Yup, Mark has a stubborn streak. He forgot that Mommy has one as well.
Mark has apparently decided that since I won't prompt, he'll be lazy. It's the most obvious in Word ID. I'll ask for a word and he'll grab one. Always the same spot first. If it's not that one, then he'll try the next spot. And then finally the third. It happens in other activities, but to lesser degrees because there's just not the opportunities.
He wasn't happy today when I started addressing this. First step was that he had to trace each word when he finally got it right. Second step was that it went back into the pile to be done again. He was definitely not happy. I got yelled at. And then he tried to run. Then he learned that he was going to have to keep coming back to the table until he got through them all. He got the last three words correct on the first try each. We'll see if it's really sunk in tomorrow.
And we're working more on Handwriting. Not that we haven't been working on it. But I had to make some decisions regarding how we were going to do it. The school was using Handwriting Without Tears. And Mark was most clear on what he thought about that. And he had become dependent on physical prompting again. So we were back to working on the very, very basics. He was coloring while making sure to hold the crayon correctly. He was tracing the outline of shapes and trying to color inside the lines. These tasks require a fine motor control that he's not real good at yet.
Now that I have several fonts to do it with, I will start making prewriting worksheets again. We are going to be using three lines for his writing guidelines. This should make it easier for him.
A couple of days ago I added "building" letters with magnetic foam pieces. I made a set of straights and curves to fit 2" letters. We are starting with upper and lower case B. He actually enjoys "building" the letters. He's less enthusiastic about "building" the letter that he's asked for. And even less enthusiastic about telling which letter is Big and which is Little. He got mad at me today when I kept asking until he got it right. (He kept trying to get me to take his hand.)
And another activity we've added is drawing the letter on his Fisher Price board. I don't know what this thing is called but it's like the old crayon scratch boards except the roller can smooth it out again. That's not so popular with him for the moment. And not with me because I'm having to use physical prompting. I'm going to brainstorm on it some more and see what ideas pop up. If you have any ideas, please share.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
A Happy Boy
It's been a few days because gardening needs have been taking up what little spare time I've had.
Mark is a very happy boy. He's really enjoying making his own cards, even if he doesn't understand it. Working on the cards gets big grins. The only thing that gets bigger grins is another new math activity. I have some origami boxes that now have dots on the covers. Once a day he gets asked to give me the box with one dot. If he gets it right he gets the piece of candy that's inside. This is helping both with Math, and with focusing to give the correct answer the first time. As we do more numbers, I'll add more boxes and vary the question. It's a good thing that I can make small candy treats for him!
The weather has been good enough that Mark has been able to enjoy playing in the backyard. He's been getting lots of great exercise. And we've been working on him learning to put things, like his glasses, in a bag that I've attached to the trampoline net. For some reason, at random, he decides he doesn't want to wear his glasses, or tags. Or he gets a drink and finishes it. And he drops these items on the trampoline, which is dangerous for him (and for his glasses!). So I attached the net bag and have been working with him on putting things into the bag. So far, so good.
Another interesting development has occurred. Unless Mark is in the backyard, he wants to be wherever I am. If I'm working in the garden, he's in the backyard. If we are in the house, he is wherever he can be closest to me, or completely see me. He knows not to come in the kitchen while I'm cooking, but he makes sure that he can see me. If I go sit in the bedroom, I get pounced. Fortunately, he has realized that this is not appropriate behavior for the bathroom and will leave me in peace there. I figure this is a side effect of spring fever and the new activities. It will probably fade over time. But I'll enjoy the extra tickles, cuddles, and hugs while he's giving them out. And yes, he is trying to tickle me.
Oh, and while he's being somewhat slow to catch on to the XOOM, he has been using his communication cards a lot. But not in the expected way. He has been taking off all the cards except the one he's trying to use. So far two sets have blown away because of this, so I'll be visiting Staples again soon. And we'll have to work on this some more, or in a different way.
And lastly, but definitely not least, he tried to say "A big boy" today. He got boy and big flipped around but he did try. I love hearing words come out, and phrases/sentences are absolutely stellar.
Mark is a very happy boy. He's really enjoying making his own cards, even if he doesn't understand it. Working on the cards gets big grins. The only thing that gets bigger grins is another new math activity. I have some origami boxes that now have dots on the covers. Once a day he gets asked to give me the box with one dot. If he gets it right he gets the piece of candy that's inside. This is helping both with Math, and with focusing to give the correct answer the first time. As we do more numbers, I'll add more boxes and vary the question. It's a good thing that I can make small candy treats for him!
The weather has been good enough that Mark has been able to enjoy playing in the backyard. He's been getting lots of great exercise. And we've been working on him learning to put things, like his glasses, in a bag that I've attached to the trampoline net. For some reason, at random, he decides he doesn't want to wear his glasses, or tags. Or he gets a drink and finishes it. And he drops these items on the trampoline, which is dangerous for him (and for his glasses!). So I attached the net bag and have been working with him on putting things into the bag. So far, so good.
Another interesting development has occurred. Unless Mark is in the backyard, he wants to be wherever I am. If I'm working in the garden, he's in the backyard. If we are in the house, he is wherever he can be closest to me, or completely see me. He knows not to come in the kitchen while I'm cooking, but he makes sure that he can see me. If I go sit in the bedroom, I get pounced. Fortunately, he has realized that this is not appropriate behavior for the bathroom and will leave me in peace there. I figure this is a side effect of spring fever and the new activities. It will probably fade over time. But I'll enjoy the extra tickles, cuddles, and hugs while he's giving them out. And yes, he is trying to tickle me.
Oh, and while he's being somewhat slow to catch on to the XOOM, he has been using his communication cards a lot. But not in the expected way. He has been taking off all the cards except the one he's trying to use. So far two sets have blown away because of this, so I'll be visiting Staples again soon. And we'll have to work on this some more, or in a different way.
And lastly, but definitely not least, he tried to say "A big boy" today. He got boy and big flipped around but he did try. I love hearing words come out, and phrases/sentences are absolutely stellar.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Playing Cards
Ok. I needed a way for us to review the quantities of numbers. And a way that would kind of force me to be patient while knowing that we were doing something. And, yet again, a way for Mark to physically do something to represent the number one. He's not really a visual or aural learner. So, we are going to make a set of playing cards from foam.
Each playing card is a 4 x 6 foam piece. I got a pack of them at the Dollar Tree. And I'll be stopping to get another pack of them, and some more reward stickers, tomorrow. This is what we make. (No, I'm not an experienced photographer, not even a good amateur.)
The number 1 written in the top right corner is done by me. And I gave him dashes to trace in the lower left corner. This time, I wrote the word one underneath the spot where he put the foam letters. From the rest of them, he'll use this card as a reference. Then I had him give me one foam sticker. And then he put it in place.
So for the next three days, we will do a worksheet or two that focuses solely on the number 1. And then we'll make another card. Then we'll do the same for 2. After we make a set of 2s, we'll spend a few days comparing the two sets, and doing comparison worksheets, before we move on to 3. We will keep using the Cuisinare rods as well, since he does make a connection with them. Hopefully, by the time we reach 5 he will start breaking the prompt dependency. If not we'll keep going on the cards, up through 10, and start on a set of dominoes. Well, actually we'll do through 10 and make the dominoes anyways. But if he breaks the dependency we'll start on basic addition for 1 through 5 while we continue with the cards. If we get through the card set and dominoes and still have prompting issues, we'll starting one a set of memory cards. At some point, I'm sure Mark will realize what he needs to. And I'm betting it'll be sometime while we are making dominoes.
All of these items will be used for continuing games and activities. So he will not only have the fun of creating the items, but will have the fun of continuing to use them. I hope that will help him to make connections that he does not make with purchased flash cards, dominoes, etc.
By the way, I'm coming to love the Dollar Tree for supplies. The one closest to my house is so-so about schooling and craft supplies. But the one further away has an absolutely fabulous selection of items, probably because it's in a bigger market area. I have managed to pick up quite a collection of tools without assassinating my budget. We'll be able to make the set of cards, and dominoes, for under $6. And still have supplies left over for other projects. It's also where I found blank word strips, which I use to write his vocabulary words from reading. And then later, I found the printed sight words on word strips, which has helped him to make a connection between the written and printed letters/words. I would strongly recommend that anyone visit their local Dollar Tree before they go spend a ton of money elsewhere. You would be very surprised at what's available. And they have a website if you want to team up with others and do a bulk order. I'm actually considering doing a bulk order, just for us, on some things.
Anyways, back to life, we've got a reading lesson to do now. I hope you are having a good day!
Each playing card is a 4 x 6 foam piece. I got a pack of them at the Dollar Tree. And I'll be stopping to get another pack of them, and some more reward stickers, tomorrow. This is what we make. (No, I'm not an experienced photographer, not even a good amateur.)
The number 1 written in the top right corner is done by me. And I gave him dashes to trace in the lower left corner. This time, I wrote the word one underneath the spot where he put the foam letters. From the rest of them, he'll use this card as a reference. Then I had him give me one foam sticker. And then he put it in place.
So for the next three days, we will do a worksheet or two that focuses solely on the number 1. And then we'll make another card. Then we'll do the same for 2. After we make a set of 2s, we'll spend a few days comparing the two sets, and doing comparison worksheets, before we move on to 3. We will keep using the Cuisinare rods as well, since he does make a connection with them. Hopefully, by the time we reach 5 he will start breaking the prompt dependency. If not we'll keep going on the cards, up through 10, and start on a set of dominoes. Well, actually we'll do through 10 and make the dominoes anyways. But if he breaks the dependency we'll start on basic addition for 1 through 5 while we continue with the cards. If we get through the card set and dominoes and still have prompting issues, we'll starting one a set of memory cards. At some point, I'm sure Mark will realize what he needs to. And I'm betting it'll be sometime while we are making dominoes.
All of these items will be used for continuing games and activities. So he will not only have the fun of creating the items, but will have the fun of continuing to use them. I hope that will help him to make connections that he does not make with purchased flash cards, dominoes, etc.
By the way, I'm coming to love the Dollar Tree for supplies. The one closest to my house is so-so about schooling and craft supplies. But the one further away has an absolutely fabulous selection of items, probably because it's in a bigger market area. I have managed to pick up quite a collection of tools without assassinating my budget. We'll be able to make the set of cards, and dominoes, for under $6. And still have supplies left over for other projects. It's also where I found blank word strips, which I use to write his vocabulary words from reading. And then later, I found the printed sight words on word strips, which has helped him to make a connection between the written and printed letters/words. I would strongly recommend that anyone visit their local Dollar Tree before they go spend a ton of money elsewhere. You would be very surprised at what's available. And they have a website if you want to team up with others and do a bulk order. I'm actually considering doing a bulk order, just for us, on some things.
Anyways, back to life, we've got a reading lesson to do now. I hope you are having a good day!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
A Bright Sunny Day
And that's what today has been. Well, except for lessons. Mainly because Mark would have truly preferred to spend the whole day playing. :-) But then, what child wouldn't on such a wonderful bright day. He did definitely enjoy playing in the yard today.
Math is still having problems. I've backed up completely to having him match quantities to the quantity shown. For example, I hold 3 snap blocks and he needs to give me three snap blocks. Or he matches the #1 cuisenaire blocks to the blocks for 2, 3, 4, or 5. He's still completely fixated on using all the blocks available unless he's told to stop. Today I created a place for "extra" blocks to go. I don't know if that will work or not but I'm giving it a shot. I know this is a problem caused by years of HOH/verbal prompting but I can't seem to find a way to break through. If anyone has a suggestion, please comment.
On the other hand, spelling is going fabulously. He has L to R progression down solid now. The only time he changes it is if he has a problem matching the written letter to the magnetic letter. And then it only takes a verbal correction, and occasionally verbal prompting, to get him back on track. I haven't had to do HOH since friday?? Next week I'll take the oldest spelling words and start dropping letters out. By then we should be up to 8 or 9 of the Dolch Sight Words.
And I'm looking for an android reading app that's designed for kids, if anyone knows of one. The regular apps zoom in if he touches the screen for too long. Or they jump pages if he taps the bottom too frequently. I need one that will allow him to touch the screen without zooming and will only change pages if he touches specific spots. I don't know if there is one out there but again, if you know of one please let me know. This would saving me a fortune in ink.
Oh, and I found some absolutely fabulous puzzle apps. I was already using the Kid's Preschool Puzzles by IntelliJoy (http://www.intellijoy.com/), which he loves. I then found a variety of puzzle games by Teacher's Paradise (http://www.teachersparadise.com/apps). Some look like actual jigsaw puzzles, others are just shapes cut apart. The only one we couldn't get to work was the Trucks puzzles. I don't know what was wrong with it. But the other 4 puzzle sets we got work wonderfully and he loves them.
Oh, by the way, none of these companies/developers have asked me for these reviews or opinions. These are truly programs that I located on my own and have found to work for us. I hope they might work for you.
Math is still having problems. I've backed up completely to having him match quantities to the quantity shown. For example, I hold 3 snap blocks and he needs to give me three snap blocks. Or he matches the #1 cuisenaire blocks to the blocks for 2, 3, 4, or 5. He's still completely fixated on using all the blocks available unless he's told to stop. Today I created a place for "extra" blocks to go. I don't know if that will work or not but I'm giving it a shot. I know this is a problem caused by years of HOH/verbal prompting but I can't seem to find a way to break through. If anyone has a suggestion, please comment.
On the other hand, spelling is going fabulously. He has L to R progression down solid now. The only time he changes it is if he has a problem matching the written letter to the magnetic letter. And then it only takes a verbal correction, and occasionally verbal prompting, to get him back on track. I haven't had to do HOH since friday?? Next week I'll take the oldest spelling words and start dropping letters out. By then we should be up to 8 or 9 of the Dolch Sight Words.
And I'm looking for an android reading app that's designed for kids, if anyone knows of one. The regular apps zoom in if he touches the screen for too long. Or they jump pages if he taps the bottom too frequently. I need one that will allow him to touch the screen without zooming and will only change pages if he touches specific spots. I don't know if there is one out there but again, if you know of one please let me know. This would saving me a fortune in ink.
Oh, and I found some absolutely fabulous puzzle apps. I was already using the Kid's Preschool Puzzles by IntelliJoy (http://www.intellijoy.com/), which he loves. I then found a variety of puzzle games by Teacher's Paradise (http://www.teachersparadise.com/apps). Some look like actual jigsaw puzzles, others are just shapes cut apart. The only one we couldn't get to work was the Trucks puzzles. I don't know what was wrong with it. But the other 4 puzzle sets we got work wonderfully and he loves them.
Oh, by the way, none of these companies/developers have asked me for these reviews or opinions. These are truly programs that I located on my own and have found to work for us. I hope they might work for you.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Remembering a lesson.
Today I got reminded vividly of one of the issues I had with Mark's work at school. The problem was that Mark typically only had a 15 minute times span in which to do his tasks. So he tended to get a lot of HOH/verbal prompting to help him get the task done in 15 minutes. Apparently, I picked up this habit while going to school with him. Bad, Kim!
So today, Math took a while longer. Because we reviewed the material, and then I asked questions. I did not prompt. I did not do HOH. I merely asked Mark to "give x blocks to Mommy". I held up the number of fingers for the number with one hand, and held the other hand out flat. I did not give any other responses until he placed the blocks in my hand. If he was incorrect, I calmly said "No. Let's try again." and I would set the blocks back out. When he got it right, he got hugs, cheers, and kisses. He got the numbers 1 - 4 within 5 tries each time. The number 5 was not so successful though. After 20 tries I told him to stop when he had 5 blocks, and we counted them. We did this 3 more times before I called it quits for that part of math. No it wasn't perfect, and yes he made many mistakes. But he's learning to do it for himself without prompting.
And I did the same thing for the 25 piece puzzle. And the 12 piece. I only interfered when he was becoming overly fixated on a piece that he wasn't ready for. I would take the piece away for a bit so that he could move on. By the end of the 12 piece he was pretty happy. In a little while, I'll do it again with reading.
Basically, I have to remember to do it in his time frame, not mine. Otherwise I'm not really helping him at all, I'm enabling him. And that only hurts him. And that is so much easier to say and write than it is to actually do. But I know that if I do it, his time frame will become shorter and his confidence in his skills will increase. (and how many times did I ask for patience when I was younger???? I'm definitely learning it now.)
So today, Math took a while longer. Because we reviewed the material, and then I asked questions. I did not prompt. I did not do HOH. I merely asked Mark to "give x blocks to Mommy". I held up the number of fingers for the number with one hand, and held the other hand out flat. I did not give any other responses until he placed the blocks in my hand. If he was incorrect, I calmly said "No. Let's try again." and I would set the blocks back out. When he got it right, he got hugs, cheers, and kisses. He got the numbers 1 - 4 within 5 tries each time. The number 5 was not so successful though. After 20 tries I told him to stop when he had 5 blocks, and we counted them. We did this 3 more times before I called it quits for that part of math. No it wasn't perfect, and yes he made many mistakes. But he's learning to do it for himself without prompting.
And I did the same thing for the 25 piece puzzle. And the 12 piece. I only interfered when he was becoming overly fixated on a piece that he wasn't ready for. I would take the piece away for a bit so that he could move on. By the end of the 12 piece he was pretty happy. In a little while, I'll do it again with reading.
Basically, I have to remember to do it in his time frame, not mine. Otherwise I'm not really helping him at all, I'm enabling him. And that only hurts him. And that is so much easier to say and write than it is to actually do. But I know that if I do it, his time frame will become shorter and his confidence in his skills will increase. (and how many times did I ask for patience when I was younger???? I'm definitely learning it now.)
Saturday, February 18, 2012
A Day Off.
Yup. We actually don't take many days off because it is easier for Mark if we try to do similar things daily. And since "school" time isn't as stressful anymore it works. In fact when Mark thinks that he needs "school" time, he will either sit at the table or come get me. It's cute. But today was a day off from school stuff. We might do a math craft later but we'll see.
One another note, I wanted to tell you about a spelling program for Android that is absolutely wonderful. It's called Droid Spell. And Mark actually did play this today. And puzzles. So maybe we weren't completely school free today.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.vg.droidspell.donate&feature=more_from_developer#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEwMiwiY29tLnZnLmRyb2lkc3BlbGwuZG9uYXRlIl0.
Wow, what a long link but it's worth it. This one program doesn't have any of the issues I had with other programs. To start with, it allows you to choose whether your child gets only the letters needed for the word, or those & more. And you get to pick, in a general sense, how many more! This is great for teaching your child to discriminate between the letters. It also gives them a very good start for later spelling lessons. You know, the ones that don't involve pictures and visible letters.
Even more, it allows you to set it so that your child must follow left to right progression to spell the word! Since that is one of Mark's problem areas, I love this setting. Mark doesn't like it so much but he's quickly figuring it out. And to be honest, the program is great for this because it has much more patience than I do.
You can hide the target letters, or not. In our case they are not hidden. As Mark's skills increase they will be hidden.
You can choose whether the words are all uppercase, all lowercase, or first letter uppercase with remaining lower case (clean). We are using the last setting for right now.
You can choose whether the movable letters will be in random order or not. For Mark they are, but for kids that are at the very, very beginning this would be helpful.
You can choose whether there are background images or not. This was a big issue for Mark originally because he couldn't focus past the beautiful images. So for us, background images are off. Later, when his skills are more solid, I'll probably turn them back on so that he can learn to focus more.
And you can choose whether there is a picture for the word during or after spelling is completed. For us, I just leave it up. Hopefully it will help Mark make connections between the words and the images, thereby building his vocabulary even more.
Oh, and the your child will need to get the letters into place, they do not snap into place just because they are close. This turned out to be great because Mark would try to drag and drop letters expecting them to just fall into place.
Oh, and just in case you don't realize it, the program will speak the letters out loud when they are touched. And then it spells and says the word when your child is done.
All in all, the program is soooo worth the $2.99 donation that they ask for. I'm looking forward to future changes, and other programs, from this program developer. They seem to have a good idea how to design for the child to truly learn a skill.
One another note, I wanted to tell you about a spelling program for Android that is absolutely wonderful. It's called Droid Spell. And Mark actually did play this today. And puzzles. So maybe we weren't completely school free today.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.vg.droidspell.donate&feature=more_from_developer#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEwMiwiY29tLnZnLmRyb2lkc3BlbGwuZG9uYXRlIl0.
Wow, what a long link but it's worth it. This one program doesn't have any of the issues I had with other programs. To start with, it allows you to choose whether your child gets only the letters needed for the word, or those & more. And you get to pick, in a general sense, how many more! This is great for teaching your child to discriminate between the letters. It also gives them a very good start for later spelling lessons. You know, the ones that don't involve pictures and visible letters.
Even more, it allows you to set it so that your child must follow left to right progression to spell the word! Since that is one of Mark's problem areas, I love this setting. Mark doesn't like it so much but he's quickly figuring it out. And to be honest, the program is great for this because it has much more patience than I do.
You can hide the target letters, or not. In our case they are not hidden. As Mark's skills increase they will be hidden.
You can choose whether the words are all uppercase, all lowercase, or first letter uppercase with remaining lower case (clean). We are using the last setting for right now.
You can choose whether the movable letters will be in random order or not. For Mark they are, but for kids that are at the very, very beginning this would be helpful.
You can choose whether there are background images or not. This was a big issue for Mark originally because he couldn't focus past the beautiful images. So for us, background images are off. Later, when his skills are more solid, I'll probably turn them back on so that he can learn to focus more.
And you can choose whether there is a picture for the word during or after spelling is completed. For us, I just leave it up. Hopefully it will help Mark make connections between the words and the images, thereby building his vocabulary even more.
Oh, and the your child will need to get the letters into place, they do not snap into place just because they are close. This turned out to be great because Mark would try to drag and drop letters expecting them to just fall into place.
Oh, and just in case you don't realize it, the program will speak the letters out loud when they are touched. And then it spells and says the word when your child is done.
All in all, the program is soooo worth the $2.99 donation that they ask for. I'm looking forward to future changes, and other programs, from this program developer. They seem to have a good idea how to design for the child to truly learn a skill.
Friday, February 17, 2012
A little bit of light...on Math.
Despite knowing the problems that Mark is having in Math, none of the alternatives I was trying were doing any good. I think, now, that part of the problem was that I was using the same techniques that were being used at school - manipulatives, cards, dittos. Mark was responding the same way he did for school. He expected everything to be HOH, and he expected me to tell him when to stop adding manipulatives.
Well, this was severely frustrating. So when another mom, Mary, suggested an alternative approach I decided to try it. Her suggestion was Cuisenaire rods. And since she was done using her set for her children, she offered them to me to try with Mark. So I went digging on line just to find out what these rods were. And that resulted in a DUH! smack to my head. I did not have the rods but I did have two alternatives that I could use alongside the rods. I have a set of rods done in inch segments (Cuisenaire rods are done in cm segments). And I had snap blocks. So I found both of those items last night. And recolored the numbers on the rods. And then today I picked up the Cuisenaire rods.
Now, the reason I still got the Cuisenaire rods is because there is a whole solid math system for teaching counting, addition, subtraction, division, multiplaction, etc. If Mark responded positively to the rods, I would need the set to continue using them.
So this morning we sat down and did a very simple math session. I put a number magnet on his board, and then I had him put the corresponding Cuisenaire rod above the number. And a light came on in his eyes. I don't think he's suddenly understood everything but I think he's made a connection that he hadn't made before. He actually had fun doing math with me today. We used snap blocks to count 1 to 5. Then I took the blocks apart and had him give me a certain quantity. We worked through 1 to 5. He gave me 1 and 4 without any help at all. And he did the others with only verbal reminders to check how many. I did not tell him to stop. Then we did 1 to 5 on his abacus.
So, if this continues to improve, then I'll probably follow the Miquon math curriculum. And I'll work separately to get him to transfer his counting skills to other areas.
Oh, and yes, Mark has an abacus. I took him to a local toy store that has every Melissa and Doug Toy in the catalog. And he spent his valentine's money on an abacus. You remember his love of bead toys, right? And then I got him another set of the letter magnets so that we can get through spelling words like "see". And I still got grins and extra hugs. I've got a happy, and tired, child tonight.
Well, this was severely frustrating. So when another mom, Mary, suggested an alternative approach I decided to try it. Her suggestion was Cuisenaire rods. And since she was done using her set for her children, she offered them to me to try with Mark. So I went digging on line just to find out what these rods were. And that resulted in a DUH! smack to my head. I did not have the rods but I did have two alternatives that I could use alongside the rods. I have a set of rods done in inch segments (Cuisenaire rods are done in cm segments). And I had snap blocks. So I found both of those items last night. And recolored the numbers on the rods. And then today I picked up the Cuisenaire rods.
Now, the reason I still got the Cuisenaire rods is because there is a whole solid math system for teaching counting, addition, subtraction, division, multiplaction, etc. If Mark responded positively to the rods, I would need the set to continue using them.
So this morning we sat down and did a very simple math session. I put a number magnet on his board, and then I had him put the corresponding Cuisenaire rod above the number. And a light came on in his eyes. I don't think he's suddenly understood everything but I think he's made a connection that he hadn't made before. He actually had fun doing math with me today. We used snap blocks to count 1 to 5. Then I took the blocks apart and had him give me a certain quantity. We worked through 1 to 5. He gave me 1 and 4 without any help at all. And he did the others with only verbal reminders to check how many. I did not tell him to stop. Then we did 1 to 5 on his abacus.
So, if this continues to improve, then I'll probably follow the Miquon math curriculum. And I'll work separately to get him to transfer his counting skills to other areas.
Oh, and yes, Mark has an abacus. I took him to a local toy store that has every Melissa and Doug Toy in the catalog. And he spent his valentine's money on an abacus. You remember his love of bead toys, right? And then I got him another set of the letter magnets so that we can get through spelling words like "see". And I still got grins and extra hugs. I've got a happy, and tired, child tonight.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Breakthrough in Spelling
Seriously doing the happy dance here. And Mark was as well. He grumped his way through reading. Then grumped his way through Word ID, so I was expecting spelling to be tantrums. And it wasn't. In fact when we started, he was grinning. And he kept grinning all the way through!!!! We used the chalkboard and alphabet magnets today. And he loved it. He put the correct letter on top of the written letter every time. And only had to be told he had the wrong letter twice. (Note: told, no HOH.) Then halfway through, he started doing it L to R without prompting! He got major hugs and cheers for that, which kept him on track for L to R for the remainder of the words. I had only originally planned 4 words but quickly changed it to 10 since he was doing so well. And spelling ended on a majorly positive note! (And I think Mark was as happy about that as I was!)
And his reward, which he loved just as much, was free play with the cookie cutters and Model Magic. Now he's out bouncing.
I'm only going to list one program today (there are more) because the focus of this blog is supposed to be how Mark is doing. And this has turned out to be one of his more favored programs. I'll try to list one each day as we keep going.
The program is Kids Preschool Puzzles by Intellijoy. http://www.intellijoy.com/
This program provides shape jigsaw puzzles for the kids. The number of pieces varies. And so far he's managed to solve every one of them without any assistance. No it's not the same as a regular jigsaw puzzle because the pieces can't be upside down, backwards, etc. But it is good for making him focus, compare shapes and moving them together. And even on a rough day, he can easily, and happily, do four or five of the puzzles. It provides skills, and fun.
And his reward, which he loved just as much, was free play with the cookie cutters and Model Magic. Now he's out bouncing.
I'm only going to list one program today (there are more) because the focus of this blog is supposed to be how Mark is doing. And this has turned out to be one of his more favored programs. I'll try to list one each day as we keep going.
The program is Kids Preschool Puzzles by Intellijoy. http://www.intellijoy.com/
This program provides shape jigsaw puzzles for the kids. The number of pieces varies. And so far he's managed to solve every one of them without any assistance. No it's not the same as a regular jigsaw puzzle because the pieces can't be upside down, backwards, etc. But it is good for making him focus, compare shapes and moving them together. And even on a rough day, he can easily, and happily, do four or five of the puzzles. It provides skills, and fun.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
I love the XOOM!
Ok, if it was for me, to be honest - I'd hate it. Sorry, but Tablets do not replace a good laptop/desktop. But within their limitations, they make a wonderful communication & education device.
So far I've downloaded and deleted dozens of programs. But here are the keepers so far. I'm only going to list three today. I'll get to more tomorrow.
First - JABtalk. http://www.jabstone.com/
To put it simply - WOW! It is a completely flexible program that you custom design with your materials. It does not do it's own audio, you either have to record it or provide your own recordings. And for us that is just fine. You can make your own categories, subcategories, and words. You can use an image you want. And most amazingly - It's Free!!! I would have paid for this happily given just how useful it is. I'm not locked into using any one companies symbols. I can use my own pictures, stock symbols, or the internet. Now that the case protectors are here, I'm sure Mark will love using this to tell me what he wants.
Second - First, Then Visual Schedule http://www.goodkarmaapplications.com/first-then-visual-schedule.html
If you've seen this for IPad, you can now be happy. It's available for android now. And it's worth the $9.99 to buy it. It's completely flexible for making your own visual schedules for your child to follow. I'm looking forward to taking some time to create schedules for errands and trips. I've already created a basic First, Then board that has really helped Mark. Same as JABtalk, you can use stock pictures/recordings, your own, or the internet. They provide a really large selection of images that you can download if you want to. So far, I haven't and I'm still thrilled.
Third - Visual Timer http://www.moonmirage.com/mobileapps/visualtimer/visualtimer.html
Honestly, this is great. I went through dozens of programs trying to find a visual timer like this. More than worth the $.99 for the full version. Best part, if you back out but don't turn it off, it will keep going in the background and sound when the time is up. This is helpful when you are timing another activity that you are doing on the phone. Only downside, which I will live with, is that the clock face does not have any numbers. That would make it absolutely perfect.
Ok, that covers the three programs. And today the things to protect the XOOM while Mark is using it arrived. The XOOM is now in an Otterbox Defender case. And the Otterbox Utility Series straps are on it. I have to admit that even I feel more comfortable handling it with these items on it. The Defender case is infinitely easier to grip and hold on to with its silicone cover. And the straps give me complete confidence in carrying it. It would take me having a really bad day to drop it now. But no bets on Mark. We'll see how it handles him.
So far I've downloaded and deleted dozens of programs. But here are the keepers so far. I'm only going to list three today. I'll get to more tomorrow.
First - JABtalk. http://www.jabstone.com/
To put it simply - WOW! It is a completely flexible program that you custom design with your materials. It does not do it's own audio, you either have to record it or provide your own recordings. And for us that is just fine. You can make your own categories, subcategories, and words. You can use an image you want. And most amazingly - It's Free!!! I would have paid for this happily given just how useful it is. I'm not locked into using any one companies symbols. I can use my own pictures, stock symbols, or the internet. Now that the case protectors are here, I'm sure Mark will love using this to tell me what he wants.
Second - First, Then Visual Schedule http://www.goodkarmaapplications.com/first-then-visual-schedule.html
If you've seen this for IPad, you can now be happy. It's available for android now. And it's worth the $9.99 to buy it. It's completely flexible for making your own visual schedules for your child to follow. I'm looking forward to taking some time to create schedules for errands and trips. I've already created a basic First, Then board that has really helped Mark. Same as JABtalk, you can use stock pictures/recordings, your own, or the internet. They provide a really large selection of images that you can download if you want to. So far, I haven't and I'm still thrilled.
Third - Visual Timer http://www.moonmirage.com/mobileapps/visualtimer/visualtimer.html
Honestly, this is great. I went through dozens of programs trying to find a visual timer like this. More than worth the $.99 for the full version. Best part, if you back out but don't turn it off, it will keep going in the background and sound when the time is up. This is helpful when you are timing another activity that you are doing on the phone. Only downside, which I will live with, is that the clock face does not have any numbers. That would make it absolutely perfect.
Ok, that covers the three programs. And today the things to protect the XOOM while Mark is using it arrived. The XOOM is now in an Otterbox Defender case. And the Otterbox Utility Series straps are on it. I have to admit that even I feel more comfortable handling it with these items on it. The Defender case is infinitely easier to grip and hold on to with its silicone cover. And the straps give me complete confidence in carrying it. It would take me having a really bad day to drop it now. But no bets on Mark. We'll see how it handles him.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Dah, Dah, Dah, Dum..........
BOOM!
We had a massive explosion of the temper tantrum type today. It was kind of expected. I've been waiting for the "I'm not in school, I shouldn't have to do school work!" explosion. And it hit today. During math of course. That's the most difficult subject for him at the moment so I shouldn't have been surprised that it was the trigger. But we got through it. And promptly after we finished math, he proceeded to throw a longer tantrum with running and jumping. So I made him go to bed. It was only supposed to be for 15 minutes, but he actually curled up under the blanket and calmed (although he did not sleep). So I left him until he was ready to come out, which was over an hour later. That was plenty of time to get the living room cleaned up and swept.
Mark is wired energy wise which I think is spring fever. He even had problems with slowing his hand movements for working on the XOOM. So tomorrow I think I will bundle him up really good and let him go run/bounce/swing it off. A hour or so of sunshine and playing in the backyard should do a lot to calm him down.
And I ordered two visual timers today. They are not Time Timers. His classroom had two Time Timers and they were forever either not working "at the moment"/only partially working/not working at all. So I found two possible timers on Amazon. I'll post them here if they work out.
I'm planning on using one of them to let him know when "work" time is coming up. I'll set it and put the PECS card for the "work" with it. And then when it goes off, we will work on that item. I think that will settle his nerves some because he'll know that it's coming and be able to "prepare" for it. Since we are not following a rigid schedule like the school does he seems to have the occasional problem with work just "popping up". Even if I've told him beforehand that we are going to do something and do a "countdown". So this should help with that issue until he readjusts to life being random. And even after that, it will help on bad/hard/difficult days.
The second timer is for when we are working. I'll set it so that he knows how long each task will take before he is done, including rewards. And the first, then/visual schedule program is on the XOOM. So I'll be using that to show him what things we'll be doing during each work period, if needed. And it probably will be needed until we get over the hump regarding school work at home.
Despite the explosion it was actually a really good day. He helped to clean up. He didn't do so good with identifying quantities 1-5, but he did very well with calendar. Reading was ok. I still need to figure out the format for books on the XOOM. That will be cool because some of the books have interactives that he will be able to do.
Spelling is a challenge still but we may be taking some of the challenges out of that. I found a lined magnetic chalkboard. So spelling is going to be done on it, with large magnetic letters, until he finally comprehends what we are working on. Then I'll start working the small magnetics and other manipulative back into the work. One of the programs on the XOOM makes him trace the letters using his finger, which he started doing somewhat independently today. (My thumb was on the side of his wrist but otherwise there was no contact and no verbal.)
All in all, things are happening. A little slowly, and at lower levels than I anticipated, but still happening. And he's really excited about the XOOM. He doesn't like the work on it but he loves the games. And he's very quickly learning that he has to do the work to get to the games.
So Blessing all around. And I'm grateful for them. I hope your day has Blessing as well.
We had a massive explosion of the temper tantrum type today. It was kind of expected. I've been waiting for the "I'm not in school, I shouldn't have to do school work!" explosion. And it hit today. During math of course. That's the most difficult subject for him at the moment so I shouldn't have been surprised that it was the trigger. But we got through it. And promptly after we finished math, he proceeded to throw a longer tantrum with running and jumping. So I made him go to bed. It was only supposed to be for 15 minutes, but he actually curled up under the blanket and calmed (although he did not sleep). So I left him until he was ready to come out, which was over an hour later. That was plenty of time to get the living room cleaned up and swept.
Mark is wired energy wise which I think is spring fever. He even had problems with slowing his hand movements for working on the XOOM. So tomorrow I think I will bundle him up really good and let him go run/bounce/swing it off. A hour or so of sunshine and playing in the backyard should do a lot to calm him down.
And I ordered two visual timers today. They are not Time Timers. His classroom had two Time Timers and they were forever either not working "at the moment"/only partially working/not working at all. So I found two possible timers on Amazon. I'll post them here if they work out.
I'm planning on using one of them to let him know when "work" time is coming up. I'll set it and put the PECS card for the "work" with it. And then when it goes off, we will work on that item. I think that will settle his nerves some because he'll know that it's coming and be able to "prepare" for it. Since we are not following a rigid schedule like the school does he seems to have the occasional problem with work just "popping up". Even if I've told him beforehand that we are going to do something and do a "countdown". So this should help with that issue until he readjusts to life being random. And even after that, it will help on bad/hard/difficult days.
The second timer is for when we are working. I'll set it so that he knows how long each task will take before he is done, including rewards. And the first, then/visual schedule program is on the XOOM. So I'll be using that to show him what things we'll be doing during each work period, if needed. And it probably will be needed until we get over the hump regarding school work at home.
Despite the explosion it was actually a really good day. He helped to clean up. He didn't do so good with identifying quantities 1-5, but he did very well with calendar. Reading was ok. I still need to figure out the format for books on the XOOM. That will be cool because some of the books have interactives that he will be able to do.
Spelling is a challenge still but we may be taking some of the challenges out of that. I found a lined magnetic chalkboard. So spelling is going to be done on it, with large magnetic letters, until he finally comprehends what we are working on. Then I'll start working the small magnetics and other manipulative back into the work. One of the programs on the XOOM makes him trace the letters using his finger, which he started doing somewhat independently today. (My thumb was on the side of his wrist but otherwise there was no contact and no verbal.)
All in all, things are happening. A little slowly, and at lower levels than I anticipated, but still happening. And he's really excited about the XOOM. He doesn't like the work on it but he loves the games. And he's very quickly learning that he has to do the work to get to the games.
So Blessing all around. And I'm grateful for them. I hope your day has Blessing as well.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Math Issues and, hopefully, a solution
Math has proven to be a real issue. Mark can give you a number if you ask for it. He can give you the word for a number. But he cannot give the quantity independently. If asked for "x of an item" Mark will continue to put items on until you say stop (or make dots, or stickers). So we are having to back up to a very basic math skill. This was one of my worries when they wanted to push putting numbers in order. And unfortunately, it is a problem. (I was really hoping it wouldn't be.)
So, for the next few weeks, we will be working on quantities of items. 1 through 10 first. Then 11 through 20. Once we have 11 through 20 down solid we will be using "Hooked on Math" to move on to other math areas will I continue to work independently on the next set of 10 numbers in quantities. That will continue until we've hit 50, maybe 100 if he's really getting it. I've downloaded 2 apps to the XOOM that are counting apps. And I'll be using some ideas from School Sparks. And lastly, but definitely not least, we'll be playing a lot of simple games that use Math.
BTW, School Sparks is a wonderful source of stuff for working with Kindergarten levels. And for kids with disabilities. (and I'm not affiliated in any way - and they didn't ask me to say something!) So far Mark hasn't had any issues with the worksheets and their guidelines give me ideas of what gaps need to be filled.
And another source for great stuff, if you are in Tennessee, is McKay Books. I haven't been to Knoxville or Chattanooga in a while but I always found lots of material there. And the Nashville location has provided quite a lot of material for my son. And today I found the complete "Hooked on Math" series and most of the "Hooked on Phonics" series. A few weeks ago I found good books on Health & Safety, Science, and Social Studies - all appropriate for his skill levels. I'm not sure I needed the Hooked on Phonics but I should be able to use it alongside the Harcourt Primers with no issues.
I hope you all are having a great day, wherever you are!
So, for the next few weeks, we will be working on quantities of items. 1 through 10 first. Then 11 through 20. Once we have 11 through 20 down solid we will be using "Hooked on Math" to move on to other math areas will I continue to work independently on the next set of 10 numbers in quantities. That will continue until we've hit 50, maybe 100 if he's really getting it. I've downloaded 2 apps to the XOOM that are counting apps. And I'll be using some ideas from School Sparks. And lastly, but definitely not least, we'll be playing a lot of simple games that use Math.
BTW, School Sparks is a wonderful source of stuff for working with Kindergarten levels. And for kids with disabilities. (and I'm not affiliated in any way - and they didn't ask me to say something!) So far Mark hasn't had any issues with the worksheets and their guidelines give me ideas of what gaps need to be filled.
And another source for great stuff, if you are in Tennessee, is McKay Books. I haven't been to Knoxville or Chattanooga in a while but I always found lots of material there. And the Nashville location has provided quite a lot of material for my son. And today I found the complete "Hooked on Math" series and most of the "Hooked on Phonics" series. A few weeks ago I found good books on Health & Safety, Science, and Social Studies - all appropriate for his skill levels. I'm not sure I needed the Hooked on Phonics but I should be able to use it alongside the Harcourt Primers with no issues.
I hope you all are having a great day, wherever you are!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
The Pool.....and XOOM!
Mark's tablet was ordered and arrived today. It's a Motorola XOOM. And while it's going to take me a while to figure this thing out, Mark was already thrilled with the two "game" apps I put on it. He likes the piano keyboard and the "Scratch It" drawing board. I found several apps that should be interesting to try with him. One has him use his finger to trace letters. It definitely did not thrill him but he didn't throw a fit either.
But before Mark gets any free hands-on time I've still got to get the Otterbox and straps. Since the XOOM upgraded to 3.2 and therefore will work for us, I've got to get those ordered. I waited just in case.
And today was Mark's first time at the pool with the rest of the homeschool group. Once he settled in he had a blast. This will definitely be one event that we will be attending regularly. I don't think it will be long before he's trying some of the things he's seeing the other kids do. But he was just flat out having a blast in the heated pool. I think he dumped a lot of stress today. And that made for a tired boy who went to bed early and fell asleep promptly.
One bonus of the pool trip was that Mark seems to have gotten over his issues with getting dressed to go out. We had to run out this evening and he cheerfully got dressed and was happy the whole time. He didn't even fuss when he saw the school. This would be a very good thing. I hadn't consciously realized that most of our car trips were to school and back until now. Now he's realizing that school isn't a destination anymore. And he's looking forward to seeing where we are going. It's been a slow process but the pool trip seems to have gotten us over the hump.
But before Mark gets any free hands-on time I've still got to get the Otterbox and straps. Since the XOOM upgraded to 3.2 and therefore will work for us, I've got to get those ordered. I waited just in case.
And today was Mark's first time at the pool with the rest of the homeschool group. Once he settled in he had a blast. This will definitely be one event that we will be attending regularly. I don't think it will be long before he's trying some of the things he's seeing the other kids do. But he was just flat out having a blast in the heated pool. I think he dumped a lot of stress today. And that made for a tired boy who went to bed early and fell asleep promptly.
One bonus of the pool trip was that Mark seems to have gotten over his issues with getting dressed to go out. We had to run out this evening and he cheerfully got dressed and was happy the whole time. He didn't even fuss when he saw the school. This would be a very good thing. I hadn't consciously realized that most of our car trips were to school and back until now. Now he's realizing that school isn't a destination anymore. And he's looking forward to seeing where we are going. It's been a slow process but the pool trip seems to have gotten us over the hump.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
It's raining! indoors.....
Mark is becoming very independent lately. He's become very determined to figure out how to do some of his favorite things - without my help. This normally involves him trying to put in DVDs. The DVDs typically end up in the VCR.
But today he decided he wanted another shower. And he didn't have a way to tell me. So suddenly I hear a wildly giggling little boy and the water running in the shower. He almost had it. He'll have to work on two things.
The first thing is temperature control. He only had the hot water turned on!
The second thing is pulling the tab for shower all the way up. He got it halfway and then stopped for some reason.
I don't know why he wanted a second shower today but he's still in there making happy noises so all is good. And he actually remembered that clothes don't get worn in the shower! So for now, it's raining inside and all is good.
But today he decided he wanted another shower. And he didn't have a way to tell me. So suddenly I hear a wildly giggling little boy and the water running in the shower. He almost had it. He'll have to work on two things.
The first thing is temperature control. He only had the hot water turned on!
The second thing is pulling the tab for shower all the way up. He got it halfway and then stopped for some reason.
I don't know why he wanted a second shower today but he's still in there making happy noises so all is good. And he actually remembered that clothes don't get worn in the shower! So for now, it's raining inside and all is good.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
A real Oops!
Thursday afternoon/evening we went to McKay books in Nashville. The purpose of the trip was to let Mark get a bunch of books at his reading level and books which he can relate to. And a few videos if they had them. Well when we got there I discovered that they had an IPOD that I could afford (with trade ins). So cheerfully I grabbed it expecting to install Mark's communication apps on it. The plan was for this to be Mark's easily portable communication device since the tablets are all somewhat large for this purpose. Then we got home and I discovered that the communication apps wouldn't work with this IPOD. Nuts! So we will go back this week and return it. And let Mark stock up some more. And I will be watching for an IPOD Touch on ebay. Wish us luck!
But even with the IPOD, Mark got a new movie and quite a few new books. He focused mainly on books that he has movies of. And spent yesterday, and today, flipping through the pages of those books while following the movies. It's been amazing, and amusing, to watch. Especially when he was watching Hunchback earlier. So when we go back I will definitely be looking at movie books for him.
And my find for him - a curriculum on Health and Safety that we can follow on the days when we can't work directly on the safety goals for him. In fact I'm off to work on reworking the lessons so that they are understandable by Mark.
Hope you all are having a good day!
But even with the IPOD, Mark got a new movie and quite a few new books. He focused mainly on books that he has movies of. And spent yesterday, and today, flipping through the pages of those books while following the movies. It's been amazing, and amusing, to watch. Especially when he was watching Hunchback earlier. So when we go back I will definitely be looking at movie books for him.
And my find for him - a curriculum on Health and Safety that we can follow on the days when we can't work directly on the safety goals for him. In fact I'm off to work on reworking the lessons so that they are understandable by Mark.
Hope you all are having a good day!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Spelling
I'm going to share how we are working the parts of Mark's education. The first one is spelling.
Mark has had very little instruction in spelling. Most of it consisted of computer based spelling games. So spelling is proving to be a challenge for him. What Mark is doing now is not spelling so much as letter matching, which is the same thing the computer games do. There are several differences though.
First I'm going to explain the tools we are using for spelling. The first tool is a small magnetic dry erase board that is divided down the center and has ten rows. Right now we do ten words at a time for each spelling lesson. The words are based on the word list in the book he is reading for the week. The second tool is a black dry erase marker. And the third tool is a set of homemade magnetic letters. I designed the letters on the computer and put the HWT lines on each tile so that when he gets to writing he has already got the visual of how the letters go in his head. Each tile is 1/2" wide by 3/4" long and only slightly thicker than a sheet of paper. These were printed on the magnet paper that you can buy for your inkjet. I have both lower case and upper case letters but right now we are only working with the lower case letters. In the long run (in 3 or 4 weeks) I will add Scrabble tiles with upper and lower case (home made) letters. And possibly stamps and sensory letters.
Now to the differences. The first difference is that Mark has to choose the correct letters out of a field of ten letters. Eventually he will have to pick from the full field of 26 letters. On the computer games only the letters needed are available. On the computer games he just has to put the letters into the matching spots. For our current version of spelling Mark has to pick the correct letter from the field of 10.
The second difference is that Mark has to put the letters directly on the correct line, in the correct position. He can't just "float" them across and let go. So he's having to deal with two issues. The first is his preference to have all the letters together thereby running one word into another. The second is having to work from right to left to spell the word. Somehow, despite years of schooling, Mark has missed the basic knowledge of left to right progression.
The next difference is the left to right progression. On the computer games, he could put any letter into any place at any time. Now he has to put them in place from left to right. He's having big issues with this, and not just in spelling.
The final difference is that Mark is having to match written letters to printed letters. This is something that he's going to have to work through since, to my knowledge, he's never had to do it before. When I'm writing the words I try to make the letters look as much like the print letters as possible but there are still differences.
An "add-on" to spelling will start once he's relatively stable with the current activity. At that point I will take words and start dropping letters out. Mark will then need to spell the word I say and get the missing letters correct. Eventually this will completely transform to the type of spelling lessons that his peers complete.
Mark has had very little instruction in spelling. Most of it consisted of computer based spelling games. So spelling is proving to be a challenge for him. What Mark is doing now is not spelling so much as letter matching, which is the same thing the computer games do. There are several differences though.
First I'm going to explain the tools we are using for spelling. The first tool is a small magnetic dry erase board that is divided down the center and has ten rows. Right now we do ten words at a time for each spelling lesson. The words are based on the word list in the book he is reading for the week. The second tool is a black dry erase marker. And the third tool is a set of homemade magnetic letters. I designed the letters on the computer and put the HWT lines on each tile so that when he gets to writing he has already got the visual of how the letters go in his head. Each tile is 1/2" wide by 3/4" long and only slightly thicker than a sheet of paper. These were printed on the magnet paper that you can buy for your inkjet. I have both lower case and upper case letters but right now we are only working with the lower case letters. In the long run (in 3 or 4 weeks) I will add Scrabble tiles with upper and lower case (home made) letters. And possibly stamps and sensory letters.
Now to the differences. The first difference is that Mark has to choose the correct letters out of a field of ten letters. Eventually he will have to pick from the full field of 26 letters. On the computer games only the letters needed are available. On the computer games he just has to put the letters into the matching spots. For our current version of spelling Mark has to pick the correct letter from the field of 10.
The second difference is that Mark has to put the letters directly on the correct line, in the correct position. He can't just "float" them across and let go. So he's having to deal with two issues. The first is his preference to have all the letters together thereby running one word into another. The second is having to work from right to left to spell the word. Somehow, despite years of schooling, Mark has missed the basic knowledge of left to right progression.
The next difference is the left to right progression. On the computer games, he could put any letter into any place at any time. Now he has to put them in place from left to right. He's having big issues with this, and not just in spelling.
The final difference is that Mark is having to match written letters to printed letters. This is something that he's going to have to work through since, to my knowledge, he's never had to do it before. When I'm writing the words I try to make the letters look as much like the print letters as possible but there are still differences.
An "add-on" to spelling will start once he's relatively stable with the current activity. At that point I will take words and start dropping letters out. Mark will then need to spell the word I say and get the missing letters correct. Eventually this will completely transform to the type of spelling lessons that his peers complete.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Fun.........
Yup. We've been having fun.
Mark doesn't always like the work part but he's doing it. And he's loving the rest of it. Friday we'll be joining a group for walking. Next week we'll start joining a swimming group. And I'm looking into a P.E. class once a week (maybe twice), and possible swim classes. He'll love those. And a sports group come spring.
He's biggest issue at the moment is remembering to do things left to right. He gets going and wants to put things in order randomly. It reminds me of when I didn't want to write out algebra problems as I did them. I learned to do it and I'm sure he will.
But for now, he's a relatively happy boy. No headaches. And no other things - but I'm not risking jinxing myself with that. Goliath has adapted relatively quickly and appears next to Mark or at his feet as soon as we sit down for lessons. Mark is the determining factor for Goliath. If Mark's being physical, then Goliath is right next to him. If Mark's calm then Goliath is at his feet. And Goliath spent yesterday watching over Mark outside while Mark bounced his heart out. Mark was one exhausted boy at bedtime last night. He put himself to bed at 7:30!
And lots of words! Lots and lots and lots of words! Some old, some new. I got told "I can read" when we were reading yesterday!
Anyways that's the update. I hope everything is going well for you all.
Mark doesn't always like the work part but he's doing it. And he's loving the rest of it. Friday we'll be joining a group for walking. Next week we'll start joining a swimming group. And I'm looking into a P.E. class once a week (maybe twice), and possible swim classes. He'll love those. And a sports group come spring.
He's biggest issue at the moment is remembering to do things left to right. He gets going and wants to put things in order randomly. It reminds me of when I didn't want to write out algebra problems as I did them. I learned to do it and I'm sure he will.
But for now, he's a relatively happy boy. No headaches. And no other things - but I'm not risking jinxing myself with that. Goliath has adapted relatively quickly and appears next to Mark or at his feet as soon as we sit down for lessons. Mark is the determining factor for Goliath. If Mark's being physical, then Goliath is right next to him. If Mark's calm then Goliath is at his feet. And Goliath spent yesterday watching over Mark outside while Mark bounced his heart out. Mark was one exhausted boy at bedtime last night. He put himself to bed at 7:30!
And lots of words! Lots and lots and lots of words! Some old, some new. I got told "I can read" when we were reading yesterday!
Anyways that's the update. I hope everything is going well for you all.
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