Reading fluency refers to the ability to read fast, accurately and with proper expression. Also, it is important to read at a balanced speed.

Fluent reading helps in improving the understanding of the subject. Let’s take a look at some tips for improving reading fluency:

• Read Aloud To Children: By reading aloud to children, one models how to read fluently. For students to read fluently, they must first understand the meaning of fluency by listening to a good reader. While reading aloud, students should be exposed to a variety of genres such as speech excerpts, poetry, fairy-tales and so on.
• Use Audio Recordings: Create a listening center where students can listen to a collection of audio books or stories recorded by teachers. Encourage students to listen carefully while paying attention to the reader’s tone, voice expressions and other elements of fluent reading.
• Repeated Reading: Repeated readings help students recognize high frequency words and read easily. One way of promoting fluency is to encourage students to read short passages several times. As students read, point out reading behaviors like phrasing, reading rate and intonation.
• “Scooping” Phrases: Phrased reading is a better strategy to improve fluency as compared to reading word by word. Poems are a great choice for practicing phrased reading. Teach students to read portions of text till they can easily read a whole passage fluently.
• Participation in Reader’s Theatres: A reader’s theatre refers to an oral performance of a script in which the student is required to read a copy of the script aloud. Reading theatres work on conveying meaning via expression and intonation as interpreting the script becomes more important than memorizing it. Props, costumes and invitees from other classes for the oral performance add to the effectiveness of the practice.
• Paired Reading: Also known as “buddy reading”, paired reading is an effective way of improving reading fluency. The activity requires students to be grouped into pairs and read out aloud to each other. To make it more effective, fluent and non-fluent readers should be paired with each other. They can take turns reading whole pages, paragraphs or one sentence at a time.
• Echo Reading: Echo reading refers to reading a line aloud and asking students to repeat the same loudly. This form of choral reading keeps students actively engaged while promoting fluency.
• Encourage Independent Reading: To become fluent readers, students should be encouraged to read independently for at least 20 minutes every day as per their individual reading level.

We, at See-n-Read Reading Tools offer a variety of reading & learning tools. For more information about our products, call at (630) 236 – 5592.

Dyslexia is a common learning disorder characterized by difficulty in reading and learning. The causes of Dyslexia have been linked to certain genes affecting reading & language processes of the brain, premature birth as well as lifestyle & health of the mother during pregnancy. However, timely assessment and intervention can help in managing the symptoms effectively.

Symptoms

Even though the first symptoms of Dyslexia can be spotted before a child goes to school, the most prominent ones become apparent when a child begins to read. Following are some signs of Dyslexia based on different stages of a child’s life:

1. Before Joining School: Knowledge about the first signs of Dyslexia or a risk for the same can make it easier to spot the disorder even before a child joins school. Common symptoms at this stage include:

• Late speech
• Slow learning of new words
• Incorrect word formation i.e. reversing the sounds of words and confusing words with a similar sound
• Difficulty in remembering letters, colors and numbers
• Considerably slow at learning easy nursery rhymes
• Difficulty in playing rhyming games

1. After Joining School: Dyslexia symptoms become more noticeable once a child joins school. Your child’s teacher will probably be the first one to notice them. Symptoms that can be spotted at this stage are:

• Considerably low level of reading as per a child’s age
• Difficulty in processing and understanding what a child hears in class
• Low confidence and behavioral problems
• Inability to find the right word or answer to questions asked in the class
• Difficulty in comprehending the difference and similarity in sounds & letters
• Problem in following sequenced instructions
• Taking more than usual time for reading and writing tasks
• Difficulty in spelling & pronouncing words
• Shying away from reading activities

1. Teenage And Adult Signs: The signs of Dyslexia in teens and adults are almost similar to those of children. Common symptoms include:

• Slow and labor-intensive reading
• Lots of spelling problems
• Avoidance of reading activities
• Trouble with memorizing information
• Difficulty in pronouncing names and words
• Struggle in learning new language
• Problems in retrieving words learnt
• Taking longer time than required to complete reading and writing tasks
• Trouble in solving mathematical problems
• Finding it challenging to summarize a story
• Difficulty in understanding basic jokes and expressions

If you suspect that your child exhibits some of the symptoms mentioned above, discuss the issue with your child’s doctor. This will ensure that Dyslexia is diagnosed at an early stage and can be prevented from progressing into adulthood. If left untreated, Dyslexia may cause long term educational, health, economic and social complications in your child’s life.

We, at See-N-Read Reading Tools offer a variety of reading & learning tools. For more information, call at (630) 236 – 5592.

Children with reading disabilities exhibit issues with retention, decoding and comprehending information. However, it is important to detect the disabilities at an early stage because they can be improved with the help of a therapist and some effort on the part of teachers as well as parents.

Following are some signs that can be helpful in identifying a reading difficulty at the earliest to ensure timely intervention and help:

• Difficulty In Remembering Letter Sounds: If a child finds it difficult to remember phonemes (letter sounds) e.g. a/ in apple, it indicates an issue with processing the information being read or an auditory problem.
• Confusion In Identifying Letters That Look Or Sound Alike: Even though it is perfectly normal for a young child to confuse letters that look or sound similar such as b/d/p or v/d/t, this should not persist by the age of seven. By seven a child should be capable of understanding language errors easily.
• Difficulty With Rhyming Words: An important part of speech development is the ability to rhyme words. It shows that the child can hear the sounds of language. The inability to rhyme, points towards issues with processing language sounds, also known as dyslexia. This could also be a sign of apraxia of speech.
• Unable To Remember Sight Words: A child should be able to recognize sight words easily. They are the words that are commonly used in English for example “a”, “the”, “to”, “it”, etc. Recognizing sight words is critical to reading seamlessly. Dyslexia, a visual processing disorder or an auditory processing problem may be the reasons behind the inability to recognize these words.
• Inability To Memorize What Has Been Read: Due to slow processing speed of the brain, kids with reading problems find it difficult to decode and memorize words & their meanings. They might also have attention issues.
• Omission Of Word Endings: If your child omits the endings of a word while reading something, it could be due to dyslexia, apraxia or a phonological or articulation disorder. An easy way of identifying such an issue is to ask your child’s teacher whether your child’s speech is at par with his peers or not.
• Inconsistency In Misspelling Words: Misspelling of words is a common childhood problem. Such misspellings are consistent in nature i.e. the error is always the same. However, it becomes a matter of concern when the misspellings have different variations. If a child misspells words differently each time, it could be due to a writing disorder known as dysgraphia or even dyslexia.
• Resistance: If your child constantly avoids situations in which some form of reading is required, it could possibly be due to a reading difficulty.

See-N-Read Reading Tools offers a variety of reading & learning tools for children with reading difficulties. For more information, call at (630) 236–5592.

Children may face difficulty in reading because of Dyslexia, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), APD (Auditory Processing Disorder), Visual Processing Issues, or other issues that should be diligently probed. However, the good news is that if the cause of reading problem is detected early, parents along with the child’s teacher can make efforts to help the kid.

Following are some suggestions on ways to recognize reading problems in your child so that you can start taking necessary measures to help him:

• Difficulties In Decoding: One sign of a reading problem like Dyslexia is inability to decode words into phonemes. If your child has difficulty sounding out words and recognizing them, is confused between letters and sounds, has a slow pace of reading, reads with no expression and ignores punctuations, avoids reading aloud, mispronounces words a lot and has trouble making rhymes, it indicates decoding difficulties.
• Comprehension Difficulties: A child with comprehension difficulties finds it difficult to comprehend what he is reading or what is being read out to him. Such a kid cannot understand and remember what they read. Meanings of words and sentences confuse them, they omit details, lack concentration when reading, spell poorly, cannot recall facts and numbers, have difficulty learning new skills and languages, reverse letters, have difficulty with word problems in math, etc. However, exposing your child to a wide variety of books and reading aloud can help in dealing with comprehension difficulties.
• Problems In Retention: A child who cannot decode and comprehend information has difficulty in retaining the information. Your child has retention difficulty, if he finds it difficult to connect the text being read to a personal experience or some prior knowledge. It is often difficult for them to remember and summarize what has been read or to re-tell a story.

Conclusion

Reading takes time, practice & patience. So, it is important to respect each child’s individual pace of learning to read and consider his age when making the above-mentioned assessments. Before concluding anything, be sure to rule out whether your child is simply not yet ready to read or whether he requires some pre-reading activities for preparation.

The purpose of recognizing reading difficulties in a child is to be able to offer the right kind of assistance at the right time. Some steps in this direction are meeting with your child’s teacher or fixing an appointment with your child’s doctor, a reading specialist, school psychologist or speech-language pathologist, getting a referral for special education, and more.

We, at See-N-Read Reading Tools offer a variety of reading & learning tools. For more information, call at 
(630) 236 – 5592.

A child’s parent is the first person to be aware of issues with his learning abilities. It’s the parent’s sole responsibility to communicate the difficulties a child may be facing at school with the teachers in a calm way. Communicating with your child’s teacher effectively will help reap the desired results fast.

The communication between a parent and a teacher of a dyslexic child is critical for the child’s development. It is the stepping stone towards creating positive long-term outcomes for the child. Let’s take a look at some important pointers for talking to a child’s teacher regarding dyslexia:

• Book An Appointment: Be sensitive to the teacher’s schedule and book a 20 to 30 minute appointment. This much time should be sufficient for putting across your point without taking up too much of the teacher’s time. The teacher should be in a frame of mind to give you enough time and attention so as to understand your point. After-school is a good time for such an appointment.
• Be Friendly: It’s natural for a parent to be a bit anxious when discussing such matters with a teacher and may be looking for only positive responses from the teacher. If the discussion doesn’t seem to be going in the direction you intended it to go, still maintain a calm and friendly disposition.
• Be To The Point: Remember that you’ve got limited time to put across your point so do it smartly. Be specific and avoid hinting at what you think can be helpful.  After a basic introduction about the issue, move on swiftly to what you think your child needs and even give some suggestions. Share approaches that have worked and those that haven’t. Also ask the teacher if she has come across any material for dyslexic children that she thinks can be beneficial.
• Talk About Your Child’s Strengths: Shed some light on things that your child is good at doing. Dyslexia is just a part of your child, it does not define him as a whole. Talking about your child’s strengths and interests may help the teacher to focus on such activities so as to boost his morale by creating a sense of achievement.
• Express Your Willingness To Cooperate With The Teacher: Taking assistance of a teacher in helping a dyslexic child at school is a two way process. The teacher will be able to assist a parent only if the parent is equally willing to assist the teacher. Work in tandem with the teacher and reinforce the strategies your child is learning at school. Make it a point to stress on your willingness to cooperate with the teacher.

Effective reading instruction helps learners foster their strengths and shore up their weaknesses when reading. The quality of instruction offered to learners/students is the key to form a strong foundation for reading that will last a life-time. Following is a list of some components of reading instructions validated by experienced teachers:

• Phonological And Phonemic Awareness: Phonological awareness refers to the awareness of words, sounds, rhymes and syllables that make a language. Phonemic awareness on the other hand is an important component of phonological awareness. It teaches kids how to segment and manipulate individual sounds into words.
• Phonic Skills: Phonics plays a major role in making better readers and spellers. The lessons on phonics start in pre-school by making kids familiar with letter sounds, reading simple words with short vowels, visual learning with the help of blends and graphs, mastering “r” and long vowel words, learning diphthongs and other vowel teams.
• Reading Fluency: An effective reading instruction module is one that helps the learners in developing the skill of reading fast, accurately and with proper expression. This can be done by reading aloud to children, using audio recordings for kids to follow-up after reading, incorporating playful activities to practice sight words, enrolling kids in a reader’s theater, encourage buddy-reading, echo-reading, choral-reading, repeated reading, scooping phrases and so on.
• Comprehension: Comprehension helps kids to process, decode and recognize words. It is a vital component of reading. Comprehension skills can be improved by connecting experiences, movies, pictures and even other books with what is being read. Learners should be encouraged to make predictions, make mental images, they should be asked questions to keep them interested. Also they should be asked to summarize what they’ve read in a few words.
• Fix-Up Strategies: These strategies help readers when they come across unfamiliar words or cannot understand what they are reading. Students should be taught how to pause at a difficult part, re-read it, think about it and look for pictures, graphs or captions around the words that can give them a clearer understanding of what they are reading.
• Building Vocabulary: Vocabulary instruction should help students build their vocabulary without the aid of a dictionary. This will greatly improve their reading speed and also their understanding of what they read. The instruction should focus on helping kids understand a single meaning of a new word that fits the context. Learners should be engaged in fun games or incentives that teach them how to use a word in the correct context. They can also be asked to draw the meaning of a word, switch the new word with a word they know and even practice their opposites.

We, at See-N-Read Reading Tools offer a variety of reading & learning tools. For more information, call at (630) 236 – 5592.

Learning difficulties manifest in the form of problems related to learning such as difficulty in reading, listening, speaking, solving academic problems etc. Such problems make it difficult to take in new information and retain it. Learning difficulties are a common phenomenon yet many people don’t know important facts about them. Let’s take a look at some facts that throw light on important aspects of learning disabilities:

• They Have A Genetic Tendency: It is believed that learning difficulties usually run in families but can also result from factors such as too much screen time, a poor diet and in some cases childhood vaccinations.
• There Is No Medical Treatment Or Medication For Treating Learning Difficulties: Medication can be helpful but cannot cure a learning difficulty completely. When used in conjunction with other therapies, it proves to be more effective in improving focus and attention. Assistive technology, instructional interventions and accommodations can be helpful for kids with learning difficulties.
• Cognitive Training Helps, Tutoring Does Not: Cognitive training is a better way to tackle learning difficulties as compared to tutoring. Tutoring is great as a means of catching up with what is done in class but cognitive training strengthens weak cognitive skills with the help of challenging and fun mental exercises.
• Learning Difficulty Is Different From Intellectual Disability: Even smart kids can have learning difficulties. These difficulties have nothing to do with a child’s intellectual capabilities. A child can be creative, snappy and smart but still have problems at school. Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein are examples of intelligent people who had learning difficulties like Dyslexia and ADHD respectively.
• The Symptoms Differ In Boys And Girls: Boys with learning difficulties tend to be more hyperactive and impulsive whereas girls show signs of being inattentive and disorganized. Boys are more likely to be autistic as compared to girls.
• Dyslexia And Weak Cognitive Skills Are Inter-Linked: Dyslexic kids have trouble with words and reading. This manifests as having trouble with fluent reading, pronunciation etc. It is believed that such difficulties in dyslexic kids are caused by weak cognitive skills the main ones being weak phonemic awareness.
• Difficulty In Math Is Not Inherited: Children with difficulties in math do not inherit this from their parents. Weak cognitive skills are to blame. These kids have weak visual processing and memory skills. They can be helped by strengthening their core cognitive skills.

We, at See-N-Read Reading Tools offer a variety of tools to improve your child’s memory skills. For more information, call at (630) 236 – 5592.

Every child is different and unique. What works like magic for one child might not help another. When it comes to spellings, each child requires a different approach to retain what he has learnt. Kids who are slow at mastering spellings require more time and attention. Parental help at home can be immensely helpful.

Talking of help at home, let’s take a look at what parents can do to help their kids get better at spelling:

• Fun Writing Activities: Encourage your child to write more. It will help him become aware of the mistakes he makes. Get him colorful writing pads and tell him to write whatever he feels like. It could be something about his favorite movie or book. Encourage him to write for a few minutes only on a topic of his interest so that it doesn’t get boring.
• Tracing: Tracing is an effective way of teaching kids the spellings of difficult words. An adult helps the child to trace the spellings with his fingers while his eyes are closed.
• Communicate: A two-way communication channel aids in effortlessly improving a child’s language skills. Talk to your child as often as possible. Encourage him to read books. Discourage television as it is not pro-communication.
• Practice: Learning spellings takes time, effort and lots of repetition. Formulate a schedule for working on spelling practice daily for short bursts of time. For example, when your child comes back from school, practice a few words casually. Repeat the words in the evening and then again at bedtime.
• Explore The World Of Spelling Games: Games are fun and every child loves fun. Teaching kids spellings through games is a win-win strategy for parents. Your child will look forward to the game sessions and learn at the same time. There’s a wide gamut of online spelling games to explore. Examples of offline games for spellings are spelling word race, spelling puzzles, stair steps etc. Look for something your child loves and pursue it.
• Creating Pictures In The Mind: This is a well-researched trick for boosting memory. Encourage your child to remember words by creating images in their mind. For instance, if your child is trying to memorize the word ‘tank’ but spells it as ‘tanc’, tell him to imagine ‘kicking the tank’ to memorize the ‘k’ in the word.
• Use Post-Its: The more your child sees a word, the better he will remember it. Write the words your child is struggling with on sticky notes and post them strategically where your child spends a lot of his time, in his lunchbox, on the bathroom mirror, etc.

We, at See-N-Read Reading Tools offer a variety of help your child with spellings. For more information, call at (630) 236 – 5592.