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SGL Notes Newsletters>
Solid Ground Learning Notes - vol. 155
June 15, 2010
I have spend the last year working within our local school district running a district 'reading boot camp' for grade 2 and 3 children who, for some reason, are not reading at grade level. They come to us for 9 weeks of intense multisensory literacy intervention and, more often than not, return to their home schools at or above grade level.
How do we do it?
We first find out how the children learn. Are they auditory, visual, hands on, semantic or symbolic learners, or as in most cases, a combination of the above? What phonics skills do they already have? Can they think in concepts? Are they able to convert graphemes into phonemes (or letters into their corresponding sounds)?
Do they need to move in order to learn? Are they concentrating on concentration or concentrating on learning? Would they learn best by sitting on a physio ball in a classroom with few distractions and the opportunity for 'brain breaks' every 10 minutes? Would they benefit from 'brain gym' activities such as balance board work and using the passing stick to develop their cross-midline abilities?
Then, we apply Orton-Gillingham based multisensory direct instruction to teach the students to connect letters to sounds, combine sounds to form words, and combine words to form sentences.
We use colour, playdough, wicky sticks, sand trays, make letters out of our bodies, draw pictures of words, apply visual cues to short vowel sounds, etc. I poke the students (somewhat gently) in the arm to give them a physical reminder that the diphthongs 'ou' and 'ow' say /ow/ as in 'ouch'. Vowel teams (ee, ai, oa, oe, etc.) are taught by by wrapping duct tape around the second letter so it can't speak and the first letter is left to say its name.
It is so rewarding to see these little people 'bloom' when they were quickly becoming reluctant learners. To learn more, feel free to contact me.
Until next time I remain,
Jennifer Sackley
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