KathyBC Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 DS will be 11 next month. We are just finishing up Joyce Herzog's program for phonics/spelling. He is actually reading this material better than spelling it: for instance, he recently had trouble deciding how to spell bird/berd/burd, fawn/faun, but could read the words easily. DS reads below-grade level Pathway Readers for approx. 20 minutes every day, too. He's currently 2/3 of the way through their final grade 2 reader. His longevity is improving - most days he doesn't complain of sore eyes at the end of this session. When he challenges himself with more advanced material, however, he is still using context and guessing at more difficult words. I think he needs more specific work on breaking new words down into syllables, then decoding.The other issue I see that still needs addressing is that he tends to turn his head while he reads, rather than sweeping with his eyes. I think he may still need a bit more VT. I had tentatively planned to go on to R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Intermediate, as well as continue the below-level reading for fluency, memory and longevity. Now I'm wondering if beginning Megawords might also help, since they do have suggestions to work on reading as well as spelling. My older ds is halfway through book 4; while he does every page, we have never needed to work on reading specifically as spelling is his issue, so I'm not sure how helpful it would be for working on reading. I'm so thrilled that my middle guy is what I would describe as functionally literate - he can make his way around in the world now - and he is continuing to improve. I would dearly love to see him reading at grade level, though, and need to know if we are on course to get there (it seems to be taking us so much longer than some of you), or if I need to change things up more drastically. Thanks for any advice you can give me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKlinda Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 The best way to teach a child to read fluently is with word decoding lists. Have the student highlight the small words or sounds within the word. *Using this decoding method creates confident, fluent readers in a very short time. Linda. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 I've heard good things about both rewards and megawords. In the meantime, I would try my free syllable division rules and worksheets, links #6 and #7 at the end of my how to tutor page. I would also recommend trying the 1908 Webster's Speller re-typed by Don Potter, it has words divided into syllables before the reading passages. The 1879 McGuffey Readers may also be helpful, the difficult words are set above the reading passage and diacritically marked. I also recently saw a Canada Reader that was made up on the same plan as the McGuffey Readers with the the difficult words before the passage, but I only saw the 4th reader, so it will probably be too difficult to use right now, but maybe a future possibility, or you might be able to find originals more at his current reading level. You could also try some syllable divided books: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/syllabledividedb.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyBC Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 I've heard good things about both rewards and megawords. In the meantime, I would try my free syllable division rules and worksheets, links #6 and #7 at the end of my how to tutor page. The worksheets look great. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 The worksheets look great. Thanks! You're welcome! Syllables ending in a vowel are long, those ending in a consonant are short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiD Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 The 1879 McGuffey Readers may also be helpful, the difficult words are set above the reading passage and diacritically marked. The set we have is published by John Wiley and Sons, and from the Fourth Reader on up, the print is quite small and dense (looks like half the size of the print in Pathway "More Busy Times"). Are there any larger print versions of McGuffey? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiD Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 The best way to teach a child to read fluently is with word decoding lists. Have the student highlight the small words or sounds within the word. *Using this decoding method creates confident, fluent readers in a very short time. Linda. Several years ago, we used "Let's Read, A Linguistic Approach", by Bloomfield and Barnhart. It takes a parts-to-whole approach, rather than the reverse, but the outcome was positive - noticeably speedier reading. :) It begins with single syllables and gradually builds up to multisyllabic words, using lists of similar words followed by practice readings. The second half of the book appears to be about the same level or maybe a bit above the 2nd Pathway reader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiD Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 I'm so thrilled that my middle guy is what I would describe as functionally literate - he can make his way around in the world now Isn't it wonderful when you finally get to that point? It's so gratifying (and such a relief!!! :)). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 The set we have is published by John Wiley and Sons, and from the Fourth Reader on up, the print is quite small and dense (looks like half the size of the print in Pathway "More Busy Times"). Are there any larger print versions of McGuffey? You could print out the PDFs or other format of the electronic books larger, I do not know of any versions that are larger print in an actual book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 If he is rubbing his sore eyes at the end of reading, he may have some underlying vision issues that are contributing to his difficulties. Eye fatigue is a huge indicator. Check out the signs and symptoms page at www.covd.org for more information. When I did I was surprised to find that my son actually had several indicators of vision problems that I didn't recognize. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyBC Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 If he is rubbing his sore eyes at the end of reading, he may have some underlying vision issues that are contributing to his difficulties. Eye fatigue is a huge indicator. Check out the signs and symptoms page at www.covd.org for more information. When I did I was surprised to find that my son actually had several indicators of vision problems that I didn't recognize. Yes, ds has tracking issues and had therapy the summer before last. He has experienced significant improvement lately, but if it the symptoms I mentioned above persist by late spring, I will probably take him back and see if there is more we can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyBC Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 The set we have is published by John Wiley and Sons, and from the Fourth Reader on up, the print is quite small and dense (looks like half the size of the print in Pathway "More Busy Times"). Are there any larger print versions of McGuffey? DS was interested in reading How to Eat Fried Worms. I tried a couple different versions from our library, but the text in both looks like it is < 8 pt. type - *I* would experience eye fatigue reading that. :banghead: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 DS was interested in reading How to Eat Fried Worms. I tried a couple different versions from our library, but the text in both looks like it is < 8 pt. type - *I* would experience eye fatigue reading that. :banghead: :iagree: I ordered "The Door in the Wall.". I had read a hardback version from a library, and the picture of the book looked normal sized. When it arrived, it was this tiny little thing with 6 or 8 point font. Luckily, my daughter got my husband's vision and she said it does not bother her. It bothers me, though! (I did read it again, though, it had been a few years. But, I would have preferred a larger font.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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