Topic 8 : Planning Remedial and Enrichment Activites

Reading Materials

General Suggestions to overcome Reading Difficulties

Play word games. Word games and puzzles are fun and also build vocabulary
and word understanding. Try crossword puzzles, word bingo, Scrabble®, or
Boggle®.

Read aloud every day. Read and encourage children to read directions, labels,
and signs in the classroom, at home, in the car, and at stores or shops. Have
children take turns reading aloud with a classmate, parent, or sibling. Discuss in
class or at home what you are reading.

Model reading as enjoyable. Let children see family members or teachers

enjoying reading. You might informally discuss what you are reading. Have DEAR
time several times a week where everyone "Drops Everything And Reads" for 20
minutes.

Put learning to use. Help children remember by having them explain, discuss, or
apply information they have just read. You might have children teach you facts
or ideas they have learned from their reading, or encourage them to act out
characters from their reading selections.

Decoding
Build awareness of word sounds. Play rhyming games, such as having children
finish sentences by filling in a rhyming word. For example, say, "I like to run. It's so
much ____." For a variation on this game, say a word and have the child say one
that rhymes with it.

Play listening games for letter-sound correspondence. Say a sentence and have
the child clap when she hears a word that starts or ends with a particular
consonant ( p ), or consonant blend ( st ).

Reinforce sight words. Use flashcards to reinforce commonly used words like the,
and, to, and is.

Preview words. Call children's attention to the decoding of difficult words, and
have them pronounce the words before they read them in a passage.

Play listening games for blending and segmenting sounds. Have a child say one-
syllable words such as snow and ball, then blend them together to say the
compound word snowball. Next, have the child break down a multi-syllable
word like caterpillar, saying it slowly and clapping or tapping a finger for each
syllable.

Play Missing sound games with preschool and primary students. For example, tell
a child to say "picnic," then , say it without "pic." Say "sled." Now say it without the
"l."

Involve several pathways. Read aloud together so children can see and hear
the words being read. Use books on tape that allow children to read as they
listen. Sing a song that uses words with the sounds that children are working on.
Read the words to songs the children like.

Emphasize word families. Have children collect word families, such as words that
end in ¬ight or ¬ash. Use them in a rap or other song for children to sing
together.

Write using word families. Encourage children to write stories or poems using
words in word families, such as ¬op (mop, hop, stop, pop), that they are working
on. Children might underline or highlight the repetitive pattern. Ask children to
read their stories or poems aloud to you or to each other.

Teach rules. Some children benefit from learning rules about decoding (e.g.,
when there are two vowels together in a word, the first vowel often says its name
and the second one is silent). Once children have learned the rule for a vowel
combination, remind them to follow it when they encounter that vowel
combination in their reading.
Foster decoding abilities. Provide opportunities for children to become fluent in
their decoding of words, so they can focus on the meaning of what they read,
rather than the decoding itself.

Comprehension

Use movement. Play charades to act out words. This activity can build
vocabulary and word understanding.

Build on students' knowledge. Select reading topics that enhance subject

matter previously covered in school or that reflect a child's interests. Encourage
them to develop expertise in a subject and to read different types of texts about
that subject, such as articles, books, and online materials.

Connect yesterday's reading to today's. Continue a story over several days.

Have children make predictions about what they think will happen, then
compare those predictions to what actually happens in the story.

Use self-questioning strategies. Have children develop a list of questions to

answer after reading. These questions and answers can become the basis of
classroom, small group, or parent-child discussions. Have students make a Think
Aloud Bookmark. On the bookmark, have children write questions to ask
themselves after each section. They can personalize it with decorations.

Connect reading to what children know. Have children discuss what they
already know about a topic before reading. Then have them list the things they
would like to learn about the topic, and make predictions about whether the
assigned reading will include these things or not.

Help children get started. Read the first part of a story or passage to or with the
child. Siblings and classmates can also participate by taking turns reading
paragraphs or short sections.

Develop interest in words and concepts. Have children keep track of the times
they see, hear, or use a new vocabulary word. (How many times can they find
the word in a day or a week?) Encourage children to report their observations to
the family or class.

Engage several pathways. Use pictures and diagrams to explain concepts; use
stories on tape or tell stories; and encourage children to interpret stories through
drawings, models, or other constructions. Teach children to "make movies" in
their heads" as they read, visualizing the setting and events. Stop after a few
paragraphs or pages and ask them to describe their "movie."
Focus on important information. Before children begin reading challenging
material, offer an outline of the key ideas or help them make diagrams or charts
that capture key concepts as they read.

Preview difficult vocabulary. Offer children a glossary of selection-related words

and concepts to use while reading.

Read in stages. Break lengthy passages into short segments. Ask children to
summarize each section as soon as they finish reading it, or have them write a
brief summary for themselves at the end of each section.

Select a strategy. Before children begin reading, have them write down the
reading comprehension strategy they plan to use. They might choose guiding
questions, highlighting or underlining significant details, writing comments in the
margin, or summarizing after each paragraph.

Help children locate main ideas and important details. Suggest that they think
about the "5 Ws" as they read: Who? What? When? Where? Why? Post these
questions on a wall or have children write them on a sheet of paper they keep
nearby or use as a bookmark.

Encourage collaborative reading activities. Children who are all reading the
same book might meet in small groups -- or with a sibling or friend -- to discuss
what they have read, plan an oral report, design a mural, or work on a skit
related to their reading.

Focus attention by using reading organizers. Mapping techniques and

organizers such as a story outline help children become familiar with the
structure of stories and keep track of story elements as they read. Make this a
hands-on activity by using markers to identify each story element.
An Example Story Outline
Title: ___________
Setting: ___________
Characters: ___________
Problem: ___________
Event 1: ___________
Event 2: ___________
Event 3: ___________
Event 4: ___________
Outcome: ___________
Retention

Use rereading for remembering. Teach children how to highlight or underline as

they read, then encourage them to reread what they have underlined. Have
children separate reading a passage for meaning from rereading the same
passage for remembering.

Model the processes you use to remember. Describe a picture you create in
your mind to help you understand and remember what you read. Or show
children how you remember what you read by making connections between
the text and what you already know about the topic.

Find the reading pathway that works. Children might draw diagrams,
storyboards, or timelines; record their own summaries into a tape recorder; act
out the information; or use a combination of pathways. Have some book reports
require drawing, some writing, some acting, some technology, or some that use
a combination of pathways.

Suggest techniques for remembering. Use memory aids, called mnemonics, to

help children remind themselves of information. One example is H.O.M.E.S., in
which each letter represents one of the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan,
Erie, and Superior. Other memory aids might include creating cartoons; using
mental imagery; or constructing sentences with the first word from each
concept, such as Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally for the order of mathematics
operations: parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition,
subtraction.

Summarize and review. Have children recap short passages or chapters,

possibly recording key ideas on Post-it Notes or reading their summaries into a
tape recorder. Continue a story over several days so children can summarize
what happened each day, then recall this information before the next reading.

Build reading self-awareness. Increase children's awareness of reading

strategies they already use. For example, do they visualize (form pictures in their
minds while they read) or subvocalize (whisper important information under their
breath)? Encourage them to build on their own preferred strategies.
Jigsaw reading

LEARNING STYLES

Auditory Learner- Learns by processing information he hears

- Must be able to distinguish between similar phonemes (sounds) E.g. "p" & "t"
- Must be able to isolate phonemes
Visual Learner- Learns by processing information he sees
- Must be able to distinguish images that appear similar (E.g.) "b" & "d"
Kinesthetic Learner- Learns by doing (includes large muscle movements)
Children don't necessarily fit into strictly one or another category. They usually
have a mixture of learning styles. Because they often use different learning styles
at different times, it is wise to use teaching strategies that combine all different
sensory mediums (auditory, visual, and kinesthetic)

REMEDIAL TECHNIQUES

Phonetic Approach- learner associates sounds with symbols

Reading specialist, Darlene Skitsko, (M Ed.) suggests teaching students initial
consonant sounds first. Remember to teach only initial consonant sounds your
child doesn't already know. Teach the sound and its corresponding symbol. The
child should write the letter while simultaneously saying the sound. (auditory and
visual) Have the child say the sound and trace its corresponding letter in the air.
(auditory and kinesthetic) Introduce similar sounds ("p" & "t") independently of
each other to avoid confusion..
Teach consonant blends next using the same techniques. Now teach short
vowel sounds using word families'. For example, teach the an' family. The child
then produces new words by changing only the initial consonant. (fan, man,
tan) Other word families' include: at, in, it, en, on , ot. You may also teach
certain general rules about short vowel sounds. Tell the child that a vowel is
usually short if a consonant comes before and after it. (hat, lap, pit)
Long vowels are introduced after short vowels. Teach the silent e' rule. This is
helpful when teaching words with one syllable. For words containing more than
one syllable, tell the child a vowel is usually long if, when a word is broken into
syllables, the vowel stands by itself. The accent must also be on the first syllable.
(Ca-ble, ta-ble, po-ny) Extend your child's knowledge of vowel sounds by
showing that a vowel blend can also create a long vowel sound. Ea', for
example, makes the long e' sound. A memory tag may help your child solidify
this in his/her mind. Recall the familiar memory tag, "when two vowels go
walking the first does the talking and it says its own name." You should teach the
vowel blend that corresponds to a particular long vowel sound directly after
teaching the other ways of making that same sound. For example, teach the
silent e' rule first. Then teach the rule for words with more than one syllable.
Finally, teach the vowel blend that makes that same long vowel sound.
Whole- Language Approach – acquisition of language is meaning-based –
words are viewed within the context of a sentence. A Whole Language
Approach emphasizes that reading is closely tied to listening, speaking and
writing. You should, then, try to integrate listening, speaking and writing in your
student’s reading program. Start with a choral reading strategy. This strategy
involves reading aloud and in unison with your student. Track the words with your
finger as you read. Your student may not keep up with you. This is important. Just
continue reading at a relaxed pace. This strategy builds reading fluency.
Repeat this process several times with the same reading selection. When your
student is comfortable with the reading selection, use what is known as a cloze
procedure. In this procedure, read a sentence from the selection to your
student omitting a word and replacing it with a space. Encourage your student
to fill in the missing word at the appropriate time. Have your student copy the
sentence. Tell your student to read aloud as he / she is copying it. Let your
student read the sentence independently. Now read an unfamiliar sentence to
your student. Omit a word and have your student predict what the missing word
might be. Since the student is unable to see the word, accept any meaningful
prediction. E.g “I like …..” Accept answers such as cats, running, to sing, etc.

The choral reading procedure is a basic supportive reading strategy that can
easily be adapted. You can use the student’s own oral stories as a source of
reading material. Have the student dictate a story to you. Read the story aloud
as you write. This is referred to as a language experience story. Choral read the
story. After choral reading the story a few times, have the student read it
independently. Because the story is your student’s own, fluency should not be a
problem. Have your student write his own story. If the student cannot spell a
word, direct him to simply write what he hears. Assure your student that you will
provide the correct spelling after he finishes. In this way, the student brings both
phonetic and whole-language skills to the reading process.
Sight Word Vocabulary - the student recognizes frequently used words
instantaneously – suited to a visual learner. Obtain a sight wordlist from your
student’s. Identify the words that are troublesome to your student. Pick a
particular word to teach your student. Start by choral reading a selection with
that particular word in it. Highlight the particular word you are teaching. Allow
your student to read the selection independently. The student should now read
and write simultaneously. If the word remains troublesome, cue your student to
look at the beginning sound, then the final sound, and finally the vowel in the
middle. Perhaps your student lacks the auditory skills to do this. If this is the case,
try a procedure that is oriented toward a visual learner. Try visually animating the
word. Words that your students can create a mental picture of are often easier
to learn.
Comprehension – understanding what’s read. If we fail to understand what we
read, reading is reduced to mere word calling and tedious sounding out.
Comprehension increases when you give your student a purpose in reading.
Create this purpose by preparing the student to determine certain things when
he reads a selection. For example, tell the child that you will be asking where the
story takes place, so he should read to discover this information. You can also
tell your student to discover a particular set of details. E.g Say to the student,
‘Read the story and be able to tell me what the boy in the story looks like.’ Also,
enhance comprehension by developing the following skills:
1. sequencing of events
2. identifying main idea
3. identifying story structure
4. analyzing motives
5. predicting outcomes

Sequencing of events
Read a story chorally. Ask your student what happened first, next, and last.
Complete this activity for several stories before completing the next sequencing
activity. In the next level of sequencing, read a list of story events in an improper
order. Allow the student to see the list as you are reading it. The child must put
the events in the proper sequence according to the story. You may cue the
student by asking. “ What happened first?” “What happened last?”
Identifying main idea
Read a story chorally. Ask your student to identify the main idea. If your child is
unsure of your request, rephrase it. “What is a good title for this story?" OR
"Pretend you are reporting the news. What headline would you use to introduce
this story?"

Identifying story structure

Begin by asking your student whom the story is mainly about. Once this is
established, ask your student to identify the other characters in the story. Your
student should give a brief description of each character, including both
physical and mental traits. Ask your student where the story takes place. The
action may take place at several locations. Your student should name the
different locations. Your student should be able to re-tell the story in his own
words. Tell him to pretend to tell the story to a friend who has never heard the
story before. By answering the above questions, your student has completed a
brief story structure consisting of rudimentary character portrayals, a description
of setting and an account of the plot.

Analyzing motives
Ask your student the question why’. Question why’ a character performs a
particular action. What is the character’s basic motivation? Let your student
postulate how a character feels. Your student may even relate a personal
situation in which he experienced similar feelings to those of the main character.
Predicting outcomes
Choral read a story with your student. Periodically stop reading. Tell your student
to predict the next event. For example, if someone in the story puts ice cubes in
a glass, ask your student, What might happen next? The child should provide a
logical answer that is consistent with other information in the story. The child
might respond, ‘he is going to pour a cold drink.’ The response is logical if the
character is trying, for example, to cool off on a hot day. The response is illogical
if the character is trying to play a joke on a friend. Develop these skills. They are
essential to reading comprehension. Clearly, one specific procedure will not
remediate every child’s reading difficulty.
The above suggestions however can easily be combined. Combining these
strategies and using a multi-sensory approach increases the probability your
teaching style approximates your student’s learning style. This greatly expends
the probability of reading progress.