Teaching you child to read (Full Version)

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Beck34 -> Teaching you child to read (5/25/2008 10:25:43 AM)

My son has been diagnosed with a articulation disorder that is affecting his reading. He will be in fourth grade next year, and he is reading on a first grade level. I want to work with him over the summer, but I am not sure how to go about it. Any suggestions?



W.O.F. -> RE: Teaching you child to read (5/25/2008 11:06:01 AM)

Since he can read at a first grade level, I would suggest just simply reading a lot together over the summer and maybe reviewing his phonics. IF he learned to read without using phonics...get a phonics course and use it to build up the skills he already has.

Pick out books from the library in his reading skill level for him to read on his own, some the level above his reading level for him to read out loud to you one page at a time, and some in the fourth grade reading level for you to read out loud to him.



Jenny-Fair -> RE: Teaching you child to read (5/25/2008 11:18:37 AM)

As usual, I mostly agree with WOF. However, having dealt with a late reader, one of the problems is that books on their reading level are totally cheesy and unenjoyable for them. So what we did was picked a book that would be a fun story for Nate, and then we read it together--he would read the words he could, and I would either give him some phonics info or read words that were too far ahead for him. So basically we both read the book out loud. Along the way he learned some rules (O is a naughty letter-don't you notice that whenever it sits by a U or a W they say 'Ow!')

Also, if you do watch TV or movies, put the subtitles on all the time. I actually know a lovely lady from mexico who taught her self to speak and read english in this way.



W.O.F. -> RE: Teaching you child to read (5/26/2008 7:23:58 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Jenny-Fair

As usual, I mostly agree with WOF. However, having dealt with a late reader, one of the problems is that books on their reading level are totally cheesy and unenjoyable for them. So what we did was picked a book that would be a fun story for Nate, and then we read it together--he would read the words he could, and I would either give him some phonics info or read words that were too far ahead for him. So basically we both read the book out loud. Along the way he learned some rules (O is a naughty letter-don't you notice that whenever it sits by a U or a W they say 'Ow!')

Also, if you do watch TV or movies, put the subtitles on all the time. I actually know a lovely lady from Mexico who taught her self to speak and read English in this way.

true about the cheesy and unenjoyable for the most part. I was thinking more along the lines of history books or travel books (you know books about countries, etc).....not so much story books. Even some children's magazines are helpful...such as Highlights, which has several reading levels in it (from pre-readers to about grade 5).....
My oldest son was not a late reader..just not a good one...we picked out a wishbone book and we read it together...one page at a time at first...then soon we were able to do 2 to 3 pages...and soon it was a whole chapter.

The key is...read read read together...and review those phonics...and make it as enjoyable and do like Jenny-fair said...learn those "funny" rules that make reading our language so weird!

I like the subtitle idea as well...one thing to try with that is to take a movie he already knows (like one you own) and turn off the sound...and "make" him read it as it goes along. He knows the basic story, and probably some of the dialog.....but it will help him a lot.

I also want to point out that when I was talking about books on his reading level..I was thinking back to my oldest boy...he had a younger sister that he actually read those books to...so it wasn't for "him"...it was for her. If your son does not have younger siblings...does he have younger cousins, or do you have friends who have younger children who might enjoy those cheesy books? It is amazing how reading for little kids can boost a child's reading confidence.



Szaftoo -> RE: Teaching you child to read (5/26/2008 10:59:03 AM)

Have you checked with your school district to see what help they can provide? The district I work for has many different programs and tutoring available and they don't cost anything.



Beck34 -> RE: Teaching you child to read (5/26/2008 10:59:22 AM)

I am so excited to try some of these ideas! I really think he might enjoy them. He does have sme brothers that are younger than him that he could read to. We have an extensive library of book here at home, and I may try some of the more advanced books that we have.
I have also found a terrific website called starfall.com that really seems to get him intrested in learnng.



woodwind228 -> RE: Teaching you child to read (5/26/2008 12:05:21 PM)

I just recently discovered starfall too - great site. If you have computer games that focus on reading, that might help too.



Row1 -> RE: Teaching you child to read (5/27/2008 9:31:46 AM)

i think you need to get more info from someone who specializes in this area. myself, i can't see how an articulation disorder would directly interfere with reading level.

speech therapists identify the articulation problem, then train people to overcome the articulation problem. people with articulation problems generally do not have drastic problems like being three grades behind in reading level.

who came up with this diagnosis? what kind of assessment was done? was his reading ability tested only with verbal responses? or did they have him write responses and indicate/point/circle correct choices from a range of choices, like a multiple choice question? i am sure this was done, but has hearing been tested?



Room2Grow -> RE: Teaching you child to read (5/27/2008 11:45:46 AM)

Something else I would *highly* recommend is teaching blends (ie bl makes the "ble" sound, not the bbb- lll-- sound-)- this can help a lot with fluency which can boost confidence. Another thing that can help a lot is "chunking" or sounding out words in pieces rather than letter by letter- ie something is some/thing rather than each letter, caterpillar is cat/er/pill/ar rather than each letter- both of these strategies will make it much easier for him and are life-long skills. I have worked with learning disabled children who were able to master these skills and boost reading levels.



Beck34 -> RE: Teaching you child to read (6/8/2008 3:23:34 PM)

I was a little upset when I read that his articulation disorder had nothing to do with his reading level because that is what I have been told. This is also written up in his evaluation from the school. This paperwork was also submitted to the state of Alabama in order to approve him for additional help! He has been at his biological mother's house for the past week so I haven't had a chance to work with him, but I will next week. He lives primarily with me and his father so we are the ones that are handling his education because she just doesn't care about that.
Another thing that I have noticed is that when he gets upset or excited, he has a hard time forming his thoughts into words. Any suggestions in that area?



sen10tious -> RE: Teaching you child to read (6/8/2008 9:03:17 PM)

Could you explain a bit about what kind of reading problems you have noticed? An articulation disorder certainly would affect reading aloud. It may or may not have much to do with comprehension when reading silently. Has the school been focusing mostly on having him read aloud? Does he seem to sort-of know the basic sounds letters are supposed to represent but lacks experience at putting them together? Hopefully he has been given some good instruction at school and now just needs a lot of practice.

By fourth grade, it becomes more important that the student can understand what they read silently. If you have the time to read to him and can check to see that his eyes are following along with the words, that is great. One next-best way to give him a lot of practice is to have him read a book and listen to it on tape/CD at the same time. It is also easy for a kid to cheat themselves and just listen to the story; but if he has a willing attitude and realizes the importance of following along and reading so that he sees what is being said, eventually things will begin to click. His eye muscles will get used to tracing the left to right line without losing the place, he’ll notice how punctuation marks affect phrasing, he’ll have new and unfamiliar words pronounced correctly for him, and most importantly, the train-of-thought keeps moving so that he won’t have struggled so much by the time he reached the second paragraph that he'd have forgotten what he just read in the first.

quote:

Another thing that I have noticed is that when he gets upset or excited, he has a hard time forming his thoughts into words. Any suggestions in that area?
You mean other than telling him to keep calm and take a deep breath? I think some of that will be self-correcting with maturity, but if there are any children’s drama clubs or theater troupes he’d be interested in joining, public speaking practice really can be helpful. If there are not any, could you organize and direct a children’s play at your church?



Beck34 -> RE: Teaching you child to read (6/10/2008 3:35:54 AM)

Part of the problem is that when he reads, he guesses what the word is by the first sound of the word instead of trying to sound it out. Another problem that he has is that he skips over words that he doesn't know even when he reads silently. He comprehends the story okay, he is just having a hard time getting past sounding out the words that he doesn't know. He is very impatient in this.[&:]



sen10tious -> RE: Teaching you child to read (6/10/2008 9:01:27 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Beck34

Part of the problem is that when he reads, he guesses what the word is by the first sound of the word instead of trying to sound it out. Another problem that he has is that he skips over words that he doesn't know even when he reads silently. He comprehends the story okay, he is just having a hard time getting past sounding out the words that he doesn't know. He is very impatient in this.[&:]

In that case, try emphasizing the chunking method suggested earlier. Sometimes, especially when kids are taught in reading in a classroom or group setting, the earlier phonics concepts get more emphasis than some of the later ones. It would be natural for a teacher to stress learning beginning sounds until everyone in the group knew them, but then to move on when most kids are reading the whole words.

Without working with your son personally, I couldn’t know if this is the case, but I’ll just throw this story out there because it illustrates how some personality types create their own learning problems, even when their intelligence is fine—
One of the hardest tutoring cases I’ve come across was a little girl who rigidly held to what she had already learned, holes and all. Whenever I tried to explain the new-to-her concepts to fill in the gaps, she’d insist that wasn’t the way her teacher at school did it. => So I was wondering if maybe just one time, a teacher told your son to skip a word he didn’t know, and that idea 'took hold' and now he thinks it is okay to skip?

One thing I’ve found, especially among the 8-10 age group of poor readers, is that their brain may have matured more slowly; so while they are smart enough, they missed out on a couple years of the practice reading that mainstream readers would have had. It is understandable that some of these kids would get impatient and want to give up. Your role becomes even more important. If he was struggling to read one page in the same amount of class time that others read five pages, then they were exposed to five times more words. It will take practice to catch up.

Based on your description of his problem, I’d suggest you spend between 5 to 10 minutes a day practicing chunking, looking at word endings, reviewing vocabulary from common words he missed before, and then spend another half-hour reading to him with him following along. If he is reading along at the normal speed of speech, he’ll be seeing and hearing a lot more words in context than if he were trying to sound it all out on his own. You can test to make sure he is following along by stopping a time or two on each page and having him read the next word.



crazedmom -> RE: Teaching you child to read (6/10/2008 11:05:08 AM)

I'm not sure if this program would work, but thought I'd throw it out there. We have found Hooked on Phonics to be very good. Now, Walmart is even selling it per grade level. Of course, you can look online to or on ebay. It's very thorough and may bridge some gaps.



Beck34 -> RE: Teaching you child to read (6/16/2008 2:07:07 AM)

I am beginning to work through one of his favorite books. He reads it aloud, and help him to sound out the words that he doesn't know. This usually lasts f about a couple of paragraphs, and then he gets fed up with it. I am trying, but he is so impatient! I don't want to give up, but this is really hard! Please pray for us.



nicole6598 -> RE: Teaching you child to read (6/16/2008 2:41:50 AM)

I agree that it is not only his articulation that is stopping his reading or spelling, that would only really affect him when he is reading aloud as in your head you aren't talking, so he is having problems working out sounds and how to read them and put them together PLUS he has a speech difficulty. Does he get speech therapy?
Any good literacy programme will include phonics, rhyme and syllables (chunking). Those are what you start with. So if he is lacking the ability to read say "hospital" you need to work on things like syllables, so when I am teaching kids to read (I teach 5-8yr olds) we clap the word so we would clap each time there was a syllable for so hos-pit-al so there would be 3 claps. Then we play games, so we would clap how many syllables are in the kids' names, or go through a little poem and work out how much each word has, then make a list of one-syllable words, 2 and so on. You could try picking out some words from maybe a paragraph from his story and doing that, clapping together and then getting him to put them in a list.

Reading is hard, you really have to have a good programme as I said. We have an awesome one where I teach which goes through all of those rules that people mentioned. Did you know "a" makes 5 sounds? so when a child knows that in "was" the "a" is making an "o" sound, it is easier for them to read and then spell too. I don't believe in blending, if you have phonics, you don't need to "teach" blending words as they will already know that "b" and "l" together is going to "bl". And don't get me started on Seseme Street!! I wish they would teach phonics and not the NAME of the letters, that does nothing to teach children how to read or write except if they need to find something alphabetically, which you teach them AFTER they know the sound that "A" makes.
Praying you and your sons teachers can find a solution.
Try and make it fun, and different, and if he is getting uptight, take a break and try the next day, and give him lots of praise for any little bit he may do.



Jenny-Fair -> RE: Teaching you child to read (6/16/2008 9:30:09 AM)

quote:

that would only really affect him when he is reading aloud as in your head you aren't talking

Actually, that isn't true for everyone. There are some of us who subarticulate. What that means is that when I am reading silently, my vocal chords do actually move as if I were speaking, and I can hear the book. I had no idea that the way I read was not normal until a college prof informed me that I was strange on yet another count, lol. The OP's son may not subarticulate, but I thought you should know that it's possible.[;)]

To the OP-make sure you keep it relaxed, but it sounds like you are doing well. Keep at it!



kb4good -> RE: Teaching you child to read (6/16/2008 1:23:13 PM)

My suggestion would be to check with your local library. Our library has a Summer Reading Program with lots of incentives for reading lots of books and some fun programs to attend. My kids grew up being involved every summer. They would read 50 or more kids books every summer. If he could find some fun and incentives with reading, it may help his motivation. Also, in the winter, we made a red and green chains out of construction paper. Each child had a chain. We wrote on each link the title of a book which was read. It was a lot of fun to see the chains get longer and it gave them a visual of their accomplishments. We've also made fall colored leaves with completed book titles on them which we put up around the house. I would find some basic but short books which he would be interested in and give him some easy and immediate successes. Speak with the librarian and she could help you find some appropriate books for him.

Hope some of this helps.



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