Reading Problem or Comprehension Problem?

"Why Can't I get this?"

Oftentimes there is some confusion about the underlying cause of a student's academic problems. They are often associated with reading, but reading is not a single process and, when we talk about reading, we could be meaning different things. The end goal of reading is, of course, comprehension of the material. But poor reading comprehension is not necessarily the result of a weakness in one's language comprehension skills.

Reading comprehension can only occur when other factors related to the reading process are in place. It is dependent on a student's phonemic awareness skills, knowledge of phonics, word attack skills, and the fluency of their reading being efficient and automatic.

When a reader is struggling or unable to decode words in a text, or he or she is just inefficient in doing so, the result is that they are putting most of their energy into the process of decoding and are not as focused on determining what the text is actually saying.

It is also hard to understand what you are reading when you are not a fluent reader. When your reading is slow and choppy, perhaps lacking in expression, it is more difficult to glean meaning from what you have read.

Parents frequently think or are told by their child's teacher or tutor that they have a comprehension problem, when, in fact, it is actually a problem within the mechanics of their reading. This is related to people erroneously believing that if a student cannot answer questions about what he or she has read that it must be due to a weakness in their basic comprehension skills.

Conversely, some students are perceived to be poor readers because they are unable to answer questions about what they read. In this instance, the false assumption is that if a student is a good reader they will be able to answer questions about a text, and precludes the possibility that the incorrect responses were due to under-developed or inefficient language comprehension strategies.

The confusion around these areas is why we, at Langsford Learning Acceleration Centers, do a comprehensive evaluation of all areas of the reading process to determine the precise needs of any given student. We want the family to have clarity on what underpinnings are not in place and what area or areas need to be addressed for their child to perform optimally academically.

So remember: Reading and reading comprehension are two different, but related, entities. Both areas should be evaluated and considered when looking into whether a student has a "reading problem."

Holiday Thank You Notes-- As Easy As 1-2-3

Some traditions or acts of etiquette should never go out of style.  Alas, in this day of instant gratification, email and texting, writing thank you letters seems to have fallen out of vogue.

But who doesn't like to see a handwritten thank you note show up in the mail?

Encourage your kids to write thank you notes to Aunt Jane for that adorable sweater and Uncle Pete for those drums.  During the holiday break, after the festivities have passed and when the kids are becoming restless, bring out the markers or crayons, some pretty paper and envelopes, and have your kids make you proud.  They may even have fun doing it!

HOW TO WRITE A THANK YOU NOTE IN THREE EASY SENTENCES

Start note with:

Dear __________, (Insert name of gift-giver)

Come up with three clever sentences:

Sentence 1:  Thank you sooooo much for the ___________. (Insert name of gift)

Sentence 2:  It is ________________________. (insert your initial impression of gift: beautiful, adorable, just what I wanted/needed)

Sentence 3:  I will (or it will) ______________________. (insert why you like it or how it will be useful: I will think of you every time I wear it/ it will keep me warm this winter)

End note with a nice closing:

love, sincerely, yours truly,

Sign name!

It's as simple as that.  Some pretty artwork to finish it off makes the task fun and lands the note in Aunt Jane's drawer of keepsakes.  :)

KEEP THE ART OF WRITING ALIVE!

Getting Kids to Write

How can a child who can talk your arm off transform into a whining, crying, complaining, about-to-go-into-the-fetal-position mess when given a writing assignment?  What's so hard about writing?

Most kids who say they don't like to write say that because they don't think they are good at it.  Given praise and positive feedback, many reluctant writers will blossom into authors.  The key is giving them the tools they need to get their thoughts on paper, and then lots of encouragement with a focus on what they did right!

Heather Radar talks about using "wows and wonders" to encourage kids to write in her article "Coaching Reluctant Writers" for ChoiceLiteracy (click here to read). Wows for, "Wow, this part is great," and wonders for "hmmmmm......I wonder what you could do to make this part even better?"

Everyone likes to do things they feel proficient at and a little praise can go a long way in getting your child to write more.  But the praise needs to be specific.  Tell them exactly what you think is good and why it is.  Then, instead of saying, "This part isn't very good. You should change it," guide them gently to a revision by saying something like, "Gee, this is so good, but you do seem to say he said over and over.  I wonder if there are other words you could use that mean the same thing as said that might make your story more interesting?"

Who knows?  Maybe your child will be a published author some day, thanks to your encouragement!

An Important Step in the Writing Process

Visualizing, or imaging.....We do it all the time!  

 Both are terms referring to the act of making mental pictures in your mind.

We are visualizing when we read a book 

and picture the characters and events.  

We are visualizing when we listen to oral directions

and see what we need to do in our minds.  

We are visualizing when we daydream 

and fantasize about our upcoming vacation 

or what we want for Christmas this year. 

 Most of this imaging is so automatic that we are hardly aware of it.  Bringing it to a level of consciousness, however, can allow us to use the skill in a variety of ways you may not have thought about.  For example--writing!!

Has your child ever sat staring at a blank sheet of paper 

and complained about not knowing what to write? 

 Visualizing what you plan to write is actually one of the most important steps of the writing process.  If you can clearly see in your mind's eye a scene or event, you will be better able to write about it.  The more detail you have in your imagery, the more descriptive your writing can become.  You just have to think about what you see and put it into words on the paper.

The next time your child is having difficulty with writing, encourage them to visualize the topic and then incorporate those images into their work.  They should include colors, shape, size, and other details they imagine.  This simple yet often overlooked step can help your child to become a better writer and make the whole process easier and more enjoyable!