Narration for improving reading comprehension?

[wapiti]

Background to my question: though I've been hanging around here for a little while, we are still very new to hs-ing (a couple months in now) and I'm trying to make some curriculum decisions. DD9 is bright but with a language processing issue that leads to problems with reading comprehension. For the past year, she has been seeing a language therapist weekly for this. At the outset, they were supposedly doing things akin to V/V, though I'm not sure how much that is still the case. At the moment, I think they're just doing straightforward reading comprehension practice, and I'm thinking about doing this at home instead (due to cost and logistics). DD's history includes combo OT/listening therapy for SPD, VT for tracking issues, she has new bifocals but doesn't want to read with them :glare:, mild low muscle tone (learned to walk with orthotics), speech delay, etc. She's great with grammar, writing and spelling, but has somewhat slow processing speed and this odd "glitch" in her brain involving language processing (that's the technical term used by the therapist :tongue_smilie:). It's most likely some sort of auditory processing thing. Oh, and she's very strong-willed, which can make implementation of my plans tricky.

 

I've read WTM multiple times in the past, and now I think it's time I dig it out again to reconsider narration (or is it CM that I need to dig out?). I've specifically avoided it so far in our short time hs-ing because I do not want to use it as a method for learning content when that method may be a weakness for her. However, I find myself wondering whether it would be worth the effort to work on narration as a skill. We're working on the basics of outlining in a workbook (which she finds easy), but I haven't had her outline any reading material yet. Must I have her "narrate" first and then outline, or can we just jump to outlining? Written narration, oral or both? Can I start small, with whatever random Little House book she's reading? Can it be fiction? I really want the material to be something she's interested in; I want to avoid asking her to narrate anything dry right now - we have been having struggles over motivation on some days :glare:.

 

This all came to mind this afternoon when I was speaking with the therapist. I don't want dd to have to suffer so many years before fixing this - the more I think about it, the more I was the same way, struggling with reading comprehension exercises in school. One way or another, I got over it in law school, but I was more of a skimmer than a reader in college - what a waste. Anyway, I was thinking, if I "fixed" it as an adult (not without significant mental effort), surely it might be easier for her brain to change too, because she's still young? There is one difference: I was self-motivated as an adult; at the moment, she is anything but. So it can't seem "too hard" or the brain shuts off.

 

I'd love to hear any thoughts, comments or suggestions for narration and/or outlining in this situation. Dd is not dyslexic under a narrower definition (we've seen a psych), but my guess is that those of you with dyslexics might have helpful advice.

 

Does any of this even make sense? It's often a bad idea to hit "post" right before going to bed, as the eyelids are closing.... :tongue_smilie:

[peacefully]

.

[RamonaQ]

What I do with my dyslexic kid is that I think of the skill we are working on, and then choose the method...following the sequences that will get us to that skill. So for example, we are finally hitting spelling really hard. Dictation is now finally (finally!) something that makes a lot of sense for ds.

 

I would encourage you to do the same. If you don't think narration would be a useful method for comprehension, then try other methods-- outlining, etc..However, perhaps others that deal more directly with comprehension can weigh in on this.

 

And yes, with any skill that we are working that is extra hard, I do a lot of scaffolding. For example, in our case it is is writing, so we practice out loud, me writing a sentence, ds writing a sentence, me prompting, to finally ds doing it on his own. I also will set a timer and say, I know this is tough, let's work for 15 minutes and see what we can do.

[wapiti]

My kiddo also has a language processing "glitch," :tongue_smilie: but his issues tend to show up more as expressive language processing — problems with word finding or word substitution, organization of thought, fluency, verbal reasoning, etc. In trying to determine ds's reading comprehension, I've really had to try to tease apart his expressive language issues from his auditory/reading comprehension, because it turns out that his comprehension is quite good. Narration, as it is described by CM, would not be a good fit here. SWB seems to give many more prompts, and I suppose ds could manage that style of narration now that he is progressing through his therapy. Wapiti, I think you are the poster who first brought Reading Is Seeing to my attention. I use the methodology described in that book quite a bit. I tend to stick with more directed reading comprehension questions, "Socratic-type" discussion, and hands-on activities to determine comprehension. (Then again, my kiddo is only 6, so he wouldn't be doing the kind of outlining that you are describing anyway.)

 

How are your dd's LP issues affecting her comprehension? If both writing and outlining are going well for her, what is the "glitch" that is giving her issues with reading (or is auditory comprehension affected too)?

 

Thank you for reminding me that I have that book!! (duh! I forgot all about it :tongue_smilie:). While dd's writing had been very good, we haven't done much since we started hs-ing in January. We'll see what happens this week - she's doing a "report" on a country she'll be travelling to very soon. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it goes well. In the past, she's the type who might struggle with what to say or how to start, but the writing itself comes easily after she gets over that hump. Sentences are rarely an issue, and she's pretty good with forming paragraphs as well, but I think that's more of a natural inclination than anything she was taught, i.e., she may be doing the right (write?) thing without knowing why, but just becauase it seems right. As for outlining, she has only been working in a workbook, so she hasn't made an outline from "real" written material yet, and I'm a little afraid, but we'll see. I'm guardedly optimistic that once she learns how to outline well, her comprehension will improve. Her difficulty lies in the standard "read a passage, then answer questions" type of assignment, especially as the questions get beyond what's written and rely on inferences and "why" and "what if" type questions ("you mean I have to turn on my BRAIN??"). Also, auditory comprehension is also affected by the glitch. Sometimes she looks at me like I have two heads, when she doesn't understand something I've said, which is a struggle for me because she's generally very bright. Then I get angry, and I don't know whether she's telling the truth, etc., and it isn't pleasant.

 

I'm also struggling with the 2E aspect of this situation. If she's operating at grade level in comprehension but way ahead of grade level in other areas, who cares. Well, I guess I care because this "glitch" may ultimately affect her ability to move forward in her areas of strength, as she gets older and the reading-to-learn increases exponentially. I'm also starting to think that more practice will help... more.:tongue_smilie: Thank you for your input!

 

What I do with my dyslexic kid is that I think of the skill we are working on, and then choose the method...following the sequences that will get us to that skill. So for example, we are finally hitting spelling really hard. Dictation is now finally (finally!) something that makes a lot of sense for ds.

 

I would encourage you to do the same. If you don't think narration would be a useful method for comprehension, then try other methods-- outlining, etc..However, perhaps others that deal more directly with comprehension can weigh in on this.

 

And yes, with any skill that we are working that is extra hard, I do a lot of scaffolding. For example, in our case it is is writing, so we practice out loud, me writing a sentence, ds writing a sentence, me prompting, to finally ds doing it on his own. I also will set a timer and say, I know this is tough, let's work for 15 minutes and see what we can do.

 

Thank you Ramona, I really appreciate your practical suggestions!! Very helpful!!