DYSLEXIA VICTORIA ONLINE
FOURTEEN STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS HOW TO SPELL &
READ and
#209 – 2555 DINGWALL ST. DUNCAN BRITISH COLUMBIA V9L 2Y8
www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com
PH: 250.715.3034 FAX: 250.715.3028
Email: [email protected]
Page 2 of 20
©Dyslexia Victoria Online 2009-2011 “14 STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS TO SPELL” www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com
FOURTEEN STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS TO SPELL & READ
INTRODUCTION
Dyslexic students have great difficulty learning to spell and read because they look at and learn information differently than other children in a classroom. They are right brain dominant thinkers which means they look at all things from the “big picture” and then the parts. They also need to see whole or complete concrete images of what they are studying; especially the meanings of words. Abstract words however cannot be experienced with the senses and need to be related to concrete images for Dyslexics so they can understand, retain and spell them. Concrete words describe things that people experience with their senses. For example:
brown
rough
dog A person can see a brown dog, stroke him and feel his rough fur and hear him bark. Abstract words refer to concepts or feelings. We cannot see, touch, hear or taste them:
honour
contented
love "Honour" is a concept, "contented" is a feeling, and "love" can be a feeling, a concept or an action.
Another type of abstract word that is very frustrating for Dyslexics are Dolch or service words. They are joining words in a sentence and mean nothing unless they are used in context in a sentence. Examples:
from
and
in
then When Dyslexics learn these words they are best done with very visual sentences to help them remember them which we will explain later. Another issue for Dyslexics when learning to spell and read is seeing words as a whole image rather than broken into phonemes through phonics programs. Dyslexics often have phonemic awareness problems which is difficulty hearing sounds in words. Saying the individual letters “C – A – T” does not bring up any images, only sounds. Saying the word “CAT” however brings up an image of a cat – something real and concrete which can be imagined or experienced through sight, touch, and sound when they are meowing or purring.
Page 3 of 20
©Dyslexia Victoria Online 2009-2011 “14 STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS TO SPELL” www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com
"WORDS ARE LIKE FOOTPRINTS" One of my favourite examples of how to understand how the right brain recognizes and gives meaning to whole image symbols is the idea of foot prints. On their own foot prints mean nothing other than an impression in the ground. But for primitive man, foot prints represented a real animal he could hunt and eat or one that would "hunt" and "eat" him! By identifying which animal this footprint symbol was connected to he could process this information, give a name to it, verbalize it to his hunting group and then decide to run to it or away from it. Letters on their own represent nothing other than sounds. As part of a "whole" word image/symbol the combined letters will be a name that can be connected to something a right-brain thinker has experienced and can imagine like what animal made a particular footprint.
We focus on teaching a Dyslexic student spelling and reading with “whole concrete” teaching methods to learn and remember concrete, abstract and Dolch words. The following 14 step process incorporates these concepts and others that can work extremely well with these students. Most teachers and parents will notice that many of the steps are typical teaching methods used in many classrooms, especially in kindergarten and the first two grades. They are very appropriate however for Dyslexics all through the grades, college and life.
Please note that these steps can be used altogether, separately or a combination to best suit the student. This is further explained on the last page of this manual.
Page 4 of 20
©Dyslexia Victoria Online 2009-2011 “14 STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS TO SPELL” www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com
FOURTEEN STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS
TO SPELL & READ
TABLE OF CONTENTS
STEP 1: READ ALOUD TO THE STUDENT A SHORT STORY OR PASSAGE TO FIND NEW
SPELLING WORDS
STEP 2: HIGHLIGHT KEY WORDS IN THE STORY WITH A COLORED HIGHLIGHTER
STEP 3: GENERAL DISCUSSION TO GET STUDENTS FAMILIAR WITH THE TOPIC
STEP 4: MEANING OF NEW WORDS: PANDA, CHINA, COARSE, WATERPROOF, SHOOTS
STEP 5: USE PICTURES OF REAL WORLD OBJECTS AND PRINT THE WORD BELOW THE
PICTURE
STEP 6: PRACTICING COPYING THE SPELLING WORDS
STEP 7: USING THE WORDS YOU DREW IN THE PREVIOUS STEP,“BOX” THEM
STEP 8: TYPE THE NEW WORDS ON THE COMPUTER
STEP 9: HAVE THE CHILD MAKE UP SENTENCES USING THE NEW WORDS
STEP 10: GIVE THE STUDENT A DICTATION INCLUDING THE NEW WORDS
STEP 11: DO PRACTICE SPELLING TESTS USING THE FIVE SPELLING WORDS OR MORE
STEP 12: HAVE THE STUDENT FIND THE NEW WORDS IN A JUMBLED LIST
STEP 13: RETEST AT ONE WEEK AND ONE MONTH.
STEP 14: OTHER STUDY SUGGESTIONS
*OTHER SPELLING ISSUES AND TEACHING SOLUTIONS
*FINAL THOUGHTS
Page 5 of 20
©Dyslexia Victoria Online 2009-2011 “14 STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS TO SPELL” www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com
READ ALOUD TO THE STUDENT A SHORT STORY OR PASSAGE TO FIND NEW SPELLING WORDS.
Find a short story or passage that is appropriate for the student’s reading level and preferably a subject that interests them. If possible the text should be simple in appearance such as a Comic sans, Verdana or Calibri font and big such as 14 or 16 point. Examples below are in 16 point.
Comic Sans Verdana Calibri
~I am now typing in a Times New Roman font which uses seriphs ( lines
added to the end of the lines of a letter) is too busy to read for
Dyslexics and I am using a 12 point font which is too small. ~
“E” in Times New Roman versus
“E” in Calibri
Read it to them first. Point to each word as you read so the student doesn’t just listen to what you read and not look at the individual words. It is important that the student knows to follow your finger as you point to each word so that is the only image they are looking at when you say the word while reading.
Dyslexics can have incredible photographic memories. Some Dyslexics who are strong auditorily can retain what you read out loud to them and connect those words to the total image of the words and pictures on the page. Then with these visual cues, repeat the words on the page for you giving you the impression they are reading. This becomes a terrific asset for them in the long run but needs to be managed carefully when they are young. An example of this amazing memory capability is my daughter Genevieve. When she was in grade two her teacher showed me how she could not read a single word when attempting new material. Then he had her read from a story her reading group had read together a few days before. She seemed to be able to read the entire story. Her teacher realized that Genevieve listened to the other children read while looking at the pages of the story with pictures and was committing it all to memory. When she appeared to be reading she was actually using the images of pictures and words on each page as a memory cue to remember the text.
Page 6 of 20
©Dyslexia Victoria Online 2009-2011 “14 STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS TO SPELL” www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com
After you have read the passage have the student read it. If the student hesitates, tries to sound out the words, guesses or reads any of the words incorrectly, say the entire word for them, without sounding out the parts, and have them repeat the word. This includes words they miss altogether. It would be helpful if the student’s spelling lists from school could be included in these stories. There is an example on the next page printed in 16 Calibri font. Spelling list words are highlighted which is also Step Two in the Fourteen Steps.
The Giant Panda
Giant pandas live in China. They look like teddy bears with their large heads and chubby furry bodies. They are easy to recognize with their black-and-white coloring. Their fur looks soft, but it is actually stiff and coarse. The thick fur is waterproof and keeps the panda warm in cold weather and dry in the rain. Giant pandas can spend twelve to sixteen hours a day eating! They feed mainly on bamboo, which grows in the forests where they live. They prefer to eat the tender shoots and leaves. But they will eat the thick large stems too. The panda uses its strong teeth to strip away the stem’s outer covering to eat the soft insides.
Page 7 of 20
©Dyslexia Victoria Online 2009-2011 “14 STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS TO SPELL” www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com
OTHER SUGGESTIONS FOR READING SELECTIONS:
You could have the student make up a story instead about an experience they had or imagined using their weekly spelling list and write it down for them. Help them put it in a logical order with proper sentences and punctuation.
There is a teaching methodology called Language Experience Approach that has been around since the 1960’s that uses a child’s experience and writing them down that is very effective helping a Dyslexic child to connect with written language. Two books that you might find useful:
Language Experience Activities (2nd edition) Roach Van Allen
“What I think about, I can talk about; what I can say , I can write or someone can write for me; what I can write, I can read; and I can read what other people write for me to read.” (Allen, 1976)
Using the Language Experience Approach with English Language Learners: Strategies for Engaging Students and Developing Literacy Denise D. Nessel (Editor), Carol N. Dixon (Editor)
This article outlines how this approach could be used in the classroom or home school settingin a practical manner The Language Experience Approach to Reading: Recurring Questions and Their Answers Barbara Mallon and Roberta Berglund The Reading Teacher Vol. 37, No. 9 (May, 1984), pp. 867-871 (article consists of 5 pages) Published by: International Reading Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20198639
This is a great site for stories to use for reading selections. They can be downloaded and modified with an appropriate and larger font and then printed on coloured paper. www.freechildrenstories.com
Page 8 of 20
©Dyslexia Victoria Online 2009-2011 “14 STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS TO SPELL” www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com
HIGHLIGHT KEY WORDS IN THE STORY OF THE GIANT PANDAS WITH A COLOURED HIGHLIGHTER.
These highlighted words from the passage being practiced will become the spelling words to practice throughout the Fourteen Steps. Have the student highlight the chosen spelling words in the passage. We have used yellow but the student can use another colour they prefer. Highlighting words helps to train the student to locate information for studying and marking new words to memorize and practice spelling them. We suggest starting with 5 words at a time and increasing as the student can handle them. Words from their weekly spelling list would be helpful and create less additional school work for them.
Spelling lists to practice could be:
The Dolch or “Service” spelling word list
Words they have difficulty recognizing when reading
Word families (Dyslexics generally do better with learning syllables rather than sounding out words)
Days of the week
Months of the year
Seasons
Words or names connected to a particular subject being studied such as volcanoes; magma, lava, mantle, eruption, crater. A picture of a volcano and its parts will make these spelling words come alive for them.
Words in a poem
Words from their favourite book or comic book
Have the student make up silly sentences or a story and highlight words to practice
Words or names from a favourite movie
Their favourite foods
Names of their favourite animals
Ask them for suggestions
Go through a magazine and have them choose words
Lists of words from books they are reading at school or on their own
Page 9 of 20
©Dyslexia Victoria Online 2009-2011 “14 STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS TO SPELL” www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com
GENERAL DISCUSSION TO GET STUDENTS FAMILIAR WITH THE TOPIC
Talk about the passage or story and discuss: what, where, when, why and how of the story. This helps the student find context with the words leading to improved comprehension and retention of the spelling words they are going to practice. Using their own stories will further enhance the benefit of using reading selections to help hold onto the “image” of their spelling words. We have provided some examples of questions that could be asked:
1. Who or what is the story about? 2. Where do pandas live? 3. What do their coats of fur feel like? 4. Why is their fur waterproof? 5. What do they eat? 6. How do the pandas use their teeth? 7. How many hours a day do they sleep?
If it applies to the sentence or story you can ask them; “What do you think is going to happen next and why?”. They can learn and practice the concepts of “cause and effect” and “critical thinking” which are very important for all students’ personal development.
Cause and Effect
A cause is the reason why something happens. Such as if a deer runs out in front of you while you are driving, you will slam on the brakes. The effect is what happens because of the cause. So when you slammed on your brakes, your tires stopped revolving and the car comes to a stop.
Critical Thinking "... the use of those cognitive skills or strategies that increase the probability of a desirable outcome...thinking that is purposeful, reasoned and goal directed - the kind of thinking involved in solving problems, formulating inferences, calculating likelihoods, and making decisions when the thinker is using skills that are thoughtful and effective for the particular context and type of thinking task. Critical thinking is sometimes called directed thinking because it focuses on a desired outcome." Halpern (1996). Critical thinking involves: understanding the logical connections between ideas identifying , constructing and evaluating arguments detecting inconsistencies and common mistakes in reasoning solving problems systematically identifying the relevance and importance of ideas reflecting on the justification of one's own beliefs and values and reflective thinking which focuses on the process of making judgments about what has
happened
Page 10 of 20
©Dyslexia Victoria Online 2009-2011 “14 STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS TO SPELL” www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com
MEANING OF NEW WORDS: PANDA, CHINA, COARSE, WATERPROOF, SHOOTS
Look up the meaning of the new words on the internet or in a dictionary. Because most Dyslexic
individuals have great difficulty knowing the correct order of the alphabet they find the
dictionary confusing but the definitions and images used on the internet with “Google” tools
and “Wikipedia” are just as effective and easier to work with. Google tools such as “Images,
Videos, News, etc” are a lot of fun for the student. You can pull up the list of tools by googling
“google” and the tools will display in the Google browser screen. Understanding the meaning of
words is important for a Dyslexic to help them retain the image of the word and how to spell
them.
Page 11 of 20
©Dyslexia Victoria Online 2009-2011 “14 STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS TO SPELL” www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com
USE PICTURES OF CONCRETE OBJECTS & PRINT THE NAME OF THE OBJECT
Dyslexics think in pictures and complete images and will generally have more success learning
and retaining words when connected with an image that the word refers to. Also they will
remember words better that are presented in their complete form, in bigger simple font (at
least 14 / verdana, comic sans, calibri), lines of text spaced 1 ½ to 2 apart and not broken into
phonemes.
Pictures with words are used extensively with pre-schoolers, kindergarten and the first couple
of grades but not so much for older children. This practice needs to continue for a Dyslexic for
the rest of their lives.
Print out pictures from
the internet or cut them
out of magazines of an
object or an action that
demonstrate the NEW
words. Have the student
pick the image so it has
meaning for them. It can be clipart, photos, illustrations, drawings, etc. Print the word below
the picture or have the student print the word if their printing is readable. Say the word out
loud with the student and have them spell the word while looking at the picture and word
together. This uses all three senses, visual, auditory and kinesthetic.
Saying the words correctly improves both the student’s memory of the words and their spelling.
Pronouncing each new word several times helps the student hear the sounds in the word.
When out driving, shopping, walking, travelling, etc. look for their spelling words on signs or
when you see real examples of the objects of them. This can become a game to see who can
find their spelling list words the most.
When practicing an action words such as “running” find pictures of people or animals running.
The Dolch or service words – “the little words” are practiced by putting them in a short
sentence, highlighting the word and using a picture that conveys the meaning of the sentence.
The Dyslexic student now has a way to remember the word with a sentence and a picture.
These pictures with words can be posted in view of the student such as the kitchen, their
bedrooms or a study/play area where they can see them constantly.
Say the word
“Panda”
Draw the whole image of the sound of the word
Panda
Page 12 of 20
©Dyslexia Victoria Online 2009-2011 “14 STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS TO SPELL” www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com
Panda
*Example of images for nouns (person, place or thing)
Page 13 of 20
©Dyslexia Victoria Online 2009-2011 “14 STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS TO SPELL” www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com
running *Example of using images for a verb (action word)
Page 14 of 20
©Dyslexia Victoria Online 2009-2011 “14 STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS TO SPELL” www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com
Let’s play hide-n-seek
and I will find you.
find
*Example of using a Dolch or service word in a sentence
Page 15 of 20
©Dyslexia Victoria Online 2009-2011 “14 STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS TO SPELL” www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com
should We found this example on Google Images using the search word “should”. The title is
“What Should We Wear”. Actually one of the Dyslexic students we have worked with
found it. He loved it. He told us that everyday you “should” wear something that fits the
weather.
You can also find multiple pictures that the words also relate to. This can become a game finding as
many meanings of the words as a student can find. Silly ones are great also.
judge in a court room judges in a pickle contest
judge
Page 16 of 20
©Dyslexia Victoria Online 2009-2011 “14 STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS TO SPELL” www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com
magnetic force explosive force airforce
force
size
honour
High respect, as for worth, merit, or rank: honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions: a man of honour/to be held in honour.
Honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's
beliefs and actions: a man of honour.
Page 17 of 20
©Dyslexia Victoria Online 2009-2011 “14 STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS TO SPELL” www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com
This idea can also be utilized when studying subjects such as chemistry. The student can build sets of
flash cards or full 81/2” x 11”
PRACTICE COPYING THE SPELLING WORDS
Enter these words and meaning in their Spelling Notebooks as described in Chapter 5 of
“Spelling and Language Arts”. In the Spelling Notebook and in this 14 STEP exercise the words
are copied vertically five times with a space between. Practicing writing or “drawing” the
picture image of the word at least five times will help them commit the word into memory.
Another way to practice writing the spelling words is to use coloured lined 4”x 6”post-it notes.
The color should be the one that was determined when their color was chosen during a colour
preference test for plastic overlays to reduce Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome issues. If the
student has not been tested for an appropriate colour background for them, experiment with
different colours of post-notes with your student to determine which colour they are most
comfortable with. Using paper with coloured backgrounds are easier for many Dyslexic
students to look at rather than black text on white paper.
Write the words double-spaced in a vertical list on the note paper. Never write them in a
horizontal row. They will learn those words written together as a single image.
These practice lists can also be put up on places they will see them such as a fridge or bulletin
board.
4” x 6” Post-it Notes This is a better way to practice –
vertically with a space between
the words
This is the wrong way to practice – horizontally because they will learn “dog” as the image “dog dog dog dog”
Page 18 of 20
©Dyslexia Victoria Online 2009-2011 “14 STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS TO SPELL” www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com
*Never practice other words on the same post-it note because the words can become mixed
up in their minds and they won’t be able to separate them.
USE THE WORDS YOU DREW IN THE PREVIOUS STEP AND “BOX” THEM
This method is very useful and effective for many Dyslexic students as it helps them see words in their
minds. Why is this important? As we state many times in our books and presentations, Dyslexics
generally think about everything in images first, words second.
Those people who are left brain dominant will usually think and see words first in their mind, then
images. Some left brain thinkers cannot see images in their minds, only words. Many Dyslexics cannot
see words in their minds, only images.
Not seeing images easily or predominantly is not really an issue when going through school. The left
brain dominant child may not be strongly creative, thinking outside the box or a phenomenal problem
solver. But they can generally be successful completing their schooling because they can relate to
words, read, spell and follow other sequential and linear information taught them in school which is a
large part of the curriculum.
The right brain thinker is more often than not very creative, inventive, intuitive, artistic, three
dimensional, a great problem solver and always thinking outside the box. Unfortunately they usually do
not easily see words in their minds, or sound them out well or remember how to spell or read them.
One question we ask attendees at our workshop is, “If I ask you to think about the word “car” what do
you see in your mind?” The lefties generally see cars and the word “car” in their minds. Some cannot see
a car in their minds, only the word. Righties and Dyslexics see a car in their minds and some can see the
word “car” but the Dyslexics usually don’t. This is a big factor to overcome if these students are going to
remember how to spell words.
The boxing method described here is designed to help them see words in their minds. This sometimes is
the most important of our 14 steps because many of the Dyslexic children we have worked with will use
this as a primary way to memorize words. They also use it to study other subjects such as biology, social
studies and math because they memorize names and facts easily by boxing them.
The following description of this method should be read and followed carefully to obtain the best results
with the student. We box words during all of our assessments with Dyslexics and it always works with
them. There are only a few instances that we had problems getting them to see the boxed words in
their minds. We have found, on rare occasions, the boxing method may need more practice when the
student had previous intensive phonics instruction. However the boxing method has been extremely
effective for all of the students we have worked with.
Page 19 of 20
©Dyslexia Victoria Online 2009-2011 “14 STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS TO SPELL” www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com
* See chapter 3 in our “TEACHING THE DYSLEXIC STUDENT: SPELLING AND LANGUAGE ARTS” for more
information about “Boxing” words.
Examples of Boxing
The box provides a frame for each word that helps the student to focus on just the word. Because a Dyslexic student often has a problem with understanding limits and seeing individual parts, images or objects on a page the box helps the student focus on each word image with each of its letters. The coloured background of the paper is easier to imagine than white.
“Box” the word with thick black lines
dog
Take a piece of 5 ½” x 8 ½” coloured paper (11” x 8 ½’ paper folded in half). Use the colour overlay
chosen if they have been tested for Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome and draw the word in thick black felt
pen. Then draw a box closely around the word and extending around the taller and longer letters.
Ask the child to hold the paper in front of them and while looking at the word say the word out loud and
then say the letters out loud as they point to each one. Have them repeat this process two more times.
Page 20 of 20
©Dyslexia Victoria Online 2009-2011 “14 STEPS TO TEACH DYSLEXICS TO SPELL” www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com
Then ask them to look at the word carefully for about five seconds and then close their eyes. Make sure
they are doing this on a cleared table or area. If there are any objects in their visual range they could be
seeing everything near them including the word on the paper which can be distracting.
Now tell them to imagine the coloured paper in their minds, once they say they can see it then tell them
to imagine the boxed word on the paper. When they say they can see it in their minds ask them to say
the word aloud and then say the letters of the word they can see in the word. Ask them to repeat
saying the word and saying the letters. Then ask them to read the word in their mind backwards. This
ensures they are “seeing” the whole image of the word clearly in their minds. Now they can open their
eyes and ask them to write the word on one of the coloured post-it notes. If they have a problem with
any of the steps have them start from the beginning.
Other great ideas to expand this concept can be found in:
“Right-brained Children in a Left-brained World”
by Jeffrey Freed, chapter on “Spelling”
“Visual-Spatial Learners and the Challenge of Spelling Alexandra Shires Golon
http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/Articles/vsl/v107.pdf