A response to a friend who said they were in the totally frustrating, "my son will never learn to spell and I've probably screwed up his whole life because I haven't figured out how to fix it" season of life.
My oldest (now 15) was at grade 1.4 to 1.6 spelling (Woodcock Johnson) until about 6th grade. Then we did vision therapy for 40 weeks (a very long, very expensive period but that paid off 100-fold over) and he rose to grade 4.4. Over the last few years he's slowly increasing and is almost at grade level -- though spelling is grade levels below anything else except for writing fluency (speed) which is about the same as spelling!
We got some great visual spelling techniques when we took vision therapy -- similar to how Dianne Craft approaches math -- each word is written out alone, with pictures around the letters if needed and color coded, and he would hold it up above his head, really picture it, close his eyes and spell it to me forward and backward. Two or three times of doing that for each word and he had it. Completely and forever. Another thing they had us do was take turns coming up with a sentence (3 words or more -- "The black cat sat.") and we'd bounce a ball back and forth -- spelling the sentence forward and backward -- then bouncing the ball once for each letter but not saying the vowels or only verbalizing every other letter forward and backward -- much harder for me than for him! But it gave him experience visualizing the whole sentence in his head.
His spelling has improved. However, he depends a lot now on spell check. And caps/periods he only gets if he's proofing someone else's writing -- can't see his own!
One of the major players in the right-brained/visual learner arena is inda Kreger Silverman. Her website is:
http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/Visual_Spatial_Learner/vsl.htm
Her book: Upside Down Brilliance: The Visual Spatial Learner is absolutely great but very hard to get. I got it from Interlibrary Loan.
http://www.amazon.com/Upside-Down-Brilliance-Visual-Spatial-Learner/dp/193218600X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295024560&sr=1-2
She's got a great 23-page summary of her approach with check lists at:
http://www.euronet.nl/~mjkbeeld/Upside-Down_Brilliance.pdf
2nd best book with suggestions by topic area (math, reading, etc):
Right Brained Children in a Left Brained World
http://www.amazon.com/Right-Brained-Children-Left-Brained-World-Unlocking/dp/0684847930/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295024629&sr=1-1
Some other great resources:
http://throwingmarshmallows.homeschooljournal.net/r-b-resources/
A yahoo group by Cindy Gattis from the mountains of NC who has several right-brained learners and is a big proponent of not trying to change our children, but to change the timeline (much easier said than done!):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschoolingcreatively/?yguid=1572768
And here's her blog - dig through it to find some resources like her collaboratively-based learning philosophy by ages, etc.
http://applestars.homeschooljournal.net/an-introduction-to-the-creative-right-brained-learner/
Hope that helps...
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
SAT and ACT Accommodation links
Based on testing we did in November, I believe I'll need to apply for accommodations for testing for my 15 yo for the essay. The dysgraphia makes his written work about 6 grades lower than his typed work. However, it's a challenge to do that. Here's what I've found so far:
A good homeschool-focus description of the process of getting accommodations for the SAT/ACT. I need to get started on that in the next few weeks!
http://www.learndifferently.com/SAT%20SSD.htm
And info from the college board:
I think this is only for schools but worth a call to find out:
http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/ssd/application/online-accommodations-eligibility-system
Overview section about Students with Disabilities and the application process:
http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/ssd/application
Need to check out the dysgraphia yahoo group for suggestions as well as far as documentation goes.
A good homeschool-focus description of the process of getting accommodations for the SAT/ACT. I need to get started on that in the next few weeks!
http://www.learndifferently.com/SAT%20SSD.htm
And info from the college board:
I think this is only for schools but worth a call to find out:
http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/ssd/application/online-accommodations-eligibility-system
Overview section about Students with Disabilities and the application process:
http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/ssd/application
Need to check out the dysgraphia yahoo group for suggestions as well as far as documentation goes.
Taking Notes
Here are the resources I'm going to use this year to try to help my 15 yo develop better note-taking skills (which are currently at the abysmal level!):
Note Taking Made Easy!: Strategies & Scaffolded Lessons for Helping All Students Take Effective Notes, Summarize & Learn the Content They Need to Know by Deana Hippie
How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less by Cal Newport
Learning to Learn: Strengthening Study Skills and Brain Power by Gloria Frender
Your instructor is not going to hold up a flag when he or she states an important new idea or gives an example, but he or she will use signal words to give you the message that what's being said is important. Every good speaker does this, and you should expect to hear these signals. For example, he or she may introduce an example with "for example" as done here!
http://english-zone.com/study/signals.html
Note Taking Made Easy!: Strategies & Scaffolded Lessons for Helping All Students Take Effective Notes, Summarize & Learn the Content They Need to Know by Deana Hippie
How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less by Cal Newport
Learning to Learn: Strengthening Study Skills and Brain Power by Gloria Frender
Your instructor is not going to hold up a flag when he or she states an important new idea or gives an example, but he or she will use signal words to give you the message that what's being said is important. Every good speaker does this, and you should expect to hear these signals. For example, he or she may introduce an example with "for example" as done here!
http://english-zone.com/study/signals.html
Educational Apps for the iPhone and iPad
High School
Trying to decide whether or not it would be worth having an iPad for my 15 yo for school. Did a search for high school apps and here is a great list -- sounds like it could be a great addition IF it didn't turn into a time waster:
http://palmbeachschooltalk.com/groups/ipadpilot/wiki/70925/High_School_iPad_Apps.html
Most of the Khan Academy videos are available for the iPhone/iPad:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/khan-academy-a-classroom-in/id361975619?mt=8
Quizlet -- he uses this for going through Spanish vocabulary on his desktop but we just found he could access all that through his iPhone (also for Android):
http://quizlet.com/mobile/
Early Elementary
One thing we did was take an old iPod touch and put all of the music, games and a few favorite TV shows (cyberchase, Star Wars Clone Wars) that were appropriate for my 5 yo on it. I keep it in my purse and when the car rides get long or we have to wait long times at places for his older brother, I can pull it out -- and I know he won't be online or messing up my phone! Worked great on our trip across the continent last week.
Here's a great source of iPhone/iPad apps for kids...
http://www.iphone4kids.net/
My favorites for my 5 yo (he prefers AirPenguin and Pikachu Jump but he doesn't mind these!:
Handwriting: iWriteWords:
http://gdiplus.ptgdi.com/iWriteWords.htm
Sequencing -- alphabet, skip counting (5's, 10's, etc): Dot to Dot numbers
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dottodot-numbers-letters/id333188500?mt=8
(they also do PocketPhonics -- haven't tried it yet)
Trying to decide whether or not it would be worth having an iPad for my 15 yo for school. Did a search for high school apps and here is a great list -- sounds like it could be a great addition IF it didn't turn into a time waster:
http://palmbeachschooltalk.com/groups/ipadpilot/wiki/70925/High_School_iPad_Apps.html
Most of the Khan Academy videos are available for the iPhone/iPad:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/khan-academy-a-classroom-in/id361975619?mt=8
Quizlet -- he uses this for going through Spanish vocabulary on his desktop but we just found he could access all that through his iPhone (also for Android):
http://quizlet.com/mobile/
Early Elementary
One thing we did was take an old iPod touch and put all of the music, games and a few favorite TV shows (cyberchase, Star Wars Clone Wars) that were appropriate for my 5 yo on it. I keep it in my purse and when the car rides get long or we have to wait long times at places for his older brother, I can pull it out -- and I know he won't be online or messing up my phone! Worked great on our trip across the continent last week.
Here's a great source of iPhone/iPad apps for kids...
http://www.iphone4kids.net/
My favorites for my 5 yo (he prefers AirPenguin and Pikachu Jump but he doesn't mind these!:
Handwriting: iWriteWords:
http://gdiplus.ptgdi.com/iWriteWords.htm
Sequencing -- alphabet, skip counting (5's, 10's, etc): Dot to Dot numbers
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dottodot-numbers-letters/id333188500?mt=8
(they also do PocketPhonics -- haven't tried it yet)
Local Diane Craft resources
A post on a local loop from the local homeschool store in Raleigh, NC: The Homeschool Gathering Place:
If you heard Dianne Craft speak at NCHE conference in May, did not purchase her materials and are not regretting it, regret no more!!! HSGP is now carrying Dianne Craft materials. We have the following items in stock:
1. Biology of Behavior cd: detailed step by step nutritional guide to help improve behavior, learning "glitches" focusing issues, etc.
2. Brain Integration Therapy Manual: easy to use at home therapy program to help make learning easier by using your child's body to make brain connections.
3. Right Brain Phonics Reading Book: 20 minutes a day program that turns a word guesser into a word reader. Great for dyslexics.
4. Smart Kids Who Hate to Write DVD: Does your child seem lazy, sloppy, unmotivated? It could be dysgraphia, where the child has to use so much energy for the writing process that they are reluctant to even put pencil to paper. This DVD will help you identify a child with a writing glitch, dysgraphia, visual/spatial problems and more importantly, give ways as to how to correct them.
5. Teaching the Right Brain Child DVD: Does learning seem harder for your child than it should be? This DVD contains right brain learning techniques taught by Dianne Craft that teaches the child how to store information in long-term visual memory for maximum retention.
6. Understanding and Helping the Struggling Learner DVD: Use this DVD to find out the symptoms that a child presents when he/she is experiencing an information processing glitch and what to do about it.
7. Right Brain Multiplication cards: learn multiplication facts with right brain strategies.
8. Right Brain Phonics cards: Teach phonic sounds so they stick
9. Sight Words cards: Sight words taught using right brain strategies.
Thanks for letting us serve you,
Jim, Julia, Cally, Emily, Joyce, Mary Beth, Lynn, Kelson, Vicky, Kira, Beth,
Ashley, Elizabeth, Kathleen, Victoria, Kimberly, Royale
If you heard Dianne Craft speak at NCHE conference in May, did not purchase her materials and are not regretting it, regret no more!!! HSGP is now carrying Dianne Craft materials. We have the following items in stock:
1. Biology of Behavior cd: detailed step by step nutritional guide to help improve behavior, learning "glitches" focusing issues, etc.
2. Brain Integration Therapy Manual: easy to use at home therapy program to help make learning easier by using your child's body to make brain connections.
3. Right Brain Phonics Reading Book: 20 minutes a day program that turns a word guesser into a word reader. Great for dyslexics.
4. Smart Kids Who Hate to Write DVD: Does your child seem lazy, sloppy, unmotivated? It could be dysgraphia, where the child has to use so much energy for the writing process that they are reluctant to even put pencil to paper. This DVD will help you identify a child with a writing glitch, dysgraphia, visual/spatial problems and more importantly, give ways as to how to correct them.
5. Teaching the Right Brain Child DVD: Does learning seem harder for your child than it should be? This DVD contains right brain learning techniques taught by Dianne Craft that teaches the child how to store information in long-term visual memory for maximum retention.
6. Understanding and Helping the Struggling Learner DVD: Use this DVD to find out the symptoms that a child presents when he/she is experiencing an information processing glitch and what to do about it.
7. Right Brain Multiplication cards: learn multiplication facts with right brain strategies.
8. Right Brain Phonics cards: Teach phonic sounds so they stick
9. Sight Words cards: Sight words taught using right brain strategies.
Thanks for letting us serve you,
Jim, Julia, Cally, Emily, Joyce, Mary Beth, Lynn, Kelson, Vicky, Kira, Beth,
Ashley, Elizabeth, Kathleen, Victoria, Kimberly, Royale
Stop Motion for 5 and 6 yo's
My 5 1/2 yo decided that he really needed to do LEGO stop motion videos like his 16 yo friend Clark does. Unfortunately, he doesn't read yet and he has big plans in his head about how it will work.
You can check out some of my son's stop motion videos on the youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/lwhipker?feature=mhee)
However, this video one is a better one to show "how to do stop motion with a 5 or 6 yo" -- it's a Dad video taping his 6 yo talking about how she does stop motion and you can see the one she did which was with paper drawings -- I've strongly suggested to my son that he do 2-D stop motion and he's pretty firmly refusing!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-hi4AYxzCc
Here's what we've learned on this process.
Option 1: Windows Movie Maker
CON: quite parent-intensive.
The challenge with the age of our kids is that it's not very easy to see it -- my son likes to take 5 pictures, run it to see how it looks, see which frames his hands are in and delete those, etc. Plus, he doesn't read. And he and I both like having him be independent so he doesn't drive me crazy. So it needs to be simple. I tried out several other demo's to see what worked well.
I have a webcam attached to my computer and can take photos with it directly from the keyboard.
Option 2: iKitMovie
Our first attempt (free demo for as long as we could):
We used a month long demo for Dragon StopMotion -- which is more complex and much more expensive but does more of what he wants to do (sound's a challenge -- we're using the free audacity program, and today we're probably going to try pulling it into Windows Movie Maker to combine the sound and titles). The demo allows 50 frames per scene -- hence, all of the 7 second videos on youtube!
Option 4: ZU3D
This is the one we finally ended up with. Again, a long demo to try it out. But, it's great for kids to use and has many, many features (except for Star Wars light saber sounds which I've had to search out and manipulate through audacity to use).
Pros: Easy for kids to use, very intuitive, not too expensive (relatively), allows titles and credits to be made right in the program (very important, apparently!)
Cons: Some sound still has to go through audacity
BTW: For lighting, I know of some GREAT LED lightbulbs that work well for kids doing stop motion close to lamps! My older son's FIRST Robotics Team is selling some nearly unbreakable LED lightbulbs online ($5 shipping, regardless of how many you purchase): http://www.teampyrotech.org/ My son puts them in some inexpensive gooseneck lamps from Target.
You can check out some of my son's stop motion videos on the youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/lwhipker?feature=mhee)
However, this video one is a better one to show "how to do stop motion with a 5 or 6 yo" -- it's a Dad video taping his 6 yo talking about how she does stop motion and you can see the one she did which was with paper drawings -- I've strongly suggested to my son that he do 2-D stop motion and he's pretty firmly refusing!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-hi4AYxzCc
Here's what we've learned on this process.
Option 1: Windows Movie Maker
- Camera -- make sure it's mounted, take 50+ photo's of individual shots
- Download onto the computer
- Pull all photo's into Windows Movie Maker
- Add sound via Audacity
- Add titles
CON: quite parent-intensive.
The challenge with the age of our kids is that it's not very easy to see it -- my son likes to take 5 pictures, run it to see how it looks, see which frames his hands are in and delete those, etc. Plus, he doesn't read. And he and I both like having him be independent so he doesn't drive me crazy. So it needs to be simple. I tried out several other demo's to see what worked well.
I have a webcam attached to my computer and can take photos with it directly from the keyboard.
Option 2: iKitMovie
Our first attempt (free demo for as long as we could):
- iKitMovie (http://www.ikitmovie.com/) -- it has almost no reading, lots of sound clips, logs of drag and drop, easy to delete, easy to play
- really suited for a 5 to 6 yo EXCEPT it does not have enough control if the animator wants to do anything more complex so we outgrew this fairly rapidly because my son's trying to do stop motion "like Clark" -- who turned 16 today... (but has some great stop motion movies -- his youtube channel is 103clark -- worth watching some!)
We used a month long demo for Dragon StopMotion -- which is more complex and much more expensive but does more of what he wants to do (sound's a challenge -- we're using the free audacity program, and today we're probably going to try pulling it into Windows Movie Maker to combine the sound and titles). The demo allows 50 frames per scene -- hence, all of the 7 second videos on youtube!
Option 4: ZU3D
This is the one we finally ended up with. Again, a long demo to try it out. But, it's great for kids to use and has many, many features (except for Star Wars light saber sounds which I've had to search out and manipulate through audacity to use).
Pros: Easy for kids to use, very intuitive, not too expensive (relatively), allows titles and credits to be made right in the program (very important, apparently!)
Cons: Some sound still has to go through audacity
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Annotating
My oldest does most of his thinking in his head (probably because of being quite right brained and a serious case of dysgraphia). Nonetheless, I think one of the skills that will help him further on in life (college, meetings, etc.) is being able to annotate text that is more difficult to read.
Here are some resources to look at this fall that I might want to look at a bit closer:
NC Course of Studies happens to have an outline about annotating text:
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/languagearts/secondary/rightdirection2/11annotating
Colorado University outline of what to annotate and what each section means:
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/reading/critread/pop5b.cfm
A 6-page outline for annotating which included a test with grading scale for annotation -- not sure the link will work but it's a good outline:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=10&ved=0CFgQFjAJ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.birnbaumslearners.com%2Fuploads%2F1%2F4%2F8%2F6%2F1486903%2Fhow_to_annotate_a_text.pdf&ei=TUf-TezVOcTZgQfGgc3wCg&usg=AFQjCNHjESeKR11bnSSZxfrUml4TLE-U_Q&sig2=mN98GJ-Fn9pNQUBS5VkbTA
Here are some resources to look at this fall that I might want to look at a bit closer:
NC Course of Studies happens to have an outline about annotating text:
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/languagearts/secondary/rightdirection2/11annotating
Colorado University outline of what to annotate and what each section means:
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/reading/critread/pop5b.cfm
A 6-page outline for annotating which included a test with grading scale for annotation -- not sure the link will work but it's a good outline:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=10&ved=0CFgQFjAJ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.birnbaumslearners.com%2Fuploads%2F1%2F4%2F8%2F6%2F1486903%2Fhow_to_annotate_a_text.pdf&ei=TUf-TezVOcTZgQfGgc3wCg&usg=AFQjCNHjESeKR11bnSSZxfrUml4TLE-U_Q&sig2=mN98GJ-Fn9pNQUBS5VkbTA
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