Try different reading/phonics?

[PrincessAriel]

nt

[ElizabethB]

You could try Webster's Speller, I'm not sure if she could do the spelling portion of it or not, but having the words broken up into smaller syllables should help her process the words better. I explain how to use it here:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/webstersway.html

 

You could also work a lot with magnetic letters and let her try to spell and "write" with those if she is having trouble with handwriting.

 

She might also find my UPP markings helpful, they make English as phonetic as Spanish or Latin without changing the underlying spelling of the word:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/upp.html

 

If it works well, I can send you the font to upload into your computer and also the 1,000 or so words I have made in the font so far. You can load it into any word processing program for either Mac or PC. Just send me an e-mail if you think it's helpful and you'd like the font. The markings are above the letters, so you can also add them to any books you own if need be.

[Ottakee]

Time is short (I have to leave in a few minutes) but this is an EXCELLENT program for kids how are struggling.

 

http://www.roadstoeverywhere.com/3RsPlusRead.html

 

I used this to teach my 11dd with IQ about 80 to read using these books (when nothing else worked) and now my 13dd with an IQ much lower (tests at 38) is reading at a mid 2nd grade level now with these books and moving along nicely.

 

Be sure to click on the UK link on the right as well. Our story is there under Ottakee.

 

Best thing about this program is that it really only takes 10-15 minutes 1-2 times a day to be very effective. It is also not dependent on their writing skills.

[DebonLI]

Hi,

 

My daughter was 6 when we started using R&S reading for grade 1. She has speech issues along with undiagnosed sensory issues. This program worked very well for us. It is Mennonite and uses Bible stories for readers. The workbooks are black and white and simply laid out. It builds slowly with lots of review. The teacher's manual explained how to teach reading well. I used it like I use all my curriculum...as a tool, meaning I tweaked it as I felt it needed to be tweaked for our particular needs.

 

Hope this helps. I just came out of an emotional crisis over my daughter's weaknesses. These situations can be so painful. We're all in this together.

 

Debbie

[Laurie4b]

One thing that I have noticed in the tutoring I do (which is with low income students who go to public school) is that the sight word work that they do there is really helpful, and seems to be most helpful to students with IQ's in the 80's or so. Building sight words gets them reading real sounding books (which controlled vocab readers do not. Language in the controlled readers is often contrived and confusing to these students. " Nat did sit on the mat. Nan did sit on the mat." In real English, we insert the word "did" only for emphasis. This is a typical example). Anyway, as strongly as I support phonemic awareness followed by solid phonics, I've come to see the complementary strength of working on frequent, irregular words in a whole language way. I'm not saying don't pursue the phonics, but am saying you might want to spend equal time on sight words until your child is reading at the 2nd grade level or so. You can do this with books that are highly repetitive (so the child sees the same set of words repeatedly. Eg Jan likes to eat. Jan likes to eat meat. Jan likes to eat bread. Jan likes to eat cake." You can probably find books like that at the library. You can also make a "word wall" at home of words that you've learned.

[mamaof2andtwins]

Marie,

 

I can relate to what you are saying when you mentioned you should know this already. My youngest has had some language issues. I had not had anyone evaluate her until this year, but I can tell you somethings that helped us.

 

Another poster mentioned sight words. If Brianna has not learned sight words I think reading would have been a HUGE task for her. She has struggled and struggled with phonics. She still mixes up short vowel sounds after 4 years.

 

When Brianna learned to read, she would pick a book and then we would sit on the couch together. She would read along (a couple of words) until she reached a word she did not know. Then she would elbow me. I would supply the word and we would move on. I never made her sound out words. I think she would have disliked reading if I had done that. She loves to read now. Phonics is still an issue. We continue to work on it. It is still hard for her.

 

I wish you the best.

[ElizabethB]

I have a list of the sight words in UPP, it makes them 100% phonetic after you've learned the markings:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/Resources/sightwordsinUPP.pdf

 

I've found with my students that learning sight words really compromises their ability to learn to sound things out and makes sounding out words harder.

[PrincessAriel]

Thanks for all of your suggestions. I am looking over all the links and and trying to decide what would work best with her. I appreciate your time !

[cillakat]

I'm not saying don't pursue the phonics, but am saying you might want to spend equal time on sight words until your child is reading at the 2nd grade level or so. You can do this with books that are highly repetitive (so the child sees the same set of words repeatedly. Eg Jan likes to eat. Jan likes to eat meat. Jan likes to eat bread. Jan likes to eat cake."

 

daily work with intensive systematic phonics would cover all of that as well.

 

Sight words need to be taught as well, but *if* the phonics remediation is occuring daily for an hour, it won't take long to get to the point of long vowel sounds and diphthongs that will rapidly expand the reading horizons.

 

:)

K

[cillakat]

I've found with my students that learning sight words really compromises their ability to learn to sound things out and makes sounding out words harder.

 

 

That was unfortunately the experience we had with our child. The emphasis on sight words essentially 'trained' her to balk at sounding out words. Much of the time spent with our pricey tutor was wasted trying to move her past this.

 

Sight word instruction is necessary, but once sound phonics instruction is in place, the number of words that are truly 'sight' words is significantly diminished.

 

Katherine

[cillakat]

also have a look at

 

Barton

Wilson

HEC Reading Horizons

Recipe for Reading

TouchPhonics

 

for a dyslexic child, the phonics often has to be intensive, multi-sensory, systematic, incremental, repetetive etc etc. As you've learned (and as I learned:p) ETC and Bob books just won't cut it.

 

Have you read _Overcoming Dyslexia_ yet? Saved my sanity and my dd's reading.

 

Katherine

[PrincessAriel]

Thanks for the ideas. Katherine, you mentioned dyslexia, or at least the book, which I have but need to look at again. That was never brought up in all of the testing we had with the NP last winter. How do I know if that is the problem or part of it? You also mentioned working on phonics for an hour a day......not with this child! She has ADHD (sometimes I wonder if it is just her sensory issues and not really ADHD) and is really immature for a 7 year old.(However she did sit nicely and listen to a nature class with the naturalist yesterday for a long time.) I don't think she can do that and I am not sure I could either (with her anyhow!)

Thanks!

[cillakat]

"(...snip....)dyslexia.....(snip).......was never brought up in all of the testing we had with the NP last winter."

 

My bad. All this talk of phonics triggers dyslexia talk for me:)

 

"How do I know if that is the problem or part of it? "

 

Does the np report mention anything about a reading disability? Did they do a GORT (gray oral reading test) or CTOPP (phonological processing/awareness/automatic naming)...if so how were those scores?

 

"You also mentioned working on phonics for an hour a day..........not with this child! She has ADHD (sometimes I wonder if it is just her sensory issues and not really ADHD) and is really immature for a 7 year old."

 

My dd (now 9.5) was dx'd with adhd at 6y7mo. Dx'd with SPD at 5 or so. imesho;p her SPD issues weren't anything separately fixable/diagnosable and instead are just 'sensory' stuff that for her is part of her:

1)temperment

2)adhd

3)age/development

 

they have lessened with age, though not disappeared.

 

the most helpful thing has been getting adhd meds on board. without them, we definitely couldn't do an hour of reading every day.....and even with meds, we have to have other motivators on board. currently, it's 'pokemon points'. she gets a 'chip' (math counter) to toss in the bucket (tupperware) for every two minutes that she's participating willingly and happily in our reading program. no points are lost for meltdowns, i just make sure to give her props for getting it back together when i give her the chip for the next two minute period. it's working. for how long? who knows. things are always changing as you well know;p

 

'x' number of chips represents 'y' size pack of pokemon cards or the same, that 'y' would cost to go towards and ebay purchase of individual cards.

 

anyway....just tossing out there that we also have the adhd, the strong resistance to anything academic (anything requiring mental effort), the sensory stuff, the challenging temperment, dysgraphia....and at 7 her reading issues weren't diagnosed....it was chalked up to untreated adhd. we didn't get that dx until she was a month shy of 9.

 

so anyway..... I know where you're coming from ;p there is another mom here with an ADHD/dyslexic child. she's using HEC Reading Horizons. It would be appropriate even if your dd isn't dyslexic. It's computer based which may be more interesting for her?

 

wishing you all the very best,

Katherine

[mchel210]

My son did very well with phonographics. I happened to come across it when I was giving up on him ever reading...but he did very well with that program. I found it was a nice change for him. We used those letter tiles and sound tiles. I bought some at the education store. THat helped him a lot. He is add so sitting still too long was hard. He tried hooked on phonics...but I returned it as he wouldnt do it.

 

My dd now uses SL sight word bingo which is really a blessing for her. She doesnt have the reading issues like my son did...but I would have loved to use that game...we use the sight word bingo, matching games with words and pictures...or words alone...Those games have helped my dd take off with reading. I find they have been much better then using any flash cards or trying to just memorize the sight words.

 

Once my son started reading a little...I made sure he read tons of books at least 20 minutes a day on his level. He didnt get any books over his level. Until he seemed to master them. I checked levels on Renlearn site to make sure I only chose the right books.