No More Long-Sleeves for Julia!

I just got off the phone with the teacher of one of my Cogmed students enrolled in a in-school pilot program using Cogmed Working Memory Training in Northern California.  This student, I will call  her 'Julia,' was recommended for the training due to her low academic performance and emotional issues.  

With 5 more training sessions remaining, I noticed a positive shift in Julia's demeanor and a difference in her choice of clothing.  Until my conversation with Julia's teacher today, I had no idea of the extent of the positive changes for Julia. 

Apparently, Julia had been cutting herself at home and only wore long-sleeved shirts to school.  Since the participation in the Cogmed training, Julia has stopped cutting herself and is wearing short-sleeves shirts to school. I had noticed that she was wearing different clothes, but I had no idea why!

I have not assessed Julia's academic performance to determine if there is a positive change in her learning skills, but I am elated that the Cogmed training has already helped her emotionally!!

Can Brain Training Help Struggling Students?

This morning I read another blog post attempting to debunk the efficacy of brain training.  Although some of the author's points were valid, the article's main mission was to criticize all brain training methods and label them as a fallacy.

I am passionate about the effectiveness of brain training for struggling students, as I have personally coached over 130 students using Cogmed Working Memory Training. Still to my amazement, the Cogmed training has radically changed student's abilities to focus, self-regulate and connect-the-dots for improved learning.  

One of the opposing points in the article stated that brain training doesn't work because the effects of the training don't stand the test of time.

My response to this claim can be answered in an analogy:

If a person were to train for a marathon and compete in marathon shortly after the training - the person would do well in the race. If that same person were to stop training for multiple months...he/she would not be in physical shape to run another marathon.

It is the same type of  training situation with brain training.  After the initial brain training has been completed, maintenance training is needed to keep keep the skills gained.  Just like the runner needs to continue to train for the next marathon, so our brains need to continual training for optimal results. 

Cogmed Working Memory Training offers 100 additional training sessions after the completion of the original 25 training sessions to maintain those new neural pathways.   

I am excited to say that "Yes! Brain training can assist struggling readers and learners."

Learn more today. 

http://www.cogmed.com/carleen-paul

Meet Josh, a Non-Reader

My favorite series of books for non-readers are called “Brand New Readers” published by Candlewick Press.  Each story is only 8 pages long with one sentence per page.  The stories are humorous and easily memorized…becoming the perfect tool to use with non-readers.

During my first lesson with Josh, a first grader with a language learning challenges, I read to him “Mouse Camps” from the Brand New Readers series.  After reading the story multiple times to Josh, I asked him to help me read the story.  I discovered that he had some memory challenges and did not understand the concept of a word.

My attention was drawn to Josh’s lack of memory, a critical skill for reading.  I recommended that Josh’s mother begin searching for memory game apps to improve his memory skills.  “Simon” is a good one.

To work on left to right orientation (the way we read from left to right) and to understand the concept of a word, I placed one sentence from the story on a sentence strip (purchased at teacher supplies stores) and had Josh practice reading the sentence while pointing to each word.

Then I cut up the sentence (one word for each card) and had him read it.  Once he was proficient at reading the sentence, I had him mix up the cards and put them in the correct order and read the sentence.

This is activity practices:

·       Memory development

·       Left to right orientation

·       One-to-one matching of a vocalized word to a written word

·       Word recognition

Coming…More ideas to help Non-Readers

Something New...

While working on updating my website this week, I pull up my Solutions for Struggling Readers blog for fun.  I was shocked to find that I am receiving over 50 hits a day from blog posts written over a year ago.

I was surprised and encouraged. 

Having poured most of my energy into the reading center lately, I have neglected my writing and posting.  

I have come to realize over the last year that Struggling Readers and their families are very complex.  As an educational therapist, I find myself using more and more of a therapy model to help readers and the families.

It is my hope to address some of these issues and provide additional help for families of Struggling Readers by breathing life into this dormant blog.

I’m excited to share what I have been learning.

Carleen  

 

Vowel Confusion

  Solutions for Vowel Confusion

Most of the students that come to the reading center for help have difficulties understanding and using vowel sounds appropriately.  The word "bait" may be read "bat," or the word "met" may be read "meat."  You may have a Struggling Reader that decodes (sounds out words) in a similar fashion.

You can improve your child's reading with some fun strategies, but first a little background.

Background:

At the reading center, we work with rime patterns to teach reading.  Rimes are letter patterns or word families.

       am -  jam, ram, Sam                  ack - back, pack, lack

       ail - tail, bail, jail                     eep - jeep, keep, weep  

Rhymes are sounds in words that are the same, but may not be spelled the same.

        there, bare, fair                             wait, late, freight

To help our students recognize patterns in words, our instruction includes color coding, stories and hand movements.  When organizing this activity, create your own stories, follow the colors and make up hand movements to enhance letter and sound recognition or use our Solutions for Struggling Readers teaching system.  http://www.skills-for-success.com/intervention.html

Vowel Confusion Lesson Activity:

Materials:

    48 index cards

     a list of 24 short vowel rimes - listed below

     a list of 24 long vowel rimes - listed below

1.  Write one rime on each index card - following the color coded system - all short vowels are blue, all long vowels are pink.

2. Mix the cards up

3. Have your child read and sort the cards into two piles...one pile containing short   vowels, the other one with long vowels.  When your child is successful at saying and sorting the cards correctly, try steps 4 and 5.

4. Place the index cards in rows of 5 across and 5 down.

5. Have your child read the cards in a sweeping motion from left to right (as we read.)  This helps with decoding, directionality and fluency.

Hints:

Color coding is used as a visual for an abstract concept.  Visually seeing the difference between vowel sounds will help your child differentiate the two concepts being taught.

Most of the students at the reading center do not stop to think about what word pops out of their mind and mouth.  Part of our job at the center is to get our students to stop and think before they say the word.  The above lesson will help your child to stop and think as they sort and read each card.

This activity also helps a child decode (sound out) unfamiliar words by learning letter patters instead of just memorizing words.  See Vowel Kingdom and Letter Patterns  of our Solutions teaching kits.  http://www.skills-for-success.com/intervention.html

Most of the students we help have an ability to read familiar words, but unfamiliar words become difficult.  Learning and applying letter patterns is critical to successful reading.

While engaged in this sorting activity, many of our students can eventually get the word right, if they guess enough.  A strategy that we have found helpful to reduce guessing is to reward the student for saying the word correctly the first time.  When our students stop and think, then say the word correctly on the first attempt, our students get a tally mark.  Five tally marks earns a sticker.  Thirty stickers earns a prize.  Motivation is often the key!! 

Have fun with this activity!

Short Vowel Rimes

ad        im         op         ock        ish         iff        ush          ick   

aft       ond       elt         unk       esk        int        elp          omp     

Long Vowel Rimes

eed       oat        aim        eap        uit        eath      oaf      ight

oam       aid        eak        eeth      oad       aif        eak      eep              

         

Phonological Awareness: Part 4

How to Help Your Struggling Reader

Phonological Awareness Activities

 Part 4: Sounds

I have just returned from the CHEA Homeschooling Convention held in Pasadena and I am still excited about the families we had the opportunity of helping during the convention!   It was engaging to listen to each family's story and work with dozens of Struggling Readers to help them understand that learning to read can be fun and easy!  With smiling faces, many children began to blend and segment with ease.  Whether it was children visiting our booth at the convention or children at the reading center, the response is the same when it comes to learning to blend and segment.  It is easy and fun!

Utilizing blending and segmenting Phonological Awareness activities, as mentioned in earlier blogs, has enabled our students to learn to read quickly, effectively and efficiently.  

A little instructional background... Phonemes (sounds) are the smallest unit of sound in a word.  For instance, "zoo" has three letters, but just 2 phonemes "z.....oo" and "ship" has 4 letters, but just 3 phonemes  "sh.....i.....p."  Blending and segmenting tasks are an abstract concept, which requires listening and memory skills.  Many children need some type of marker (beans or blocks) to connect the sounds with a tangible object.  The tangible objects or picture cue cards make this concept more concrete, understandable, and fun. 

Phonological Awareness Level 4 – Sounds (Phonemes)

Concept – Understanding phonemes can be blended into words and words can be segmented into phonemes.

Questions – Can your child blend and segment words with phonemes easily?

Activity Materials – Markers or picture cue cards and a list of words with two, three, four and five phonemes.

  

Blending Directions Without Markers:

This is the most abstract and difficult way to teach phoneme blending.  None of my students at the reading center have learned phoneme blending using this method, but perhaps this technique may work for your child. 

Hint:  The longer you pause between each phoneme, the more the student’s memory has to be used.  Memory development is a much-needed skill for most struggling readers.  Pause between each sound for several seconds.

The parent faces the child and says, “m....e....l....t”  The child blends the phonemes together into “melt.”

Blending Directions Using Markers: 

The parent faces the child (so that the child can watch the parent’s mouth – if needed).  The parent lines up four markers and starts from the child’s left, moving to the right (the direction we read) stating, “m” pausing for several seconds and then moves the first marker slightly, then states “e” and moves the second marker slightly, then states “l” and moves the marker slightly, the states "t" moving the marker slightly.  The child then verbally blends the phonemes into “melt” and uses his/her finger to make a sweeping movement (underlining) from left to right under the markers as the word is spoken.

Insight:   Years ago, educational professionals thought that children with letter and word reversals had visual issues.   However, now professionals think these difficulties may reflect “left-right orientation” challenge.   In simple language this means when a child reads, he/she doesn’t continually “sweep” from left to right, instead the child looks at the letter or word without directionality.  It is no wonder that letters are flipped and words are read backwards.  For more information regarding researched-based information regarding Struggling Readers, visit the International Dyslexia Association.  http://www.interdys.org/InsInt.htm

Blending Phonemes Using Picture Cue Cards:

Students at the reading center learn to blend phonemes together using our picture cue cards, see picture above.  Using the side of the cue card with just the boxes, the parent says "m.....e.....l.....t" using one tile for each sound.  The student then responds, "melt" and turns the card over to reveal the picture.  

Insight:

When using the picture cueing cards, even my most cognitively challenged Struggling Readers have learned blending and segmenting skills.    

                                     

Segmenting Directions Without Markers:  

The parent faces the child and says, “melt.”  The child segments the phonemes into “m…..e…..l....t” and sweeps his/her finger from left to right.

Segmenting Directions Using Markers: 

The parent faces the child (so that the child can watch the parent’s mouth – if needed).  The parent lines up four markers in front of the child and states, “melt.”   The child touches each tile and starts from his/her left and moves the first marker slightly and says “m,” then then states “e” and moves the second marker slightly, then states “l” and moves the third marker slightly, then states "t." The word has been segmented!  The child then uses his/her finger to make a sweeping movement (underlining) from left to right under the cards as the word is spoken.

Segmenting Using Picture Cue Cards:

The parent places cue card picture facing up in front of the child.  The child looks at the pictures and the parent states ”melt."  The child then moves the first tile into the first box on the left and says the sound "m," then moves the second tile and says the sound "e" using a different color to identify the vowel sound “e.” (see picture above) The child then moves the third tile and says the sound "l" and then the final tile is moved and the child makes the 't' sound.   The child then uses his/her finger to make a sweeping movement (underlining) from left to right under the cards as the word is spoken.  The word has been segmented.

Hint: At the conference and at the reading center, I repeatedly see children using their non-dominant hand when moving the tiles or switching hands when practicing these activities.  Some children even start moving the tiles backwards from a right to left motion.   Make sure your child uses his/her dominant hand and sweeps from left to right...this is a critical skills for some Struggling Readers to learn to read effectively. 

Now you have the strategies to teach blending and segmenting of phonemes with style.

To order your own Solutions for Struggling Readers - Blending and Segmenting Cards click the link below and start having fun!

  http://www.skills-for-success.com/intervention.html

Phoneme word list:

Two Phonemes:                Three Phonemes                  Four Phonemes (Beginning Blends)

    zoo                                   lip                                   flat

    bow                                  hot                                  dress

    me                                    ship  (sh...i...p)                  grass

Four Phonemes (Ending Blends)              Five Phonemes

    sand                                                    blond

    jump                                                    trend

    help                                                     spent