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Making the curriculum work with Dysgraphia??


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I am seriously considering Sonlight with my DS10 this coming year. He loves to read, read, read. He also has dysgraphia. Until last year, I wrote everything out for him (he spoke, I wrote); this year we changed everything up and put him on the PC. He's doing TT6 and loving it (was in MUS before), doing SOS LA/History and HATING it. SOS is just so....boring? So I'd like to switch him up to Sonlight or something similar, BUT the amount of writing that he would be required to do, is beyond what he is capable of doing. I've considered going back to writing it for him, but I honestly don't believe I can do that again. (I'm still teaching a younger sibling and 2 older ones, plus working part time). So I guess what I'm wondering is, as anyone been able to scan worksheets onto their computer and turn them into a writable file? I know that Adobe has that possibility, but I'm not sure if it works on the type of worksheets that Sonlight produces. (I've emailed the company asking for a pdf file (I'm willing to pay full price for the guide and books and signed any documents to prevent resale, etc) but they don't have that available). Has anyone discovered to make literature based programs work for kids that have writing issues, work partially independently?

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Does SL have a lot of worksheets? I always thought it was mostly reading/discussion.

 

There is a lot of reading and discussion, but there are worksheets for their LA and Science; mapping for their Geography/History section; and depending in the grade, there may be essay/research projects. If you want you can write out the work for them, but I'm trying to move him more towards independence in his written work.

 

You can download a 3 week sample from Sonlight, and see what it entails. It looks so interesting, etc...but so much writing...

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I feel your pain - my 13 yo is severely dysgraphic. I've scribed for him for years. Both his gifts and his weaknesses are marked. It has been helpful for us to have neuropsych testing to better understand how he processes language and better address his needs.

 

Ultimately, you have to figure out how to best accomodate him and do your best to move him to typing. Typing can also be very difficult for some dysgraphic kids.

 

As far as Sonlight, we just do as much as possible orally. I pick and choose what I make him write and try to have a purpose rather than just filling in blanks. I've also moved away from Sonlight's LA portion as it doesn't fit our needs from a language disability.

 

I've taken some worksheets and scanned them into pdf files on my computer. I then load them onto my ipad and use notability to "write" on the worksheets. I don't know how to do this for just my computer.

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Can you just treat composition as a separate subject? Does he type? If not, I would be working on that pronto.

 

We just separate out composition completely from whatever else we are using. We use Verticy for writing and skip the MCT writing assignments unless ds really wants to do them, but he is younger. If there was a report or something in Sonlight, I would just have ds complete it to the level of his writing in the composition program - 1 paragraph, 3 paragraphs, wherever he is working, etc. There has to be a way to edit down the assignment output but maintain the integrity.

 

I don't know what I would do about the worksheets. I shoot for 15 min. of handwriting daily and anything else I scribe or have him type.

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You can scan worksheets and turn them into a writable file.

Which uses OCR 'optical character recognition' software.

You might check the CD that came with your scanner, as it might have an OCR program on it?

My cheap Canon scanner came with the OmniPage Pro program.

With that it can save the file in various formats, but the main one is Word.

So that you can then open it as a normal Word document.

 

It can also save it as an Excel file.

Also with math worksheets. Microsoft has a free Add-in for Word. So that you can scan a math worksheet, and open it word. Where it will recognize that it is a math sheet, and not a text document. As well, it provides extra symbols, for equations and formulas.

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I am seriously considering Sonlight with my DS10 this coming year. He loves to read, read, read. He also has dysgraphia. Until last year, I wrote everything out for him (he spoke, I wrote); this year we changed everything up and put him on the PC. He's doing TT6 and loving it (was in MUS before), doing SOS LA/History and HATING it. SOS is just so....boring? So I'd like to switch him up to Sonlight or something similar, BUT the amount of writing that he would be required to do, is beyond what he is capable of doing. I've considered going back to writing it for him, but I honestly don't believe I can do that again. (I'm still teaching a younger sibling and 2 older ones, plus working part time). So I guess what I'm wondering is, as anyone been able to scan worksheets onto their computer and turn them into a writable file? I know that Adobe has that possibility, but I'm not sure if it works on the type of worksheets that Sonlight produces. (I've emailed the company asking for a pdf file (I'm willing to pay full price for the guide and books and signed any documents to prevent resale, etc) but they don't have that available). Has anyone discovered to make literature based programs work for kids that have writing issues, work partially independently?

 

DS studies history a la WTM recommendations. He either types or uses Inspiration mapping software on the IPAD to complete his work.

 

 

 

 

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We are working through Sonlight and I also have one who I suspect has dysgraphia. Writing is hard for both my boys and we have a list of learning challenges. We don't use the Sonlight LA, but we still use the literature and discuss the questions orally. We recently started using IEW and they suggested letting them type their writing assignments. So to answer your question about being able to make the literature work without the writing, you can absolutely do that with Sonlight.

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So I guess what I'm wondering is, as anyone been able to scan worksheets onto their computer and turn them into a writable file? (I've emailed the company asking for a pdf file (I'm willing to pay full price for the guide and books and signed any documents to prevent resale, etc) but they don't have that available). Has anyone discovered to make literature based programs work for kids that have writing issues, work partially independently?

 

Hey there! DS11, dysgraphia, dyslexia and pretty much Dys all-round. :laugh:

 

Sonlight science is a predictable packet of worksheets; every single unit has a map, some line drawings of animals to cut out and paste, and a list of formulaic questions. (Well, it did in first grade, anyway.) If you're into that kind of thing, you're in for a treat.

 

I know some companies have had MASSIVE trouble with people sharing PDF files, which is really a shame. I use FLLWTM with my dysgraphic kiddo, and I use the PDF. We're Mac users, so every week I look ahead to what we'll be doing, open the PDF file and select the page set we'll be using. I copy, which then opens just those pages into a new document. I click and drag each PDF page into the word processing program Pages (part of iWork series). Pages treats it as a picture file, which I set to original size, center on the page, and then lock. You can place text boxes on top of the picture (worksheet). All my textboxes say "text" and then I email it to myself so that DS11 can open it on the iPad. (Sure, he could use the laptop, too. But I frequently want access to it for other things!) He emails back the completed file.

 

For those that I DO NOT have PDF for (Kumon math books, maps, science lab sheets, etc.), I tend to scan on a flatbed scanner. In truth, I think I'd take the book in question down to OfficeMax and ask them to use their paper cutting machine to chop the binding off. Then you can just scan it flat. My scanner software (default) allows you to make everything a PDF if you want.

 

I tend to scan *everything,* or have it created right on the computer. (In our state you have to have a portfolio. Sigh.) I throw it into a template on Pages and at the end of the year, I export as PDF and send it to lulu.com, and I get back a hard-bound book of his work for the year. (You can fit at least four 8.5x11 sized sheet onto a single page, they shrink that much with still being legible.)

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We used SL for years, history and sometimes LA. My ds with dysgraphia never wrote ANYTHING with a pencil for history and very little for LA. History didn't really even contain writing. There were maps to label, but that was it. The LA writing was always done on a keyboard. There is typically one worksheet per chapter, but they can be answered verbally, skipped or done on a keyboard. They do use copywork or dictation (depending on grade) one day/week. That can easily be skipped or modified by having him practice repeating the passage back or use just one sentence for copywork/dictation instead of a paragraph.

 

I really can't imagine a curriculum more dysgraphia friendly than SL. Remember, you are in control!

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Also, since writing is a weakness for him, he could practice his oral speaking skills through the recording of his worksheet answers. Find something that allows him to start/stop the recording (so there's not all the wasted pause time as he formulates answers). That way he can complete things independently without getting slowed down by his processing skills in writing when you're assisting others or doing other tasks. You could then check his answers later. Him hearing himself on the play-back will also help the concepts 'stick', because we're naturally self-conscious and self-interested in our own voices.

 

And let him try out his "announcer voice" to keep him interested in the recordings. Who knows, he could be the next Ryan Seacrest, ha!

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