Dyslexia Series – Part 8: Strategies for Summer Reading

 

My ‘antique’ Dolch Flashcards

On occasion, I still use these miniature cards with my students.

 

After 14+ years as a tutor for dyslexic learners, I decided to scale down my summer practice and travel with my husband.  We are finally empty-nesters with very few at-home obligations.

A perfect time to relax a little.  Lock-up and leave without thought.

Not so fast…

When I made that grandiose proclamation, I had no idea what I was talking about.

My phone has not stopped ringing.  New moms.  New students.

For the first time ever, I have a full slate of students with no room to accept new ones.  And for that, I am honored and  thankful.

Of course, my original plans of being footloose and fancy-free will have to wait for another summer.

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As I was writing a letter to one of my ‘new’ moms yesterday afternoon, I realized that everything I was writing to her….should be sent to you….via my blog.

It was exactly the type of information suited for my Dyslexia Series.

Of course, it goes without saying that the following strategies are in addition to the Basic Language Skills curriculum in the Orton-Gillingham based, multi-sensory program.

I hope you will find these strategies helpful for your own child.

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 I. Background Information and New Ideas regarding The Dolch Word List.

The 220 ‘service’ words and 95 nouns compiled by Edward William Dolch in 1936.

More of my Collection of Vintage Dolch Sets

Parents know that the Dolch Word list (or similar type of high frequency word list) is mandatory for reading success for all – not just students with learning differences.

With a little over 200 Dolch Words and almost 100 common nouns needed to be instantly, without a moment of hesitation, recognized….the summer months are the perfect time to commit these words to memory.

Once broadly accepted – as a list that needed to be memorized, there is a new school of thought advocating exactly the opposite.

Many educators now believe that (since all but a couple of dozen can be decoded and sounded out) this list should be taught phonetically.   But that truly defeats the purpose of automaticity.

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With approximately 600,000 words in our English language, studies have revealed that there are approximately 13 different high frequency words which make up about 25% of all written words….and various other studies show that anywhere from 50-60-75% (depending on the study) of words in print [magazines, books, newspapers, etc.] can be attributed to only 100 or so high frequency words.

These numerical facts, alone, should make the case to work diligently over the summer to master and memorize the Dolch List.

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 I have mentioned the Super Teachers Worksheets website in previous posts. One of my best teaching tool investments ever.

I use their printable flashcards and bingo games to teach the Pre-primer, Primer, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade & 3rd Grade Lists followed by the Nouns list.

But really there are numerous sites which offer free, printable templates of Dolch words.

Click here for Super Teacher Worksheets website.

Every long-term student of mine (mild, moderate, severe dyslexic) has mastered – over time – the list of words with patience and perseverance.

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II.  The Days of the Week and Months of the Year. 

There are so many cute poster-like free printable charts for days and months. 

Even though this is not included in most dyslexia curriculums, reading these essential words help my students greatly for classroom writing assignments.

I attach a memory for every month.

For example, we always name the summer months (June, July & August).

Then, we name the major holidays in each month.

Of course, we discuss their birthday month. And so on.

By the end of the introductory session, every month has a memory and a meaning.

And same with the days of the week.  I ask my students their favorite day…and then, I share my favorite day.  We associate something special about all 7 days to help them remember.

By the end of the summer, students are successful readers (and can spell some)  of the days and months…without hesitation.

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One of my Favorite Series of Readers

This is the very book I used with my own little boys.

III.  Building His/Her own Little Library

This is my favorite reading enhancement for the summer.

Most local libraries have little ‘stores’ in the lobby where retired books are sold for pennies on the dollar.

Garage sales.  Ebay.  And don’t forget about Amazon’s many affordable children’s books.

Yesterday afternoon, I purchased the classic, Little Bear,  for one new student….and a highly recommended reader for my new second grade student.

If you would like to check out the reviews (92 customer reviews – 80% 5-star)…

Click here for Best Seat in the Second Grade by Katharine Kenah.

Amazon is one of the many stores where this book is available.

I set aside a portion of my tutoring fee for purchasing books for each of my students so they will have a wonderful reading resource by the end of the summer.

The student can admire their new, little library in August with pride and a feeling of literary accomplishment….before they return to school.

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So what began as a introductory letter to a lovely mom of one of my new students….ended up as Part 8 in my Dyslexia Series.

I hope you can glean some useful information to help your own child.

Happy Summer Reading!

And speaking of reading….thanks for stopping by this morning to read this post.

Have to run now….to tutor a new student.

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You won’t want to miss Friday’s short and sweet inspirational message.