a 504 or an IEP.  Thus, they need to work on the comprehension of stories to pass a state mandated test? 

 

These are 3rd and 4th graders who are at least 1 grade level behind in reading but do not have a diagnosed LD qualifying them for IEP services. Special ed kids work with the school's credentialed reading specialist and don't come to the reading lab. Using the volunteer coaches is a low-cost way to provide the kids with more individualized attention than they'd get in the classroom with 32 kids to 1 teacher. It's better than nothing, but it's not as helpful as it could be if the coaches were able to use better materials.

 

I am planning on getting trained in Wilson, Slingerland, or another Orton-Gillingham method this coming spring or summer and working as a tutor PT while I pursue my master's in educational therapy next year. My little one is at high risk of dyslexia because of her other LD's and it doesn't make sense to be paying $$$ for someone else to tutor her rather than investing in the training myself.

[Tsuga]

We are so grateful for parents like you at our school. Thank you for doing this for our kids. Our country couldn't survive without volunteers like you.