If your child is struggling with reading, you have probably wondered if he or she has dyslexia. Like many others, you might be thinking of dyslexia as “seeing things backwards.” That is a common misperception. In reality, dyslexia may have less to do with how you see letters than with how you hear sounds. The word dyslexia simply means limited reading ability. This can have several cau ...[Read More]
Dyslexia–What Is It?
Tools: Use Number Charts to Teach Early Number Awareness
Your child has learned to count to ten, and is able to count up to five objects with one-to-one correspondence. If that is the case, a good foundation has been laid. But how about associating each of the numbers with its visual image? Number awareness involves three distinct elements. The child must be able to name numbers in sequence, count objects, and recognize the written numbers and the quant ...[Read More]
Tools: Alphabet Chart for Learning Letter Names
Most of us can rattle off the alphabet without having to think. This is a useful skill we rely on to look up a word in a dictionary or a name in a phonebook. Someone created the alphabet song to help us teach it to our children. But naming the letters in order does not automatically teach the child which letter name goes with which visual image. Naming individual letters is a skill that requires m ...[Read More]
Structured vs. Random Practice—Are Flashcards the Right Strategy?
Is your child having difficulty learning letter names, numbers, or sight words? The teacher is likely to send home a packet of flashcards for practice. But is this an effective strategy for your child? It is true that the fluent reader will automatically call up common words from memory. There is no need to stop and think about them or sound them out. The same goes for such things as letter names ...[Read More]