Teachers are using multi-sensory activities in the classroom to make learning more lively and effective. Multisensory is exactly what it states; engaging multiple senses during instruction to reinforce concepts. It’s fun, interactive, and even messy!

The fun doesn’t have to stop when the bell rings. Parents can easily incorporate these tactics during homework time. Here are some easy ways to keep the party going:

Act it Out: Have your child act out scenes of a story or book they need to read for school. Creating their own dialogue and reenacting a part of the story will enrich their understanding of the characters and events. Pretending to be other people will also increase their knowledge of people’s feelings and why they react a particular way in certain situations. Join in! By portraying a character yourself, you can seemlessly bring up questions and steer the conversation in the appropriate direction.

Use Food: You can touch it, smell it, see it, and TASTE it. Food can be both a learning tool and a reward. Small foods like grapes, carrot sticks, M&Ms, cookies, cereal and crackers are perfect for sorting and can be used for math, reading comprehension activities, and letter formation.

Homemade Games: File folder games are easy to make and you can create one for any subject. Using board games is a stressless way to test knowledge of any subject matter, be it science, social studies, or language arts. Play with your child and see how quickly their competitiveness enhances their desire to learn the material so that they can beat you and win the game! 

Move: Clap, tap, flap, stomp, snap. Involving movement and rhythm during studying helps with retention and recall.

Take the WORK out of homework, and enjoy learning with your son or daughter.

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Do you remember the phrase "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me"? Whoever came up with that phrase was obviously never bullied. Verbal abuse from your peers is a lot more painful and lasting than a punch in the face. And while neither are desirable, it would appear that there are those who believe that simple "name-calling" is all a part of growing up and that those who are being bullied need to "get tougher skin". I wonder if those same people who seem to believe that a constant and unsolicited barrage of insults are easily ignored, would also say the same thing if their child or they, themselves were the target of peer ridicule? It's hard to say. I can only attest to what I have experienced and to what I have seen. 

When I entered the sixth grade, I made a transition from private school to my neighborhood middle school. My new middle school was as foreign to me as the idea of eating croissants on the Seine. The only difference being, the latter of those two activities would have been delightful as opposed to being loud, terrifying, and the cause of several tear-stained sessions with my parents, which always ended with them telling me things would get better and to be strong. It was, in fact, because of thoughts like eating croissants on the Seine or listening to classical music that made me such an outcast in the first place. The near perfect grammar and advanced vocabulary words taught at my old school were frowned upon at my new school. I knew too much. I liked to read, for fun! I was eager to learn. I raised my hand to answer every question and never had to beat anyone to the punch because no one else was even trying. It wasn't "cool" to be so eager. I was making a fool of myself and everyone let me know it. The only person who was worse off than me and a handful of other kids (a boy who didn't wear designer clothes, another who the class suspected was gay, a girl who had glasses, braces and curly hair... I know, cliché, but true) was a girl named Sarah. 

You could tell that Sarah was awkward right from the start. She had very short, fair hair that curled in unruly wisps around the crown of her head, where the hair flattened out, giving her a Friar Tuck appearance. Her clothes were faded and too small. They looked like hand-me-downs, which in itself was enough of an offense to be bullied in middle school. She was a little chubby (again, capitol offense in any grade) and she wore a retainer. In addition to that, Sarah had a learning disability. She didn't read at grade level, she spoke out of turn in class, she wasn't aware of when she had food on her shirt or if her nose was running, and she was easily frustrated when it came to class work. The only thing worse than watching other students bully her was witnessing the disgust and indifference with which some teachers treated Sarah. If the class laughed at Sarah, those teachers scolded her for "over-reacting" or sent her down to the counseling center. If she didn't understand an assignment right away or asked for help when we were supposed to be working silently, she received a reprimand, in very clipped tones, to "follow the rules". I would guess that Sarah just wanted a friend, just wanted someone to talk to her and show her kindness, but not one did. I would smile at her across the room or in the hallway, but to be her friend would have put me under more scrutiny than I wanted to take on. I know, it wasn't very nice of me, and what’s more, I feel like a selfish coward having admitted that I did not stand up for her. The next year, I went to a different school and I forgot about Sarah. I made new friends at my new school, people liked me; I was included.  But I never forgot how miserable the kids at my old middle school had made me.

Fast forward to the present and I am bombarded with news stories about teen suicide; children who feel so helpless at the hands of their bullies that they see no alternative but to take their own lives. I read that a child as young as eleven years old hung himself after his peers repeatedly told him that he was worthless and that he should just kill himself. A boy is bullied for being an assumed homosexual; a girl is publically humiliated and called a slut and other names via social media, another is bullied for being too fat, one for being too skinny. My heart goes out to these children and their families, but then I get angry. When will it end? Why, as a society, do we allow the strong to prey on the weak and defenseless and excuse the behavior with inane platitudes that make NO ONE feel better? It's too late for me to go back and help Sarah, to "stand for the silent", so to speak. However, it is not too late for us, as a society, to teach new generations of children that bullying is not an option. As it turns out, words do hurt.

Watch the trailer for Bully

Check the Bully Project website and Facebook page to see when the movie is coming to your city and how you can help to raise awareness and stop bullying. 

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Today we will address a question that can affect so many aspects of the process of learning to read: letter formation. We had this question from one of our Phonics First trained teachers: 

"I can not remember for the life of me how to explain the difference between the "b" and the "d" to my class.  Could you please refresh my memory."

There are a couple of instructional tools we use to differentiate between "b" and "d".  For the d, we use the "Key Word" drumstick and the concept of the d being made up of a drum and a stick.  When forming the d, ALWAYS make the drum first (start by making a c and then adding the stick without lifting the pencil).  First make sure they are VERY consistent forming the c correctly and then they can easily turn it into a d.  An additional trick I use is showing them a music CD which most students recognize.  If they think of the term "CD," that helps them remember to make the c and turn it into a d.

The b formation uses the concept of a bat and ball.  Ask the students, "When it is your turn to go up to hit, what do you pick up first?" You always pick up the bat and then hit the ball.  The letter b is ALWAYS made with the bat first (top to bottom) and then the ball is hit down the page.

By having students start each letter in a different place (one at the top, the other at the midline), they are kinesthetically able to recall the correct sequence of movements to form the letters.

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I love teaching magic-e to the kids. There are so many fun activities you can do with the multisensories for these lessons. 

The simplest magic-e activity is with our magic-e wand. If you haven't purchased one yet, you could make your own using glitter pipe cleaners. The pipe cleaners will not give the "magical" chime when waved like the metal magic-e wand does, but it is a great and cost-effective way to give your entire class a magic-e wand. Start out with the whole class showing examples of  CVC words (mat, tap, cut), then use your magic-e wand to transform the words with the magic-e (mate, tape, cute). Then provide your class with their own pipe cleaners to make their own magic-e wand pencil toppers (I would remove the red glitter pipe cleaners and reserve them for teaching a red word lesson). 

Now, invite four children up to the front of the class to hold cards from your card pack. (I usually give the four kids doing the demo a pile of cards - beginning sounds person would have a lot of single consonants as well as beginning blends - vowel person would have all five short vowels - and the ending sound person would have several single consonants like: p, m, n, t, b, and d. The magic-e person is placed at the end of the word and holds the card while slowly turning around and around. When magic-e faces away from the word, the other students change their cards and the audience says the short vowel syllable. When the magic-e faces the crowd and completes the magic-e syllable, the students wave their wands and say the new (long vowel) syllable.

Here are a few other ideas and games for teaching Magic-e:

The students could also be encouraged to wave their own personal wands during dictation.

They could use their wands to go on a magic-e hunt of things around the room that have magic-e.

They could do a charades game where their fellow students would have to guess what the magic-e word was they were acting out (they have to include their wand in the movement): wave, cave, hide, robe, kite, cane, slide, time, plane, and note.

The students could also wave their magic-e wands as you play Simon Says: Simon Says.....bite (they wave their wands); Simon Says.....clap (they hold their wands still). The students need to recognize the long sound of the vowel and that it will be a magic-e.

Do you have ideas, activities and tips to teach magic-e? Please share them!

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A 2010 study conducted by the Center for the Study of Learning (Georgetown University Medical Center) and Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (Winston-Salem NC) showed a significant increased Gray Matter Volume (GMV) in dyslexic children after eight weeks of intensive multisensory reading intervention.  Participants were tested before the study (T1), participated in an eight-week intervention, were retested (T2) immediately after the intervention, had an eight-week null period (no intervention) and then were tested again (T3).

Significant increases in GMV were observed between T1 and T2; increases were not observed between T2 and T3.  The structural changes between T1 and T2 were observed in the left anterior fusiform gyrus/hippocampus, left precuneus, right hippocampus and right anterior cerebellum. However, these areas did not change between the time of T2 and T3, suggesting that the changes were specific to the intervention period. These changes suggest two things: 1 - instruction-induced changes in GMV can be observed; and 2 - reading improvements induced by intervention are accompanied by GMV changes.

By changing the way we teach, we change the way children learn. You can read the complete article here:

http://eorder.sheridan.com/3_0/display/index.php?flashprint=1144

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First, we should note that the goal of fingertapping is to help students internalize the sequencing of sounds and symbols within a word using tactile-kinesthetics. Many students will stop fingertapping once they are able to do this in their heads. However, it is recommended that during dictation, all students are required to fingertap the first 3-4 words so they do not forget the process. This will ensure they can always use fingertapping as a strategy to figure out a tricky word.

For students who are fairly accurate with spelling during dictation, they may stop fingertapping each word after the first 3-4 unless they make an error. Students who still need to fingertap for accurate spelling should be directed to fingertap all words.

Please feel free to ask and post more questions!

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The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) recently published their report on the state of learning disabilities in America. There are findings, both positive and negative, but mostly there is important information on how we as a nation can continue to educate ourselves about learning disabilities and help the children and adults struggling with these disabilities. From the number of Americans identified as learning disabled (roughly 4.67 million Americans) we can reasonably conclude that the education system will have their hands full providing special services. However, information regarding exactly which disabilities are prevalent send a different message entirely. The NCLD states: 

  "A report from a Presidential commission on special education in 2002 reported that up to 40% of children identified for special education were there because they weren’t taught to read rather than they had a true disability." (Cortiella, C.(2011), The State of Learning Disabilities. New York, NY: National Center for Learning Disabilities)

It would appear that effective strategies and programs that teach children how to become fluent, confident readers are the key to cutting (almost) in half, the number of children identified as learning disabled. The State of Learning Disabilities report not only provides documented facts and trends about learning disabilities and gives us "food for thought" on a subject that is prevalent in education today, but also provides a resource for those who are struggling with a disability as well as their families.

To read highlights or the full report, The State of Learning Disabilities, please follow this link:

http://www.ncld.org/stateofld#issuu

RLAC - Reading and Language Arts Centers, Inc.

36700 Woodward Ave., Suite 20, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304 * 800-732-3211

http://www.rlac.com/store/index.htm

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Groundbreaking research in brain imaging (fMRI) shows us exactly how the “reading brain” operates.  We can directly observe the dramatic differences in brain use between skilled and weak readers.  Further, research demonstrates that structured, systematic, multisensory phonics instruction, such as Phonics First™, literally changes the pathways of brain function.  Phonics First™ is truly Building Better Brains. Read our summary article and links to additional research.

Research confirms that effective, multisensory reading instruction literally reorganizes the brains of struggling readers.  Multisensory, multimodal instruction engages a variety of learning pathways.  Especially effective is the engagement of the visual, auditory, tactile (touch) and kinesthetic (muscle movement) learning pathways.  When struggling learners are taught to read using direct, explicit, systematic, multisensory phonics instruction, research using functional MRI (fMRI) brain imaging literally shows us that the impact on the brain is significant.

 

In 1998, Dr. Sally Shaywitz, a leader in the field of dyslexia and reading, released reading research done at Yale University's Center for Learning and Attention.  Observing brain imaging during the reading process through the use of fMRIs explicitly showed that skilled readers consistently use specific portions of the left-brain, with brain activity highly focused in very specific areas during reading tasks.  Brain imaging in weak readers shows diffused activity scattered throughout the brain; much less efficient for reading.

 

Furthermore, studies have shown that instruction using direct, explicit, systematic, multisensory phonics actually changes how these weak readers utilize pathways in the brain for reading.  This type of instruction, including an early emphasis on phonemic awareness, taught two hours per week for a year, significantly enhances students’ overall reading accuracy and fluency.  The changes in brain imaging after this intervention show a significant increase in the focused use of the left hemisphere of the brain during reading tasks.  The brain activity of the weak readers appears more and more like the brain activity of the skilled readers.  These formerly weak readers are developing focused “reading systems” in their brains that were not present before instruction occurred.

Additional studies supporting these results have been conducted in many research facilities, including a team led by Dr. Guinevere Eden, associate professor of pediatrics at the General Clinical Research Center at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., as well as a study at the Medical College of Wisconsin, with Jeffrey R. Binder, MD, professor of neurology, and Robert F. Newby, PhD, associate professor of neurology. This research continues today, constantly refining what we know about how the brain reads.  

 

Early identification and intervention in kindergarten and grade one using this research-based instruction prevents many at-risk students from ever struggling with reading.  This kind of proven, effective instruction for older students who already struggle with reading skills acquisition can reverse the ongoing difficulties, changing those learners into more competent readers.  For learning disabled and ADD individuals, these instructional methods give them specific strategies and skills to work effectively with their learning differences, allowing them to become successful readers and spellers, significantly impacting their schoolwork and lifelong success.

 

This kind of reading research continues to support the years of teaching and professional development expertise available through Reading and Language Arts Centers (RLAC).  Internationally accredited, RLAC’s Phonics First^™ program is an explicit, structured, systematic, sequential, multisensory phonics instruction program which meets the intensive intervention model needed to address struggling readers in the classroom and also meets the unique needs of students in special education.  Through individually designed lessons using these research-based teaching methods, educators explicitly trained in Phonics First^™ teach students to become confident and independent learners while literally building new pathways for learning within their students’ brains.

Here are links to additional related information/articles:

http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/brain.shtml

http://www.human.cornell.edu/hd/outreach-extension/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&PageID=43489

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080611103900.htm

http://www.yalescientific.org/2011/04/the-paradox-of-dyslexia-slow-reading-fast-thinking/

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090318112937.htm

http://www.cdl.org/resource-library/articles/imaging_study.php

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121253104

http://www.childrenofthecode.org/interviews/shaywitz.htm  (Interview date April 2004)

RLAC - Reading and Language Arts Centers, Inc.* 36700 Woodward Ave., Suite 20, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304 * 800-732-3211

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