I’m wondering what methods people have found for helping young readers with “word retrieval” problems. I’m working with an 8 year old boy who responds well to visual clues used in association with particular words, but sure would like some other techniques to use with him. For example, when the boy finds the word come, he blanks out. When I use the hand motion for come, he always recalls/retrieves the word. Other methods to bring those “stuck” words forth, would be greatly appreciated !
Re: word retrieval methods
Hi Judy,
I don’t know how well this advice will be received, but here goes….
Nearly every word a child learns is either totally or mostly explainable in terms of the sounds the letters represent. If you teach him how the letters and digraphs in words represent sounds, they will usually learn to read.
If they do learn to read in this manner, they will eventually have a direct translation from text to word, with no intervening mnemonic devices (such as your “come here” motion for “come.”)
On the other hand, every time a child has to first retrieve a mnemonic before he can retrieve the word (and its associated meaning,) comprehension suffers. This is simply because all of those associations take processing power. They can’t be thinking about the story when they’re trying to remember the “trick” for recalling the word.
In the case of “come” I show a child that the letter “o” represents the /o/ sound in “hot” and “me” is a digraph for the /m/ sound at the end of some words. Thus “come” becomes /c/o/m/, and “some” is /s/o/m/. If at the same time you tell the child that “ne” is the /n/ sound at the end of some words, and show him that “none” is just the sounds /n/o/n/ and “done” is /d/o/n/, he will be able to directly decode four words that kids have a lot of trouble with because they aren’t easy to devise tricks for. Now, some will object that the above four words all have /u/ for the vowel sound, but a good teacher, saying the words precisely instead of with an /u/ sound will be understood by virtually all the kids. Then, all that it is necessary to do is to admit that we pronounce a lot of the very common words somewhat sloppily, using /u/ instead of the actual vowel sound. “The” and “a” are other examples.
I’m really not trying to get you to use the phonics method I use, Judy. But I am trying to get you to question the value of teaching mnemonic devices to get kids to retrieve “easier.” In the long run, it really isn’t easier for them, as comprehension suffers…..Rod
Re: word retrieval methods
Rod,
Good advice. I agree. I have to simplify everything for my son. The complexity of having to process rules etc just slows him down. I had never thought of it exactly the way you described it before but it definitely fits for my son the slow processor. You explained it well.
I also think that having him visualize the symbols helps to streamline this process. He needs to connect the sound to the picture. It isn’t an all auditory or an all visual process. It is an integration of the two.
Whatever program LMB or phonographix, I think you have to explicitely teach some children to see those sound pictures in their head. I think some kids just do this naturally.
Try tracing the word on the table. My students have always been pretty successful with it. I always tell them the message will travel right up your arm and into your brain and you’ll know the word.