Dyslexia Series – Part 5: A Simple Tool for Teaching Reading Comprehension

 

 

Good Wednesday to you.

I hope this post finds you healthy and happy.

As promised, I will be adding to my Dyslexia Series every week.

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Does your dyslexic child have problems answering basic questions immediately after reading a short story?

Is it difficult for your preschooler to retell a story minutes after you read the story to him/her?

If the answer is yes, please read on. 

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Introduce a Graphic Organizer early…and use them often.

But here are 2 major caveats.

(1) You must have – in your portfolio of organizers – several age-appropriate formats. In a file, keep several forms with graduated complexity for your child as his readership advances.

(2) The organizer must be chosen by your child so it makes complete sense to him/her.  You would be surprised how different formats appeal to different students.

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To save you time and trouble – I have included several of my favorite organizers which I used with my own son…

and am currently using with my tutoring students.

 

This is my absolute favorite Graphic Organizer.

Clean and Simple. Easy to Remember.

I use this particular one with my younger students.  A wonderful introductory style.

From the website:  Super Teacher Worksheets

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 Silly Cats is a basic and early-age Graphic Organizer.

Even though this one is not my favorite, it has been wildly popular with my younger students.

I believe they just love the Cat Characters.

Provided by Neuhaus – I mentioned this organization in my post called:  Two Essential Websites for Parents.

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Story Map is an effective, foundational ‘map’ for elementary children to navigate the main parts of a story.

I have used this organizer quite often. This one, also, was created by Neuhaus Education Center.

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 For my older children, I really like The Hand.

It is an organizer that is readily available…by visualizing their own hand.

(This song is sung to the melody of “He’s got the Whole World in His hand”.)

I’ve got the who, what, where, when, why and how.

I’ve got the who, what, where, when, why and how.

I’ve got the who, what, where, when, why and how.

I’ve got the main idea in my hand.

 As the child sings, he/she points to the appropriate finger. This song was submitted by Jean Federico.

Found on the edHelper website.

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 As a student’s comprehension becomes less of a struggle and the difficulty level of text increases, introduce the next two Graphic Organizers.

edHelper

 

Super Teacher Worksheets

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Of course, this is only 1 small step toward comprehensive… comprehension!  Right?

But as I alluded to in my previous posts…a long trip begins with the first tiny step.  This is your child’s first step toward mastering comprehension.

As I tell my students’ parents, these Graphic Organizers should be automatically remembered.

This process should become second-nature with dyslexic students.

~Mentally filling in the boxes as they hear or read every story.

~Forever stored in the hard-drive of their mind.

Again, I stress that organizers should be introduced EARLY and used OFTEN.

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Here are some of the websites where these excellent Graphic Organizers can be found.

Neuhaus Education Center (Public)  Click here.

Super Teacher Worksheets (Paid)  Click here.

($19.95 annual)

ed Helper (Paid)  Click here.

edHelper basic subscription:  $19.99 per year.

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As a practicing tutor, I am a member of both websites.

For me, the annual cost for a quality site is well worth the expense.

ed Helper is paid for by the tutoring company I work with…so I only pay out-of-pocket for Super Teacher Worksheets.

In fact, I plan to join a 3rd one very soon.

If the cost of joining is not currently in your budget, visit many different sites to find their available free downloads and printable organizers.

(Both edHelper and Super Teacher Worksheets have free worksheets available to the public.)

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I have numerous posts for my Dyslexia Series planned – just for you and your child each week.

So far, here’s a catalog of already posted articles:

Part 1:  What Every Parent Needs to Know to Help their Child Today:  Letter to Parents of Dyslexic Children

Part 2:  What Every Parent Needs to Know to Help their Child Today:  Finding a Tutor

Part 3:  2 Essential Websites for Parents

Part 4:  Your Questions…My Answers