Revisiting Reading

I kind of abandoned this blog when my daughter started attending the public deaf school. And I feel guilty. Just because she attends deaf school doesn't mean that our journey of educating our child ends.

So over Christmas break I have been working with Shelby with reading. She still struggles a great deal with reading. Although she has improved since starting her public school career, it hasn't been a huge improvement. One big improvement has been her confidence. Which is nice to see. So in desperation, I cried out for help . . . and received many great ideas.

My favorite idea was a storytelling idea. So starting today, Shelby is going to type out the birth story of my 5th child. In her own words and in her own order. Then I will help her sign the concepts and then turn the written work into English. This process will take a few days for each project, but it should be a fun journey!

We also started doing a word-of-the-day. Each day I put a new word up on the fridge. The kids use the word throughout the day and it helps familiarize them with the correct spelling.

For Christmas one of my kids got Banana-grams game. We got out a child's dictionary and let them lose with the game. It was great fun and they all learned new words. Shelby knows how to use the dictionary so this was also good dictionary practice. And of course, the same could be done with Scrabble.

Another wonderful idea, is using the VRS for communication with others fluent in ASL. To master English, she will have to be fluent in her own language first. This tool will allow her access to many native speakers. And as we are looking to homeschool her again, this will be a valuable resource.

And as a simple activity, I have her read me at least one book each day.

I would love to hear success stories and ideas!