Do the great background bird count. The big count is in February, but you can count and participate anytime, and they have some interesting data. http://gbbc.birdcount.org

There is also a short explanation with pictures of allophones on my Blending Page: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/blendingwords.html And pictures of sound waves showing this on my dyslexia page: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/dyslexia.html

TC's Understandirng Linguistics has an excellent explanation of allophones with pictures. I have the dumbed down version for kids in the blending movie I linked.

People on the special needs board might have more ideas.

Maybe my cards alone with my spelling rules? Links 9 and 4. http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/WellTaughtPhonicsStudent.html Which graphemes and is it more of a spelling or reading problem?

My blending video explains why. Also, this is the reason Webster's Speller and syllables are so powerful--syllables added together do not change, letter sound approximations do. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q4KTyqpg5o

I have read through 1,000+ pages of the slave narratives. They are free online, searchable and pdfs of the original typed documents, and some in kindle form. They broke my heart but were very interesting, not just about slavery, but about what things were like back then in real words from real people. I recently posted excerpts about what the slave narratives say about learning to read with spellers. It is a good introduction to the slave narratives for children, the passages I chose just allude to punishments, the linked PDF has more details for an older child or adult. http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Phonics/index.html Here is the entire collection of the slave narratives from the Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/collections/slave-narratives-from-the-federal-writers-project-1936-to-1938/about-this-collection/

It could be a lot of things--a flow chart of ideas and screening tests and signs for each is on my dyslexia page: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/dyslexia.html I would start him on Read, Write, Type while you work on figuring out if there is a problem, he can do it himself while you work with other children. http://www.talkingfingers.com/read-write-type/ Also, you could try Webster, it might motivate him, do a bit of syllables then jump to the "4th grade words" in table 26, he might be more motivated to work on "4th grade level words." The easiest to start with are the er words if he knows er, the ending y words if he knows ending unaccented y as long e, if not either of those, the easiest are "solo, tulip, ruin, fuel, duel, cruel, gruel" and the other ending l words, although try them last, they slightly modify the vowel sound. http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/WellTaughtPhonicsStudent.html He could also watch some of my YouTube videos, he sounds like he will not sit for my phonics lessons yet, but the YouTube videos should be good: https://www.youtube.com/user/IsobelElizabeth/videos I would start with Know Sight Words 1 and 2, then syllable division part 1 and 2, then webster the secret power of schwa, then fast phonics facts #2, then W can be a vowel. ETA: I made a playlist in order for you: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJLxBWdK_5l0Z941Cy1INrADEO9Sy4ZWz

I would stop reading stories for a bit and work on nonsense words and word lists and get his phonics up to at least a grade above grade level. I personally don't stop until my children are reading at the 12th grade level. That took until 5th grade for my son, but I reviewed phonics yearly for my daughter for a few years after she was reading at the 12th grade level, reading is too important of a skill to leave to chance. All free to print, phonics to a 12th grade level: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/WellTaughtPhonicsStudent.html

Reasoning and Reading is good. Also, the 1879 McGuffeys start comprehension questions at 3 or 4th reader, I like to do the questions before and after for a few weeks, do one passage a day, then questions after, going back to the story if they need, and talking about the answers and how to get to them. Free online, most libraries have them.

Recipe for Reading--elementary level; manual is inexpensive, they also have workbooks, can do program from whiteboard, cheapest OG program. Sophris West Rewards--can be used as follow on to Recipe for Reading or other elementary level program, for older students working on multi syllable words, inexpensive for what you get

My phonics lesson 27 and its associated word origin charts. http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/Resources/OriginSlides.pdf

Watch my blending video with her. It teaches blending and explains why it is hard. It also futures Pluto saying that "Blending is hard for young humans," and talks about how a few can learn it at 3 or 4 but even some 5 and 6 year olds find it difficult.

My blending page has ideas: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/blendingwords.html

I go over them all in my 12 minute YouTube Know Sight Words summary video, too, here is my YouTube Sight word video list. The fun versions take a lot longer to make, so I did a summary. I will eventually have all the sight words taught in a fun way with phonics when I finish up the series, but it will be a while, I produce one video a month during the school year. https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJLxBWdK_5l2AdSYtPS1d426P8rIv66eT

If you work through the entire Webster, the patterns become clear! Here is how to add in a bit of Webster: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/WellTaughtPhonicsStudent.html ETA: Also, in Webster, the words are arranged by schwa accent pattern, and divided so you can tell if the vowel is long or short, so most of the words are able to be figured out without help or correction.

I have rules arranged on my cards with normal, then latin exceptions below. Latin also has an exception for division between vowels. Longer words are more likely to be from Latin than shorter words, and also more likely to have schwaing in unaccented syllables. x http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/Resources/40LChartsCombined.pdf

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/14/detroit-civil-rights-lawsuit-constitutional-literacy-education I think they have a very good point. I wonder how it will go? I just wrote a Google+ article called "Closing the Gap in Reading" that is related with some possible solutions. https://plus.google.com/107068995734375324617/posts/fewRUKQyzst A key point from the footnotes: The "I See Sam" program took 20 to 30 minutes daily to complete and required 25 weeks to complete. The study found that disadvantaged children were ready to read in K but required a "slight increase in the instructional time to complete the first several units of the program." p. 913

I want to hire you!! Of course, my nonprofit has a standard pay of...nothing, it is entirely volunteer based. (And all but the education part is entirely outside of the scope of my nonprofit.) Some of the concerns you raise is why my idea is for the people to do, nonprofits and volunteers, so that whatever is planned will actually get done. If good security was in place, I think a lot of people would be interested in donating and helping to the types of things you suggest.

Phonics until they are reading well. After that, math.

Here is a quick way to remediate phonics, I have been a remedial reading tutor for 22 years. All free to print. http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/WellTaughtPhonicsStudent.html

I have a campaign slogan...A New Year, A New Detroit. I think now is a terrible time to do anything, you could be for cute cat videos and the other side would be against... I am getting close to completing a beta version of my new 10 lesson, 10 hour DVD series that I have normally taught as a co-op class. It normally averages 1 to 2 reading grade levels of improvement. I would eventually like to teach it in Detroit, with the worst reading scores in the nation with only 6 and 7 percent of 4th and 8th graders reading proficiently. But, that got me thinking, poor Detroit, they have a lot of other things that need fixing, too. I don't live in the area so don't know what needs done the most...huffington post had some good positive local articles but some would be against huffington cats right now... Ideas about what Detroit needs most? How to publicize and implement? Follow on idea...Detroit helping DC. Pay for busing costs, help coordinate housing, take the best of what was done in Detroit and do in DC. Since we cannot be political anyhow, and have billions of good ideas and lots of opinions, I wanted to start the conversation. P.S cats are evil. 😂😂 P.P.S I actually like cats, but I am massively allergic to them.

For all of you with friends with children bringing home sight words, my sight word page with how and why to teach them with phonics: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/sightwords.html And, I now have some fun YouTube videos teaching them with links to phonics charts and cards to make it more fun and easier, the Know Sight Words series:

If you sew a bit, it is easy to take in the sides of a larger leo, order a size up and take in if need be. The side stitching can be a bit crooked and no one will notice, it does not have to be perfect.

Perfect! I forgot about those because both my children hated them for some reason and I did not read them growing up, but they are very neutral and as low a reading level as an older book is likely to be. Thanks!! (I only need one book, I plan to find several passages of similar length and diffiiculty from the same book to use as before and after silent reading speed tests.)