X-Post: Dancing Bears as a reading supplement to AAR?

[Bookworm4]

I posted this on a different forum, but thought you all may have more ideas/suggestions as well. 

 

Has anyone used Dancing Bears as a supplement to a different reading curriculum or could that be done?  I have a struggling reader (just turned 8) and am on the fence about what to do for this school year.  We used AAR 1 first (age 6 - was in PS for age 5).  She didn't seem ready for AAR 2 after AAR 1 (at age 7) and we switched to LOE Foundations (I wanted Foundations for the speech helps/hints and awareness and the phonogram scope and sequence was similar to AAR).  She did well through LOE F level B and we stopped half-way through level C.  I think I didn't review enough in level C of LOE Foundations and she started forgetting things she'd learned.  At the end of our school year this summer, she told me she missed the reading program with the "feed the monster" activity (AAR).  Before that I had already bought Dancing Bears A (she couldn't read the sentence for fast track) because I thought the curser and set up may help with her adding and deleting sounds in words, making sure she looks at the word left to right, and the built in review for fluency.  Looking at some of the updates to AAR 2 they made with extra practice and less words on a page in some of the stories in the readers (the readers overwhelmed her in the past), I keep debating if I should give AAR 2 a try after all based on her comment and the updates.  I have thought about doing 20 minutes of AAR and later in the day doing 10 minutes of DB.  I'm worried that would be overkill though.  I suspect dyslexia, but haven't had testing done to confirm it or determine if something else is causing similar symptoms.  She has already gone through vision therapy and has been in speech therapy for articulation for 3 years.  I've looked a bit into Barton, but have a hard time pulling the trigger on the price since I don't know for certain it is dyslexia we are working against.

 

ETA:  If anyone has suggestions of how to find someone who does testing for dyslexia and/or other LD or if there is a search term I should use, please feel free to share that as well.

[Bright Light]

I have not used Dancing Bears.  I have used AAR. Yes, children like those games, however, they are not needed for teaching reading, and can be a hindrance. You may make your own monster game to review in a different area, because it will not be most effective for teaching reading. As your student begins to master the English language, she will have fun. If you are teaching her to master the English language, that will also include writing, grammar, syntax, spelling, and thinking.

 

Directionality, as you mentioned, as well as phonics, syllabication, spelling, penmanship, cognitive development, study of the parts of words and the parts of sentences, are all a part of Rigg's, "Spelling and Writing Road to Reading and Thinking." Because your daughter is struggling, I highly recommend their program. Since she has struggled remembering what she learned, you can really be encouraged, as the program maximizes one's ability to memorize by using multi-sensory methods.

 

Also, there are virtually no readers needed, and no workbooks. Your child will be making her own workbook, something that will make her proud.The program will prevent dyslexia, and it's inexpensive compared to Barton.

 

If you would like to know more, I'd be happy to answer any questions. You may also call Riggs and speak with Caroline or Stephanie. I don't work for Riggs, but I use their program.

 

Lastly, since she has gone through speech therapy for articulation, you can continue to slow-down your speech as you dictate words for her (main component of Riggs), and as you probably do, talk with her about where her tongue is, what it feels like, etc., to produce certain sounds. She can also articulate in front of a mirror, etc. 

[Bookworm4]

I have not used Dancing Bears.  I have used AAR. Yes, children like those games, however, they are not needed for teaching reading, and can be a hindrance. You may make your own monster game to review in a different area, because it will not be most effective for teaching reading. As your student begins to master the English language, she will have fun. If you are teaching her to master the English language, that will also include writing, grammar, syntax, spelling, and thinking.

 

Directionality, as you mentioned, as well as phonics, syllabication, spelling, penmanship, cognitive development, study of the parts of words and the parts of sentences, are all a part of Rigg's, "Spelling and Writing Road to Reading and Thinking." Because your daughter is struggling, I highly recommend their program. Since she has struggled remembering what she learned, you can really be encouraged, as the program maximizes one's ability to memorize by using multi-sensory methods.

 

Also, there are virtually no readers needed, and no workbooks. Your child will be making her own workbook, something that will make her proud.The program will prevent dyslexia, and it's inexpensive compared to Barton.

 

If you would like to know more, I'd be happy to answer any questions. You may also call Riggs and speak with Caroline or Stephanie. I don't work for Riggs, but I use their program.

 

Lastly, since she has gone through speech therapy for articulation, you can continue to slow-down your speech as you dictate words for her (main component of Riggs), and as you probably do, talk with her about where her tongue is, what it feels like, etc., to produce certain sounds. She can also articulate in front of a mirror, etc. 

 

I haven't heard of that program before.  Is it basically the Spalding method?  Handwriting is fatiguing for her so it depends on how much writing is required if it would work well for her. 

 

[Pen]

You might want to make a post with a more general title so that people who might have ideas about what could help an 8yo struggling with reading might see it and respond even if they are not familiar with DB or how it might fit in with AAR.  My sense is that DB fasttrack is intended for older children than she is, and that to some degree that is true for DB regular, though less so.  My son used www.Highnoon.com reading intervention program and sound out chapter books starting around that same age, which worked very well for him.  But since I did not choose either DB or AAR, let alone both, I cannot comment on those with any real btdt knowledge.

 

He overlapped his Highnoon work with www.talkingfingers.com read write type program...   starting with about 15 minutes per day on HN only but gradually working up to where he was doing several 15 minute HN / Sound Out Chapter books sessions at different times of the day, plus up to half an hour on ReadWriteType plus some days an extra reading and or writing session at our local public school.  I emphasize the gradually though on working up to more reading.