Recently I took a good course on the history of psychology, and in the past I took sociology courses as part of my course load for a teaching cert. and liberal studies degree. I would approach both psychology and sociology from that standpoint, presenting their history and philosophy, as I think it would serve the students well. I can recommend a text for psychology and a movie. What are your goals and purposes in teaching the course?

An acquaintance of mine left Barton for Slingerland, and has strong opinions about it based on her experience. My experience is with The Writing and Spelling Road to Reading and Thinking (similar to Spalding), All About Reading/All About Spelling, and The Logic of English. Did you use any other multi-sensory curriculum before Barton? How often did you do lessons over the course of the year? Is your daughter writing/spelling as part of her reading instruction? Does she have automaticity of isolated letter sounds from Level 2 (can say sound(s) when shown sh, a, etc., and can write sh, a, etc. when told sound(s))? What skills has she gained over the course of the year? At what points do you see her getting stuck in Level 3? When you said you think your daughter needs more review of previously learned skills, do you mean skills from Level 1 and 2, or more practice in Level 3 that is not provided?

Has she adopted the child or providing foster care? Is he motivated to learn? What doe he enjoy doing? What are his strengths? What skills has he developed in reading, writing, speaking, and arithmetic? Is he an older or younger 1st grader? If he has a one-on-one aide, 1st grade could be the best fit. From the post, it sounds like he will be getting appropriate, consistent, structured, and sequential instruction at home too. Children learn a lot in a short period of time with that type of instruction in a one-on-one setting. For teaching reading, I recommend Riggs (The Writing and Spelling Road to Reading and Thinking), or Logic of English, or All About Reading, programs that include grapheme cards/phonogram cards and morphology teaching to make great gains in vocabulary development. Blend Phonics is very helpful as well, and is free to print on Don Potter's website, found by his name. The teaching of letter formation I recommend is Riggs, Spalding, (and Peterson Handwriting), where students are given a list of checkpoints, use a clock face for special orientation, learn letter sounds while practicing letter formation, work on fluently writing (not lifting pencil when not needed and going left to right, top to bottom), and are taught vocabulary for names of the lines on the paper, names of the lines used to form the letters, etc. Chalk boards are good to use for writing because they give more feedback than white boards, and Riggs has paper that makes writing instruction easier. Use of an abacus, Cuisenaire rods (videos on youtube that are great), and base 10 blocks, and anything that's fun to count (like Nurf gun bullets) are excellent for teaching arithmetic skills. Monkey Math can be fun too (on the computer). And just talking math (date, times, money, fraction of bread eaten, points earned, points needed to be earned etc.) is great, and teaching a child how to form/write numbers fluently. Dots not needed to teach letter formation (can finger paint with pudding, trace in sand, use white paper and multiple types of writing utensils, chalk on side-walk (all great for using larger motor skills when beginning to form letters, but then in same day, go to paper and paper with lines, giving example, then oral instruction without child copying a picture) ) and if tracing letters or numbers, trace with finger, not with a pencil (go to Peterson Handwriting site for explanation of that). Study what interests the child, and use those studies to prompt lessons/practice in forming complete sentences orally, syllabicating words (put hand under chin and count number of times mouth opens), spelling new phonograms from words (like ar from shark) and when appropriate, spelling words, like shark, and then sentences with those words, and looking up words like wring, and compare to wrestle, as both start with wr, and can ask why, and find that out (morphology study), as well as more common affixes (ed) and other morphemes (mono or poly, of monopoly). Recite poetry (can memorize), act out poetry, and can use for the development of many skills. Read to child and review parts of the story or what it was about, and give opportunity for child to orally daily summarize what was read. Legos are good for working on fine motor skills, and can look up games for that purpose too (using tweezers to accomplish tasks, etc.) so can do less cutting, as that seems to be done a lot in school. Study animals and talk about where they live, what they eat, etc. Record what you learn, and give appropriate tasks to child, like writing titles on the page, a sentence for each topic, drawing a picture to show, etc. Buy books with beautiful pictures (artistic and inspiring), and talk about the pictures, or read the book :). Plastic or foam letters for the fridge can be helpful and scrabble letters can but fun to use to spell/read. Don't ask the child to read words he had not been taught how to read, or to spell a word he has not been taught to read.

How old is he? What other routines for comprehension and language development have been developed? What skills is he learning in Barton? Ideas: 1) copy work (use sentences made from current Barton words) 2) poetry listen and memorize 3) phonogram writing practice (proper letter formation + say sounds) (Can use other resource, like Riggs Institute's, to teach letter formation in coordination with phonograms taught in Barton) 4) listen to a story (without looking at book with pictures) and draw a picture(s) that narrates it, showing the main parts of the story (follow-up have him narrate using the picture)

What is your student's spelling like now? The program I recommend meets the standards as laid-out in the link above. Also, I recommend it over All About Spelling, especially for older students with dyslexic traits. If she has dyslexic tendencies that affect her spelling, first teach her multi-sensory and sequential program like "The Writing and Spelling Road to Reading and Thinking" (Riggs Institute). There is a test that comes with it that will give you an approximate grade level and help you see what rules she knows and doesn't know. Perhaps you can call and ask for a list to give your daughter a pre-test before you consider the program. The book teaches phonograms, markings, orthography rules, and questions to ask to help one spell a word. She may be able to fly through the book, gain the knowledge she needs, and then teach herself. As part of the program, she would make her own notebook. Creating an ongoing word list, based on errors made in her writing, is another activity to include. Then using what she has learned to break apart the word into syllables, mark the word, and then say it as we spell it, vs. how we write it for example. Riggs also has a Greek and Latin root book she can use that will help her study the spelling and meaning of words. IEW has a spelling program for learning words for certain subject areas, like biology. I think it makes use of a CD. Riggs also teaches such words in the third book. Riggs' Spelling List III + Primary & Elementary Math & Science Words 2002 Ed.$32.95 No lesson plans in this manual, but approximately 900 advanced spelling-vocabulary words including elem. math & science words. Words are syllabicated,& spell-marked with notes to focus instruction on etymology & voc.development (roots, affixes, origins parts of speech, etc.). Math & science words can be put on pp. 16-up in Ref. Notebooks. New! For those who have completed Levels I and II, or as a supplement for those teaching older students. A tool like an electronic dictionary may be helpful. She can type in the word, hear the word read, learn about the morphology of the word, etc. It may also aide her in being independent in her learning. Other programs : Spelling Power's 10 Steps (strategies without markings but rules are taught) Spelling Power Workbook (teaches dictionary markings and some additional markings (underline phonograms with more than one letter)) Sequential Spelling's Format (vertical and horizontal patterns shown to help a student study, but w/o rules or markings)

I'm looking for reviews of parents/students experience with Triad Math. Thank you!

Have you checked-out Riggs' "The Writing and Spelling Road to Reading and Thinking"? Also, I've heard that you may find discounted Barton curriculum on Ebay. How old is your child?

I have not used Dancing Bears. I have used AAR. Yes, children like those games, however, they are not needed for teaching reading, and can be a hindrance. You may make your own monster game to review in a different area, because it will not be most effective for teaching reading. As your student begins to master the English language, she will have fun. If you are teaching her to master the English language, that will also include writing, grammar, syntax, spelling, and thinking. Directionality, as you mentioned, as well as phonics, syllabication, spelling, penmanship, cognitive development, study of the parts of words and the parts of sentences, are all a part of Rigg's, "Spelling and Writing Road to Reading and Thinking." Because your daughter is struggling, I highly recommend their program. Since she has struggled remembering what she learned, you can really be encouraged, as the program maximizes one's ability to memorize by using multi-sensory methods. Also, there are virtually no readers needed, and no workbooks. Your child will be making her own workbook, something that will make her proud.The program will prevent dyslexia, and it's inexpensive compared to Barton. If you would like to know more, I'd be happy to answer any questions. You may also call Riggs and speak with Caroline or Stephanie. I don't work for Riggs, but I use their program. Lastly, since she has gone through speech therapy for articulation, you can continue to slow-down your speech as you dictate words for her (main component of Riggs), and as you probably do, talk with her about where her tongue is, what it feels like, etc., to produce certain sounds. She can also articulate in front of a mirror, etc.

Hello How old is your son? The disconnect you see between your son's reading and writing vocabulary, between his spoken and reading language, and his written language, is not uncommon. There is a lot I could say about this. Having an excellent oral vocabulary is a pre-reading skill. Being able to decode multi-syllable words is a reading skill, made-up of sub-skills. With an excellent oral vocabulary, a person will be able to understand a greater number of words read, and it can help in decoding too, because of a knowledge of morphemes (roots, prefixes, and suffixes). Penmanship is it's own skill. Spelling is it's own skill, with it's own set of rules. Words often sound differently than they are spelled, for example. As a note of explanation, if a child doesn't know how to spell a word, they most likely won't be prone to use it in their writing. But there are other variables to consider, mainly, that writing is composed of many parts, and if those parts are still being mastered, one's ability to communicate in writing as fluently as one communicates verbally, will be hindered. To continue, how sentences are formed is it's own skill (syntax). Since we write differently than we speak, that adds another challenge. There are syllabication, grammar, spelling, and punctuation rules that must be learned and mastered as well, to produce literacy. These do need to be taught directly. The test above is not specific. It does not tell you what you need to know to help your son. Regardless, based on the test, you know he needs help in spelling and writing, and if decoding is "average", then in decoding too (Letter and Word Recognition). There is a test I refer to later, that you may give your son. You will also want to listen to him read aloud and note common errors. In the curriculum I mention later, there is a spelling pre-test you can give your son too, so you can use it to see his progress. The first step for any student, is mastery of the 71 phonograms that make-up the 42 elementary, and clear sounds, of our English language. Part of learning the phonograms is learning to write them quickly while recalling their sounds. For example, writing "a" while saying /a/, long a, /au/ and /aw/. A component of writing them, is forming excellent letters, based on criteria that makes writing the most fluid, and therefore improving speed. Sitting-up straight, holding the pencil properly, are two other components that improve memory and penmanship. To reiterate, our brains can only handle so much at a time. If we have to think about forming letters, and how to spell, and how to form a correct sentence (syntax), etc., we won't have that energy to use to formulate our thoughts (content). Also, the composition of a story requires training as well, as you know, since you are working on this area. This is done in a variety of ways, including summarizing, retelling, and rewriting short stories read, altering short stories read (changing the ending etc.), reading/analyzing excellent stories and story elements, etc. That is why those foundational skills must be mastered first. He needs his brain freed-up to focus on content. Meanwhile, a student practices skills in isolation, again, freeing-up the brain, to master that specific skill. Your son should be learning all of the parts, however, most schools do not spend adequate time teaching children those parts. Testing, pull-out, inadequate methods, assemblies, etc. Also, another hurdle is that most teachers and therapists are not trained in what I described. I highly recommend Rigg's "The Writing and Spelling Road to Reading and Thinking". If your child has some poor writing habits, and if he has not mastered spelling or punctuation rules, this program is for him. Also, there is a book on the site that provides much information on learning struggles and includes a test you can give your son. Riggs website also has a link to a blog with excellent articles, and a phone number to reach some very experienced teachers. Feel free to contact me as well, as I am using this program with students who are struggling in the ways you described. So, the fact that "things" aren't even, is evidence of the lack of the proper teaching of your student, and a lack of mastery in spelling and writing components, components that also help a child to gain more understanding from their reading, as well. With your guidance, your child can retrain his brain, and gain mastery of the components, so that he can convey his thoughts in writing! I would like to reiterate, that for your son to improve, he needs direct instruction. For example, spelling well doesn't just happen as a child gets older. Also, good writing is not just the result of writing a lot, or reading a lot. I didn't see that in your post, but as you noted, there seemed to be a lack of direction on how to assist your son. How wonderful that your son's comprehension is high and that his fluency is not an issue. He will be learning to spell words he already knows! He will be exploring ideas as he gains mastery of the English language! He will be learning to think more logically, coherently (Does this make sense? How? Why?), and with a purpose (Why does it matter? Why is it important?). Other writing resources recommended by Riggs and seconded by me, are Classical Writing's progymnasium books, Classical Academic Press resources (I've successfully used the first book of their progymnasium series), and IEW resources (especially the resource book and poetry study).

In searching for curriculum to teach poetry, I stumbled upon a book for 3rd grade readers that separated the syllables of multi-syllable words. The books taught history, if I remember correctly. I thought they would be a great supplement for my beginning and struggling readers. Is this a resource that sounds familiar to anyone?

Thank you, Chief Cat Herder. I looked again at the aspect you noted, syllabication strategies (prefix/suffix/vowels). I can see the benefit of the REWARDS materials as a supplement, if used with an understanding of systematic phonics instruction, and with students who already have a good foundation decoding 1 and 2 syllable words (and a good vocabulary). In studying REWARDS further, I found this review helpful as well. Here is another review from this forum, and another thread on decoding multi-syllable words, with links to this site.

"By slow & painful I'm referring to his ability to recognize sounds in isolation but in words, sentences, paragraphs he mixes up his letters (a for e & vice vera, b, p, & d mixed up). If he looks up from the page he can't find his place on the page again & nothing he has already read looks familiar. I do have him read to me for up to 20 min most days but he does not seem to be improving. Some days it's as if he has never seen these words before even though he read the same or similar passage the day before. We've been working our way through TOPGTTR and have seen some improvement but that doesn't seem to carry over to a book." How long have you been using TOPGTTR? Is there a spelling and writing component? As you're learning more, you may benefit from a break from reading and a focus on spelling. That would give your son practice in both spelling and reading, but reading words instead of sentences and paragraphs. So far, I've only used All About Spelling with my students and I've only used AAS #1 and #2. All students start with AAS #1 and it reviews CVC words. I have also had them read words from Noah Webster's Spelling Book (Don Potter) for more practice with specific spelling patterns. It may be nice to have other decodable text options. You can find free resources online to print. Also, IEW has a great video (free on Youtube) on the benefits of spelling out-loud. I always have my students do some reading, writing (or use of tiles) and spelling out-loud, when we practice spelling. I work with students who are beginning reading or struggling reading. It sounds like you are in need of an Orton-Gillingham program, starting at a place where he is successful. That may mean going backwards. Those are dyslexic tendencies and that would make reading frustrating for sure. I work with a 10 year old who has a strategy for helping her differentiate "b" from "d", and it doesn't hinder her from reading on her own. But if it is getting in the way of reading, that's a problem. When you go forward with reading instruction, because he is making those mistakes, what he is reading out-loud should be decodable and part of his systematic phonics instruction for that day. For an example of what this looks like, you can check-out "All About Reading", "Blend Phonics" (Don Potter), "RIGGS", "Barton", "Phonics International", but I'd learn more about teaching phonics first, so you can better judge the programs. Hillsdale College has a good couple of videos (2011-7th lecture). There is another one if you sign-up for the free classes. Please forgive me if you're already versed in this area. "Linda-Mood Bell" is another excellent resource. If your student is not confident in the reading code (which would be hard if individual letters are being mixed-up), it could produce that inability to find one's place on the page. Here is a video that shows another student experiencing the frustration it sounds like your student is experiencing. I highly recommend getting some letter tiles. "All About Reading" have some that are color coded and my 12 year old student has enjoyed success from using them to help her sound-out words. I can use them to remind her of spelling patterns and teach/practice syllabication. It's great. You mentioned how there has not been carry-over from your reading program to books. He may need other supports, he may need to work at a slower pace, and again, it sounds like he needs to stick to decodable text with few irregular spellings (that have been taught in that lesson). He will still make mistakes, but it should be more manageable, and help you help him focus. I've witnessed that reading signs is a precursor to students becoming confident in the code and reading books :). Writing in cursive may help with b/d/p reversals. Forming letters with clay can't hurt :). Making the word "bed" with your fingers as a visual may help (make b and d-visualize e).

If your child is weak in decoding and in need of phonics instruction (in reading and spelling), it doesn't look like that will be addressed in "REWARDS". It looks like a whole language approach.

A vision evaluation sounds like a good idea, as would an assessment on his decoding and fluency strengths/weaknesses. You can find assessments online. Yep, rewards can be great, especially with clear goals. What does slow and painful mean? Is he consistently successful decoding words phonetically? I'm working with a 12 year old girl who is developing as a reader. She was not consistent in her decoding, so we have begun with 2nd grade phonics instruction (using an Orton-Gillingham based curriculum) and 1st/2nd grade spelling patterns. Using tiles when she is struggling to sound-out a word has been key. (When we work together, I don't let her guess.) The curriculum also provides some helpful fluency exercises. At the same time we are working through the first 11 rules of Elements and Style while memorizing parts of speech (prepositions and helping verbs at the moment). She has also enjoyed reading short stories (fables etc.). We are working on the articulation of words and syntax (oral and written). Reading on topics of interest has been helpful too. It's great that you are continuing to read with you son. Books on tape may also be a way to continue to learn while gaining fluency in reading. IEW has an audio spelling program that may be helpful. No reading needed. Memory work and vocabulary study are two other skills to strengthen. Daily reading out-loud would be important.

So, you are looking for CVC words that have no meaning, like "lat"? Have you considered moving-on to other spelling patters, or changing your teaching method. For example, teach the word "flat". Sound it out left to right. Don Potter's "Blend Phonics" works great for that. There is reason to avoid the use of made-up words to teach or even check reading ability.

I think most of them are 1 to 10 centimeters in length.

Oxford University Press, Amazon, local teaching store (there were wood and plastic ones where I shop). They are also called "number rods".

Dyslexic or not, Touch Math is not enough by itself to build number sense. I wouldn't start with it. Also, there are other dot methods. They seem to have some fun ways to get skip counting in the the brain, but I wouldn't separate skip counting from working with something like an abacus, Montessori type beads, number rods, Numicon blocks and a number line or ruler. If you think your daugher needs unique help in developing her number sense, I'd recommend: Randit Bird, Numicon Blocks and use of abacus and number rods (used by Randit Bird) Other resources: *Landmark School (http://www.landmarkschool.org/students/ems/courses/math) Some strategies have been helpful for my students in learning multiplication steps and time. -Beat Dyscalculia -Dianne Craft -Edublox/Audibloxs *Stamp Game and Golden Beads (Montessori) (Stamp Game helps to teach place value, as do the Golden Beads) -a balance (weigh Numicons and Golden Beads for adding/subtraction and comparison) -Explode the Dot (for upper grade way of reviewing place value and decimals and subtraction as adding the opposit) *Let's Play Math (by a homeschool mom-more games to learn math and get away from workbooks and great website) -Talking Math with Your Kids -Abacus One (abacus with number names) Many if not most of the resources above are good for any student. Some "Touch Math" history and opinion. http://mathforum.org/t2t/discuss/message.taco?thread=17459&n=3

Looking-up "reading pens, dots" I found products through Google. One is Hot Dots. Good luck!

Oops, you said that wasn't the one you were looking for...sorry about that.

Yes...I think I saw it at a local teacher store. I'll have to check who sells it. Here is one I found online. http://www.livescribe.com/en-us/faq/online_help/Maps/Common/c_sound-stickers.html

RONIT BIRD: Check-out this short and informative clilp by a specialist, Ronit Bird: . Learn math facts without worksheets :)! She gives excellent examples and her books come with a CD to print-off pre-made games. She has some for free on her website: http://www.ronitbird.com/resources/ . Her e-books are great:http://www.ronitbird.com/ebooks/. LIFE OF FRED: http://lifeoffredmath.com/lof-elementary.php Also, since your daughter likes reading and word problems, she may really enjoying "Life of Fred" as an alternative textbook. Parents have said it's very engaging. It won't give you the practice your daughter may need to memorize her math facts, but it may be a good book going forward. DYSCALCULIA: If you look up "dyscalculia" you will find other strategies to use with students who are struggling to remember their math facts. One of my math students have benefitted from methods I learned at Landmark School's website: http://www.landmarkschool.org/students/ems/courses/math. PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES (WHOLE BODY): The Landmark School website has videos, pictures, explanations and pdf files to download. One activity that has helped my student learn multiplying steps was by writing the problems in chalk and jumping while saying the answers. I wrote the multiplicand in white chalk, the multiplyer in multi-colors and then the student jumped from the multiplyer to each digit in the multiplicand and then down to the product and back to the multiplyer (a little different than the video). She wrote a line for each partial product and zero the hero before she started multiplying and saying the answers verbally. When we were done with that (and she liked me to participate :) I had her do a few with chalk. We talked about why we added a zero, what we were really multiplying (10's by 1's/units) etc. We worked with an abacus before that. Also, my student learned how to tell time using the method on the Landmark site, which again uses the whole body. My student was older and it also helped her remember her x 5 facts. Ranit Bird has an excellent method as well! GAMES AND KEEPING IT SIMPLE: Also, before doing the traditional algorithm, a student can use objects and verbalize the steps and the area model. For division a student can begin with "short division" that eliminates the bring-down step. I also used some tips from "Math Mammoth" website that breaks the steps down. "Let's Play Math" (Under: 4th grade student struggling in math) has also been great for ideas! MANIPULATIVES: Montessouri and abacus lessons have also been a great help! I am a tutor and have 3 students who have difficulty learning their math facts and steps for multiplying and dividing. Last year I was working with two of them on their reading, and this year I will be working with them on their math facts. I started using an abacus with them which helps me check their understanding and give them an alternative way to practice math facts. I will be using Ronit Bird's methods with all of them this year, as well as continuing to use the Landmark School lessons. I will also be ordering Numicon shapes! I'm also looking into Audiblox and Edublox products: http://www.edublox.com/int/products.htm for cognitive training materials. Semple Math is another I'm considering. It has a different way of representing numbers with a picture. I've looked at Beat Dyscalculia and am glad to know about it for another option. So far, I like Ronit Bird's explanations better. If anyone has used these, it would be great to know what you think! OTHER METHODS THAT FOCUS ON ENGAGING CHILDREN AND HOW THEY LEARN: Book-wise, I have read good things about Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World by Freed. I have yet to read it. After using manipulatives in a systematic way, as well as some form of gestalt, Dianne Coft has some brain integration materials I've yet to try, and am considering. She also recommends mastering adding and multiplying first if there has been an on going struggle. Besides info. on brain integration, there are also teachings on whole body learning. James Asher has books about it, as well has his recommendation for inspiring math students. He wrote a few books that talk about scientists and mathematitians. If not now, then later, your avid reader may get an interest in math as she gets interested in people, their discoveries and mysteries and problems yet to be discovered and solved. For now you can explore math in nature, like fibonacci numbers in the design of a pinecone: ,patterns on bugs: http://teachersnetwork.org/dcs/math/bugweb/project.htm , etc. That's his theory and searching for answers to a problem that matters to me has propelled much of my own study: http://tpr-world.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc. Other ways to inspire: money math (wanting to get the right change back), cooking math/science math (the difference a tbls vs. a tsp makes), sharing math (feel the pain of fractions :), measuring math (cut a bunch of dowels at various lengths and compare them to get good at estimating centimeters, inches etc., time math (getting good at estimating how long it takes to get somewhere or how far you have traveled etc.), art math (having fun with patterns and symetry), games (Q-bitz is a hit with my students and students practice visualizing). Some music training:http://gettingsmart.com/2012/05/can-music-really-aid-math-learning/ and cursive handwriting: http://www.educationspace360.com/index.php/cursive-handwriting-12406/ may also be helpful. For another student of mine, she wasn't interested in math until she decided to become a vet and had a reason to study :). She was 13 when she memorized her multiplication tables. ABACUS: 1) Activities for the AL Abacus by Joan A. Cotter, Ph.D. (book with PDF preview Online) 2) Free guide: http://mathonmonday.com/mathicide.htm 3) Abacusbeatdyscalculia.com/ 4) Abacus with words instead of numbers: http://www.system-one-4-every-1.co.uk/abacusone.html MONTESSOURI: 1) addition board 2) stamp game 3) beads- in units, 10's, 100's and 1000's and have weight to them NUMICON: http://www.numicon.co.nz/374899/html/page.html

Crimson, I second Mommy Monster. If you haven't tried a phonics program, I recommend Blended Phonics offered by Don Potter (free with blending videos) and All About Reading (money-back guarentee for a year).