Practicum 3
Thursday, March 20, 2014
In the Classroom
I have been observing in a fifth grade classroom in Hurlock Elementary School. This has been a very educational and interesting experience. One of the things that I love and plan to implement at my own school is reading enrichment. Three afternoons per week students switch classrooms. They go to an enrichment group where they work on the specific reading skills they need to practice. I have been in Mrs. Rickwood's classroom, where her students are working on decoding multi-syllabic words. Mrs. Rickwood helped create the curriculum she is using, and it is great! I have really learned a lot and enjoyed watching her teach these phonics lessons!
Monday, March 17, 2014
SEA Data Table
Reading is complex. It requires
combining several skills at one time. Reading involves phonemic awareness,
phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Trying to determine which of
these reading skills a child needs to work on can be very challenging. When a
child struggles to learn to read, it can be very difficult to uncover the cause
of the struggle. There are many different diagnostic reading assessments that
can help with this challenging task. Because there are so many potential
assessments, teachers must evaluate the various options to determine which
assessment will be the most useful. In this paper, we will examine five of the
prospective assessments and evaluate how they would be most effective.
SIT
The first diagnostic reading assessment that I researched
was the Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT). This test is intended to assess verbal
skills and abilities. The test includes 187 questions that cover six cognitive
domains: vocabulary, general information, similarities and differences,
comprehension, quantitative memory, and auditory memory. It is used to help
determine a verbal IQ. This test is easy to administer and score. The SIT can
be used with all ages. It is useful in diagnosing learning disabilities as well
as giftedness. One benefit of this test is that it can be administered to
individuals with disabilities such as blindness or orthopedic disabilities. One
potential weakness of this assessment is its use of academic terminology. This
could potentially cause the test to be biased. Those who have had more formal
education would be expected to score higher. While this test should not be the
sole assessment in determining a child’s reading level, it can be very helpful
in identifying his verbal strengths and abilities.
SORT
Another useful diagnostic reading assessment is the
Slosson Oral Reading Test (SORT). This assessment is used to evaluate word
recognition using sets of 20 words. There are a total of 200 words in the test.
The SORT can be used for pre-primer through high school levels. It only takes
3-5 minutes to administer and score this assessment. The administrator would
simply allow the student to read the words in each list until they are no
longer able to correctly read any of the words. To score this assessment, the
administrator would count the number of words read correctly and match that
list to an equivalent grade level. This test is reliable, quick, and has
features for the impaired. However, it does not test for word meaning,
comprehension, or fluency. There is also no way to use the SORT for progress
monitoring, because there is only one set of leveled word lists. Therefore,
like the SIT, this assessment should be used in combination with observations
and other diagnostic reading assessments.
BRI
The Basic Reading Inventory (BRI) is a test that assesses
several reading skills. When taking this assessment, the child would begin by
reading word lists similarly to the SORT. When the child misreads six or more
words in the list, he reaches what the BRI refers to as “frustration level.” At
this time, the administrator would move to the next type of assessment, leveled
passages. The child would be assessed on fluency, accuracy, vocabulary, and
comprehension during this part of the assessment. Once the assessment is
scored, the administrator will have the child’s independent, instructional, and
frustration level of reading. The BRI also provides suggested interventions
based on the results of the assessments. Another great feature of the BRI is
progress monitoring. There are three sets of leveled word lists and passages.
This allows the student to be reassessed using the same type of test in order
to monitor progress. This is a very useful assessment, but it does not assess
phonemic awareness, which is a fundamental reading skill.
WADT
Wepman’s Auditory Discrimination Test (WADT) is a
wonderful example of a phonemic awareness assessment. The administrator of the
WADT reads pairs of words aloud, and the child indicates whether the words have
the same sounds or different sounds. The test consists of forty pairs of words.
Poor scores on the WADT typically indicate that the child will have a hard time
learning to read, and reading interventions should be considered. While poor
scores often indicate potential disabilities such as dyslexia, they could also
be the result of hearing impairment, poor listening or attention problems. This
assessment is a good early indicator of possible reading struggles, but it is
only recommended for use with children between the ages of four and eight.
PAR
The Predictive Assessment of Reading (PAR) is the final
reading assessment that I researched. This assessment should be administered by
the child’s teacher. It is intended to be used as a screening and diagnostic
tool. The PAR assesses a child’s phonemic awareness, letter identification and
high frequency single word identification, rapid naming, fluency, and vocabulary.
This assessment helps the teacher identify the specific cause of a reading
deficit, and it provides recommendations for intervention. This assessment is
recommended for students in kindergarten through the third grade. While this is
a very thorough and useful assessment, it is also the most expensive of the
five assessments.
All of the assessments that I researched had benefits and
uses. The SIT can be used to determine a child’s verbal skills and abilities.
The SORT is useful in determining a child’s ability to recognize and decode
words. The WADT can be used to diagnose problems with auditory discrimination.
The BRI and PAR both help to pinpoint the specific reading skills that a child
is struggling with, and they provide plans for instruction. The most important
thing to remember is no single assessment should be used to settle on a child’s
reading level and placement. Teachers should use a combination of different
assessments and observations of the child to determine placement and plans for
intervention.
Reading
Diagnostic Tests
SIT
Slosson Intelligence Test
|
SORT
Slosson Oral Reading Test
|
BRI
Basic Reading Inventory
|
PAR
Predictive Assessment of Reading
|
WADT
Wepman’s Auditory Discrimination Test
|
|
Purpose
|
-Oral assessment of verbal skills
-Can
be used as part of a diagnostic test for learning disabilities
|
-Evaluates
word recognition skills
-Useful
in finding a child’s reading level
|
-Evaluates
several reading skills
-Provides
information for instructional decision making in reading
|
-Evaluates
several reading skills including: phonological awareness, letter recognition,
and vocabulary
-Diagnoses
a child’s strengths and weaknesses with reading
|
-Identifies
children who struggle with auditory discrimination or phonemic awareness
-Can
be used to diagnose students who will struggle to learn to read
|
Strengths
|
-Easy
to administer and score
-Features
for the impaired
|
-Reliable
-Quick
-Features
for the impaired
|
-Easy
to use
-Progress
monitoring (3 forms)
-Suggests
instructional strategies
-Targets
student needs
|
-Assesses
multiple reading skills in one test
-Determines
the specific cause of a reading deficit
-Recommends
a plan for intervention
|
-Quick
and easy to administer and score
-Economical
|
Weaknesses
|
-May
be biased due to the use of academic questions
|
-Does
not assess comprehension or fluency
-No
progress monitoring (only one form)
|
-Suggested
grade level may not align with other assessments
|
-Expensive
-Only
available in large numbers
|
-Low
scores may be inaccurate if the child has a hearing impairment, poor
listening, or attention problems
|
Appropriateness
|
-Can
be used with all ages to assess verbal IQ
|
-Can
be used with Pre-Primer through High School to assess word recognition skills
|
-Can
be used with Pre-Primer through High School To assess their current reading
level
|
-Can
be used with children in grades K-3 to assess current reading level and
predict future reading levels
|
-Can
be used with 4-8 year olds to diagnose potential learning disabilities
|
References
Why
Should You Choose PAR as Your RTI screener/RTI Assessment?
(2012). Child’s Mind
Johns, J. (2012). Basic Reading Inventory (11th ed.). Dubuque, IA: Kendall
Hunt Publishing
Company.
McKechnie, J., & Bradley, E. (2001). Test Review: Slosson Intelligence Test
Revised (SIT-R).
Slosson
Oral Reading Test (2012). Retrieved on March 5, 2014 from:
Western Psychological Services. (1987). Wepman’s Auditory Discrimination Test,
Second
Edition.
Retrieved on March 5, 2014 from:
Critique of 5 Instructional Materials
There are thousands of
instructional materials available for teaching reading. These materials serve
many purposes from teaching curriculum to review games. Some are geared toward
beginning readers, and others challenge advanced readers. Instructional reading
materials can range in price from hundreds of dollars to completely free. In
this paper I will critique five instructional reading materials based on their
usefulness, targeted reading level and cost.
Printable
Leveled Readers from Reading A-Z
Reading A-Z is a website that offers printable leveled
readers. There are hundreds of books to choose from. Each book comes with a
chart explaining the appropriate age and grade level for the book as well as
the Lexile, DRA, Reading Recovery, and Fountas & Pinnell levels. The
available books range from Preschool through Fifth grade. A few books in each
level are marked as “benchmark” books, and there are a variety of both fiction
and non-fiction books available. The books can be printed and put together,
projected onto a SmartBoard, or downloaded onto e-readers. There are lesson
plans that correspond to each book. These include worksheets that can be
printed and/or projected onto a SmartBoard with vocabulary, word work,
comprehension, discussion group questions, and assessments. Reading A-Z could
be used as a classroom curriculum or as a supplement for reading enrichment or
tutoring purposes.
Reading A-Z books and lesson plans can be found at http://www.readinga-z.com.
There are a few free printable books available, and teachers can sign up for a
free trial period. If a teacher decides to use Reading A-Z the cost for the
complete curriculum is $99.95/ 1 year. This is a significant amount of money to
spend on supplemental reading materials, but it could be used as a classroom
curriculum. The potential to print each student a copy of the book and the
worksheets, and also be able to project the book and worksheets on the
SmartBoard make this product very useful in the classroom. However, the
additional time and cost of printing all of the books should also be taken into
consideration. Reading A-Z has a lot to offer for teachers and tutors who have
the resources to print, project, or download the materials.
Syllable
Whiteboards
Mrs. Rickwood, my mentor teacher, teaches a phonics
reading enrichment class in the afternoon. One of the materials her students
use every day during that time is 3” x 5” whiteboards. Whenever a child comes
to a word that they cannot sound out, they use these whiteboards to break the
word into syllables. They begin by counting the vowels in the word in order to
decide how many boards they will need. Each vowel is written on its own board.
They then look at the consonants around each vowel and decide which board to
put the consonants on. They read each syllable individually as they touch the
board. Then they sweep their fingers beneath the boards and put the syllables
together to read the multisyllabic word. From observing Mrs. Rickwood during
her phonics enrichment time, I have seen how very effective the use of the
boards can be.
Zykerra, the child I am working with is in a fluency
enrichment group instead of Mrs. Rickwood’s phonics group. Mrs. Rickwood
allowed me to borrow a few of the syllable boards to use with Zykerra during
one of our tutoring sessions. I asked Zykerra to read the poem “Jabberwocky”
which is filled with multisyllabic nonsense words. In the first stanza, Zykerra
really struggled to decode the nonsense words. I followed Mrs. Rickwood’s method
of using the boards, and Zykerra was able to successfully break the nonsense
words down into syllables and then put the word back together. After using the
syllable boards with a few words, Zykerra was able to start decoding the
nonsense words without the need of the boards.
Syllable whiteboards are a wonderful tool. Mrs. Rickwood
says she has had the same ones for years. Unfortunately, I was not able to find
a place that sells this size of whiteboards, but I asked Mrs. Rickwood where
she bought hers. She said she bought a big sheet of whiteboard at Lowes and
they cut it for her into the size she wanted. I found at http://www.homedepot.com that a 32 square ft. sheet of white board can
be purchased at Home Depot for only $13.38, and an employee there can cut the
sheet at no additional expense. Dry erase markers can be purchased at Walmart,
Staples, Office Depot, and tons of other stores for only a few dollars. In my
opinion, syllable whiteboards are an inexpensive and useful instructional
material for teaching reading.
Starfall.com
There are a lot of apps and websites that can be used to
encourage reading. Starfall.com is one of my favorites. Starfall.com is an
educational website. It has fun songs and games to teach phonics. It also has
leveled stories for children to read. The leveled readers are great. Each story
focuses on a phonics rule. If the child who is reading cannot figure out a
word, he can click on the word, and the computer will sound out the word and
read it to the child. Startfall.com is useful for preschool through first
grade. The only thing I do not like about Starfall.com is that it does not have
anything for more advanced readers. It could be used during learning centers
time in a classroom. Students love it because of the songs, games, and fun
stories. Teachers and parents love it because children can play and read
without needing help from an adult. While a membership can be purchased to open
more games and activities, many of the activities and stories are free.
Sight-word
Ring
Sight-word rings are another tool that Mrs. Rickwood uses
in her classroom. Mrs. Rickwood simply purchased binder rings and cut cardstock
into 2”x 2” squares. She has her students write sight words or vocabulary words
on the cards, and uses a hole punch to attach the cards to the ring. Every
student in her class has a sight-word ring. They can attach their ring to the
inside of a binder or they can put it on a belt loop or lanyard. Mrs. Rickwood
gives them time to choose a partner and drill each other on their words, or
they can go over their words on their own if they have extra time. This is a
great alternative to flashcards because the ring helps students keep all of the
cards together. The weakness of this idea is if a student loses his ring, he
loses all of his words as well. I looked on http://www.staples.com,
and 16 binder rings can be purchased for $3.49. Staples also sells packages of
50 sheets of cardstock for $9.99. These purchases could be made at the
beginning of the school year, and could last and be used all year. They would
be great for all ages and reading levels as well.
Common
Syllable Cards
Many children feel overwhelmed when they see
multisyllabic words. They may have a good understanding of phonics, but when
they see a big word they do not know how to break it down into smaller, easier
to read chunks. Zykerra, the child I am tutoring, struggles with decoding multisyllabic
words. In an effort to help Zykerra recognize that big words are made up of
small syllables, I gave her cards with common syllables printed on them. I
found a chart of the most common syllables at http://www.teacher.scholastic.com/reading/syllabication.pdf.
I printed the chart onto cardstock and cut the syllables into individual cards.
I gave Zykerra the cards and we played a game where we tried to make
multisyllabic words by putting the cards together. This activity helped Zykerra
recognize that she can easily read multisyllabic words because they are made up
of small syllables that she already knows. This instructional material was
free. The chart was free to print, and I already had a piece of cardstock. Syllable
cards could be used with beginning readers all the way to upper elementary
students.
As I have researched instructional reading materials, I
have found that teachers could potentially spend their life’s savings on
materials such as books, curriculums, apps, flashcards, and games. However,
there are tons of free and inexpensive instructional materials available.
Luckily, there are many veteran teachers, like Mrs. Rickwood, who are happy to
share their creativity and ideas with new teachers. Mrs. Rickwood has shared
with me tons of inexpensive, creative, and useful instructional materials for
teaching reading, that I am sure will be invaluable as I take them to use in my
own classroom.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
How Children Learn to Read
One of the most
important skills a child can learn is how to read. It is a key to
successfully functioning in today’s society. Reading is necessary
for everyday tasks such as following road signs, following a recipe,
or filling out a job application. Reading builds cognitive skills and
opens up a world of information. Once a child can read, they can
learn about any subject that interests them! Learning to read may
sound like a simple task, but it actually requires performing many
different skills simultaneously. Reading involves phonemic awareness,
phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Each of these
separate skills and concepts must be taught and practiced in order
for a child to become a reader.
By
the time children enter a classroom, they have already developed many
basic literacy skills. So many things that parents do with their
child help to guide and develop emerging literacy. As parents speak
to their baby, they teach him about oral communication. As the child
recognizes different sounds, he begins to develop phonemic awareness.
When the child begins connecting meanings with words, he builds his
vocabulary. As parents read bedtime stories to their children, they
introduce the concept of written language. All of these skills build
the foundation for their child to learn how to read. (Collins &
Koralek, 2013).
My mother is an
elementary school librarian. She loves to read and has instilled that
love in me. Upon hearing that I was going to have a baby, she filled
an entire shelf with books for her future granddaughter. Long before
my daughter could sit up, I was reading books to her. At the time, I
was not thinking about the emergent literacy skills I was introducing
to her, I was simply spending quality time with my baby. As I look
back, I realize that I was introducing my daughter to the world of
written language and establishing a love for reading.
All
of the language skills that children acquire through play and day to
day life will provide the foundation for the instruction they receive
in school. Phonemic awareness is one of the first things that
children will learn during reading instruction. The purpose of
teaching children about phonemic awareness is to help them recognize
that words are made of small units of sound. While this understanding
will be natural and easy for some, it will be very challenging for
others. Assessing phonemic awareness is one way teachers can detect
possible reading difficulties such as dyslexia. Children who struggle
with reading because of disabilities such as dyslexia will greatly
benefit from an intensive focus of phonemic awareness before working
on the other skills necessary for reading (May, 2006).
Phonics
is the first thing most people think of when they want to teach
someone to read. Phonics is the understanding that letters represent
different sounds. When those sounds are put together, they make words
(Five Essential Components of Reading, 2008). According to the
National Reading Panel (2014), “Kindergarteners who receive
systematic beginning phonics instruction read better than other
children.” When my daughter was in kindergarten, she created an
alphabet notebook. Each day in school they would learn all about a
letter. For example, when they learned the letter “p”, they
played I Spy to look for things with the letter “P”. They played
with pink Play-Doh, and they painted purple polka dots on pink pigs.
When she came home, her homework was to search her house for things
that started with that letter. We stuck pony, princess, and pirate
stickers into the notebook. We glued in pieces of pasta and pictures
of pots and pans. My daughter loved learning the different letters
and their sounds. These fun activities built the foundation for her
ability to read today.
Another
key component of reading is vocabulary. A child can have a great
understanding of phonics, but if he does not know the meaning of the
words, he will never become a successful reader. Vocabulary can be
taught with instruction. By providing students with a word, its
pronunciation, and its meaning, children can learn new vocabulary.
When new words are introduced, children need many opportunities to
use the new word. Vocabulary can be practiced by using the word in
sentences and matching definitions with new words. Vocabulary is most
often built through our experiences. The more opportunities children
have to experience new things, the easier it will be for them to
build a strong vocabulary (Ruddell, 2006).
Vocabulary
is necessary for understanding. My daughter recently learned this
when she read a short story called, “A Song in the Night.” The
story was about the “woes” of the Underground Railroad. My
daughter thought that the word “woe” meant the same thing as
“Whoa!” The meaning of this one word changed the expectations
that she held for the story. As she read, she expected to find
excitement and adventure. Instead, the story focused on hardships. My
daughter's teacher recognized her confusion and was able to teach her
the new vocabulary. My daughter already understood the concept of
hardships and sorrow, therefore, her teacher simply explained the new
vocabulary term that stood for the concept.
Fluency
is another essential component of reading. Fluency refers to a
reader’s rate, accuracy, and expression. The goal of fluency is to
be able to read in the same way you would speak. This skill should be
modeled by teachers often. Before a child can develop this skill,
they must first have a good grasp of phonics and vocabulary. When a
child struggles with fluency, he will most likely struggle with
understanding as well. Teachers can help their students become more
fluent readers by allowing them to reread favorite stories, providing
books that are below their instructional reading level, or allowing
them to practice reading a passage before they read it aloud in a
reader's theater (Johns, 2012).
The
final essential component of reading is comprehension. Comprehension,
or understanding what was read, is the ultimate goal for reading.
However, without phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, and
fluency, comprehension would never be possible. Comprehension
involves more than simply sounding out the words. It is more than
understanding the words on the page. Comprehension means
understanding the words and then using prior knowledge and personal
judgment to grasp the meaning and purpose of the passage.
Comprehension is a very complex skill. It requires asking questions,
making predictions and setting goals before reading the text. As a
person decodes the text using his knowledge of phonics, and word
recognition, he must simultaneously decipher meaning from the words.
Further still, reading comprehension requires “reading between the
lines,” or understanding what is inferred as well as what is
written explicitly (Texas Education Agency, 2002).
Reading
requires using a complex combination of skills. Learning to read
requires time and dedication. However, it is one of the most
important skills a child can master. The ability to read unlocks a
world of knowledge. Today my daughter is seven and reading at a
seventh grade level. She is doing great in school, and she has strong
self-esteem. Some nights I fear I have created a monster when I check
on her late at night and she is hiding still awake with a book under
her covers. But I am thrilled that she loves to read! My daughter’s
success in reading is the result of many people who have patiently
bestowed in her the skills she needed to become the reader she is
today. My mother and I may have modeled a love for reading, but
without her teachers, who have given her the skills she needed, she
would not have reached her full potential.
References
Collins,
R. & Koralek, D. (2013). How Most Children Learn to Read. Reading
Rockets.
Retrieved
on January 24, 2014, from: http://www.readingrockets.org/article/386
The
Five Essential Components of Reading. (2008). K12Reader.
Retrieved on January 24, 2014
May,
T. S. (2013). Dissecting Dyslexia. Reading
Rockets. Retrieved
on January 22, 2014 from:
Johns,
J. L. (2012). Basic
Reading Inventory.
Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt.
Ruddell,
R. (2006). Teaching
Children To Read and Write. Boston:
Pearson.
Teaching
Children to Read. (2014). National
Reading Panel. Retrieved
on January 26, 2014
Texas
Education Agency. What Research Tells Us About Reading,
Comprehension, and
Comprehension Instruction.(2002). Reading
Rockets. Retrieved
on January 24, 2014
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Logan
Logan
Logan was a struggling reader in the second grade. Luckily, he received an early intervention. A teacher worked with him on word recognition and decoding. In the middle of third grade, his teacher gave him the Basic Reading Inventory, and it showed that he had clearly made progress. According to his test results, his word recognition and comprehension were both above grade level. His only notable struggle was with fluency and rate. The Basic Reading Inventory gives suggestions for readers like Logan. By encouraging Logan to read material that will be easy and interesting for him, he can build fluency. He can reread books he enjoys, or read children's books aloud in younger grades. Allowing Logan opportunities to practice passages before reading them aloud will help him build confidence and fluency.
Logan was a struggling reader in the second grade. Luckily, he received an early intervention. A teacher worked with him on word recognition and decoding. In the middle of third grade, his teacher gave him the Basic Reading Inventory, and it showed that he had clearly made progress. According to his test results, his word recognition and comprehension were both above grade level. His only notable struggle was with fluency and rate. The Basic Reading Inventory gives suggestions for readers like Logan. By encouraging Logan to read material that will be easy and interesting for him, he can build fluency. He can reread books he enjoys, or read children's books aloud in younger grades. Allowing Logan opportunities to practice passages before reading them aloud will help him build confidence and fluency.
Article Summary
This is a summary and review of the article "Dissecting Dyslexia" by Thomas S. May.
You can also see my Prezi by clicking on this link :) Dyslexia Prezi
Summary
The
article “Dissecting Dyslexia” by Thomas S. May is filled with
fascinating results from scientific studies. The studies May
described in this article were all performed with the goal of
uncovering a genetic or anatomical cause for dyslexia. Scientists
believed they would be able to find a genetic cause for dyslexia
because it often runs in families. The purpose for uncovering the
cause of dyslexia is to then discover how it can be treated.
The
first study that Mays describes was published in 2005. In the study,
a research team worked with 153 families with dyslexic children. The
study uncovered that reading ability is linked to the DCDC2 gene
found on chromosome 6. The children in this study who had severe
reading difficulties were missing this section of DNA. Further tests
revealed that this missing section of DNA resulted in altered brain
structure and function. People with dyslexia do not use the same
region of their brain when reading as non-dyslexic readers. They use
a portion of their brain that is typically not used for reading.
Once
researchers uncovered the cause of dyslexia, they began studying how
to help individuals with this disability. Mays next described a study
where researchers worked with dyslexic children intensively for a
sixteen week period. During the first eight weeks, the training
focused on phonological awareness. For the second eight weeks, the
focus switched to word recognition, comprehension, and fluency.
Testing revealed improvements in reading ability, but perhaps even
more fascinating was the difference that was observed in the
children’s brain function. The brain functions actually changed to
resemble those of non-dyslexic people. Through intensive focus on
reading skills, the children were able to “rewire” their brains!
Brain
research shows that much growth and development occurs in the first
few years of life. Therefore, the earlier dyslexia is diagnosed, and
the sooner the child receives training, the better the chances are
that they will be able to completely rewire their brains.
Reflection
I
found this article fascinating! I was first astounded that scientists
were able to locate the precise gene that caused dyslexia. I also am
amazed that they could prove that the missing gene resulted in an
altered brain structure and function. This means that by examining
DNA or by using magnetic source imaging of the brain, doctors could
diagnose babies with dyslexia. This early detection could then lead
to early intervention. While intervention at any age might be
effective, the effectiveness is greatly increased when the
intervention is early.
As
an educator, I also was fascinated with the method of intervention.
The retraining of the brain involved focusing first on phonological
awareness. This is the understanding that letters represent different
sounds. The children in the study were 8 and 9 year olds. This means
they would have already been to school and in reading programs. Yet,
the method of teaching reading had not been effective for them. The
problem was that their brains were not wired to recognize letters and
connect those letters to sounds. Through focusing on this fundamental
skill intensively for eight weeks, the children were able to build
the connection that was missing.
As
an educator, the ability to diagnose dyslexia can be the source of
answers and solutions. If a child I am tutoring is dyslexic, I will
know the reason for his struggles. This means I will know to begin
with activities that will build phonological awareness. Asking a
child to read when they do not know how to connect the symbols they
see on the page with the sounds they represent will cause nothing but
frustration. Regardless of the age or grade of the child, if he is
truly dyslexic, we must begin with the fundamental skill of
phonological awareness. This knowledge can give me the confidence to
work on the skills that I know will help the dyslexic child make
connections and become a fluent reader.
I
have a child in my class who I fear may suffer from dyslexia. While
she has not been diagnosed, she struggles horribly with reading. As I
read about how dyslexic children do not process the symbols they see
on a page in the same way non-dyslexic children do, I became more
convinced that this is her struggle. This article gave me the answer
of how to help this child. It also gave me hope that with the right
training, she can become a fluent reader.
While
dyslexia is a genetic disorder, it can be overcome with the right
training. The human brain is incredible. Its plasticity is
remarkable. The results of the studies in this article give hope to
teachers, parents, and students. Now that a treatment for dyslexia is
known to work, the diagnosis does not have to be a life sentence of
illiteracy. With early intervention, dyslexia can be conquered!
References
May, T.S. (2006).
Dissecting Dyslexia. Reading
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