Saturday, December 29, 2012

Reading Assessment for Orton Gillingham and Phonics Based Reading Programs



I just wanted to announce my newest publication: Good Sensory Learning Reading Assessment.  It was created for teachers, reading specialists, learning specialists and parents who need a simple but comprehensive reading evaluation instrument that can direct instruction so specific reading needs can be targeted.   It works seamlessly with any phonics or Orton-Gillingham based reading program.   Moreover, the evaluation can also be utilized post remedial intervention to define cognitive growth as well as areas that require continued attention and support. Twenty three, quick subtests are administered to a single student, and the test can be administered in one or more sitting(s). 

If you are interested in seeing a free, full length preview.  Feel free to click on the following link, where you can download it for free, and if you like it, you can purchase the item too.

Cheers, 

 

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Help for Struggling Readers



Many students struggle with the cognitive skills needed to be good readers.  With weak abilities in the areas of visualization, tracking, visual processing, auditory processing and/or memory, the practice of reading can soon become, frustrating, tiresome and laborious.  When kids pair negative associations and feelings with books, they may avoid picking up a book altogether.   For the same reason that you would not build a sky scraper on a weak foundation, for these kids, it is important to strengthen the individual areas of cognition first.   Many of these skills can be developed through game like activities that kids enjoy.    Here are a few ideas that you might like to try:
1)        When reading to your children have fun sharing your visualizations with one another by imagining what the settings and characters look like.  You can even encourage your children to come up with their own illustrations for stories.   
2)        Pull out a newspaper and encourage your child to find a specific word, such as the word the, on the page.  Encourage them to follow the words from left to right so that they are strengthening their tracking skills.  They can use their finger, a thin strip of paper or even a highlighter to keep their place.
3)        Play games such as the memory game - where students flip cards to find pairs, or get a free app like the old game Simon which strengthens visual and auditory memory.

In addition, I also offer four publications that might be helpful.  I have two visualization training PowerPoints, and I also have two workbooks titled Reversing Reversals and Reversing Reversals 2 that work on these foundational skills.  Click on the images below to learn more and download a free image of the 10 visualization skills as well as free samplings of both of my workbooks. 
Cheers, Erica

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Alphabet Cookies - Practical and Delicious

Now you can take your favorite cookie recipe and cut the dough into the alphabet!  You can use it for learning the letters, spelling names, and even making words and sentences.  If you don't want to use them for cookies, you could use it to cut up a pan of jello!  Finally, if you want to make it into something that is not edible, you could use the cutters to make the letters out of clay or play-dough   See below for a link where you can buy them!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

5 Strategies that Make Learning the Alphabet a lot of Fun


Learning the letters can be a lot of fun! Here are 5 Strategies that your children will be sure to love.  

1) Fill a tray with a light coating of sand, ground coffee, flour, or rice.  Make sure that the tray is a contrasting color so that when the kids make the letters, they can see the surface of the tray underneath.
2) Form the individual letters out of food that starts with that letter.  For example, make the letter B out of sliced bananas, carve the letter O in the rind of an orange, or make the letter M out of mustard.
3) Have the children find the letters in the environment.  For example, they might see that two intersecting branches make the letter T, a portion of a ladder makes the letter H, or an Allen wrench or hex key makes the letter L.
4) Boil spaghetti and cool it.  While it is still pliable let the children form the different letters.  Then let the letters dry and paint them. 
5) Take pictures of the letters that the children made in the prior activities.  Print them out and let them spell simple words with the letters or even make their own name.


If you try these activities, I'd love to hear your thoughts!  

Cheers,  







Thursday, December 6, 2012

Inference Activities Ideas, Freebie and Workbook Link


Inferences are often tricky to teach and challenging for students to learn.  They are abstract notions or concepts that are implied through language or images.  Therefore, concrete ways of learning have to be placed aside and students have to learn to uncover hidden messages.  Personally, I like to use advertisements for my lessons.

Here are a number of strategies that can help you to teach this skill:

    1)   Magazine advertisements often have hidden messages to help entice buyers.  Look at magazine ads and discuss the inferences.  Consider the colors, backgrounds, expressions, layouts and more.
    2)   Likewise, billboards offer inferences.   Look at all the details in the image and discuss what the billboards are trying to sell and what in the images makes you want to buy that product. 
    3)   Similarly, television commercials can offer some wonderful opportunities for students to practice their inference skills.  Again, ask yourself what they are wanting you to buy and what strategies they use to tempt possible customers.

If you would like to purchase a product that has already compiled images for you as well as other inference activities and a game, you can come learn more about my product, Making Inferences: The Fun and Easy Way.  You can even download a freebie sampling of the activities!  http://goodsensorylearning.com/making-inferences.html

Cheers,


Come Check Out a Christmas Linky Party

I just contributed to a Christmas linking party for both free and paid items.  If you are looking for some holiday materials come check it out!!  http://theconstantkindergartener.blogspot.gr/
Cheers,

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Alphabetizing Exercises Help to Develop Memory and Organizational Skills

Alphabetizing is an important skill to master.  It helps develop organizational skills, executive functioning abilities and it even improves memory.  Furthermore, if we sequence materials that we are encoding into our brains, it makes it easier to access at a later date.  In addition, when we apply these principles to everyday life, it can help us to access our personal materials quicker and more efficiently.  Moreover, it is a skill that is needed in many employment positions.  The problem is that most alphabetizing activities are dull and boring.  Alphabet Roundup is my newest product, and it makes the process both fun and memorable.  Four different decks from beginners to advanced can be sorted and also played in a card game.  Amusing images and names will keep all the players chuckling.

Come Check it out!!


http://goodsensorylearning.com/alphabetizing-games.html

Monday, December 3, 2012

Compound Word Game, Making Connections, Also Develops Critical Reasoning, Mental Flexibility and Sequencing Skills





Developing language processing skills, critical thinking, mental flexibility, verbal reasoning and sequential processing abilities, is foundational in any elementary education.  What's more, these lessons need to make the learning process engaging and fun.  I created Making Connections Compound Word Games to address these areas.  Learning specialists, homeschoolers, teachers and parents can now help students develop these skills!  Your students will love these brain teasers!  They can be quite challenging, so this product will offer a lot of fun for students of all ages.  I now even offer a free sampling, so come download it today!


Cheers,






Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Freebie Game for any Orton Gillingham or Phonics Based Reading Program

Come get a free copy!!  Kids don't have to learn and practice new knowledge by plugging through long lists of words or completing worksheets.  I am a firm believer that the repetition they need can be achieved through fun and engaging games!  Puppy Party is one of my reading games that makes my students squeal with delight.  Kids travel around the game board collecting puppies while learning the short vowel  sounds.  The winner is the player with the most puppies. It is great for small groups, learning centers, or individual remediation.  It also works seamlessly with any phonics or Orton Gillingham based reading program.  

You can get a free copy of Puppy Party and learn about my other fun reading games by clicking here: http://goodsensorylearning.com/reading-games.html

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Learning Style Inventories Can Help with the College Process


Here is an interesting article about how uncovering ones learning style can help with the college process.  It was printed in the New York Times -  Monday November 19th 2012. 
http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/19/college-search-based-on-learning-style/comment-page-1/#comment-155872


One great inventory to consider for this purpose is my Eclectic Learning Profile.  Come check it out:   
http://goodsensorylearning.com/eclectic-learning-profile.html

Monday, November 19, 2012

Good Sensory Learning 10% off sale over the Thanksgiving weekend


From Thursday November 22nd through Sunday the 25th receive 10% off when using the coupon code TURKEY when you make a purchase at www.goodsensorylearning.com

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Real Numbers Instruction: Having Real Fun with Real Numbers


Some students struggle with math vocabulary and this is particularly common when students learn about real numbers.  Language processing and vocabulary comprehension is key to this mathematical concept and making this process fun can be difficult.  I have just finished a series of game-like activities that make the process both fun and challenging.  Following Directions: Real Numbers Digital Download is a collection of 5 engaging activities that helps to develop language skills, math vocabulary, tricky wording, attention to detail and more. The Following Directions Series are one of my most popular products and now I have created one just for real numbers and other math vocabulary.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Place Value Game and Instruction: Place Value Panic - Enter to win a free copy

I have just finished a new, multisensory product I'm excited to share - Place Value Panic: Card Games and Instruction. This 51 page digital download offers four different printable card games, 8 spinner boards, and fun tactile instruction ideas that use color coding, recycled bottle tops, pill dispensers and pompoms.  If you would like a free copy, you can enter my contest. All you have to do is sign up for my monthly newsletter that offers sale
s, freebies and more eepurl.com/oyQMb or you can like this facebook page. Once you have done that, send me an email erica@goodsensorylearning.com and I will enter your name. The drawing will be on Thanksgiving Day!

To learn more about this product you can go to http://goodsensorylearning.com/place-value-panic-game.html

Cheers, Erica

Saturday, November 10, 2012

This colorful Thanksgiving digital 

download - PDF offers enjoyable and


engaging printable activities that 


strengthen language processing skills 


such as listening, following written/ora


directions, understanding 


homework/test questions and 


interpreting multiple choice items. 


Included in this publication are thre


activities that will also help your 


students practice linguistic cues and 


develop spatial, sequential, attentional and executive 


functioning skills.  You can come get a free sampling or


purchase this as well as other great


Following Directions activities by clicking on the image or the


following link. 


 http://goodsensorylearning.com/following-directions.html

Monday, November 5, 2012

Mindful Education and Teaching Emotional Intelligence Begins with the Learning Environment



 A big part of mindful education and teaching emotional intelligence begins with the learning environment.  Setting up a space where students can find peace and unwind is key.  In my private practice, this spot is my “zen table” and the surrounding cushions, bean bags and tactile toys.  Here students can dip their fingers into one side that is filled with lentils and colorful rocks and let the stress of the day dribble from the tips of their fingers, or they can venture to the other creative side that is filled with mung beans and magnets.  I got this beautiful table on Overstock a number of years ago.  They call it a TV table, but it makes the perfect centerpiece for a relaxation station.  If you want to make your own "zen space" you can also use big tupperware bins, an old chest, or even a wooden box.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask!!

Cheers,


Thursday, October 25, 2012

Fun Halloween Activity that Strengthens Language Skills

Weaknesses in language processing can be difficult to remediate, and finding fun activities that can help strengthen this cognitive processing area is a further challenge.  I designed my Following Directions - The Fun and Easy Way series to offer activities that help students develop listening skills, attention to detail, vocabulary, mental flexibility, spatial skills, and more.  They were initially created for my own private practice, and now they are available to the public.  Each page is filled with colorful images and students get to draw, complete mazes and work through process of elimination exercises that are fun and engaging.  For added enjoyment, I am now creating holiday exercises that can be used throughout the school year.  My latest download offers three Halloween handouts.  Come view all of the activities by clicking on the image and even download a free sampling.

All the best, Dr. Erica  Warren
www.goodsensorylearning.com
http://www.facebook.com/goodsensorylearning



Friday, October 19, 2012

Help for Struggling Readers: Creating Your Own Color Overlays





You can create your own overlays by using whole sheets or cutting strips of transparent, colored report covers, dividers or overhead projector film. 

Step one: Buy a variety of colorful transparent sheets.  You can use -
  • color, transparency film
  • color, transparent report covers (plastic)
  • color, transparent dividers (plastic)


All of these options can be found at office supply stores.

Step two:  Everyone is different.  Let your students try out the different colors and see which one they like the best.
 
Step three:  For some students, keep whole sheets so that students have the option of changing the background color of the entire page of text.  Other students might like a thin strip of color, as it can help with tracking from one line to the next.  I make them a variety of lengths and widths, and often let students decide for themselves.  Note: The strips also make wonderful book marks. 

Step four (optional):  Place a plain sticker on the end of
the overlay strip or the bottom of a whole sheet so that 
students can write their name on it.  Students can also pick out a sticker of an image too.  Just make sure to keep all stickers on one end of the color overlay strip or the bottom of the overlay page.

Step five (optional): For those students that get overwhelmed by to many words on a page, you can place duct tape around the edge of the overlay to block out competing lines of text. 

At the end of the activity, even if a few of your students don’t find color overlays helpful, they will still have a useful book mark.  

For more great reading remediation ideas, check out my reading games!  You can even get a free sample game!!

http://goodsensorylearning.com/reading-games.html 

Enjoy!


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

How Can Books on Tape Improve Reading Speed and Reading Comprehension?



Listening to books on tape or to someone reading aloud can improve reading comprehension because the brain does not have to work on decoding the words but can simply focus on the content.  But merely laying back and passively listening is not always the best approach, because it is easy for personal thoughts to interrupt the text content.  Therefore, for this mode of learning to be most effective, it is best for the listener to do one of two things:

 Scan the text: Scanning the text while listening will not only help maintain attention, but it will assist with sight word recognition.  Additionally, students that decode words one letter at a time while reading will begin to see whole words and phrases.  Before long, these skills will apply when the student reads independently, and whole words recognition and reading speed will improve.
 
Visualize the content:  Picturing the characters, the setting and the plot helps to sustain attention, improve comprehension and it also makes the text more memorable.  With practice, many students report that they are able to create a mental movie in their mind and that reading becomes far more enjoyable. 

There are a number of places online that offer books on tape.

1) Learning Ally:
http://www.learningally.org      

2) Audio Books for Free: 
http://www.audiobooksforfree.com/browse/Fiction   

3) LibriVox:
http://librivox.org/ 

If you would like to help students develop their visualization abilities, I have a free image that reviews the 10 visualization skills.  I also offer two PowerPoint presentations that teach the 10 skills needed to visualize.  If interested go to:
http://goodsensorylearning.com/teaching-visualization.html



Friday, October 12, 2012

Teaching Self Control Leads to Academic Success

Come and learn from Dr. Sam Wang about the common myths about the brain as well as the incredible impact that the teaching of playful planning and self control can have on our childrens's future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05vitpSY1vU&feature=relmfu

Monday, October 8, 2012

Monster Multiplication: A New Multisensory and Mindful Approach to Long Multiplication - Free Promotional Copy

Just yesterday I uploaded my new product Monster Multiplication: A New Multisensory and Mindful Approach to Long Multiplication.  If you would like to be entered in a contest to receive a free copy, please follow this blog or "like my facebook page" http://www.facebook.com/goodsensorylearning and follow one of my Pinterest boards http://pinterest.com/drericawarren/ Then send me an email with your email address to let me know (I will not use your email for any purpose other then sending the lucky winners their free promotional copy) - erica@goodsensorylearning.com.  You will then be entered to win!  I will be drawing two winners and sending the promotional copies on Halloween. 

To learn more about the product CLICK HERE
Wishing you all the best, 


Sunday, September 30, 2012

10 Ways to Help Students Cope with Making Mistakes



One of the most valuable things we can teach children is how to cope with making mistakes.  Making mistakes is a human quality that all students need be comfortable with.  They need to know that if we didn’t make mistakes, there would be nothing to learn. 

However, most all students strive for the recognition of a perfect score on assignments and tests.  Even a single mistake can create anxiety and disappointment.  Unfortunately, perfect scores continue to be rewarded and mistakes frowned upon.
So what can we all do to help?  Here are ten suggestions:
    1) Be comfortable admitting when you make a mistake.  Show students that it is okay to be wrong and that you can use it as an opportunity to learn.   
    2) Make sure to point out what a student has done right on an assignment as well as what was incorrect. 
    3) Always give your students the opportunity to fix mistakes so that they can learn from them and correct any misconceptions.
    4) Communicate to your students that their mistakes can help you to be a better teacher because it helps you to uncover the areas that need more instruction.
    5) If more than 50% of your students get a test item incorrect, throw out that item out.  For those that got it, you can offer them extra credit.  You can always then make sure to teach the concept in your next lesson and then include the item on the next test.  
    6) Thank your students for making errors and mistakes.   
    7) Instead of telling a student that they are wrong or incorrect, tell them that it was a nice try, or that they are close to the right answer and see if they can amend their response independently.  
    8)  Recognize a student’s effort and guide them to the right answer so that they can be correct.
    9) If a student provides the wrong answer, ask them why they gave you the response that they did so you can analyze their misconception.
    10) Keep a positive attitude when students make mistakes.    
     I'd love to hear your recommendations and thoughts on this matter!!

I

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Activities or Games that Remediate Word Finding Difficulties


Many students struggle with word finding difficulties.  This is when a student has the knowledge, but they are not able to express it.   They may not, for example, be able to access the name of a good friend or even an everyday object.  This can be very frustrating and when put under pressure this difficulty tends to worsen.  Therefore, a student may know the content for a test, but they may not be able to access it without a word bank.  So what can we do to help strengthen this cognitive processing area in a way that won’t be too frustrating?

Here are 4 games that can be purchased on Amazon.com that will help in the process.  I have had great success with all four of them!  If you know of some others, please let me know.

1) Hey, What’s the Big Idea: 

2) Word Shuffle:

3) Spot it:

 4) Scattergories:


Sunday, September 23, 2012

Careless, Lazy and Unmotivated are Three Labels that Should be Banned from Education


Kids never strive to be careless, lazy or unmotivated and referring to a student in this way never helps a situation.  In fact, many kids that hear these labels again and again can develop a sense of learned helplessness. 
I’ll never forget a student of mine coming into one of our sessions in a terrible frame exclaimed, “I’m careless and unmotivated!”  He slid a graded assignment across the table in front of me.  Red marks cut across his work and in bold, scarring letters and exclamation points the teacher had told Jake that he had made many careless errors. 
Even though Jake’s grade was an 88, it took me almost an hour to convince him that he was not careless and unmotivated. Jake had learning disabilities as well as ADHD and I knew the errors that he had made had nothing to do with care or effort.  The poor guy was so detached and dejected, he hadn’t even evaluated the mishaps, and when he finally looked at them, he could see that they were all unintentional.
 At the end of our session, I pointed out to Jake that his teacher had misspelled careless.  She had spelled it “carless.”  I exclaimed, “How careless of her,” and winked at Jake.   I then pointed out that this wasn’t really a careless mistake, it was simply an oops.  “School is a place where we should be comfortable making an oops and then learning from it,” I proclaimed. 
I took the paper out into the waiting room and showed it to his mother.  I then asked her to do me a favor and make an appointment with the teacher.  “Hand the assignment back to the teacher”, I recommended, “and point out how careless it was for her to have misspelled this word.  Then pause for a short while and say, ‘That’s how you made my son feel.’”
So please take care to erase these negative labels from your lexicon so your students can feel safe to make mistakes and then learn from them.
If you have any thoughts on this topic, I'd love to hear your thoughts!!
All the best, Dr. Erica Warren, Learning Specialist and Educational Therapist  www.goodsensorylearning.com and www.learningtolearn.biz