Clueless and looking for help

Step Up to Writing may be appropriate. Until you actually receive and assess your students, I don’t think you can know what they need.

The 6th graders I am sending to 7th grade and the 5th graders I am sending to 6th grade (still mine next year) can read almost at grade level. They are past, way, way past PhonoGraphix. I do use Read Naturally, but they are topping out even here. Visualizing and Verbalizing may be useful, as might Rewards from Sopris West, a program to teach decoding multi-syllabic words.

Anitya is a gem and her students are unusually lucky and unusualy advanced! Talk to Shay and/or look at her old posts here — a wealth of information in a similar situation to yours. I believe she uses all of the programs you mention.

Hi. At the risk of being self-serving, would you be interested in a spelling program for students reading 2 or more years below grade level? I’m the author. The program also improves decoding skills because it is based on Glass Analysis, a decoding strategy. It is designed especially for kids in grades 5-high school. I use it in 7th and 8th grades. It has age-appropriate vocabulary, so it helps build vocabulary and doesn’t insult the kids who need work in the basics. It is designed for students to do a great deal of the work independently or in pairs, which frees you up to work one on one when necessary. It teaches strategies, not lists of words, so it really teaches them to spell (and read), not just to memorize. It is also designed to be appropriate for kids with LD: visually unambiguous, spaced well for better visual processing, lots of reinforcement for over learning, easy to follow directions, built-in review, and very flexible. Best of all, since you are new to this age-group, it’s really easy to use! The district will love it, because it’s economical. You buy one binder for each reading level and copy as many packets as you need for the students. There are flashcards too! Visit my website www.gwhizresources.com to view a sample of the lowest level (there are 3) and see if it meets your needs. Give me a call (phone is on the website) for more information.
Thanks,
Fern

I taught 14 years at the middle school with not much of program provided to me by my district. Check to see how kids will be scheduled in to you (elementary is usually a pull out, but at the middle school kids are scheduled for a particular period or periods) Hopefully, they are scheduled for a particular subject and grade level, like reading 6 or English 7 not just special ed like it was when I first started. Then see what types of materials, texts and programs are used in the same grades in the regular program. You want those same materials with the ability to provide extra instruction and practice. Don’t let them give your 6th graders the 4th grade text (their little brother has the same book and it is too embarrassing.)If they read certain stories or novels in a particular grade, try to provide that to your students too. You might make it the book you read to them at the beginning of class and help them take notes and write a book report. For actual lessons you do need to see where they are and may need to work in small groups. I always had some very low readers who could use Phono-graphix, but there were middle and high readers with other issues. I used a good comprehension workbook where we could read, discuss vocabulary and answer questions (you could pull in V & V) skills here. I also tried to incorporate other regular ed topics that related to the social studies and science studied at that grade level. This helps kids to see how special ed is helping them access the regular curriculum and not just another year of “baby work”. These are my first thoughts, but feel free to ask for more ideas.

In my experience, the *most* important thing to have in Jr. Hi is structure, structure, and more structure. My middle schoolers astounded me with what they were willing to do to earn good grades, so they’d get ‘em half a dozen times a day. For instance, if we had to do some reading about History, I’d say “okay, you’ll get an A for every mistake less than 8 that you make reading this paragraph.” I’d aim high with an eye on the paragraph, and the details didn’t really matter because as long as the kid was getting some A’s they were happy. I also let ‘em know what fundamental facts they were supposed to get from the reading — and then I’d hold ‘em to it. Most of ‘em had no idea what July 4 was all about — oh, something to do with freedom, right? Slavery? — and actually, the idea of declaring independence is a pretty sophisticated and foreign concept, so we spent a little time on it and it appeared often and well on weekly quizzes. THe first quiz was the second day of school, wiht the questoin “what do we celebrate on the 4th of July” and really it was just rehearsal ‘cause I”d told ‘em that’s what the question would be the day before and the day of the test.
I had a lot of success with SRA’s Corrective Reading, too — but I did have the privilege of being able to group them with the placement test. (Even back then, raising reading levels was regarded as important.) It’s scripted — and it’s so tempting to stray from the program or take things easier but it’s totally worth toeing the line and being hte BIG MEANIE … for the week or so that it takes ‘em to get into what’s happening, at which point they start detecting and delighting in their progress.
Also there are things on my website at www.resourceroom.net that you might find useful for lessons, etc. especially under “reading comprehension.”
My other surprise was how much younger the kdis were than I’d anticipated. I thought they’d be pretty hardened. They made it *very* clear that they really wanted ME to be in CHARGE — especially when they realized that when they did the stuff I wanted ‘em to, they learned & felt good.

I use all of those programs with incredible results. The English department was so impressed with Step Up to Writing that they are sending their teachers to me to help them teach writing. By the way, I teach 11th grade teamed academic English as well as self-contained. You might add the computer program “Inspiration” to your list. It is great for pre-writing skills.

I use all those programs and it took me years to go through other ineffective programs before I got to this point.

I use Read Naturally, but you also might want to check out great Leaps at I think www.greatleaps.com also(either or) It might be cheaper with similar results for fluency.

I also can’t say enough about Step Up to Writing. You will love it. It just makes so much sense. My special ed boss came in today and was looking over my paper work. She got to hear one of my students do a mini-review of all the steps in paragraph wriiting. I think she was impressed with how much these kids can actually talk about the components of writing.Your students will actuallly be able to write.

I plan to use Ispiration software as Shay suggested. I did the 30 day download for free from www.inspiration.com. I did a research paper with this with my own 5th grader at home. It was easy and clear. WOW, I wish I had had this back in my days. Research papers are so different with the Internet and word processing. Inspiration Software made it fun and my own kid couldn’t believe it was so easy. Inpsiration will let you cluster or bubble and easily convert it to an outline. Then, you can take your outline, cut and paste it into paragraphs. Then you add all the details, making them into nice sentences with elaboration etc….. AND YOU DON”T have to retype it all. (my son still hunts and pecks on the keyboard, so retypying is still a chore)

I teach 6th SLD this year. This is my first try with Phono-graphix. I am very excited about the results I’m getting with my first group. I have one non reader who today decoded some multi-syllable words.!!!!!!! The counselor came to see him today. The principal couldn’t believe it. She has seen this kid since Pre-K. Everybody is jumping up and down. The boy is shocked because he has not read for so long, he can’t believe he is reading either.Parents are HAPPY.

A couple days ago , our special ed. director came out to see how we were incorporating all our Arizona State Standards with our special ed. curriculum. So my plan next year will be to use Phono-graphix until the kids can decode, practice, practice, practice with Read Naturally and PG and REAL BOOKs. Then, for the rest of the lessons, teach reading skills which align with the state standards. Not sure exactly how yet though. Good thing I have the summer. I want to do some literature studies.

This year I took all the state standard in Writing and put them in 8 notebooks. I put all the things I’ve collected over the years into the corresponding notebook. For example, I have all my summary stuff together. All my workbooks, all my Step Up to Writing materials on Summary, all my Mailbox Magazine articles and activities on summary and so forth. Next, I will attempt this with reading. I have tabs for each section. I also keep samples here. This has been a big time saver. It is also very easy to keep me on my toes making sure I am covering everything.

I also want to buy the book The Mosaic of Thought I keep hearing about. Not sure what that is all about but I keep hearing very good things.

I will also do Visualizing/ Verbalizing or V/V as it is often referred by on this board. Very cool program, easy too.

Pam, it sounds as if you are well on your way to using products that will actually be effective. You have a great start. You will do fine. You can always check in here at ldonline.org. I have found this place to be so helpful. The people here really know the latest and don’t just use what has been on the shelves for years.Many of the people who come here have their own children who have had issues with special ed. They have a special interest in finding the best possible materials. Many parents here have learned to get educated and they have had to educate the educators on the most effective programs due to little progress. Kind of sad, but true.

Good luck.
Michelle

Mosaic of Thought is a great book with lots of information but I would buy Strategies That Work instead. Mosaic of Thought is mostly the theory behind teaching comprehension strategies and Strategies That Work shows you how to do it. It has actual lessons and examples. I use it all of the time and it is much easier to follow than MOT.
Nan

A quick note to thank you all so much for your input. I don’t think you will ever know how much you have helped me. I have read all your responses and checked out every site mentioned. I was on break last week and this site became one of my obsessions as I tried to gather any information you all had to offer. I am finishing my year in first grade and think I’ll probably be a silent “participant” on this board until the school year has ended … and then back with questions.

Time to turn the computer over to my son. Thanks again for everything.
Pam