Need Ideas for Teaching My Son to Spell and Read.

S.,

My daughter, who just finished first grade yesterday, had some real challenges with reading, spelling, and sight recognition. She is my second and my who is older, 12, is a straight A student. My view is that kids at her age learn at different rates and different speeds. Her math skills are exceptional, but the reading was much slower. First, I spent more time doing her homework with her and doing extra assignments, but was still worried about her progress. What I wound up doing was taking her to Sylvan Learning. I still do a lot of work with her, but I have found their program to be great. She improved so much that her first grade teacher said she will have no problems when she get to second grade. She's going to go through Summer to continue to build her confidence. It's not inexpensive, but was well worth it. Good luck.

I know that when my son first started first grade this year hs teacher suggested that we go to starfall.com and let him do some stuff on there. We never could cause we had an extremely slow computer but my mom who is a teacher herself said the website was amazing, I will also ask my mom and see if she has any more advise for you. What city do you live in and what school district does your son attend?

Who has tested your sons for learning disabilities? If the school has, I would go to a psychologist and get him evaluated. Problems with reading and spelling is sometimes associated with dyslexia. My friends daughter had the same problem and the school kept on telling her that nothing was wrong. She was held back in 1st grade, and 2nd grade twice. Finally, she had enough and sought other help from a psychologist and they determined she had dyslexia (even though she could write in the correct order, which usually isn't associated with dyslexia). She's now in the 4th grade and get special help needed at school and doing GREAT!

The schools these days really aggravate me. Kids with ADHD don't get treated the way they should in school, and teacher don't have the patience for them most of the time. I feel for you on that deparmtent. My son is about to 5, just finishing up Pre K for the local schools and starting Kindergarten in the Fall. I believe he's starting to show signs of ADHD, so I'm preparing myself for that.

But, I would get other advice on it. It's better to find out now and get second opinions instead of waiting and him getting even more delayed.

Good luck.

S.~
I taught first grade for 3 years before staying home with my kids. First, I am so sorry that you and your son have had such a difficult time with reading and spelling. My advice for the summer is to read, read, read! I know it is probably the last thing he wants to do b/c it is such a struggle, but reading takes practice. It is very developmental, so things may not have clicked for him yet. It is also very important that you read aloud to him. It sounds strange, but this will help him gain more language skills. If you live in a city that has a summer reading club through the library, sign up for it. Plus, most libraries have lists of books separated by subjects and age ranges. Utilize these things to find books that might interest him. A great book for you to read and use as a resource is "Jim Trelease's Read-Aloud Handbook". He has great info and in the back is a treasury of read-aloud books divided by age range. Spend the summer fostering reading for pleasure and not stressing so much. I've heard Hooked on Phonics helps a lot, and also places like Sylvan or Kumon. I'd also like to suggest not using reading as a reward or punishment. You want to foster a love of reading in your child, not use it as a way to control his behavior. I completely don't agree with the other woman who suggested that you take that pleasure away from your son if he misbehaves. As a former teacher, that made me so sad to read! Good luck to you and your son - he will come through this and be just fine. The public school system does not have a great way of helping or diagnosing all learning problems, unfortunately. See if his teacher has any suggestions for you. Also, if there is a Reading Recovery teacher at his school, ask him/her for help. If you think he might possibly have dyslexia, Scottish Rite does some great testing for that. Unfortunately, most public schools won't address this before second or third grade b/c learning to read is so developmental. However, it needs to be addressed early on. I had a student who was dyslexic and struggled like your son. I feel so bad for you b/c I know Texas schools expect way too much of these kiddos at such a young age. Just keep reading to him and having him read. It'll click for him soon!

I too am a teacher but turned SAHM. My son is 2 1/2 and daughter recently born. I work with my son learning his abc's using manipulatives that he can see and touch. (If you want more on this let me know.) Also, the website www.starfall.com is a GREAT resource. If you work it with him he will get it. It is fun to play and free. My son knows all his letters and can identify them pretty well and is almost completely compitent in sounds. A little more and I'll have him reading in no time.
Just takes time and effort. Also, take him to the library once a week, make it a fun thing to read.
I sometimes tell my son that he can't read today if he misbehaves. Just as a threat, so that he sees it is rewarding to read. Just an idea.

I dont have any advice but I wanted to let you know you are not alone..... My 6yr old(soon to be 7) son has ADHD and just finished 1st grade for the first time. He did not "pass" 1st grade they are just "placing" him in 2nd grade. I wanted him to repeat the 1st grade because I just dont think he is ready for 2nd grade. He made C,D and F's all year and it has been a major struggle. He forgets words and even mixes up letters. I tried to tell the school that I did not want him to go to 2nd but they talked me out of it, told me that it would upset my son and he would not understand why he could not move on like his classmates. I am really concerned that once he gets to 2nd we are going to be in the same boat with grades and being behind all the other students. Keep your head up!!!! :)

Hi S.-
I am a "retired" teacher that is now a WAHM. There are different types of ways that children learn best and many schools only utilize one method- verbal. Is your son good in sports? When he was a baby, did he like to put things in his mouth? Did he or does he have a certain way he falls asleep?
I bet your son is a kinesthetic learner. AND, I believe many kids that are kinesthetic learners are misdiagnosed as ADHD (don't get me started there).
Here is a great site to look at:
http://www.usd.edu/trio/tut/ts/styleres.html
There is a ton of info on things and ways to help a kinesthetic learner.
Hope this helps a little.
R.

Sam's Club sells hooked on phonics programs by grades. You just read what it teaches and pick the one that fits your child's needs. Thirty dollars, if I recall correctly.

Hi S.,
I am only sharing what a lady shared with me...I have no personal experience with this but thought you may be interested in what she shared...you should get additional testing outside the school...Scottish Rite, southwest academy, somewhere other than the ISD your child attends just to confirm their results. It sounds to me there is an issue that is not being addressed. There seems to be a group of kids that fall through the cracks in the school system and this lady enrolled her child in Southwest Academy and it turned her child's academic career around. She had her attend for grades 3-8; now she is in public school again and doing very well in regular 9th. Some districts do not teach alpha phonics or something of the type and some children NEED this approach rather than memorizing site words. I wish I knew more to help you out, but I would definitely get some outside opinions to make sure your child is getting all the help possible.

K.

Hi, you might try Headsprout.com. There are 80 episodes that are like a video game for a child. It costs $99 for 40 episodes, so $198 for all 80. My 5 yr. old loves them. He's on episode 75 and still loves it. I was at my wits' end when I found Headsprout. I had never taught anyone to read and didn't know how much repitition to do, and with what. My only problem with Headsprout is that it's phonics-based, and as such, it doesn't teach spelling, but sounds. For example, str is taught only as a sound, not how it's spelled. I make up for this by making sure my son thinks about the letters that make up the sound he's learning. You also get 6 books with each 40 episodes, as well as tons you can print out on your computer. There are flash cards you can print out, too, all included in the price. There's a progress map with stickers that your child can mark his progress with, too. I hope this helps.

D.

Hi S.,
Does your school district provide summer school? I know in my school district, the child must qualify(academic needs), but it might be worth checking into. Good luck.

Hi S.,

My name is M., and I home schooled my 9y/o son from k - 2nd grade and still have all of my materials & supplies from the phonics program we used. I also worked in childcare for over 6 yrs, and was a student tutor all through high school. I love to teach. I would be happy to offer my services as a tutor to help you and your son get prepared for the next level. Where are you located? I am in Keller. Please contact me if you are interested.

S.,
I just put my Phonics Game on craigslist to sell. My children can all read now, but it is still in perfect condition if you would like to buy it. Retail it sells for around $220. I put in on craigslist for $35. Just let me know if you are interested.

Also, we took our son to Sylvan Learing. They were fabulous, but on the costly side. I know how frustrated my son was at that stage.

H.

Something interesting you can try with your child is to determine how he learns. Watch his eyes when he talks to you and interacts with other people and listen to terms he uses when he expresses himself.

There are 3 learning behaviors in people: by site, by sound, and by hands on. If your child is looking up a lot when talking to people, he is a site learner. If he is looking side to side, he learns by hearing things. If he looks down a lot, he learns by hands on. What this means to you is the placement of objects when learnng, the method by which to teach him and words you should use when communicating with him.

Example: If your son is a listener, the placement of the words should be at eye level. You should say the word and spell it for him out loud, then have him do the same. When he does well compliment him with sound words like, you listen well. I'm glad to hear you're learning.

Hands on means writing the words down a few times, then coming back to it later repetitively. The words should be on the table. Praise: "i feel you are getting this down".

Sight means the words should be up on the wall above his normal eye level. Place sticky notes on objects so that he sees the words repetitively and sees what they look like. When he sees the word have him tell you what it is and how to spell it. Praise: "look how well you are doing!"

This is a simplified version of a full learning procedure, but start here. Don't over stimulate and stay positive!

Jodi

My mom's been a teacher for over 40 years and she suggested for us to start labeling things around the house by writing the words on notecards. You can make a game out of it each day like putting up two new words the night before while he's in bed and then making him find and sound out the new words. That's a start, it may be too low level for him but I have always found that when I make things into a game it is always more fun for both of us and my son is eager to learn. Of course, I agree with the other moms and reading with your son and to your son everyday is the best way to encourage him. Good Luck!!! =)

I have a niece that had a problem like that, I talked w/my sister about what you said and we both STRONGLY suggest you look up "Dyspraxia" and have him tested for it. here is a link I found that tells about it: http://www.ncld.org/index.php?option=content&task=vie...

You can also look it up on wikipedia, I really hope this helps you and your son! My sis knows how hard it is to have kids w/problems like that (her daughter has Dyspraxia & I think her son has Apraxia). I hope you guys can figure out something. Good Luck! Keep your hopes up.

Consider getting a second opinion regarding learning differences. Part of the evaluation should have evaluated his learning style (visual, auditory, kinesthetic)--it's very important to know these areas so you know how to help him in the most effective way, as well as helping his teachers know how to help him "get it." The problem with most of the learning methods used in public and private schools is that they are mostly visual and somewhat auditory-based. You may want to check into Montessori which is more open to learning differences.

The website angela suggested is great!!!!
I.