Skip to main content

100 Powerful Learning Specialist and Educational Therapy Materials

This week I wanted to tell you about my online store, Good Sensory Learning. I’m Dr. Erica Warren, and I established this site so I could share all the materials that I have created over the last 20+ years as a learning specialist and educational therapist. When I first began my private practice, Learning to Learn, I had great difficulty finding fun and multisensory materials for my students that were effective and engaging. So back in 2005, I made it my mission to design and distribute high-end, remedial products as well as memorable, motivating lessons that bring delight to learning. If you would like to try a free sampling of my activities , CLICK HERE . How Are the Products Organized at Good Sensory Learning? You can download my Free Printable Catalog or you can browse the site using the grey “search all products” bar in the top right of any page with keywords such as dyslexia, working memory, and executive functioning. What’s more, drop down menus in the red banner allow you t
Post a Comment

Early Literacy: Letter, Number and Shape Challenges

Occasionally, I get inquiries from other learning specialists in the field that have difficult cases. Recently, a director of a tutoring academy asked me a question about a new student, and I thought I would share our correspondence for this week's blog post. Names have been altered to preserve anonymity.
early literacy ideas
Dear Erica:

I have a question about a new case. When I first contacted you about two years ago, it was because I had a little 5-year-old girl who was way behind. Your guidance really helped me. Anyway her first cousin has come to us. The girl turned 4 in June, and she is having a number of issues. She has no number recognition and no letter recognition, except the letter "A" - because her name is Alice. She does recognize most of the basic shapes. However, she can only trace, but not copy them. I asked her to write her name, but all letters were illegible - but the letter A. I'm not sure it was even her name. She knew all her colors, but blue, which she called "lellow." I had her color fruit, and she colored both grapes and an apple blue. She had no rhyming ability and no concept of compound words. I gave her the two words to put together. I don't know where to begin. Do you have any suggestions?

Dear Sue:

I like to work off of student strengths, and it sounds like Alice can trace. So, I would use this ability and have her trace things and color them by placing images into dry erase pockets. Be sure to get a variety of dry erase markers too.

Here are my suggested steps:
  1. First, you can place letters, numbers, and different colored shapes into the dry erase pockets and ask Alice to trace them while saying the name (and color - if applicable) 5 times. In the beginning, stick to one category and limit the instruction to 5 concepts. For example, focus on the first 5 letters of the alphabet. You can do both upper and lower case letters at the same time, or focus on one at a time.
  2. Second, blow up a balloon and write each of the 5 letters onto it with a permanent marker. Be sure to make the letters as large as possible.
  3. Third, toss the balloon to Alice and see if she can name the first letter she sees while tracing it on the balloon. Pass the balloon back and forth. You can do the activity too, so she can learn vicariously through demonstration. After she can do each of the letters successfully, teach her the letter sound. Toss the balloon up in the air. Say you see the letter "B" trace the letter and say the letter name 5 times. Then say "B makes the 'b' sound like balloon.” Do this for each letter and then let Alice give it a try.
  4. Fourth, when Alice is ready, make the game even more challenging - Each time she gets the balloon and sees a letter, she has to come up with a new word that starts with the same sound - "B makes the 'b' sound like banana...” "B makes the 'b' sound like ball....”
  5. Fifth, when the session is over, encourage Alice to take the balloon home and teach the games to her parents and siblings.
You can follow the same sequence for numbers and shapes.

Use the App Touch and Write. This is such a fun, multisensory, motivating approach that I'm sure she will enjoy!

As another activity, you could also teach Alice about syllables: I like to use kinesthetic movements when teaching this concept, where you and the student bounce on ball chairs, learn a simple song about syllables and then feel the syllables. Here is a video I did that illustrates the concept: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRVqZw_FS-c

I would start to teach her rhyming and blending once she has learned all her letters, numbers, and shapes. If you find that she likes to play games, you can check out my reading games primary too.

----------------------------------------------

I hope you found this blog helpful, and that sharing our correspondence has offered you some ideas.  If you would like to be apart of my closed learning specialist support group, CLICK HERE.  There you can get your questions asked by a group of supportive professionals.

Cheers, Dr. Erica Warren
Dr. Erica Warren is the author, illustrator, and publisher of multisensory educational materials at Good Sensory Learning and Dyslexia Materials. She is also the director of Learning to Learn and Learning Specialist Courses.

· Blog: https://learningspecialistmaterials.blogspot.com/
· YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/warrenerica1
· Podcast: https://godyslexia.com/
· Store: http://www.Goodsensorylearning.com/ & www.dyslexiamaterials.com
· Courses: http://www.learningspecialistcourses.com/
· Newsletter Sign-up: https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/69400
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

10 Free Ways to Improving Visual Tracking for Weak Readers

While reading, tracking across the page from one line to the next can be tricky when the text is small, but for students with dyslexia or weak reading skills, it can be a problem regardless of the font size.  So why is this the case?  Perhaps one of the problems is poor tracking skills. What Exactly is Tracking? Tracking is the ability for one's eyes to move smoothly across the page from one line of text to another. Tracking difficulties happen when eyes jump backward and forward and struggle to stay on a single line of text.  This results in problems such as word omissions, reversals, eye fatigue, losing your place while reading and most importantly it can impact normal reading development.   Can Tracking be Improved? Tracking can be improved by strengthening eye muscles as well as getting your eyes and brain to work cooperatively.  There are three eye movements that need to be developed:   Fixations: The ability to hold one's eyes steady without moving
Post a Comment
Read more

Do I have dyslexia - Explaining Symptoms and Myths for Kids

What do you do when you learn that your child has dyslexia? Should you hide this diagnosis to protect them from labels and misunderstandings, or should you tell them? If you do decide to tell them, how do you do this? Can you help them to overcome any potential fears or misunderstandings? These are the questions that I will answer in this blog that includes kid-friendly graphics. What are the Benefits of Telling Your Child That He or She Has Dyslexia? Educating your child with dyslexia about the common signs and misconceptions can help them to: understand that they learn in a different way than other kids that don’t have dyslexia.  shed negative labels such as stupid, careless, unmotivated and lazy. correct any misunderstandings. identify with other successful people that have or had dyslexia. acquire the needed intervention and instruction in school. learn that many people with dyslexia have strengths that others do not have. Individuals with dyslexia are often: great
Post a Comment
Read more

Teaching Students Metacognitive Strategies Improves Grades

We are living in an information, distraction-rich time and multitasking seems to be a common way of navigating the complexities of reality. Our youth have grown up observing their parents juggling multiple responsibilities at one time while they have also been immersed in the modern-day influx of technology. As a result, many young learners have applied their observations to academic endeavors, and homework is often completed while laying prey to constant interruptions from social media, online video chatting, texting, television and more. Although there is some utility in life to being able to multitask, the learning process is hindered when attention continually shifts. In contrast, to this multitasking approach to learning is metacognition, and this can play a critical role in successful learning. How Can Students Learn to Do Schoolwork with Greater Efficiency? The foundation to instructing students how to maximize their learning potential is teaching them metacognitive strat
Post a Comment
Read more