WWYD??? Teaching a child who is WAY, WAY behind...

[OneStepAtATime]

Two days per week would be over the summer.  Her dad has asked me about teaching her next school year along with the group of girls I already have (we have school 4 days per week).  The trouble is, 1) she is way, way below the level of the three struggling learners I already have, and 2) in order for me to teach her, she would have to actually LIVE IN MY HOME 4 days per week because of her dad's (he's dh's brother, so my BIL) work schedule and the fact that they live an hour's drive from us.  It would be a HUGE disruption to our lives, since our own children are now adults (one married, one a college student only home on breaks and the occasional weekend).

Goodness that sounds really challenging.   :grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

 

Honestly, two days per week over a summer really doesn't sound terribly helpful with her so far behind.  Is there not a specialized tutoring center like Scottish Rite (NOT Sylvan or Kumon) near her location?  If she were going to you two days a week and Scottish Rite two days a week and you were coordinating with each other, she might have a fighting chance.  Two days per week over the summer with you, plus additional work on her own over the summer might net some gains, to, though.  Certainly it would be better than nothing.  It would be very beneficial to know if there are any undiagnosed learning issues, though.

 

I agree with Dad, she would be better off with you than at school for this next year but obviously that sounds really straining for you and your husband.  And possibly an issue with your other students, too.

 

If she could get a full work up through a neuropsychologist she might qualify for additional help through the school.  Or are there any specialized private schools in her area that help kids that are bright and have learning challenges?  There are some excellent ones around the country but unfortunately, not terribly many.  

 

ETA, as ElizabethB pointed out, those two days being effective would depend on for how long. If it is just an hour or so, I don't think there will be much progress without additional targeted work through some other source on other days.  But if there were an extended period of time two days a week, plus her working additionally on other days, then it might really help.  

[ElizabethB]

Alphaphonics--

Pros: nonsense words, mastery layout makes moving faster easy.  

Cons: teaches to 1-2nd grade level, students taught with sight words/other whole language things will guess from word families if you use the words down the page.

Why I stopped using it with my remedial students:  too many guessed, Phonics Pathways was more comprehensive for traditional review.

 

Phonics Pathways:

Pros: teaches to a 4th grade level, suggestions for spelling and older students

Cons: quasi-mastery, a bit harder to skip through than something like AlphaPhonics or Blend Phonics 

How I use it with remedial students: for basic review of problem areas after working through the things on my how to tutor page.

 

WRTR:

Pros: teaches some multi-syllable words, has ideas for an older student

Cons: use of spelling can slow down student, markings can either be a pro or a con depending on student, use of high frequency words causes guessing for those taught with sight words and high frequency word lists in school

I do not use with most remedial students, have used a bit with students with specific speech/language problems and students that respond only to spelling

 

OPG:

Pros: teaches to a 4th grade level

Cons: I do not own it!

I do not use because by the time it came out I already had 20+ resources and had found the most efficient things to use with my remedial students

[Arcadia]

Does she get an ESL specialist in school? My area has many expats and some kids come into public schools as ESLs. The ESL specialist helps 3 to 4 kids at a time during daily pullout. No 540 or IEP required.

Assuming no LD, the kids improve a lot within a year of entering my local K-8 public school here. It is the non ESL students that didn't get as much help.

 

Since she is only two days with you for summer, check for volunteer trained reading tutors near her home. If a volunteer could help her 1-2 days a week, that would help too on top of the help you are giving.

[Guest]

I love Logic of English Essentials and think it really shines as a remedial program or ESL supplement. It also lends itself to dad helping her with it on the nights you're not working with her - it's scripted!

[FO4UR]

Thinking about this further...one possible plan of attack...

 

 

Get Dancing Bears to her dad and teach them how to use it asap.  It's 10min a day.  They can do that every.single.day starting right now.  If they do this, she will probably leap a grade level or two in reading before the summer begins.  Every.single.day...10min...on par with brushing teeth important!

 

Assign her audiobooks to listen to after school, starting right now.  They can coincide with what she's required to read at school if that works better, but get her listening to middle school level classic literature so she begins to develop an ear for good English.

 

When she comes to you 2 days a week in the summer, you can focus on hearing her read aloud from real books, teaching her to write, etc...  I would start her in Apples & Pears Spelling in June. Start at the beginning and move along fast.  Assign levels for her to do at home with her dad on the days that she's not with you.  A&P takes about 25min to do a full level, I think.  (I typically do a page a day with my much younger child.) 

 

If she can get through DB Fast Track and Book A of Apples & Pears this summer, she will be a different student in the fall.  I think, if it were me, I would require this work at home from dad before I agreed to school her in the fall.  That sort of commitment is going to require dad to be super supportive in every way...I would want to see that NOW, before I commit. Not only for your sake, but for hers...given a dad who is confident in tutoring her she will progress all the faster.

[SporkUK]

OnTrack Reading  might be worth a look for you. It has free assessments on its website that might give you some more clarity and the advanced code workbook is clear and unbusy from the student point of view and designed to worked on in part with an instructor and part by oneself. It takes a bit of time to wrap ones head around the teacher's instructions (or it may be my brain - I wrote out on a notepad the lesson and solo work for each day to make it easier for me as the book has four threads, some of which go together at different times). I've found it explicitly gives information to students that helps make things click that many others programmes imply or just don't though the 'mapping' (saying each sound while writing it in the first three threads and each chunk in the fourth) which is important part of the programme may be a bit awkward at first. The notepad I did had it being possible to complete in about 60 days of lessons everything going well. 

 

Also, Mature Reading Instructions book set are great as common high school books/stories that have been turned into phonics books for older students starting from 'starter level' and going through. I've linked the UK site as it was the one I knew with more detailed information and extra free resources to go with it but I've found the ebooks at least are available in the US (link to the starter set out of 5 sets of books).  I wish you the best with this lovely thing you are trying to do :)

[kiwik]

15 is more or less adult. Whenever possible I would UAE stuff aimed at older remedial students not 5 year olds.

[ElizabethB]

Evidently this was my favorite remedial phonics book in 2004! There have been things published for remedial students in the last 11 years that I now like better, but this is idiot proof enough that Dad could use it with her. It is worth 1 cent plus shipping even if Dad cannot or will not use it, it is worth that as a good phonics reference book designed for an older student.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Prescription-Reading-Teach-Them-Phonics/dp/0912329009/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430087580&sr=1-2&keywords=prescription+for+reading

 

The other specific things I like for an older student depend on how she was taught and any underlying problems she might have. Any guessing problems and you will want "We All Can Read" 3rd grade and up version by James Williams, book only, I don't like how the online program works. A resource I use with many of my students is "Words" by Marcia Henry. It does have some Evolutionary/Chomsky language influences if you object to that, though.

[Rivka]

Psychologist certainly may be extremely helpful but a psychologist and a neuropsychologist are not the same thing.  A neuropsych can do a full battery of cognitive tests to determine any underlying learning challenges/disabilities.  She really, really needs a full work up through a neuropsychologist.

 

Not necessarily true. I'm a psychologist, not a neuropsychologist, and I can do a full battery of cognitive tests to diagnose learning disabilities. Most of the people I know who do LD testing are psychologists. I would definitely want to see a neuropsychologist involved for a case in which there's a known insult to the brain, like a head injury or a brain tumor, but for most other purposes a clinical or educational psychologist who specializes in assessment is able to do all of the necessary testing.

 

I wonder what was involved in the school's decision that she didn't have an LD. Was there an assessment, or just a determination that no adequate education had been provided? If there wasn't a full and thorough assessment, I think finding a psychologist who can do that is a priority.

[ElizabethB]

You all would be amazed at how much you can teach in 10 to 20 hours if you use focused, targeted methods. For my remedial students of formerly homeless moms in Los Angeles, I had two 2nd grade minority boys who had almost no time in school whatsoever. They actually learned faster than my middle class students because they had no guessing habits to overcome. After 6 hours of small group tutoring over 6 weeks, they went from not reading to being able to read at all to reading without error passages from the 11th and 12th grade Webster's Speller. Unfortunately, because of the fluid nature of the program, I only got post tutoring reading grade level tests on a few of those particular students, and the 2nd grade boys were not among them.

 

My remedial students who have guessing habits learned faster once I added in nonsense words, but it does take some time to untrain the guessing habits. My younger students usually surpassed their older siblings because they did not have guessing habits to overcome. Also, the student who gained 6 grade levels after watching my lessons missed a lot of school and was ESL, so he learned very quickly as well.

 

But, even with guessing habits to overcome, most of my students gain 1 - 2 grade levels per 10 hours of instruction. I do not waste time, though, we work on words only, I only do reading every 10 lessons or so and only to find problem areas. I start with boring word lists and then switch to games when they start to get tired. Then, I take a break before working again and repeat the cycle: word lists, games, break. My students are motivated by their progress and I make the word lists fun with colored markers for the younger crowd or for a break for my older students if they like the white board and colored markers. I also have a stock of phonics and word jokes that are marginally funny.

[Pen]

Have you worked with your niece (as I gather she is) yet?  Does she seem to you to make rapid progress when you work with her as if only a lack of prior exposure stands in the way of her becoming a good reader? Or does she seem to have greater difficulties than that?

[HS Mom in NC]

Phonics Pathways is breathtakingly efficient and thorough.

[ElizabethB]

Most phonics programs: 1 - 2nd grade level.

 

PP, OPG: 4th grade level.

 

Most remedial phonics resources I have, including the ones I mentioned, 8th grade level.

 

My syllable division/Webster combo: 12th grade level. Here is a 6 page summary (8 pages but the last two are answers) of the progression of the things on my how to tutor page combined with Webster:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/Resources/A%20Crash%20Course%20in%20Polysyllables.pdf

[Renai]

15 is more or less adult. Whenever possible I would UAE stuff aimed at older remedial students not 5 year olds.

 

I agree with this. One pp suggested an ESL tutor. I do not suggest this at all. ESL is for learning English. I did not get that from your post that she doesn't know English? They teach reading to ESL srudents the same way as everyone else -sight words, little phonics. 98% of the students I tutored were ESL students. (Heck, my dh is an ESL student). They could read very little past sight words. So, no ESL will not help, imo.

 

I only had anywhere from 18-22 hours with a student to tutor (Title I). They all increased at least 1-2 grade levels, minimum. With little time, one has to narrow down the specific problems and fill in the gaps quickly and efficiently. I started out tutoring with Blend Phonics (ElizabethB's site) if the company didn't have it's own materials, would listen to the student read for an assessment, then narrow down the lessons I would need from BP. Later, as I explored the site more, I ran into the syllable division rules,etc. For my 5th graders and up, it was a turning point for many of them.

 

I didn't have as many years tutoring as ElizabethB, but had enough to realize how little time 18-22 hours is (depending on length of sessions, about 6 weeks, 3-4 hours a week). But, I also realized how much difference those hours can make  if you follow the most efficient path to get there.

 

I would say have a resource that will take the student up to the level she needs to be (at least 7th-8th), not one that stops at a low grade. Even if you don't think you'll get all the way through it over the summer, it will be available. She may have plateaued and could possibly make leaps in learning with 1-1 tutoring -- with a good resource that can make big gains in little time. 

[OneStepAtATime]

Not necessarily true. I'm a psychologist, not a neuropsychologist, and I can do a full battery of cognitive tests to diagnose learning disabilities. Most of the people I know who do LD testing are psychologists. I would definitely want to see a neuropsychologist involved for a case in which there's a known insult to the brain, like a head injury or a brain tumor, but for most other purposes a clinical or educational psychologist who specializes in assessment is able to do all of the necessary testing.

 

I wonder what was involved in the school's decision that she didn't have an LD. Was there an assessment, or just a determination that no adequate education had been provided? If there wasn't a full and thorough assessment, I think finding a psychologist who can do that is a priority.

This is good to know.  I was told something very different.  Thanks.  :)

[Pen]

Another option:

 

 

Power Tools for Literacy Accelerated Phonics, Syllables and Morphemes Designed for Ages 9 to 21

This program includes more than 300 copy-ready lessons that use a multisensory method of teaching syllabification, decoding, vocabulary, and spelling skills.
(More information/components)

 

 

 

Where are you compared to ElizabethB ? Maybe your niece could use her for a tutor!

[Targhee]

Logic of Englush English Essentials  :laugh: (ETA: I was typing on my iPad last night and didn't notice how my fat fingers misspelled English)

Go watch their videos. Materials are not child-ish, like Phonics Pathways (which is a great program), and there is info on teaching to older students, and it is easy to accelerate of slow down depending on need.

[Guest issmeihede]

I would think you could get through it quickly.  

[ereks mom]

I haven't had time to read all of the responses, but I have been going through them slowly, reading a few at a time and responding.  I just want to say a tremendous THANK YOU to all of you who have taken the time to respond and give some insights in order to help ME help HER!  I really expected to receive very few responses, and I am so very grateful for those who have taken the time to post. 

[ereks mom]

Has she been getting any type of intervention at school? Is she in a program like Read180/System 44; Language!; Corrective Reading? If she has only been getting modified work in a 7th grade English class it isn't surprising her reading hasn't progressed. She was never taught how to read. Dancing Bears and Apples and Pears would be good to use because they don't look like they are for younger kids.

 

ETA: I would giver her Explore the Code pages to do on the days you aren't working with her.

 

I don't know how much extra help she has been getting, just that her teachers are trying to help her as much as they can.  I don't think there are any special classes/programs/tutoring, but I'm not sure.  You're right.  She has never been taught how to read.  That is the problem in a nutshell, and exactly what I've said all along for the past few years.

[ereks mom]

Agree with the above, irregardless of whether whoever is in charge of her can get her privately tested, she needs exposure to content. It isn't just her reading skills, her probable lack of exposure to concepts, vocabulary, grammar, etc. is going to really, really hinder her. She needs audio books.

 

If there were any way for whoever is caring for her (Dad? Grandparents?) to get her a Kindle she could listen to books. They should get her a regular headset, not ear buds, so she can "read" privately.

 

Read alouds with discussion would be extremely important, too, but I don't know if there is anyone willing to do that on a daily basis for her.

 

She got a tablet for Christmas--not sure what kind--but it probably has the capability of running the Kindle app.  She lives with dad & 2 brothers, one older & one younger.  Dad works nights and sleeps during the day while the kids are at school.  He's up when they come home (on the bus) and helps them with homework, fixes them dinner, and then sends the younger 2 off to bed before he has to leave for work at 9:30.  Grandparents and an aunt & uncle live across town, but don't have much time to help.   

[ereks mom]

I like Toe by Toe for phonics. But is it possible for someone to work with her for a little while every day? It'd be really helpful if whomever is her guardian at the moment could work with her 20 minutes a day, the 5 days a week you won't be working with her.

 

If she's willing to do homework on her own, you can find leveled book lists online. Our school used Fountas & Pinnell until recently (when the district suddenly decided to force the American Reading Company on them), and 2nd grade is about levels J-M (depending on whether we're talking about the start of the year or the end). I like F&P (except for levels A-D, which seem a little random). The library should have plenty of books at a 2nd grade level. They're mostly going to be childish, but if it helps, I read a lot of children's books whenever I learned a foreign language. Not the same thing, of course, but once she gets to 3rd or 4th grade level it should get much easier to find interesting books to read, so hopefully that won't take long. That assumes that the school is correct that she doesn't have any LDs. I don't know what the school has done since she started attending school, so I don't know. If she was getting a bunch of remediation in school for 2 years, she should be past 2nd grade level, but maybe the school dropped the ball for a while too (or she had behavioral issues or w/e). I'd suggest she reads on her own for at least half an hour a day (doesn't have to be in one chunk).

 

There are also workbooks you can buy at Barnes & Noble or Amazon or so (2nd grade reading, 2nd grade non-fiction reading, etc) she could work on on her own a little every day.

 

Like others have said, audiobooks as well, and documentary DVDs.

 

Is her pencil grip good? If it isn't, something like a C.L.A.W. pencil grip might be helpful (they come in adult sizes too, iirc... should be able to find them on Amazon).

 

I suspect that the school has dropped the ball--since they say she doesn't have any LDs, she's not getting much help.  She is a very sweet child--NO behavior problems--and is willing to work but gets distracted, according to her dad.  She will sit down and start working, but then--oooh, shiny!-- and "forgets" what she's supposed to be doing.  He says that as long as someone is nearby to redirect her when she gets sidetracked, she will stick to it, but if she has to do it on her own, she will be off on another tangent pretty quickly.  She is very, very, VERY immature--really more like a typical 11 year old than a 15 year old. Her interests (games, television shows, etc.) tend to be what you would expect of a 5th or 6th grader, and at church and in the neighborhood, she gravitates toward playing with the 10 & 11 year old girls and doing what they do.

 

I don't know about her pencil grip.

[ereks mom]

:iagree:

 

Also, can you help create a language-rich environment for her?  Is she motivated to improve her reading skills?  

 

I would encourage her to use the captions option when watching tv, and listen to audiobooks.  Does she have a kindle?  She could read ebooks with whispersync (my DD calls it her "Leap Frog for grown-ups")

 

My heart aches for this young woman.   :sad:

 

She really, really WANTS to read.  She tries, and hasn't given up yet.  I am afraid that day is coming, though.

[luuknam]

I suspect that the school has dropped the ball--since they say she doesn't have any LDs, she's not getting much help.  She is a very sweet child--NO behavior problems--and is willing to work but gets distracted, according to her dad.  She will sit down and start working, but then--oooh, shiny!-- and "forgets" what she's supposed to be doing.  He says that as long as someone is nearby to redirect her when she gets sidetracked, she will stick to it, but if she has to do it on her own, she will be off on another tangent pretty quickly.  She is very, very, VERY immature--really more like a typical 11 year old than a 15 year old. Her interests (games, television shows, etc.) tend to be what you would expect of a 5th or 6th grader, and at church and in the neighborhood, she gravitates toward playing with the 10 & 11 year old girls and doing what they do.

 

I'm thinking that maybe she needs to be treated like a 11yo wrt homework etc. Concentrating on work is a skill that takes time to learn. That means someone is going to have to do a bunch of redirecting her when she gets distracted. I wonder if they could hire a mature high school senior or a college student or so to sit next to her while she does her homework, if no one else has time to do that. If that's not an option, would it be possible for her to do homework at the local library or so? Assuming she's not going to get distracted by things there.

 

And, with all the further information you've given, I am inclined to say that she should indeed be tested more for a variety of issues... LDs, ADHD, etc.

[ereks mom]

I think regardless of what approach to teaching reading you use, the most important thing is systematic, *daily* instruction and/or practice.  Two days per week will not cut it.  And it will not be fixed in a summer.  Is there someone on board at home who can help her with practice?

 

She has another aunt who might be willing to help with practice another day or two per week.  Dad is too overwhelmed, and her older brother has issues of his own (Asperger's) and would not be able to help.

[ereks mom]

Does she complain of headaches when trying to read?  I'd also assume that a teen could learn to decode in a couple of years, so I'd be inclined to check with an optometrist about things like convergence and tracking, and whether she can actually *see* the text.

 

She does have vision issues and has worn glasses since she was very young.  I don't know exactly what the vision issues are, but she does wear glasses.

[luuknam]

She has another aunt who might be willing to help with practice another day or two per week.  Dad is too overwhelmed, and her older brother has issues of his own (Asperger's) and would not be able to help.

 

Has she ever been evaluated for Asperger's? It often presents a little differently in girls than in boys, with girls being more likely to pass under the radar. And as far as I know, there is a genetic component to ASDs.

 

Also, wrt her glasses, when is the last time her eyes were checked? If it's been over a year, it's time for another checkup.

[luuknam]

Btw, sorry if this sounds like a zillion things to evaluate. I would definitely make sure that any evaluator she works with knows of her family history of Asperger's and any other issues (LDs, etc) other family members may have.

[ereks mom]

It's very unclear to me what has happened in the past couple of years at school, or wrt her home situation. Her mom is not in the picture anymore, but we don't know where she lives. We have no idea how she was treated by her mom, nor by the people she currently lives with. She's in middle school, which is tough socially, and being illiterate probably isn't really helping that much either. So, I see the potential for various issues other than LDs. She could easily have been struggling with things like depression etc, which could have been interfering with her learning over the past two years.

 

I second the suggestion to always have the subtitles on when the TV is on, btw.

 

I haven't seen any signs of depression, but I do know that she has trouble socially, and there is some degree of bullying at school.  She isn't a particularly pretty child, she wears weird clothing combinations (NO fashion sense AT ALL), and doesn't always remember to wash her hair or brush her teeth.  Unfortunately, her mom didn't teach her much about personal hygiene or taking pride in one's appearance.

 

About the mom:  there were emotional/psychological issues (BPD?).  I know that she saw a therapist, but she would never disclose anything about that. Other family members tried repeatedly to intervene for the sake of the children, but were always told to butt out. 

 

About 3 years ago, the mom suffered from multiple strokes, and has been living in a nursing home since then.  She is able to have day visits at home occasionally, but is unable to speak clearly or care for herself.  She cannot walk or feed herself without help.  The children visit her most weekends, but sometimes she doesn't recognize them.  So you can understand why this child has such a problem. 

[ElizabethB]

You need to have her dad schedule an evaluation with a COVD doctor for a screening, here is a symptom checklist. It is hard to make progross if there is a vision problem until the vision portion is fixed with therapy.

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/Resources/A%20Crash%20Course%20in%20Polysyllables.pdf

 

For my students with underlying vision problems, I use an unmarked uppercase Webster, the markings distract someone with vision problems but help someone with speech/language problems. I write the Blend Phonics words in large uppercase font in the color that is easest on their eyes, usually green. I find reading selections online and make then 20 to 36 point font. I also work a lot on oral spelling and oral phonogram practice while their vision is being fixed.

[ereks mom]

Psychologist certainly may be extremely helpful but a psychologist and a neuropsychologist are not the same thing.  A neuropsych can do a full battery of cognitive tests to determine any underlying learning challenges/disabilities.  She really, really needs a full work up through a neuropsychologist.

 

I did point out to him that he needs to have her see an educational psychologist, so I hope he was listening!

[ereks mom]

How many hours a day will you have her during those two days? My recommendations will be different for different lengths of time. Either way, I have remediated hundreds of children in similar situations and dozens of students that were as far behind, and a few that were even more behind.

 

If you use resources targeted for her situation and designed for an older student, you can get her to grade level or even above by the end of the summer if there are no underlying vision or speech/language processing problems. I started out using Alphaphonics, Phonics Pathways, and similiar things, they work eventually, but much slower than the things on my how to tutor page. Over my 21 years as a volunteer literacy tutor, I have refined my methods and figured out more efficient ways to get older students up to grade level while bolstering their confidence. I still supplement with conventional phonics programs and things like WRTR, but have found the things on my how to tutor page to be the most efficient mix for an older student. The timing of how you will use them will depend on how long you have her and if she was taught with sight words or not.

 

I would have her several hours per day over the summer, possibly 2 consecutive days (with her actually sleeping over at my house).  Her mom did try to teach her with sight words (mainly) and they dabbled with phonics.

[ereks mom]

Goodness that sounds really challenging.   :grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

 

Honestly, two days per week over a summer really doesn't sound terribly helpful with her so far behind.  Is there not a specialized tutoring center like Scottish Rite (NOT Sylvan or Kumon) near her location?  If she were going to you two days a week and Scottish Rite two days a week and you were coordinating with each other, she might have a fighting chance.  Two days per week over the summer with you, plus additional work on her own over the summer might net some gains, to, though.  Certainly it would be better than nothing.  It would be very beneficial to know if there are any undiagnosed learning issues, though.

 

I agree with Dad, she would be better off with you than at school for this next year but obviously that sounds really straining for you and your husband.  And possibly an issue with your other students, too.

 

If she could get a full work up through a neuropsychologist she might qualify for additional help through the school.  Or are there any specialized private schools in her area that help kids that are bright and have learning challenges?  There are some excellent ones around the country but unfortunately, not terribly many.  

 

ETA, as ElizabethB pointed out, those two days being effective would depend on for how long. If it is just an hour or so, I don't think there will be much progress without additional targeted work through some other source on other days.  But if there were an extended period of time two days a week, plus her working additionally on other days, then it might really help.  

 

They live in a really small town, so there's not much in the way of services for kids like her.

[ereks mom]

Alphaphonics--

Pros: nonsense words, mastery layout makes moving faster easy.  

Cons: teaches to 1-2nd grade level, students taught with sight words/other whole language things will guess from word families if you use the words down the page.

Why I stopped using it with my remedial students:  too many guessed, Phonics Pathways was more comprehensive for traditional review.

 

Phonics Pathways:

Pros: teaches to a 4th grade level, suggestions for spelling and older students

Cons: quasi-mastery, a bit harder to skip through than something like AlphaPhonics or Blend Phonics 

How I use it with remedial students: for basic review of problem areas after working through the things on my how to tutor page.

 

WRTR:

Pros: teaches some multi-syllable words, has ideas for an older student

Cons: use of spelling can slow down student, markings can either be a pro or a con depending on student, use of high frequency words causes guessing for those taught with sight words and high frequency word lists in school

I do not use with most remedial students, have used a bit with students with specific speech/language problems and students that respond only to spelling

 

OPG:

Pros: teaches to a 4th grade level

Cons: I do not own it!

I do not use because by the time it came out I already had 20+ resources and had found the most efficient things to use with my remedial students

 

Thank you!  This is very helpful for me as I try to make the best choices for this unusual situation.

[ereks mom]

Does she get an ESL specialist in school? My area has many expats and some kids come into public schools as ESLs. The ESL specialist helps 3 to 4 kids at a time during daily pullout. No 540 or IEP required.

Assuming no LD, the kids improve a lot within a year of entering my local K-8 public school here. It is the non ESL students that didn't get as much help.

 

Since she is only two days with you for summer, check for volunteer trained reading tutors near her home. If a volunteer could help her 1-2 days a week, that would help too on top of the help you are giving.

 

I don't know about the ESL specialist, but I doubt it.  I will have to find out more details.

[ereks mom]

Thinking about this further...one possible plan of attack...

 

 

Get Dancing Bears to her dad and teach them how to use it asap.  It's 10min a day.  They can do that every.single.day starting right now.  If they do this, she will probably leap a grade level or two in reading before the summer begins.  Every.single.day...10min...on par with brushing teeth important!

 

Assign her audiobooks to listen to after school, starting right now.  They can coincide with what she's required to read at school if that works better, but get her listening to middle school level classic literature so she begins to develop an ear for good English.

 

When she comes to you 2 days a week in the summer, you can focus on hearing her read aloud from real books, teaching her to write, etc...  I would start her in Apples & Pears Spelling in June. Start at the beginning and move along fast.  Assign levels for her to do at home with her dad on the days that she's not with you.  A&P takes about 25min to do a full level, I think.  (I typically do a page a day with my much younger child.) 

 

If she can get through DB Fast Track and Book A of Apples & Pears this summer, she will be a different student in the fall.  I think, if it were me, I would require this work at home from dad before I agreed to school her in the fall.  That sort of commitment is going to require dad to be super supportive in every way...I would want to see that NOW, before I commit. Not only for your sake, but for hers...given a dad who is confident in tutoring her she will progress all the faster.

 

This definitely sounds good to me!

[ereks mom]

Have you worked with your niece (as I gather she is) yet?  Does she seem to you to make rapid progress when you work with her as if only a lack of prior exposure stands in the way of her becoming a good reader? Or does she seem to have greater difficulties than that?

 

Yes, she is my niece.  I have not worked with her except that I have listened to her read a few times, and another time I administered several of the McCall-Crabbs reading tests and determined that her reading level was 2nd grade level.  In my opinion (as a professionally trained educator--M.Ed.), her problem is a mixture of lack of exposure and some underlying issues that I haven't pinpointed yet. 

[ereks mom]

Another option:

 

 

Power Tools for Literacy Accelerated Phonics, Syllables and Morphemes Designed for Ages 9 to 21

This program includes more than 300 copy-ready lessons that use a multisensory method of teaching syllabification, decoding, vocabulary, and spelling skills.

(More information/components)

 

 

 

Where are you compared to ElizabethB ? Maybe your niece could use her for a tutor!

 

I don't know where ElizabethB is located.  I am in Georgia.

[ereks mom]

Has she ever been evaluated for Asperger's? It often presents a little differently in girls than in boys, with girls being more likely to pass under the radar. And as far as I know, there is a genetic component to ASDs.

 

Also, wrt her glasses, when is the last time her eyes were checked? If it's been over a year, it's time for another checkup.

 

I have suspected Asperger's, particularly since her older brother has been diagnosed.  I think her glasses are fairly new.  I'll have to ask.

[ereks mom]

Btw, sorry if this sounds like a zillion things to evaluate. I would definitely make sure that any evaluator she works with knows of her family history of Asperger's and any other issues (LDs, etc) other family members may have.

 

The psychologist also treats the older brother, so he would know the background, fortunately.

[Jyhwkmama]

This is so wonderful. What a privilege to be able to make a massive difference in the life of a child. I am sure you will see many changes by the end of the summer.

[ElizabethB]

I don't know where ElizabethB is located. I am in Georgia.

I can barely keep track of myself! We have moved so many times...

 

My husband just had a trip to Georgia, but we have never lived in Georgia, and we currently do not. We have lived in Little Rock several times and a couple of different places in Texas. Those are the closest, but we also lived in Los Angeles, Germany, Colorado, Illinois, Virginia...

 

But, I have a free seminar where you can ask questions! Also, occasionally people have PMed me about pinpointing their children or tutoring students' issues, I have listened to them read a few diagnostic things over facetime/skype or over the telephone with numbered words so I can tell where they are, I import lists of words into excel and number them and they print a copy while I look at my copy. While I am not an expert at diagnosing problems, I have tutored enough students that I can usually have ideas about which areas to pursue and what may be a problem vs. just normal needs 1,000 repetitions with no underlying issues. (My son and several boys I have tutored made steady progress and just needed a lot of repetition.)

 

My seminar is the 21st of May and is free! The last bit will focus on remedial students.

[ElizabethB]

This is so wonderful. What a privilege to be able to make a massive difference in the life of a child. I am sure you will see many changes by the end of the summer.

My favorite part of tutoring is their happy smiles and changed countenance as they start reading well!

[kbutton]

If she has Asperger's, she likely has ADHD or at least some other executive functioning trouble. Meds can help. Scaffolding with checklists, very specific strategies, etc. can help. Many ASD kiddos have trouble generalizing a skill from one context to another or may "lose" a skill when a new one is taught. Making explicit connections with previously learned material and realizing that she probably "knows" something but is stumped on the new context will likely be things you need to keep in mind. One point of contention my ASD son had when he was in school is that if a teacher said one thing one day and a different (conflicting) thing another day, it never occurred to him that he could ask or needed to ask a clarifying question. He would try to reconcile the idea, split the difference, or just give up. Oftentimes such situations caused him to learn things incorrectly. So, realize that she might use language differently or not know how to tell you she is confused. 

 

It's good that she has you helping her!

[JumpyTheFrog]

My seminar is the 21st of May and is free! The last bit will focus on remedial students.

Can you start another thread with details about how to attend? Is it online?

[ElizabethB]

Can you start another thread with details about how to attend? Is it online?

Just click the WTMOC banner!!

 

(Well Trained Mind Online Conference)

[JumpyTheFrog]

Elzabeth, I'm so glad that you are doing this. I signed up for your session. I have often admired how many students you've helped over the years. You're a real inspiration.

[ElizabethB]

Elzabeth, I'm so glad that you are doing this. I signed up for your session. I have often admired how many students you've helped over the years. You're a real inspiration.

 

:blushing:  Thanks!  

 

Now if only the schools would stop making remedial students faster than I can remediate them!!

 

Of course, when I first started tutoring the schools were using 100% whole language methods, and now they at least teach some phonics, so they are making less remedial students than they used to.  

 

My next step is trying to get more and more people tutoring and helping tutor so that there is some kind of tipping point and people realize what you can achieve with good methods.  Moving all the time gets me into contact with new groups of people but it takes a while until I am settled enough to set up group tutoring with volunteers.  

[rutheart]

I am in Georgia as well. The girl I mentioned earlier in the thread (who entered public school at 7th grade) still lives in GA, in North Fulton County. She went to school in Cherokee County, and then graduated from Kennesaw State. OP, if you don't mind me asking, which school district is she attending?

Ruth

[ereks mom]

I am in Georgia as well. The girl I mentioned earlier in the thread (who entered public school at 7th grade) still lives in GA, in North Fulton County. She went to school in Cherokee County, and then graduated from Kennesaw State. OP, if you don't mind me asking, which school district is she attending?

Ruth

 

I'll PM you.