I have a neighbor who's son really needs help. He is in fourth grade- I think he's going into fifth- and been retained two times. He is currently reading at a first grade level and NOT in a special ed. self-contained classroom. His interventions are subpar. I am going to be tutoring him this summer. Our school uses Wilson but I am not trained and do not own materials of my own. What phonics programs are you fond of that I can purchase inexpensively? Since I can't tutor him 40 hours a week, are there any computer programs you recommend? I am considering Earobics. I teach older kids so I need a little help with this kid. I really want to help him and he is my summer project! Plus, his mom is cleaning my house while I tutor him so it's a great trade off! He also needs math help but right now, I really want to focus on reading. I also think I can easily just put things together for math. Ideas?
Do you have any experience with Wilson at all? You can easily make some of the same things. You'll need flashcards of each letter of the alphabet (double f, l, s, t, & z) as well as the digraphs & trigraphs (wh, ch, sh, th, ck) welded sounds (am, an, all). Then make flashcards of cvc words starting with a medial postion, then i, then o, then u, then e. Teach the letter/sound/keyword association and fingertapping. Start reading the word cards and also segmenting for spelling. Use simple controlled sentences like "The fat cat sat on the mat." PM me if you'd like more information. I don't know about Earobics so can't comment there. Wilson also has a 30 day free trial for their website, but I'm not sure if you have to have had the training for a password. It's Wilson Academy if you want to try to find it. Good luck! This is the age group that I work with and I do use Wilson.
I've had informal training in Wilson, but not the formal training. All of my students have formerly used Wilson, so I definitely reinforce the skills and I've learned a lot from them because they still use what they've learned, like word scooping, their favorite. The school has the cards, maybe I'll write them out on colored index cards. Thanks.
let me find something I read on Earobics.... I'll PM it to you. Also, Wilson is best performed by a person certified in Wilson when they follow exactly what should be done (i.e. if Wilson says 90 minutes a day, not doing just 60 minutes) His parents should also request an eval ASAP from the school in all areas of disability.
He's just had an eval, bros. He hasn't been placed in a helpful program but they are trying to work on it for next year.
They really need to try intensive remediation and FAST. If the kid is that far behind at that stage, the parents should try LMB (if a center is near you) or perhaps Scottish Rite ( http://scottishrite.org/what/phil/rc-directory.html ) Hopefully my PM helped a bit in regards to Earobics.
The best way to teach an older child to read fluently is with word decoding lists. Have the student highlight the smaller sound units or small words within the larger word. Linda. Teach All Kids
Anyone know of something inexpensive I can use to teach him phonics? I am tutoring him for free. Yes, I know some programs are much better, but I have limited resources.
Haha! As my classmates occasionally put it, WaterfallLady is "doing a Jim!" Sometimes you just can't help it: when you know you can help, you help. I'd suggest tracking down copies of "Words Their Way" and the "Teaching Reading Sourcebook." That should give you enough to determine his reading level, conduct ongoing assessments, provide basic instructional materials and approaches, etc. The books are fairly self-explanatory, and since you don't need current copies you can snag them from Amazon or eBay for a reasonable price. I found a teacher-friend a set last January for about $30. (I'd offer to loan you mine, but I need them for a couple of my "summer projects.") If you need help putting the books to work, feel free to contact me. Good luck!
