The View from Opposite Points on the Journey

January 15, 2020 by thecindyleafhall ♥ 1 Comment

This year one of my students is finishing up her tutoring years, and another is just beginning his. It is interesting to be teaching two students who are at such opposite ends of the journey to understand language. I am struck by how many of the broad concepts that I am teaching my little K guy, Andy, are still being used by my 7th grader, Cathy. It makes me stretch to come up with lots of inventive ways to practice the skills that I can see Andy will be using for many years to come.

When reading and spelling are automatic, as they are for non-dyslexic people, they just seem to happen without effort. A dyslexic individual is putting a whole lot of thought into the process of decoding for reading or encoding for spelling. No wonder it is kinda exhausting for them.

Andy is learning that a syllable is “a word or a piece of a word with one vowel sound.” We practice picking out syllables from among the choices I put onto the white board to find the ones that meet that definition of a syllable. Cathy uses the same syllable definition to check her spelling of multi-syllable words, since she knows she frequently forgets to add the vowel to unaccented syllables when she spells. That quick check helps her to go back and add the needed vowels which she naturally omits.

Andy struggles to hear the difference between some letter sounds such as short e and short i, or f and v. We do oral games to give him lots of chances to strengthen that weak area. Cathy has learned to whisper to herself the short vowel sound and clue words to clarify in her mind if the sound in question should be spelled e or i. She does it so quickly that I have to be paying close attention to even notice her checking. When asked about it, she shrugs it off with a breezy, “Oh yeah, it helps me to hear that out loud.”

In addition to still using the same concepts, the other similarity I see between these two students is how much pleasure they get from their ability to actually read! Both told me they never thought they would be able to read as their classmates do. Happily they have both experienced success in the reading area. Last semester, Cathy finished an entire chapter book during our tutoring lessons, and immediately asked if we could find more books by that author. Andy was able to check a Level 1 book out of the school library and, as he put it, “I can read a lot of the words, not just the pictures.”

Being the person to lead these students to that success is my version of teacher success.

How Reading, or more accurately, Guessing, is taught in American Schools.

September 20, 2019 by thecindyleafhall ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

On the way home from running errands with my husband, we heard this documentary as we drove in the car. “At A Loss for Words: What’s Wrong with How Schools Teach Reading.” I looked it up after we got home. It is quite eye-opening, showing examples of how students are being taught to “read” by a method called “cueing.” Cueing is actually guessing, and, according to the documentary, works to teach kids to read only about half the time. Phonics based instruction teaches nearly all children to read.

This is an hour long audio documentary, so save it for when you are doing weekend chores or another time when you can listen without interruption. It’s going to be an hour well spent! Listen here.

The Best Method for Helping Dyslexic Learners!

July 11, 2019 by thecindyleafhall ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Use what works best!

When we do laundry, we pick the detergent or stain remover that experience has shown us works the best on the mess we are dealing with at the moment. Dingy whites? Use bleach. Ink pen marks? Spritz on hairspray. Grass stains? Rub in Fels Naphta bar soap. We use the best tool for the job, and like the results we get.

Teaching children to read is similar to laundry stains in that there are a variety of learning differences to address. In the same way you would not expect good results from pouring bleach on the knees of grass stained blue jeans, you cannot take a dyslexic child to a traditional store-front tutoring center and expect his or her dyslexia to improve. Different challenges need different teaching methods. Tutoring centers are great for some reading problems, and may have helped your neighbor’s non-dyslexic child, but will not help your dyslexic reader. There is no one single solution for all reading problems. Dyslexia responds best to specific methods.

Brain rewiring

I have written previously in this blog about the amazing way that brains can be rewired. New brain research shows us more about the brain all the time. Dyslexia is a brain wiring issue, and using a method of teaching which addresses these issues makes sense – and works great!

Orton-Gillingham Method

The best method for teaching a dyslexic child (or adult!) to read is called the Orton-Gillingham method. I have mentioned it before in blog entires, and you can google it and read about it for a whole weekend.

What makes the O-G method work?

The O-G method addresses reading and spelling as what they are – opposite sides of the same coin. Dyslexic individuals struggle with both reading and spelling, so this approach really works for them. Each phoneme (smallest sound of language) is taught individually, in a prescribed order. Practice starts with phonemes, moves to words, then sentences and passages to read. The spelling side progresses in the same way – how each sound can be spelled, how words are spelled and then sentences are written.

Syllables and Spelling Generalizations

The O-G method uses a lot of hands-on practice methods which can be crazy fun for both the teacher and the student. Syllable types are learned along with their characteristics so long words can easily be diced into manageable pieces with predictable vowel sounds. Finger sounding keeps the sounds in order as the student works out a word.

Traditional school teaches spelling by memorizing lists of words for Friday spelling tests. This works great for kids who are not dyslexic. It is a lot of frustration for dyslexic kids, and does not teach them to permanently spell the list words anyway. The O-G method teaches spelling by learning spelling generalizations. These simple rules provide a framework for spelling many, many words, and keep the child from the agony of trying to memorize spelling words that just won’t stick.

An example of a spelling generalization would be to spell the /ch/ sound with a tch at the end of a word or syllable right after a short vowel. Everywhere else, spell /ch/ with a ch. You are thinking about words with tch at the end right now, aren’t you? And the generalization is surprisingly accurate, isn’t it? For dyslexic students, it is almost magically easy.

Testing results show – this method works!

There are lots of reasons to shop for an Orton-Gillingham based tutor or program if you are looking for help for your dyslexic student. We are in the midst of our end-of-semester progress testing with the students in our Dyslexia Center. Results are showing astounding progress in our students this semester. The bottom line reason to use O-G is because it is the right solution for this problem. Just like bleach for dingy whites.

Teaching them to spell what they hear

July 11, 2019 by thecindyleafhall ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

My second grade small group is in nonsense word mode. I dictate nonsense words strung together for them to write as sentences, we do games with nonsense words, we write nonsense words in columns by vowel sound, we make up meanings for the nonsense words and sentences, and giggle when we think it sounds as if we are speaking Dutch or Russian.

The students are enjoying the nonsense words, unaware of the serious work they are accomplishing. I am building their ability to latch onto the sounds they hear and remember the units of sounds in the order given to spell it out. They have grown accurate in their ability to read and spell crazy, made up words like bliv, nuv and zosk. As they sound out and finger spell these words, they firm up their ability to read and spell real words by syllable, even if they have never before seen that word.

The sense of using nonsense words is that it forces the student to work with words he or she has not memorized. This causes them to rely on the key tools I teach them to sound out and finger spell real words. It makes them stretch their short term memory for sounds, and helps them quickly land on the vowel sound – even when it is hopelessly mixed in with oddly combined consonant sounds.

I am challenged to help my students develop the skills they need to read and spell while also building up their confidence in their own abilities. I love how Dorothy Blosser Whitehead phrases my goal. “Our goal is a mastery of print. When students don’t have to be told the words, it gives them a sense of power.” Bring on the nonsense words, we are empowering students in this classroom!

Affirming Words

July 11, 2019July 11, 2019 by thecindyleafhall ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Mark Twain wrote, “I can live for two months on a good compliment.” The book of Proverbs says of the ideal woman that “Her mouth is full of wisdom, and kindness is on her tongue.” Kindness may not be in vogue in the current political climate of self-positioning and getting ahead by any means, but we are all drawn to kind people who affirm us. Compliments, like thin January sunshine after a week of gray skies, lift our spirits.

My dyslexic students work very hard and often have very little to show for it. That doesn’t mean their efforts should go unnoticed or unpraised. They, like Twain, will work much harder after an honest compliment. I try to daily find an accomplishment from each student that can be noted without being patronizing. Kids can spot a fake a mile away. They hold me to the truth standard when I am giving out praise.

Handwriting is often a bone of contention for dyslexic people. There is a condition called dysgraphia which may co-exist with dyslexia. It is basically confusion about the process of writing. Writing on the line, or even close to the line is a challenge in itself; let alone forming the letters correctly, spelling correctly AND remembering to slide the pencil over enough to leave space between the words.

I have two students whom I am sure have dysgraphia. One is toward the end of his time with me. I have been part of his educational life for 4 years, nearly all of his school life. Today I graded one of his writing assignments. A smile of pleasure bloomed across my face as I noted the neat, tight cursive writing, the excellent spacing, and the overall readability of the assignment. Expectantly watching me look over his work, the same smile crossed Patrick’s young face. This guy is out-of-the-park talented when it comes to story telling, and the content of his writing was superb, but that has never been the issue with him. Creativity oozes out of his every pore, and now he can write in a way that others can see that talent. I passed a reward tag across the table to him, and we shared a look of satisfaction as I praised his efforts. When a student does well, we both celebrate.

My second dysgraphic/dyslexic student is at the beginning of his journey with me. We have traveled together only a few weeks, and he is just learning that I can be trusted, that I will never knowingly embarrass or put him on the spot, that I have a prize box in the cupboard which is not reserved only for kids who make A’s.

Today brought dictation sentences to his small group lesson, and as in the past, he was great at remembering the words to be written down. It was getting them onto the paper in a way I could read that was the issue. We have been working on it, and already there is improvement. Today as I rolled my chair to his spot across the table from me, he gave me a gap-toothed grin as my eyes slid to his work. There were spaces between the words today! And, for the most part, the words sat on the lines. A capital adorned the front of the sentence and a bowling ball of a period marked the end. WOW! I asked him if he knew how good his work was. He shyly said he knew, but that he liked to hear me tell him. Not holding back, I happily pointed out all the good things he had done on that sentence. He basked in the warmth of the words, affirming that his hard work was recognized and acknowledged.

He wrote his name on the reward tag with a flourish and dropped it into the box, half filled with other tags kids had earned for good work during that small group session. A small snowfall of white tags with initials penciled onto them. Each tag representing good work acknowledged, rewarded and praised. Each compliment a step toward building up a child so he or she can continue with the daunting task of working harder at reading and spelling than any of we non-dyslexic individuals can even imagine.

Yeah! I can do this!

July 10, 2019 by thecindyleafhall ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

“We read the whole book!”

“This is the first chapter book I have ever read to the end.”

“When we started, I didn’t think we would finish.”

If I could find a way to bottle the sense of accomplishment dyslexic individuals feel when they turn the final page, savor the concluding paragraph, close the back cover on a book they have read all of, I would be rich.

In the classroom, we celebrate finishing a book in the grand style such a feat deserves. We savor and revel in the moment and the work it represents. We let each person tell what was their favorite part of the book. We talk about who liked the ending and who can suggest a better one. The characters have become fellow classmates. Ones whom we will miss now that the book is done, and we want it give them the farewell our closeness merits.

It is a pivotal moment when a student understands the charm of crawling inside the world created between the covers of a book. Visiting another time. Bravely adventuring in a far away place. Traveling in unimaginable ways. Hanging out with friends whom you have come to treasure. Understanding how something works which baffled you before you read a book about it. Once a person catches a glimpse of any or all of those things, the effort to read becomes worth it.

Today I began “Because of Winn-Dixie” with my 4/5 grade small group. We settle in and take turns reading orally to each other. I know their eyes will well with unshed tears in the sad parts, and they will snort laughter in the funny parts. I know they will get better at reading as we read. I know we will finish the book, and that everyone of those students will be richer for having spent time with Opal and her goofy canine sidekick during a hot Florida summer.

I know I don’t have to try and bottle their enthusiasm to get rich.

I already am rich, just by being along for the ride as this amazing group of kids grin and say, “Yeah! I can do this!” when we finish the last page.

Playing Mind Games

July 10, 2019July 10, 2019 by thecindyleafhall ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

As I set up for 4/5 grade small group, I hear muffled giggles at the door. “Is she there?” a small voice stage whispers, clearly the elected spokesman for the group. I go to my classroom door, my hands full of exactly what I know they want. I carry into view the desired objects that these dyslexic kids arrived early to get. They crave – Brain Games. I invite the early arrivals in, and they claim the games from me, quickly divide themselves into groups for playing, and set to work training their brains – loving every minute of it!

Tenzi and Blink currently reign as top favorites among our brain game possibilities. These games have no words, only symbols, and are played with astounding concentration at top speed. Both games center around almost instantaneous pattern recognition, and the player’s correct, quick action based on that pattern recognition. Sounds, well, like reading, doesn’t it?

Don’t tell the kids, but these brain games are building the centers of their brains where symbols are interpreted and appropriately acted upon. Yup, playing these games will improve reading speed.

A name like Tenzi stirs up images of a game steeped in ancient cultural richness, perhaps originating in Morocco, or Tibet. I imagine ancient, white clad men in turbans squatting in the dust to play. But no, it was invented by two friends named Steve and Kevin right here in the USA. What it lacks in historical pedigree, it makes up for in adrenaline rush and brain neurons multiplying like dust on a Moroccan roadside.

Tenzi is played with sets of ten brightly colored dice. Players roll their 10 dice, continuing to roll the ones that don’t match until all dice show the selected number. No polite conventions like taking turns when playing Tenzi. Everyone goes at the same time, with the victor shouting “Tenzi!” and beaming at his pile of matching dice. I bought two sets of 40 dice from Amazon, allowing for an epic, eight player Tenzi game if we want to go there, or more quiet games of two or three players scattered through the classroom.

Blink is a two player card game. My sets came from Target and cost about $5.00 each. The game has 80 cards with symbols in one of three colors, patterns or numbers. All the cards divided between two players fly as players race to sort his or her cards first. On a quiet day, I am sure I hear their brains growing as they speed to interpret the meaning of each card and act on that information – the faster the better!

The great thing about brain games is that there are no losers, only winners. Winners with really great brains.

So, if they have dyslexia, they can’t read, right?

July 10, 2019 by thecindyleafhall ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

People with dyslexia can learn to read and to spell, and to write coherent sentences! They just learn a different way from non-dyslexic people.

Dyslexic people have different brain architecture which spreads out the centers in their brain where language tasks take place rather than having a tidy little brain neighborhood of language factories whirring away at reading and spelling tasks. But we can create “brain roads” from one center to another, making language tasks faster and less prone to getting lost along the way. Targeted and memorable practice transforms those brain roads into brain superhighways along which language information can zoom.

Teaching a dyslexic person to read involves a lot of really fun and creative methods. Fun for the student and the teacher! I say “make it memorable” (and I don’t mean scarred-for-life memories of classroom embarrassment). I mean connecting a language concept with a fun activity or crazy story. Many dyslexic people are highly creative, so the kids are along for the ride on this, often making great suggestions which we implement to give them ownership of their learning.

Phonics are at the core of teaching a dyslexic person to read. It surprised me to learn that there are 44 speech sounds in American English, but only 26 alphabetic characters. So somebody is working overtime to create those extra sounds! Many sounds are spelled in multiple ways. We make letters into characters from our story, learning in a sequential way their sounds and characteristics. The letters’ personalities unfold like beloved book characters whom we crave to know more about and understand.

For example, the secret life of the letter Y.

My students love discovering the secret life of the letter Y. By day, mild-mannered consonant, minding its own business, living at the beginning of words or syllables. But! Y sometimes dons superhero capes hidden in its closet that allow it to become an undercover vowel, making an e or an i sound, when the need arises. And you can bet every child in the room wants to know exactly what the needs are that allow super capes to be whipped out and worn!

So they learn the Y Rule. This is a smidge of what I mean by making it memorable. Secret Superheroes vs. letters on a page. Hmm, I know which one I would remember more readily!

And the fun has barely begun! In another post I will give you a peek into kinesthetic methods, brain training games, and a whole lot of other great tools from my bag-o-tricks.

The O-G Method

I would like to mention that the sequential method for teaching a dyslexic person, and the kinesthetic methods which are so successful are all part of the Orton-Gillingham method. It was pioneered by Dr. Samuel Orton in the 1930’s, and is the method in which I was trained to tutor dyslexic people. Google it. You will be reading about the O-G method for the rest of the day. It’s that interesting.

Tales from the Dyslexia Center

Tag: phonics