Archives for November 2021

A child who is struggling with reading certainly isn’t the only one with this problem in school. In fact, millions of children may have difficulties with reading. Parents may look for ways on how to help their child. While there are many different strategies to help a child who struggles with reading, not every strategy might work for each child.

Parents might be Googling ferociously to find the best solution. Typing in “how to help child with reading difficulties” might result in many different resources that give different tips and ideas for parents.

Depending on the source, there could be expert advice—tips backed by research—or just a few novice tips. Parents may literally feel like they are drowning in advice. What’s best for the child? Do skill and drill techniques work for reading? Does my child have a learning disorder?

Really, the search can seem exhausting. Especially when all parents want is a cut and dry answer on how to help their child. But each child is different. And while some children might have an underlying medical condition and/or learning disorder that is affecting their reading journey, others might not have a diagnosis for why they struggle.

Helping a child read when they are having difficulty may be a trial and error situation. That is, parents may try out different strategies to find out what works for their child. While there isn’t one single or simple tip or trick that may work for everyone, here is a list of options for parents needing to help a struggling reader:

Talk to the School

In the Readability blog, it’s often noted that parents might want to reach out to the school for guidance when their child is struggling. The reason for this is that the school—more specifically the child’s teacher—might be able to provide more insight about a child’s struggle.

Teachers may note that a child is reading below grade level. They may notice that the child struggles with sounding out words or comprehending the story. Or teachers may tell parents that their child is struggling with all aspects of literacy.

Teachers may provide parents with ways to help their child. Perhaps teachers could share links to programs that parents can use at home. Some schools let children access school programs at home, but others may not be able to allow access.

Sometimes parents could assume their child is struggling when they aren’t even behind. Parents could compare a child to an older sibling who was a precocious reader. Reading benchmarks in the parent’s mind could be skewed to a more advanced reading ability.

Teachers also could refer a child for a more thorough reading evaluation or other academic assessments. These could be part of a process to qualify for an IEP.

Reach out to the Pediatrician

If the child’s teacher doesn’t provide much help related to a child’s struggle, parents may take their questions to the child’s doctor. Pediatricians may be another resource when parents notice that their child is struggling in school.

Pediatricians could provide referrals to other clinicians like audiologists (if a hearing impairment is suspected), neuro-psychologists, speech therapists, etc. These specialists could help provide more data related to why a child is struggling.

Research Organizations that Specialize in Educational Struggles

Not every child will have a medical reason behind their reading struggles. Not every child will have a learning disorder. But some may have underlying medical reasons for their struggles. A child may be diagnosed with dyslexia, hyperlexia, autism, ADHD, etc. These diagnoses could impact reading.

However, one way to find help for children who struggle academically is to research organizations that specialize in educational needs for children with learning disorders or other specific diagnoses. For children with autism who have reading struggles, parents could reach out to organizations like Autism Speaks or visit their web page to find resources.

The Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) also offers a variety of links related to learning, state resources, professional resources and even different resources for specific diagnoses (like ADHD).

But what about parents whose child doesn’t have a known learning disorder or any type of specific diagnosis? Reading problems could exist on their own unique spectrum; parents can visit sites like Understood or Reading Rockets, which offer a long list of reading resources (and organizations!).

Some Basic Tips for Helping at Home

For some children, reading may just be more of a challenge. If parents discover that their child is reading below benchmark or even that their child just doesn’t feel confident reading aloud, there are some common strategies parents can utilize at home.

Again, children may have different reading struggles. While one child might just struggle with comprehension, another might have difficulty with decoding skills and reading fluency. Younger children may have difficulty identifying their sight words.

Decoding & Reading Fluency Tips

Children who have trouble sounding out words or ‘decoding’ also may struggle with letter recognition and sounds. Stumbling while trying to pronounce a word might mean that reading speed decreases, too.

How do parents help children who struggle with letter recognition, sounds, and decoding. The Literacy Nest offers many tips and strategies for children who struggle with decoding. The site explains that  creating the foundation for phonological awareness requires discerning the difference between sounds, breaking up the different sounds of a word, and blending sounds.

So how do parents help develop this foundation? The site recommends breaking up words into chunks or “syllable division.” The word ‘rabbit’ was used as an example. Parents would break the rabbit into two parts “rab” and “bit.”

Literacy Nest also recommends that parents help children point out or ‘mark’ the vowels and explains that parents can have children say the vowel sound first before reading the word. Parents may need to help children figure out the sound the vowel will make…long or short sounds.

Finding patterns in words also is a strategy recommended by the site. Patterns show similar sounds. This could be rhyming words or just words that use the same vowel blends.

Separate from the site’s recommendation, parents also could teach children helpful strategies that aid spelling (which also helps reading!). One such example is: “I before E except after C or when sounding like A as in neighbor and weigh!”

Sight Word Identification

Sight words are often a part of the literacy curriculum in lower elementary grades. Typically, students are given a list of common words that they need to identify on sight. One of the easiest ways to help students learn these words is through memorization or ‘skill and drill.’

Flashcards

Parents can make flashcards for each sight word and practice with children daily.

Sight Word Scavenger Hunt

Want to have fun while teaching children sight words? Grab a list of the words they need to identify and have children find these words during errands to the store…or anywhere. Have them say the word when they find it…then they can scratch it off the list.

Sight Word Matching

Instead of flash cards, create two cards for each sight word and play a standard match game with children.

Sight Word Apps

Apple and Android both offer a number of games that help with sight word identification. Just search for ‘sight words’ via Google Play or the App Store.

Comprehension Tips

Comprehension expectations change as the child advances in grade level. During early reading levels, children may need to simply identify the common ‘wh’ questions of a story: who, what, where, when, why and how.

In later grades, though, comprehension may become a bit more abstract. Children may need to be able to predict what might happen next, understand character differences and perhaps a story’s theme to their own circumstances and experiences.

Comprehension Bookmarks

A comprehension bookmark can serve as a visual reminder related to what the child needs to think about as they read a story. These bookmarks can include different prompts and questions to help children think as they read. Check out sites like Fun in First, What I Have Learned Teaching, and Teach Junkie for examples of these helpful reading tools.  

Chunk the Text

Chunking text could help some children with comprehension. Chunking means reading a section at a time to help find meaning. This technique allows children to break up larger sections into more manageable smaller pieces. Young children may chunk by sentence, and older kids might chunk paragraphs or pages. Use a strategy that works best for each child.

Listening to an Audio Book

Children may find it beneficial to listen to an audiobook as they follow along in their book. This is a bit like having a parent read aloud. Audio books could help children identify emotion or perhaps better understand the action of a book. Children also could rewind to listen to parts that they need to reread.

Reading…Again

Rereading is a strategy that can help children go back over text they previously read. This can help them find details they missed. Sometimes children need to reread a section to fully understand it. Even adults go back and reread material; this can be a great strategy to aid comprehension.

Using a Reading Program

Children who need help with reading also could benefit from using a lesson-based reading program. Readability is designed to help children with all aspects of reading and includes a built-in AI tutor that guides each lesson.

The AI tutor is programmed to understand a child’s unique voice. This means that when a child mispronounces a word or stumbles, the tutor understands that the child is struggling and will provide help. Readability’s AI tutor also asks questions at the end of each story to test a child’s comprehension of what they read.

Readability is designed for children in preschool  to fifth grade; the program can grow with a child and help them strengthen their reading skills throughout elementary school. When using Readability, parents also can set their  child’s reading level or the program can determine the child’s level.

Children will only advance to a higher reading level when they demonstrate proficiency in both reading fluency and comprehension. But how do parents know the program is helping their child?

The Parent Dashboard is a portal accessible only to parents. The Dashboard shows parents all the reading data related to their child. Parents can see their child’s reading level, their reading fluency data and how long they read via the program. They also can collate all the data into a report to send to the child’s teacher.

Parents interested in using the program to help their child can sign up for a free trial period. Readability offers a free seven-day trial period that provides children with full access to all the program’s features. Ready to use a virtual AI reading tutor? Sign up for Readability today!

Every grade-level brings new challenges and fun adventures. At the age of seven, children may be in first or second grade. For many, reading is a developing skill. Seven-year-olds may work on sound blends and other decoding skills as they work to understand bigger words and expand their vocabulary.

Sight word lists may still be a common assignment in both first and second grade, and children may need to work on memorizing these lists of words. Parents Googling “how to help my 7-year-old read” can use a few tips and fun activities to help at home.

Even when children aren’t struggling with reading, they still need to read each day and practice their skills.

Sight Word Help

Sight words are a common expectation for children in the lower elementary grades. These are words children need to recognize immediately when they see them in stories and text. Sight words are typically easy, but memorization is a great way to help children learn them and recognize them.

The list of sight words change for each grade level, and a seven-year-old might be in either first or second grade. No matter what words are on their list, though, use these games and exercises to help them learn and recognize these common words.

Flash Cards

Parents can make flash cards for sight words out of simple note cards. Just write a word on each card and practice daily.

Sight Word Apps

Apps also can be used to practice sight words. Some of these games include flashcards, too. Game titles may vary depending on the device; although, there are many sight word games that can be downloaded for free via both Google Play and the App Store.

Sight Word Scavenger Hunt

Help children practice identifying their sight words by taking a sight word scavenger hunt. Write down the list of words or use cards with each word written on them. Children can look for words during errands to stores, at home…or anywhere. Have them mark off each word when they find it. Maybe parents also offer a small prize or an extra at-home privilege for finding each word.

Sight Word Reading Hunts

Scavenger hunts for sight words also can be included in nightly reading. Challenge children to point out sight words on their list as parents read to them at night. This is a fun way to find all those sight words.

Sight Word Matching

Create a matching game with all the sight words. Just create two cards of each word and place them face down randomly. Children and parents can take turns finding the matching words.

Reading Fluency Practice

Some children may not feel confident reading aloud. Maybe they struggle to sound out some words. Reading aloud, though, is great practice to help children gain reading confidence and read more fluently. Children are often encouraged to read nightly, and many are given a specified number of reading minutes.

Parents can read with children to ensure they meet these minutes. During reading, parents can help children when they struggle sounding out new words. To work on fluency, parents also can create fun games for children or just use a few reading tips to help them.

Reading Races

Have children practice fluency by reading a paragraph for one minute. This can help parents understand how many words per minute they can read. Subtract any errors from the number of words to determine the reading fluency. Encourage children to ‘beat’ their best score!

Chunk Text

Some children who have difficulty with reading fluency might need to read chunks of text at a time. Or parents can find books with text broken up by pictures or illustrations. Large blocks of text might be overwhelming. Illustrations can help a book seem more manageable.

Encourage Children to Sound it Out

When reading with children, parents may notice that a child struggles with a word. Some children might try to decipher the word by looking at the picture, but sounding it out is a better way to help decipher that word. Have the child make each sound and put the blends and sounds together. Parents may need to help if a word is too long or if they don’t follow the regular sound rules.

Helping with Comprehension

Some children may be fluent readers but may have difficulty with describing what happened in a story or remember the names of characters. If children struggle with key aspects of comprehension, parents can help them work on this skill at home with games and reading strategies.

Comprehension Bookmarks

Making a comprehension bookmark is a fun craft project for children and can provide reminders about the ‘wh’ questions as they read a book or story. There are many examples of these bookmarks online, but, for younger children, parents may just ensure that bookmarks include variants of the ‘wh’ prompts: who, what, when, where, why and how.

The site Fun in First offers great examples of these bookmarks! The site includes a link to download bookmarks or just use them for inspiration to help kids create their own bookmarks.

Text Chunking

Help children focus on small amounts of text at a time by chunking the text. This can help children think about what’s happening in each segment of the story and perhaps not feel too overwhelmed. Some stories break up text naturally with illustrations, and parents may want to ask questions related to those ‘wh’ prompts after different sections of the book (or maybe every few pages).

Comprehension Catch

Use a beach ball to help children work on comprehension skills! A comprehension beach ball can be purchased online, or parents can just buy a beach ball and make their own. Just write comprehension prompts on sections of the ball using a permanent marker. Check out the site Conversation in Literacy for examples on these fun reading balls.

So how do you play comprehension catch? Toss the ball to each child and the prompt that faces upward is what they need to answer. Parents should join in the fun.

Put on a Puppet Show

To help children remember the details of the story, put on a puppet show. Make puppets using popsicle sticks (as the handle); create each character out of sturdy cardboard or just use construction paper. Help children act out the story. Be sure to talk about the characters and how they acted throughout the book.

How to Help Children When they Struggle with Reading

Some seven-year-olds might read below the grade-level benchmark. They may struggle with one or more of the key aspects of literacy. Parents might have tried to help them at home using many different methodologies but perhaps children are still struggling.

How can parents help if reading to them, working on sounds and other tips, games and enrichment activities aren’t helping them to gain fluency or confidence? A lesson-based reading program could help.

Reading programs like Readability can be used at home and addresses multiple areas of reading struggles. Readability requires children to read books and stories aloud, and a built-in AI tutor will help guide lessons.

The AI tutor is programmed with voice recognition software, and it becomes familiar with each child’s voice. This allows the tutor to identify when a child is struggling with a word and needs guidance.

Readability’s virtual tutor also tests children on their comprehension of stories. After the child completes a story or book in Readability, the tutor asks questions about the story. This is how the program measures each child’s reading comprehension.

Children only advance to the next reading level when they have demonstrated proficiency in both reading fluency and comprehension at their current level. Sometimes children may need to stay at a level for a longer duration. Parents should understand that every child will advance at their own pace.

Parents can check their child’s reading success via the Parent Dashboard. This parent-only portal shows all their child’s reading data, including reading fluency and reading level. Parents can integrate all the reading data into a report that can be emailed to the child’s teacher, too. This can help facilitate communication between home and school.

Not every program is a great fit for every child. And parents might want to see a program in action before committing to a subscription. Readability offers a free seven-day trial that allows full access to all the program’s features.

Children can work with the AI tutor, read different stories, and parents can find out if the program meets their child’s needs. To sign up for a free trial, visit www.readabilitytutor.com!

As children enter the upper grades of elementary school, reading becomes a bit more difficult. In fourth grade, chapter books are likely the norm for young readers. They may be expected to provide a bit more detail about characters and be prompted to make predictions about what happens next in a story.

Reading builds each year, and, eventually, children read across all subjects; this is why reading is so crucial to learning. If a child is struggling or feeling less than confident with reading skills, how can parents provide reading help for 4th grade and beyond?

Determine What Help a Child Needs

Children can struggle with different aspects of reading. In fourth grade, some may still have difficulties with decoding or reading fluency. Other students may struggle with answering more detailed questions about a book as it relates to comprehension. Then there are children who struggle with both fluency and comprehension.

How a parent provides help may depend on what struggles are identified for the child. If a fourth grader is reading far below grade level and continuing to struggle with letter identification or other early skills, parents may reach out to both the school and the child’s pediatrician and begin the process of identifying any underlying medical conditions (this could include a learning disorder).

In fact, Pediatrics (the journal for the American Academy of Pediatrics) published a paper related to the pediatrician’s role in school performance concerns. It isn’t uncommon for parents to discuss these concerns with the pediatrician. Pediatricians may make referrals to other practitioners (including speech therapists, neuropsychologists, etc.).

However, even if a child doesn’t have a formal medical diagnosis, parents still might address the reading concerns with the school and the child’s teacher. A child could qualify for additional reading intervention, special programs or other accommodations. These accommodations could be part of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a 504 Plan.

Receiving additional help may require the child to undergo an evaluation process through the school. This often includes additional testing.

Helping at Home

Depending on a child’s reading struggles, there are many ways that parents can help at home. However, when a child is in fourth grade, parents also can help children understand strategies that could help them as they read.

Try these tips when working with children at home:

• Create a reading comprehension bookmark that includes thinking prompts. Examples of these bookmarks can be found online.
• Encourage children to re-read text. Sometimes reading a passage another time can help improve understanding.
• Chunking blocks of text also could help children as they read.
• Review content at the end of each chapter. When reading chapter books, children can try to summarize what happened after they complete each chapter.
• Use sticky notes to make summary notes while reading. This can help children remember what they read.
• Create graphic organizers that help summarize and organize story details and character traits.

Some children also could want to be speed readers and get through a book quickly. If children are struggling with comprehension, encourage them to take their time and read…and re-read, too! There’s no harm in going back through a chapter to help remember what was read or to just re-read passages to refresh or better understand the plot. Adults do this, too!

When children are struggling with reading, they also should try to read books on their level. Reading a book that is too difficult could cause confusion…or frustration. However, students are often tested for reading and parents are provided with a reading range for their child. This shows the appropriate levels for reading…and, yes, sometimes the ranges do include harder levels.

The key is to not push children to read too difficult text. Challenge is good and it can be healthy; although, if children seem frustrated with a book, it might be wise to choose something else.

It’s OK to Read to a Fourth Grader!

A child may be in fourth grade, but they aren’t too old to hear a story aloud. Parents can still read to their child. Especially if their child wants to read a book that might be too difficult for them. Reading aloud is fun and a great bonding experience.

Reading aloud also allows parents to talk to children as they read. They can ask questions about the story to ensure a child understands the plot. Or just talk about the characters. Have a story conversation! This can encourage a child’s curiosity and make them think deeper about a book.

Before grabbing a book to read aloud, though, ask what they want to read. Even better? Take a trip to the library together and let them choose the book. Parents can even theme read aloud time for upcoming holidays, historic events, etc.

Use the time for entertainment and to broaden a child’s mind!

Using Reading Apps to Provide Reading Help for 4th Grade

Parents who notice their fourth grader struggling with reading fluency or reading comprehension also could utilize a lesson-based reading program at home. These programs are computer-based and can usually be downloaded via an app.

There are many different reading programs and apps; parents might research their options to find the best for their child. Reading programs like Readability provide comprehensive reading help, although other programs may focus on a specific area of literacy.

Readability can help children who struggle with both fluency and comprehension. Readability’s lessons require children to read stories aloud. The program includes a built-in AI reading tutor that learns each user’s voice. As a child reads, the tutor can offer help or guidance.

The AI tutor also helps measure reading fluency. This is usually denoted in words per minute. The fluency for each child can vary, but each grade level usually has different average ranges. Fluency can be affected when a child struggles with phonics or phonemics.

After a child finishes reading a story, the tutor will ask a series of questions about the plot and the story in general. This is how the tutor measures comprehension.

A child will advance to a more difficult reading level only when they display mastery of both comprehension and fluency at their current level. Readability is designed so that children read at their appropriate level.

Parents may wonder how they know what reading level is the appropriate beginning benchmark for their child with the program. Parents can set their child’s reading level according to the reading level from school or Readability can help test the level.

So how can parents know that a program is effective for their child? With Readability, parents can follow their child’s reading progress through the Parent Dashboard. This area is only visible to parents and displays all the child’s current reading data, including fluency (words read per minute), reading level and even how long they worked on the program.

This reading information also can be compiled into a report and emailed to the child’s teacher. This can help parents communicate the progress they are noticing via the program.

Parents might not want to commit to a program without better understanding how it works. Using an AI tutor, for example, might take some acclimation.

Readability is a subscription-based program, but parents can sign up for a free trial subscription to see the program in action. Free trials are limited to seven days and provide full access to the program and the AI tutor.

Interested in working with the AI tutor? Try Readability today!