“I taught my whole class the “C” and “G” Game!”
I’d like to begin telling you about my incredible students becoming “teachers” in their classrooms with “Mark.” Mark is a hard-working boy that I have been tutoring for 2½ years. He has finished Levels 1 and 2 and is currently working on Level 3 of Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”.
Before he began tutoring with me, he had completed 4 years of public school education, which included 1½ hours of daily personal instruction from a certified special education teacher. He was also receiving services from a speech and language therapist and from an occupational therapist.
When he came to me, he was frustrated in phonemic awareness (67% on the Part 1) and frustrated in word recognition and comprehension at a Pre-Primer reading level. Mark was a non-reader. His self-confidence and belief in himself were at rock bottom.
Speed ahead to today where he is receiving special education services in reading for only ½ hour a day and has been staffed out of speech, language and occupational therapy.
AND he is now reading at a 9th grade reading level!
He has a completely different picture of himself then he did 2½ years ago. He is now confident knowing that he will always succeed in all of his endeavors in the future.
Mark is usually quite serious, but one day he came bounding into tutoring with a huge smile on his face! He almost shouted, “Guess what I did today! I taught my class!”
He continued enthusiastically, “We were studying the Geneva Convention. A boy in my class asked my teacher why the “g” in Geneva made /j/. “I don’t know,” she answered, “It just does.”
“Since my teacher couldn’t explain why the “g” in Geneva made /j/, I told her that I could teach everyone the “C” and “G” Game that you taught me, and then no one would wonder about when to use the hard or soft sounds for “c” or “g” ever again.
“She said I could, so I did!
“When I was finished, she said that the was one of the best lessons that she’d ever learned! The kids loved it too! Everyone thanked me!
“Can you believe it?”
I looked this bright, enthusiastic young boy in the eyes and said, “Yes, I certainly can believe it! You are extremely intelligent, and I know you are an amazing teacher for your parents! Now I know you are an amazing teacher for your classmates and for your teacher too! I’m so proud of you!”
For your information:
The complete lesson plans for teaching the “C” and “G” Game are in Part 8.
If you have further questions about partner work and the home-school connection in Silent Elephant “e”, feel free to contact us.