| Reading is a difficult process. The brain must be | | | | ar would have a picture of a car for the picture. |
| doing several things at once in order to make | | | | Then the student reads a list of words with the |
| sense out of the written word. Many things can | | | | ar sound imbedded within them. The words might |
| go wrong when a student is learning to read. Kids | | | | be far, dark, remark, etc. The ar would be in |
| who struggle with reading struggle with life. If | | | | color while the rest of the word is in black. The |
| there is just one skill you can spend time on to | | | | student has a picture and a color to help |
| help a student succeed in school and life, it would | | | | remember the sound. |
| be reading. | | | | Next, the student reads nonsense words with the |
| The biggest mistake most people make is to try | | | | ar sound. These might be something like lar, smar, |
| to teach a student to read in the same method | | | | cark, etc. This time there is no color or picture. |
| they were taught or by using traditional methods. | | | | The student uses a highlighter to go over the |
| Well, guess what? If these methods worked, then | | | | sounds while reading the nonsense words. As the |
| the student would be reading and reading well. So, | | | | student moves the marker over the letters, he |
| to start with, please understand that different | | | | reads the sounds. Once again, the color activates |
| methods must be used to help a struggling reader. | | | | the right side of the brain while the student is |
| A combination of brain, visual, visual memory, | | | | forced to stay on the sound that he is looking at. |
| auditory, and tactile decoding training is a method | | | | This prevents looking at the word as a whole and |
| that works to help students learn to read, | | | | guessing. (Right brain dominant students look at |
| especially when traditional methods have failed. | | | | the whole of something as well as pictures and |
| To start with, use brain integration activities to | | | | colors.) |
| help balance the left and right hemispheres of the | | | | Another option used with great success is to |
| brain. Phonics is a left brain activity, and many | | | | have the student pull down a coin or tile at every |
| right brain dominant students have a terrible time | | | | sound read. This involves another tactile operation |
| learning to read with traditional phonics based | | | | while reading and also forces the student to look |
| methods. Also, students with reading problems | | | | at sounds as he reads instead of the whole word |
| should do vision and auditory exercises to | | | | and a mental picture that might go with it, often |
| strengthen these learning systems. | | | | one that is incorrect. |
| Now that the brain and learning systems are | | | | The next step is to dictate the real words the |
| primed for optimal learning, the student needs | | | | student learned and have the student write them |
| decoding practice. Most poor readers look at the | | | | down on paper or in a gooey substance. This not |
| first syllable or two of a word and start sounding | | | | only helps with spelling, but it will give you a good |
| it out. However, for some reason, this is as far as | | | | idea if the student has mastered the decoding |
| they can get, and from there they start guessing. | | | | unit. You would call out the words far, dark, |
| For instance, the word dignity may be read as | | | | remark, etc. and have the student write them. If |
| digital by the student. This is not an accurate | | | | the decoding unit was learned, the student will |
| method to read and causes a lot of problems, | | | | recall the unit and spell it correctly. |
| especially with comprehension. | | | | If the student learns one decoding unit per day, it |
| In order to remedy this situation, the student is | | | | will only take about 15 minutes per day. There are |
| to sound out a decoding unit that is in color, since | | | | more than 52 known decoding units that can be |
| the right side of the brain is attracted to color. | | | | used. Kids who have struggled with reading are |
| The decoding unit is placed within a larger word. | | | | raising test scores and grades, usually within six |
| There is also a picture to represent the decoding | | | | weeks. This read, touch, and write method works |
| unit, once again because the right side of the brain | | | | when all other methods have failed. |
| works in pictures. For example, the decoding unit | | | | |