Dyslexia: How Do I Teach This Child?

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Written by Dianne Craft, MA, CNHP
www.diannecraft.org
www.TOSMagazine.com

What Is Dyslexia?

Educators have not been able to agree on what dyslexia really is. Some authorities believe that it is strictly a language-processing problem involving the distinguishing of sounds of letters. Others believe that it is a visual/perceptual problem, since these children also reverse words laterally (b/d) and vertically (m/w) as well as scrambling letters (the=het) when they read and write.

I believe that both groups are correct. It is an auditory/language problem, visual/perceptual problem, and often a visual/motor (eye/hand) problem as well. I have worked with many teenagers who have been through years of tutoring in a good “phonemic awareness” program. Why were they still in my special education class? Although they now were able to decode very long, difficult words, because their problem with inadequate eye tracking had not been addressed, they could not read with any fluency. Words continued to “move” as they read, or reverse, or they had to use so much energy to keep their eyes tracking correctly that they forgot what they had just read. Therefore, in my classroom, I also addressed the eye tracking issue so that they could read fluently and with comprehension on grade level by the end of the year. (more…)

Updated: We Are Not Alone

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Written by Katharine Trauger
katharinetrauger.wordpress.com/

 

“Hello Mother!—Oh, is supper ready?”

“It’s seven o’clock in the morning, Son, not evening.”

Thus goes life for you, Nancy, as you attempt to raise a boy who will become one of the most well-known and thanked men on earth.

Dealing with the unpredictable begins before your son is born. You and your husband, Samuel, live in Canada, in the early 1800’s, when politics force you to move to Ohio. There Samuel begins to eke out your existence as a shingle maker.

Ten years later, you give birth to a baby you do not, at first, realize will become a world changer.  (more…)

Art: A Reflection of Worldview

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Written by Jessica Hulcy
www.homeschoolmentor.com/www.konos.com
www.TOSMagazine.com

I always taught units to my kids; however, I never failed to take advantage of whatever field trip we could, unit-related or not. I would scour the “Arts and Entertainment” section of the newspaper (this was pre-Internet era) to see what events were scheduled in Dallas. One day the Dallas Museum of Art advertised a visiting exhibit from Spain that was highlighting El Greco’s paintings. I had taken one semester of Art History in college, so I had heard of El Greco, but past that I would have to research him at the library.

Once I knew enough, off we trotted to view the exhibit. Shortly thereafter, we viewed another exhibit of the works of Dutch Reformed painters. In the car I asked the kids if they had noticed any differences between the two art shows. Jason commented that the first exhibit was all about religion, and Jordan added that the second was about people. Brilliant! But why the difference?

Art and History… Inseparable (more…)