Working With Emergent Readers

Here is a quote from Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual-Spatial Learner by Linda Silverman,

"Visual-spatial children master reading in a different manner from auditory sequential

children. Some VSLs have a difficult time learning to read, while others seem
to magically absorb the entire process before they enter school. Perhaps the key here is 

'before they enter school.'"

The journey toward reading successfully can be a long and dusty road for some.  In this post, we will take a look at some options and techniques to help a VSL who is struggling with the reading process.  Research suggests that some students cannot break down the parts of words (phonetic instruction) and then reassemble those parts into whole words this can ultimately effect comprehension, too.  It is recommended that sight word instruction can serve as an excellent way of helping some VSLs develop a solid reading vocabulary.

The sight word instruction can take many forms.  Using color and imagery to help students make a mental image of the word are two important techniques.  In the picture below, you will see a struggling reader's "treasure box" of words.  This is an excellent way to develop a resource of words that the student can carry from place to place and use for writing exercises.  A treasure box should be filled with the student's favorite and desired words.

This treasure box is simple, but some students decorate their special word boxes.

This students had some trouble with the word "dark" and it looks like "bark."  We'll see a possible approach to creating a better mental image of the directionality of "b" and "d" in a series of pictures below.

The other day, the student pictured below mentioned the box in his head.  He said that when he needs to keep a "bunch of things together" he puts them into a box in his head.  Then, when he needs to see them, he brings the "imagined box" forward and looks inside.  I decided to create a "brain box" for him using different colored acrylic boxes.  See below for our work with letter confusion and the his "brain box."

In this image he has the letters written correctly and he is naming them.

Here our student discusses how to use his left and right hand to think about "b" and "d"

The student spent a few moments matching his hands to the direction of the letter and then chose which box each letter should go into.  Below you will see his interest in looking through the box to see the letter and talk about its direction  He also noted that he could hold out his left hand and create the letter "L" and thus know which hand was his left hand.

 

Here he holds up his hand in the direction the "b" is pointing

In this image our emergent reader pays close attention to the "d" in the box.

 After he held up the box and closed his eyes to imagine the letters going in the correct direction he then practiced writing some "b" and "d" words:

Later in the day he was able to write "bark" with ease.  We'll keep using his "brain box" to help him remember important reading concepts.

Below is an example of a colored transparency with a guide line.  Students can use this tool to assist them as they read text.  The color sometimes helps students by reducing glare and adding greater clarity to the letters on the page.  The line allows students to follow the text without losing place.

These are just a few tools to start with.  Always try to bring joy and enthusiasm to the learning environment.  VSLs tend to have an astute sense of humor - have fun!