Desperate for program/supplement for seven year old struggling to read

[Guest HomesteadingMama]

I have a wonderful seven year old DD that is in tears over reading. We have been struggling with phonics and reading programs for years. What worked for her older siblings isn't working for her. We are addressing some underlying health issues that have probably contributed. However, she WANTS to read. She cries at Mass when she can't sing the song. She leaves family times because she is so sad that she can't share in reading out loud.

 

I'm heartsick and looking for any programs or ideas you sweet mamas have. Thank you!

 

Tiffany

 

Please forgive the phone corrections. Arggg!!

[Farrar]

Hugs! First of all, 7 isn't that old. Most kids are at least reading some by then, but it's not so late.

 

What can she read? Can she sound out CVC words? Can she read really simple readers like the BOB books or Frog and Toad? Has she memorized some sight words (a no-no around here, but it's hard to stop kids by that age if they're just around books)?

 

What does it look like when she tries to read? Does she guess too much? Does she struggle to blend? Can she not remember the sounds?

 

What programs have you tried so far? (So that no one suggests what you've already done!)

 

ElizabethB has a nice resource on her Phonics Page. There's lots of good stuff there. But there are other good programs too, depending on what sort of style might work for her and you.

[5 Hikers]

I found what worked finally for ds7 was to start reading real books. He loves Little Bear.

 

I read through the chapter, then I do flash cards of hard words, and finally he reads through the stories. I have him continue reading for days until he does it fluently.

[Wee Pip]

Agreeing with last 2 posts. knowing where your dd is at with phonics and what it looks like when she reads would help us give advice. my method with dd1 was similar to 5hikers. she could sound out and blend after 2 yrs of phonics, but it was still very painful and slow. she knew phonics well but the sounds didnt come quick enough to make a coherent sentence. So finally I ditched formal phonics and went to real picture books. I used the booklist at the back of the book Teach A Child to Read with Childrens Books (Thogmartin) The book is now free online. I can share more if you think it would help you. Dd is 11 and reads great, and knows phonics well enough to decode tough words. She just needed a real life approach to reading. forgive typos, typed on my phone.

[Aurelia]

We read a little, every day, and finally after using Dancing Bears and WRTR (I think the writing of each phonogram and reading them back at the end of the list really made it stick for Ariel) something clicked and she finally took off. Maybe look into those programs? Otherwise, keep working at it, slowly and steadily, rereading the same books until she can do it fluently. Also, have her listen to a lot of stories read aloud. The more she's read to, the faster she'll learn.

[MeganW]

She cries at Mass when she can't sing the song.

 

There are a few words that are in EVERY song. I taught my kids some of those words by sight, and I use the bulletin to make a line for them follow along, and then use my finger to go across. So they sort of hum along, and then suddenly sing loudly "ALLELUIA!" or "GOD" or whatever. :)

 

Also, for the refrains, I usually tell them just before we get there. "Get ready to sing "xxxx", then again the next time it comes up. So I am telling them the words 2 bars before we get there and then they sing along.

 

Between getting 1/4 of the words in the non-refrain parts, plus the refrain, they feel like they are singing with everyone.

 

I do have to sit/perch on the edge of the pew during songs, and I usually have one kid standing but cozied in tight to one side, and that hand holds the bulletin & hymnal, then a kid standing on the other side cozied in tight and that hand has the finger following along. So we are all snuggled in and it is easy to tell them the words coming up. I don't think you could do the same thing standing unless you have a really tall 7 year old - your face has to be close to theirs for it to work.

[KarenNC]

There are a few words that are in EVERY song. I taught my kids some of those words by sight, and I use the bulletin to make a line for them follow along, and then use my finger to go across. So they sort of hum along, and then suddenly sing loudly "ALLELUIA!" or "GOD" or whatever. :)

 

Also, for the refrains, I usually tell them just before we get there. "Get ready to sing "xxxx", then again the next time it comes up. So I am telling them the words 2 bars before we get there and then they sing along.

 

Between getting 1/4 of the words in the non-refrain parts, plus the refrain, they feel like they are singing with everyone.

 

I do have to sit/perch on the edge of the pew during songs, and I usually have one kid standing but cozied in tight to one side, and that hand holds the bulletin & hymnal, then a kid standing on the other side cozied in tight and that hand has the finger following along. So we are all snuggled in and it is easy to tell them the words coming up. I don't think you could do the same thing standing unless you have a really tall 7 year old - your face has to be close to theirs for it to work.

 

I let my daughter stand on the chair to share the hymnal at that age:001_smile:. Since not being able to participate in Mass is such an issue for her (and a public one), I might start there. Will your parish email you the songs ahead of time if you ask? I don't know if Catholics do the same thing each week or if it varies. If it varies, usually our church secretary has the bulletin together by midweek and might be willing to email it to you so that you could work with her on it a bit ahead of time. You could do flashcards with the common words for the songs to help her. If she likes to draw, let her illustrate them.

 

I found that Dick and Jane books were very helpful in building my daughter's confidence at reading aloud and her fluency once she was sounding out words from Explode the Code. Similar to the above hymn method, I also worked with her on Dolch sight word cards for the words commonly found in early readers, but which hadn't come up in our phonics program yet (things like the, mother, said, father, etc). We made a game that if she could read the word, she could keep the card, otherwise I got it. That may be a bit simplistic for a 7 yo, though. She enjoyed having me write short stories using words she knew along with things like the names of friends and pets. I would write them out a sentence per page and, if she read the sentence, she illustrated the page.

 

A friend used to teach kids with learning disabilities. Some of the methods she used were to have them draw the words in a box of sand, cut letters out of fine grit sandpaper and put them together to make the word then have the kid trace with a finger while sounding it out, use their whole bodies to make letters being sure they crossed mid-line as they "wrote" the letters in the air with large arm movements. Something else she did might be worth a try. She took colored transparent plastic (like report covers) and laid them over the page the child was reading. The color that worked best varied by child---something about the difference in contrast, perhaps. It might be worth trying. Here's a link to the Irlen overlays, but you might try some report covers or such that are similarly colored. http://irlen.com/index.php?id=3

Edited December 21, 2011 by KarenNC

[Caribbean Queen]

I have a wonderful seven year old DD that is in tears over reading. We have been struggling with phonics and reading programs for years. What worked for her older siblings isn't working for her. We are addressing some underlying health issues that have probably contributed. However, she WANTS to read. She cries at Mass when she can't sing the song. She leaves family times because she is so sad that she can't share in reading out loud.

 

I'm heartsick and looking for any programs or ideas you sweet mamas have. Thank you!

 

Tiffany

 

Please forgive the phone corrections. Arggg!!

 

I used to go to a Lutheran church. I took home a hymnal and taught my children the songs in the litergy. They memorized the songs, they didn't read the lyrics. It was a great way to get them to be able to participate in church.

 

Can she "read" things she has memorized in Family Time? Can she participate in some other way which would make her feel good?

 

Reading easy readers aloud very, very slowly and pointing to each word helped my 6 year old improve her fluency. It was similar to showing her flash cards of commonly used words over and over again. There was no pressure on her, yet she learned a lot. It wouldn't cost you anything to try it.

[Guest]

Things we have tried...

 

Dancing Bears (bombed, not sequential)

OPGTR (too fast)

McRuffy (not logical enough)

Memoria Press First Start Reading with Kinder plans (BINGO!)

 

Sometimes you have to try and try again. All About Spelling also just popped into my mind. Perhaps dropping the reading as a focus and moving to spelling might help? All About Reading looks like a good program, too.

[LizzyBee]

Have you considered whether your dd may be dyslexic? This is my favorite website about dyslexia: http://www.dys-add.com

 

What worked for my dyslexic dd was Lindamood Bell Phonemic Sequencing (LiPS) (http://www.ganderpublishing.com) to build phonemic awareness followed by Barton Reading and Spelling (http://www.bartonreading.com).

[Shellers]

My son has severe dyslexia and is finally learning to read at 11 years old. What's working for him is Apples & Pears (spelling). He can actually spell words before he reads them which seems backwards to me but it's working. We are also finding success with Dancing Bears.

[Amy Jo]

My 9 yo is just taking off with reading. He has struggled at every step. Can she distinguish all the sounds and make them? (I had to teach DS to say /TH/.) Can she segment (what are the sounds in kite - /k/ /I/ /t/)? Blend (sound out /c/ - /a/ - /t/ - can she blend that to cat)?

 

We had the most success with SWR, and I think part of that was him action of writing the words. It took the pressure of blending off (he took a long time for blending to click), and let him build the words from my clues. And then we re-read the words he had written or made flashcards, cementing the most common words to automatic recall. (Looking back we should have done a lot more of this.)

 

He has also been reading every day for about 2 months. We are using a home-rolled Accountable Kids system, and one of his cards is reading. Right now he reads aloud, usually to me. He is reading Little Bear, Curious George, Jemima Puddle-duck, etc. We will also add in Webster's Speller, so he can see the pattern of accents to pronunciation. (I'm trying to saturate him in language right now, but with CM-style short lessons).

 

I'm happy with his progress. If I decide to change course, I'm going to consider Headsprout (supposed to help build fluency) or Apples and Pears (already mentioned). I did have his vision checked by a developmental optomitrist for tracking issues, etc. (A regular vision exam won't catch these - he had no issues, but it is something to check. And if possible, get a doctor that has skills with children, our only option did not, and worried my son a bit. Insurance covered the visit.)

[momto2Cs]

Agreeing with last 2 posts. knowing where your dd is at with phonics and what it looks like when she reads would help us give advice. my method with dd1 was similar to 5hikers. she could sound out and blend after 2 yrs of phonics, but it was still very painful and slow. she knew phonics well but the sounds didnt come quick enough to make a coherent sentence. So finally I ditched formal phonics and went to real picture books. I used the booklist at the back of the book Teach A Child to Read with Childrens Books (Thogmartin) The book is now free online. I can share more if you think it would help you. Dd is 11 and reads great, and knows phonics well enough to decode tough words. She just needed a real life approach to reading. forgive typos, typed on my phone.

 

Where can I find this?

[asmall]

Yes, where can this be found! I searched online and did not find it for free. If anyone knows, please tell!

AL

[Wee Pip]

Where can I find this?

Here it is:

http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED392036.pdf

 

I used the basic philosophy of this book and the booklists. Booklists start at pg 185.

[momto2Cs]

Here it is:

http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED392036.pdf

 

I used the basic philosophy of this book and the booklists. Booklists start at pg 185.

 

 

Thank you!

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I HIGHLY recommend you go to a developmental optometrist! Not just any eye doctor. Find one at COVD.org. I had my 7 year old sons eyes checked at a regular doctor and he found nothing. NOTHING. Nothing wrong with his eyes. Finally I took the advice of the ladies here and went to a COVD.org doctor and this thread is what they found. They estimate he will need between 36-42months of VT. Remember, regular eye doctor said his eyes were fine. I kept putting it off and not going because its a 4 hour drive 1 way. BUT-- now I know its needed. I really highly recommend you get your dd into one for an assessment and see what you find! We recently lost insurance coverage for this though so we need to work extra hard to make it work but ds NEEDS vision therapy no matter what.

[MamaSheep]

Things we have tried...

 

Dancing Bears (bombed, not sequential)

OPGTR (too fast)

McRuffy (not logical enough)

Memoria Press First Start Reading with Kinder plans (BINGO!)

 

Sometimes you have to try and try again. All About Spelling also just popped into my mind. Perhaps dropping the reading as a focus and moving to spelling might help? All About Reading looks like a good program, too.

 

The bolded is what finally worked with my dd. All About Reading wasn't out yet then, but I think it would have been really good for her if it had. In addition to just finding it difficult, she was never very motivated to read, she was just too busy doing other fun things and hated to sit still even long enough for me to read a book TO her. It's been interesting to watch her these past couple of years since she finally started being able to read things without tons of laborious effort. She's discovering how very, very "useful" reading is for things other than "stories" and "school". You can read the details of the children's menu and discover that you have side dish options that aren't shown in the picture. You can tell what's going to happen next at church by looking at the program. You can find the video game you want to play on the computer ALL BY YOURSELF. You can figure out how to get to the tiger exhibit at the zoo. And then there are billboards... It's amazing, heady stuff, this reading thing.

[Pen]

I started hs because my son was not learning in school, and this was our main area of difficulty. What made the difference for us was http://www.highnoonbooks.com--using their Intervention Program from the beginning, plus their Sound Out Chapter Books, starting with CVC words book "The Red Cap". I tried some other things from them which did not work for us, but might for another child. The things that worked along with the mistakes cost rather a fortune, but the result is a child who learned to read.

 

The other big key for us was simply to devote plenty of time to it.

[Tammy (TX)]

My younger son didn't catch on to reading/writing/spelling very quickly. What we used for his older brother (SWR) just wasn't working for him, so we started using Explode the Code books. They were apparently just what he needed - he's now a wonderful speller and is finally starting to enjoy reading!

[BatmansWife]

I can't personally vouch for this program, since I haven't used it....yet. But, there was talk here not long ago about Zoom Reading Stratagies. You might want to check that out also and see if it might help. There isn't a lot of samples, but if you e-mail her she'll send you more. She sent me like 100 pages of samples from her various books.

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

My kids find it easier to spell before they can read. I taught my oldest to build simple words (spelling), then started AAS (she was 4yo, so with an older child you could just start AAS or a similar program). Halfway through the first level she jumped into reading. My current 5yo is working on word building and it is going very well. He's learning to sound out and spell some longer and more difficult words now, with my help of course, with things like multi-letter phonograms. We do play some reading games, but he isn't quite ready to read yet.

[arghmatey]

We used Mary Pecci's reading program, At Last!..., and my 5YO is fluent. From "playing" school with us, my 2YO knows the letter sounds and can identify them. This is with ZERO attempt at teaching the 2YO.

 

Don't take my word for it, though--check out the reviews from teachers and people with dyslexic children.

 

http://www.amazon.com/At-Last-Reading-Method-Every/dp/0943220076/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324576796&sr=8-2

 

ETA: My child isn't dyslexic. I just mentioned that because the program works for a wide range of children.

ETA2: I dislike the title because obviously no program works for every child. Also, if you like flashy, new stuff, this won't work for you. It's quite plain, and she refers to mimeographing things throughout the text. LOL

Edited December 22, 2011 by arghmatey

[siloam]

I have a wonderful seven year old DD that is in tears over reading. We have been struggling with phonics and reading programs for years. What worked for her older siblings isn't working for her. We are addressing some underlying health issues that have probably contributed. However, she WANTS to read. She cries at Mass when she can't sing the song. She leaves family times because she is so sad that she can't share in reading out loud.

 

I'm heartsick and looking for any programs or ideas you sweet mamas have. Thank you!

 

Tiffany

 

Please forgive the phone corrections. Arggg!!

 

Tiffany,

 

It is not that unusually to have a 7yo who isn't reading. It can be just developmental, or you might have a learning disability present making it more difficult.

 

What problems is she having? Can she spell? Can she blend? Can she recall sounds when she sees the letters? Does she struggle to remember the letters when she hears the sounds? Are there any other significant struggles she is having.

 

Only my oldest learned to read easily. All the rest have been a battle due to dyslexia.

 

Heather

[Jane Elliot]

Reading Reflex was what finally worked for my twins after several other programs had failed leaving them embarrassed and frustrated. Your library probably has it, and it's not too expensive on Amazon. We sat down for a lesson or two every single day except Sundays for several months before they finally took off. They are now juniors on scholarship at university maintaining GPA's of 3.9 in STEM majors, so hang in there. :grouphug:

[Annic]

Sullivan Programmed Reading workbooks.

Phoenix Learning Resources

http://phoenixlearningresources.com/Programmed_Reading-d-list.aspx

They were wonderful.

Just the workbooks. You don't need all the teacher stuff.

Edited December 23, 2011 by Annic

[TranquilMind]

I have a wonderful seven year old DD that is in tears over reading. We have been struggling with phonics and reading programs for years. What worked for her older siblings isn't working for her. We are addressing some underlying health issues that have probably contributed. However, she WANTS to read. She cries at Mass when she can't sing the song. She leaves family times because she is so sad that she can't share in reading out loud.

 

I'm heartsick and looking for any programs or ideas you sweet mamas have. Thank you!

 

Tiffany

 

Please forgive the phone corrections. Arggg!!

Did you try AlphaPhonics by Blumenthal? Very simple program with immediate payoffs - the child is reading short sentences by day 2, I think it was. My oldest learned to read at 4, so I thought the youngest would. Nope, it was a exercise in futility to try to teach him before he was really ready and it came easy to him. In our case, that was 7.5 years old. Don't worry. It won't be long but DON'T push; it only frustrates both of you. If he is crying, he is not ready (assuming no vision problems or anything, and you'd have a clue already about that).

[pfamilygal]

I'd try All About Reading and All About Spelling. I have dyslexic children. We've used Sonlight, 100 EZ Lessons, Reading Made Easy, Rocket Phonics, ETC, Barton, Dyslexia Training Program and more.

 

We liked Barton, but it is a major investment and quite time consuming.

 

All About Spelling has helped my kids in spelling AND reading.

 

My seven year old finished AAR pre-1 and just moved on to AAR 1. She had trouble identifying letters and phonemes, so AAR pre-1 was good for her. If your daughter already knows her letter sounds well, I'd start with AAR 1. AAR 2 will be coming out later this year.

[kolamum]

Sing Spell Read & Write worked for our struggling reader. Hands down the best money I ever spent.

[Ellie]

It would be helpful if we knew what you are currently using to teach her to read. :-)