Helping Students With Reading Problems

Copyright by Lisa Harpright side of the brain works in pictures. For example,
Reading is a difficult process. The brain must be doingthe decoding unit ar would have a picture of a car for
several things at once in order to make sense out ofthe picture. Then the student reads a list of words with
the written word. Many things can go wrong when athe ar sound imbedded within them. The words might
student is learning to read. Kids who struggle withbe far, dark, remark, etc. The ar would be in color while
reading struggle with life. If there is just one skill youthe rest of the word is in black. The student has a
can spend time on to help a student succeed in schoolpicture and a color to help remember the sound.
and life, it would be reading.Next, the student reads nonsense words with the ar
The biggest mistake most people make is to try tosound. These might be something like lar, smar, cark,
teach a student to read in the same method theyetc. This time there is no color or picture. The student
were taught or by using traditional methods. Well,uses a highlighter to go over the sounds while reading
guess what? If these methods worked, then thethe nonsense words. As the student moves the
student would be reading and reading well. So, to startmarker over the letters, he reads the sounds. Once
with, please understand that different methods mustagain, the color activates the right side of the brain
be used to help a struggling reader. A combination ofwhile the student is forced to stay on the sound that
brain, visual, visual memory, auditory, and tactilehe is looking at. This prevents looking at the word as a
decoding training is a method that works to helpwhole and guessing. (Right brain dominant students
students learn to read, especially when traditionallook at the whole of something as well as pictures and
methods have failed.colors.)
To start with, use brain integration activities to helpAnother option used with great success is to have the
balance the left and right hemispheres of the brain.student pull down a coin or tile at every sound read.
Phonics is a left brain activity, and many right brainThis involves another tactile operation while reading
dominant students have a terrible time learning to readand also forces the student to look at sounds as he
with traditional phonics based methods. Also, studentsreads instead of the whole word and a mental picture
with reading problems should do vision and auditorythat might go with it, often one that is incorrect.
exercises to strengthen these learning systems.The next step is to dictate the real words the student
Now that the brain and learning systems are primedlearned and have the student write them down on
for optimal learning, the student needs decodingpaper or in a gooey substance. This not only helps
practice. Most poor readers look at the first syllable orwith spelling, but it will give you a good idea if the
two of a word and start sounding it out. However, forstudent has mastered the decoding unit. You would call
some reason, this is as far as they can get, and fromout the words far, dark, remark, etc. and have the
there they start guessing. For instance, the word dignitystudent write them. If the decoding unit was learned,
may be read as digital by the student. This is not anthe student will recall the unit and spell it correctly.
accurate method to read and causes a lot ofIf the student learns one decoding unit per day, it will
problems, especially with comprehension.only take about 15 minutes per day. There are more
In order to remedy this situation, the student is to soundthan 52 known decoding units that can be used. Kids
out a decoding unit that is in color, since the right sidewho have struggled with reading are raising test
of the brain is attracted to color. The decoding unit isscores and grades, usually within six weeks. This read,
placed within a larger word. There is also a picture totouch, and write method works when all other
represent the decoding unit, once again because themethods have failed.