Improve Reading Fluency

Learning to Read can be hard work:  

For most kids, learning to read is a challenging task.  Think about how many school days are spent going over letters, popcorn words, spelling, and so on. But you have one thing at home that the school seldom can offer - special one-on-one time with a caring adult. 

The importance of reading fluently – with speed, ease, and putting the pauses in the right places (expression):

• To understand the reading, one must put the pauses in the right places.
• To remember what you are reading, there needs to be some speed and automaticity.

How do you do this?

My favorite, research-proven strategy to improve fluency is called “Paired Reading.” Read at the same time, side by side with your student with one of you pointing to each word. Part of slowness and hesitation in reading is caused by fear of getting the words wrong. Reading side-by-side at the same time takes the fear out of the reading. If the student hesitates, then they can listen to your voice and pick up the word without error – helping with errorless learning.

In fact, research says that, when students do paired reading with a better reader for as little as10 minutes per day, the result is an increase in their reading level and comprehension in a matter of weeks. This is a temporary intervention that may be needed for a short time, until student becomes more independent.

Repeated Readings: Another way to help with fluency is to have student practice reading faster. Time the student reading the first time (# of words correct in one minute). Point out the mistakes so they can work on the mistakes for the next readings. Maybe do paired reading (have the student read with a better reader). Have students practice reading the words to themselves or to a partner, who is listening for accuracy. Time the student’s reading again after a few days of practice.

I do Paired Reading and Repeated Reading with my English Language Learners. My goal for Level One learners is to gain about 100 words per minute. Why? Reading more fluently leads to students being able to remember what they learned while taking some of the work out of the task.

Reading leads to further learning.

More ideas to help with reading from Intervention Central: http://www.interventioncentral.org/index.php/reading-comp/236-reading-com-fix-up-skills

When You Have Tried Everything

What do you do?

Your young student is just not getting it. With at least one subject, you have reached the point of thinking and saying things like:

“In spelling we have tried everything! We sign the words. We write the words. We say them out loud. He can spell the words at home, but he cannot spell them at school.” For both you and your student: FRUSTRATION!!!

1st – Remember the number one thing – you, as the parent, are the most important factor in this child’s life. Not the spelling. Not the math. Not the skill for any academics. You.

2nd – Admit to yourself that learning is not, as Western educational theory held for years, a linear process. One does not have to learn A and B in order to do D. I think of learning as connecting the dots in 3D. A person can learn task D, E and F, or even M, before learning  A, B and C. Sometimes, his learning other tasks and skills yields coping strategies that assist in working around a disability. Examples:

• A student with a math disability can learn to use a calculator, and be allowed to use it in class. If your student does not have a disability, he may use one at home as an investigative tool.
• A student with a writing disability learns to ask a teacher or teacher’s aide for help with writing. Or this student uses a computer keyboard, a voice recognition program, or learns to write in text on a hand-held device.  
• Always be aware that there are options. Keep searching for ways to help your child that might work better for the time being.

3rd - How do you connect the dots?

• - exercise – including different kinds of movements like tumbling
• - sleep – A weary mind does not learn or remember, and mental connections form while sleeping  
• - art, music, social interaction, puzzles, and anything but television. 
• - work on skills using the 5 senses 

 
4th – Celebrate your achievements: When you meet a goal, whether it is educational success or simply reaching the time goal for your study period, then celebrate. Be happy! That was a lot of work for both you and your student, so you should both feel good about it.

5th – Your student may have high aptitude and interest in some areas, but have less in others. Remember that schools thought Albert Einstein was retarded because he was interested  only in mathematics and science. Read this interesting blog note: http://apieceofmymind-sarv.blogspot.com/2007/03/albert-einstein-failure.html

6th – Always remember that, just because your student didn’t get it right today, it doesn’t mean he or she won’t do it tomorrow. You may often have to remind your student of this too. Thomas Edison failed over 6000 times before he invented the light bulb. He said “I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.”

Learn a Language

Help your child learn a language using resources online and in your own neighborhood.

For example, learn Spanish alongside your children.

1.     Hire a neighborhood Hispanic young person to teach you and your family one-hour per week.

2.     Make use of a Spanish-English, English-Spanish online dictionary. A google search helped me find one at http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/. You can put in an English word, ask for a translation and then click on the sound button to hear how to pronounce the word.

3.     Look at your local library online. My library has a link to BYKI or http://www.byki.com/, a free online language system that teaches 70 different languages. It has programs and materials to download for free online. But if you want to use the more deluxe version, you can go through a public library.

4.     My local library also has online CDs and books to borrow. There are several Spanish learning CDs and books. I downloaded one called, “Learn Spanish in Your Car.” Another is called Spanish Lyrics. It is a CD and e-book of songs with both English and Spanish Lyrics side-by-side assist your brain in making connections between word meanings. My children and I especially enjoy this CD. 

Towards Understanding Students with Disabilities and Their Families

Watching certain movies has really helped me understand some of the challenges that students with disabilities and their families face.

On the average, one out of every 110 students may have an autism spectrum diagnosis. If your school (or school district) has 650 students per grade level, the likelihood is that will be 6 students on the autism spectrum per grade level.

There are many movies about people with disabilities. Here I have included 3 with a short description and links.

Temple Grandin’s inspirational movie uses the visual analogy of life as a series of doors, each of which she must go through to reach the next level of success. She proves to be so determined to get through those doors. It is one of the images that helps her overcome her fear of new things. The young Temple continuously wows teachers and students with her many gifts. The movie sneaks in details such as her ability to focus on a task, like writing an entire Master’s Thesis in less than a week. She works hard, in spite of the opposition, to change to world, and demonstrates that, because of autism (which often inhibits the ability to – consciously or subconsciously – ignore ‘background’ sensory input, such as cows’ constant mooing), she can perceive things other people simply don’t see or hear. February 6th at 8:00 pm on HBO. See her webpage: http://www.grandin.com/

I found the movie Adam to be very encouraging. Adam in an autistic man whose father and sole caregiver dies. Before his death, Adam worked for his father’s company designing toys, but soon finds himself jobless. As a hard-working and focused individual, he applied for 82 jobs in one day. He practiced and practiced in order to be able to perform job interviews. If he can do it, I can do it. http://www.foxsearchlight.com/adam/

“I Am Sam” is about a man with disabilities who lives in an assisted living situation and has nights out with the guys. After his girlfriend has a baby, she abandons him with a child. He loves the child so much and is determined to be a good father to her in spite of his own learning challenges. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0277027/


Least Restrictive Environment
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 officially requires that by law students with disabilities be placed in the least restrictive environment possible. Studies show that integrating students actually raises test scores for all students. Advanced students learn more by teaching other students. Lower students learn from being with advanced students.

People with disabilities are like all people in that we have strengths and weaknesses. Some strengths and weaknesses can be extraordinary on both counts. As educators, we have to remember to see the strengths.

Time to Organize

Is your craft bin getting the best of you?

Are the markers, scissors, beads, papers, glue, fusion beads, craft sticks, crayons, stickers, stamps, and McDonald’s toys getting OUT OF CONTROL?

The time has come to teach your children the life-skill of organizing:

1. Present the problem. “We are going to get new craft things for Christmas, and we need a place to put them.”
2. Make it a challenge and chance to spend time together. 
3. Ask you child to make decisions “What do I do with this?”  
4. Model organization.
5. If children struggle with organizing and the job is overwhelming, give specific jobs to do.
   For example, my daughter organized the crayons. She found all of the crayons in all of the drawers, made a to-go bag to take places, a bag to keep in the drawer and a bag to make into candles.
6. What can you use to sort things?
   Sandwich bags, snack bags, little jars, pencil bags, organizers you buy in the store or build from cardboard.
7. Make a give-away bag and a garbage bag.
8. When you get frustrated or tired, save the rest for another day. 

What other ways can I teach my children organization?

• Model organization by using shopping lists, to-do lists, and calendars.
• Give your children calendars. Highlights makes a fun kids’ picture-find calendar with stickers for special days.
• Make lists with the kids on paper of what they want to do for the day. Check off things on the list as you do them.
• Review the lunch menu for school every day to see if your kids want to take a lunch or not.
• When students start having homework calendars for school, make sure things are written down and checked off as students complete tasks. This seems obvious, but many students struggle with this undertaking.

Another article to view: 10 Ways to Organize Your Children