by Sarah Major, M.Ed
I loved to read growing up. One of the stories that made a deep impression on me was about Robert the Bruce, the Scottish military leader. He’d tried six times to defeat the enemy and had failed six times. While resting in a cave, Robert watched a spider trying to spin a web. The spider swung towards the opposite wall six times, and six times it fell to the ground. But the spider persisted and on the 7th try, it reached the wall and began its web.
Robert the Bruce took this as a sign; he went out to battle one more time and this time was victorious.
Persistence is an amazing quality. It is what makes any inventor become an inventor, any published author published. It is what fuels any great achievement…that refusal to give up or to listen to those who say it can’t be done. I grew up hearing “If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.” While I understand that the intention of this phrase was to instill the character quality of persistence within my young breast, I’ve learned that there are also times in which trying and trying again is an exercise in futility.
When Exactly is a Wee Adjustment Called for?
When it comes to playing the piano or shooting hoops, simple repetitive practice is definitely in order. Repetition greases the wheels, so to speak, as neural pathways become myelinated, leading to more and more perfect performances over time.
However, sometimes common sense dictates that when you’ve tried something and failed, it might be genius to take a moment to study why you might have failed the first time, make a simple adjustment, and THEN try again! I think that in the case of an invention, if you make your first trial and it blows up, surely you wouldn’t try the same exact thing again.
When it comes to teaching reading to visual learners, trying the same thing again after it didn’t “take” the first time is not only a waste of time, but it could lead to a child hating reading. The obstacle to carrying out a new, improved plan is that traditional education is rooted in one way of teaching reading and it will take many sticks of dynamite to get us to change our methods. For me the “sticks of dynamite” that made me embrace new ways of teaching reading were the many kids I saw failing to learn to read. When a child fails to learn to read, it is not the time to apply the spider’s approach of doggedly trying again.
Following are some activities that will work with the strengths of your visual learners (and likely any child learning to read). I want to make very clear that I’m not advocating throwing phonics out the window. What I AM suggesting is that we set it to the side and sneak it in during reading games.
Reading Games
Jeffrey Freed, M.A.T. recommends teaching whole words rather than parts of words. What this means is illustrated in the following games. For each, keep in mind the phonics concept you would like to teach, but don’t talk about it first.
Materials needed:
1- 3" x 5” cards
2- Markers
3- Blank wall
4- Table
5- Floor
6- Prizes
7- Child or children
As you can see, materials are simple. Prizes can be anything you want...from points assigned for every correct answer to pennies, to a field trip once the child has accumulated points…anything you feel your child would enjoy most. All of the games can be played with just you and your child, but may also be played with multiple children of varying ages--you know best where your children are at and how to challenge them!
Game 1 – Go Fish
Write words you want your child(ren) to learn on 3" x 5" cards. You'll need 52 cards, four copies each of 13 target words. Deal five cards to each player if you are playing with 3 or more players, or deal 7 cards if you have only two players. The person to the left of the dealer will look at his cards and ask a player for a match to one of his cards. If the other player has the card, the child will have a match and will ask for another card. If the player he asks doesn’t have the requested card in his hand, she will say “Go fish” and the first player will take a card from the stack of extra cards. Play ends when a player runs out of cards. This game gives children practice reading without having to do phonics drills.
Game 2 – Word Wall Hunt
Display a group of words on your wall. You can either stick the cards up with sticky tack or put them in a pocket chart. Let’s say you have 12 words displayed: ANOTHER, MADE, THERE, CAME, OH, THINK, GIVE, OTHER, VERY, LIVE, RIDE, and WHERE. Call out a word for the child to find. You might say, “Find THNK.” If the child goes to the word immediately and takes it, great; she get points for correctly identifying the word. Now you have 11 words remaining. You say, “Find ANOTHER.” If the child hesitates this time and needs a prompt, ask her what sound she hears at the beginning of the word. This will give her a clue for finding the word. In this group, phonics concepts to slip in include the two different sounds of TH; digraphs TH and WH; ER endings; pinchy E words (made, came, ride); VE endings with a short vowel (live, give); and the ERE words (here, where, there).
Game 3 – Word Wall Hunt 2
Using the same cards as in game 2, ask questions like these: "Find two words that have ERE in them (pronounced AIR) (there, where)." "Find three pinchy E words (ride, came, made)." "Find two words that end in ER."
Or “Find a word that is the opposite of TAKE.” (give) “Find the opposite of WALK.” (ride) Etc.
Game 4 – Word Match
For this game you'll need two of each word written on 3" x 5" cards. Lay them out on the floor face up. The task is for the child to choose a word, say it, then find the matching word. He will pick them both up, set them aside, and choose another word.
Game 5 – Really Big Words
In order to teach specific phonics skills and expand your child’s reading vocabulary, include some lovely long words. Use 3" x 5” cards and write about ten words on the cards. Let’s say you want to teach that PH sounds like F. Rather than telling your child that phonics phenomenon, choose some words containing that spelling. For instance, you could write these words: PHONE, ELEPHANT, PHARMACY, THERE, CAME, VERY, MADE, OTHER, THINK, and RIDE. Notice that I chose some words the child has already played with, but I added three PH words. Say, “Pick up the word that says CAME.” Child will take that card. “Pick up the word that says ELEPHANT.” The child might use the starting short E sound to find the word. If he correctly chooses ELEPHANT, point out that it was great that he could read that word because it has a tricky spelling in the middle….PH sounds like F. Continue like this. If the child stumbles over a word, use clues that relate to sounds instead of letter names to help her. For instance, both PHONE and PHARMACY start with that interesting sound spelling, but one is short and the other is longer. One has an N sound in the middle, while the other has an M sound.
Game 6 – Around the World
You can play a version of this game with just two players simply by taking turns. Display the words on a wall, floor, or table. First player asks the other to find a particular word. If player 2 points to the right word, it is then his turn to choose a word for the partner to find. If you have a group of children, start by calling a name and asking the child to find a word. He will point to the word, and then he gets to call a name and ask the next child to find a word.
Game 7 – Fishing
If you want to make a fun game, use words written on 3" x 5" cards cut in half. Press a stick-on piece of magnet to the back of each word card. Make a fishing pole out of a stick and string by tying the string to one end of the pole and a little magnet to the other end. Put the magnetized words into a tall vessel, then have children take turns lowering the magnetized fishing pole into the vessel. They will read the word they manage to hook with their fishing pole.
Game 8 – Scramble
To prepare for this game, write words on both sides of cards. Have children stand against a wall while you toss the handful of cards high up on the air. Stand to one side and say “Brent, find WHICH.” “Louisa, find THIN.” When the children find their words, let them keep them. If you're playing with multiple players, call on two other children to find words.
Game 9 - Word Wall Scramble
A variation on Game 8 involves displaying words on three walls of the classroom and using pointing sticks. If you're playing with multiple players, write the names of your children on popsicle sticks. Then reach down and select a popsicle stick and read the name. Have that child rush to the front of the room for a pointer. Then tell her to find a particular word, point to it and read it aloud. For instance, say, “Ellise, find PAPER.” You can play this game with multiple ages of children at one time, because learning to read words is not necessarily grade-specific.
Game 10 – Really Big Words
In my classroom, I had a regular word wall of high frequency words in alphabetized columns. But I also had walls containing big words arranged by part of speech. So our Word Wall Scramble grew to include really huge vocabulary words that we’d introduced and worked with one word per day. Once we’d displayed a nice collection of words, I would choose three popsicle sticks, call the names on them, and say, “Marvin, find an adjective that means ‘really big.’” Marvin would locate the word HUGE or maybe we’d learned GIGANTIC. Another clue: “Joe find an adjective that starts with an S and it means “really easy.” (SIMPLE) “Find a verb that starts with an “i” and it means to copy someone.” (IMITATE). You can play this same game with one child or 20!
Don’t Throw Out the Rules
I recognize that it is really scary to contemplate throwing out the phonics lesson book, but that is not what I am recommending. What I am suggesting is a slight modification of the WAY phonics is normally taught. If your lesson calls for a specific phonics principle, rather than teaching the rule and having your child memorize it, choose a whole set of words that SHOW the phonics concept, and then play a game as the teaching activity. Always use whole words from which you highlight a detail. For instance, if the phonics concept is the IGH spelling of long I, rather than saying “IGH says (long) I,” write a bunch of long I words on 3" x 5" cards and teach several long I spellings at one time. Your child could color over the long I spellings with a yellow crayon after having grouped the words into families (IGH in one family, I-E words in another, IE words in a third family.) Above all, HAVE FUN! The positive emotions generated by these games will go a long way towards encouraging your child to love learning!
Sarah Major, CEO of Child1st Publications, grew up on the mission field with her four siblings, all of whom her mother homeschooled.
As an adult, Sarah homeschooled a small group of children in collaboration with their parents, and has taught from preschool age to adult. Sarah has been the Title 1 director & program developer for grades K-7, an ESOL teacher, and a classroom teacher. As an undergraduate student, Sarah attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. where she received a B.A. in art. Sarah then received her M.Ed. from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI. In 2006 Sarah resigned from full-time teaching in order to devote more of her time to Child1st. In her spare time Sarah enjoys gardening, cooking, pottery, quilting, and spending time with her family.
Child1st Publications, LLC
www.child-1st.com
704-240-9957
1379 S Aspen St
Lincolnton, NC 28092
I loved to read growing up. One of the stories that made a deep impression on me was about Robert the Bruce, the Scottish military leader. He’d tried six times to defeat the enemy and had failed six times. While resting in a cave, Robert watched a spider trying to spin a web. The spider swung towards the opposite wall six times, and six times it fell to the ground. But the spider persisted and on the 7th try, it reached the wall and began its web.
Robert the Bruce took this as a sign; he went out to battle one more time and this time was victorious.
Persistence is an amazing quality. It is what makes any inventor become an inventor, any published author published. It is what fuels any great achievement…that refusal to give up or to listen to those who say it can’t be done. I grew up hearing “If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.” While I understand that the intention of this phrase was to instill the character quality of persistence within my young breast, I’ve learned that there are also times in which trying and trying again is an exercise in futility.
When Exactly is a Wee Adjustment Called for?
When it comes to playing the piano or shooting hoops, simple repetitive practice is definitely in order. Repetition greases the wheels, so to speak, as neural pathways become myelinated, leading to more and more perfect performances over time.
However, sometimes common sense dictates that when you’ve tried something and failed, it might be genius to take a moment to study why you might have failed the first time, make a simple adjustment, and THEN try again! I think that in the case of an invention, if you make your first trial and it blows up, surely you wouldn’t try the same exact thing again.
When it comes to teaching reading to visual learners, trying the same thing again after it didn’t “take” the first time is not only a waste of time, but it could lead to a child hating reading. The obstacle to carrying out a new, improved plan is that traditional education is rooted in one way of teaching reading and it will take many sticks of dynamite to get us to change our methods. For me the “sticks of dynamite” that made me embrace new ways of teaching reading were the many kids I saw failing to learn to read. When a child fails to learn to read, it is not the time to apply the spider’s approach of doggedly trying again.
Following are some activities that will work with the strengths of your visual learners (and likely any child learning to read). I want to make very clear that I’m not advocating throwing phonics out the window. What I AM suggesting is that we set it to the side and sneak it in during reading games.
Reading Games
Jeffrey Freed, M.A.T. recommends teaching whole words rather than parts of words. What this means is illustrated in the following games. For each, keep in mind the phonics concept you would like to teach, but don’t talk about it first.
Materials needed:
1- 3" x 5” cards
2- Markers
3- Blank wall
4- Table
5- Floor
6- Prizes
7- Child or children
As you can see, materials are simple. Prizes can be anything you want...from points assigned for every correct answer to pennies, to a field trip once the child has accumulated points…anything you feel your child would enjoy most. All of the games can be played with just you and your child, but may also be played with multiple children of varying ages--you know best where your children are at and how to challenge them!
Game 1 – Go Fish
Write words you want your child(ren) to learn on 3" x 5" cards. You'll need 52 cards, four copies each of 13 target words. Deal five cards to each player if you are playing with 3 or more players, or deal 7 cards if you have only two players. The person to the left of the dealer will look at his cards and ask a player for a match to one of his cards. If the other player has the card, the child will have a match and will ask for another card. If the player he asks doesn’t have the requested card in his hand, she will say “Go fish” and the first player will take a card from the stack of extra cards. Play ends when a player runs out of cards. This game gives children practice reading without having to do phonics drills.
Game 2 – Word Wall Hunt
Display a group of words on your wall. You can either stick the cards up with sticky tack or put them in a pocket chart. Let’s say you have 12 words displayed: ANOTHER, MADE, THERE, CAME, OH, THINK, GIVE, OTHER, VERY, LIVE, RIDE, and WHERE. Call out a word for the child to find. You might say, “Find THNK.” If the child goes to the word immediately and takes it, great; she get points for correctly identifying the word. Now you have 11 words remaining. You say, “Find ANOTHER.” If the child hesitates this time and needs a prompt, ask her what sound she hears at the beginning of the word. This will give her a clue for finding the word. In this group, phonics concepts to slip in include the two different sounds of TH; digraphs TH and WH; ER endings; pinchy E words (made, came, ride); VE endings with a short vowel (live, give); and the ERE words (here, where, there).
Game 3 – Word Wall Hunt 2
Using the same cards as in game 2, ask questions like these: "Find two words that have ERE in them (pronounced AIR) (there, where)." "Find three pinchy E words (ride, came, made)." "Find two words that end in ER."
Or “Find a word that is the opposite of TAKE.” (give) “Find the opposite of WALK.” (ride) Etc.
Game 4 – Word Match
For this game you'll need two of each word written on 3" x 5" cards. Lay them out on the floor face up. The task is for the child to choose a word, say it, then find the matching word. He will pick them both up, set them aside, and choose another word.
Game 5 – Really Big Words
In order to teach specific phonics skills and expand your child’s reading vocabulary, include some lovely long words. Use 3" x 5” cards and write about ten words on the cards. Let’s say you want to teach that PH sounds like F. Rather than telling your child that phonics phenomenon, choose some words containing that spelling. For instance, you could write these words: PHONE, ELEPHANT, PHARMACY, THERE, CAME, VERY, MADE, OTHER, THINK, and RIDE. Notice that I chose some words the child has already played with, but I added three PH words. Say, “Pick up the word that says CAME.” Child will take that card. “Pick up the word that says ELEPHANT.” The child might use the starting short E sound to find the word. If he correctly chooses ELEPHANT, point out that it was great that he could read that word because it has a tricky spelling in the middle….PH sounds like F. Continue like this. If the child stumbles over a word, use clues that relate to sounds instead of letter names to help her. For instance, both PHONE and PHARMACY start with that interesting sound spelling, but one is short and the other is longer. One has an N sound in the middle, while the other has an M sound.
Game 6 – Around the World
You can play a version of this game with just two players simply by taking turns. Display the words on a wall, floor, or table. First player asks the other to find a particular word. If player 2 points to the right word, it is then his turn to choose a word for the partner to find. If you have a group of children, start by calling a name and asking the child to find a word. He will point to the word, and then he gets to call a name and ask the next child to find a word.
Game 7 – Fishing
If you want to make a fun game, use words written on 3" x 5" cards cut in half. Press a stick-on piece of magnet to the back of each word card. Make a fishing pole out of a stick and string by tying the string to one end of the pole and a little magnet to the other end. Put the magnetized words into a tall vessel, then have children take turns lowering the magnetized fishing pole into the vessel. They will read the word they manage to hook with their fishing pole.
Game 8 – Scramble
To prepare for this game, write words on both sides of cards. Have children stand against a wall while you toss the handful of cards high up on the air. Stand to one side and say “Brent, find WHICH.” “Louisa, find THIN.” When the children find their words, let them keep them. If you're playing with multiple players, call on two other children to find words.
Game 9 - Word Wall Scramble
A variation on Game 8 involves displaying words on three walls of the classroom and using pointing sticks. If you're playing with multiple players, write the names of your children on popsicle sticks. Then reach down and select a popsicle stick and read the name. Have that child rush to the front of the room for a pointer. Then tell her to find a particular word, point to it and read it aloud. For instance, say, “Ellise, find PAPER.” You can play this game with multiple ages of children at one time, because learning to read words is not necessarily grade-specific.
Game 10 – Really Big Words
In my classroom, I had a regular word wall of high frequency words in alphabetized columns. But I also had walls containing big words arranged by part of speech. So our Word Wall Scramble grew to include really huge vocabulary words that we’d introduced and worked with one word per day. Once we’d displayed a nice collection of words, I would choose three popsicle sticks, call the names on them, and say, “Marvin, find an adjective that means ‘really big.’” Marvin would locate the word HUGE or maybe we’d learned GIGANTIC. Another clue: “Joe find an adjective that starts with an S and it means “really easy.” (SIMPLE) “Find a verb that starts with an “i” and it means to copy someone.” (IMITATE). You can play this same game with one child or 20!
Don’t Throw Out the Rules
I recognize that it is really scary to contemplate throwing out the phonics lesson book, but that is not what I am recommending. What I am suggesting is a slight modification of the WAY phonics is normally taught. If your lesson calls for a specific phonics principle, rather than teaching the rule and having your child memorize it, choose a whole set of words that SHOW the phonics concept, and then play a game as the teaching activity. Always use whole words from which you highlight a detail. For instance, if the phonics concept is the IGH spelling of long I, rather than saying “IGH says (long) I,” write a bunch of long I words on 3" x 5" cards and teach several long I spellings at one time. Your child could color over the long I spellings with a yellow crayon after having grouped the words into families (IGH in one family, I-E words in another, IE words in a third family.) Above all, HAVE FUN! The positive emotions generated by these games will go a long way towards encouraging your child to love learning!
Sarah Major, CEO of Child1st Publications, grew up on the mission field with her four siblings, all of whom her mother homeschooled.
As an adult, Sarah homeschooled a small group of children in collaboration with their parents, and has taught from preschool age to adult. Sarah has been the Title 1 director & program developer for grades K-7, an ESOL teacher, and a classroom teacher. As an undergraduate student, Sarah attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. where she received a B.A. in art. Sarah then received her M.Ed. from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI. In 2006 Sarah resigned from full-time teaching in order to devote more of her time to Child1st. In her spare time Sarah enjoys gardening, cooking, pottery, quilting, and spending time with her family.
Child1st Publications, LLC
www.child-1st.com
704-240-9957
1379 S Aspen St
Lincolnton, NC 28092
