Video 5 - It Didn't Take Them 6 Years to be Reading on a 6th Grade Level

Dear Friends, 
This is the last video in our series Exploring Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”® In Depth. In this video, we talk about how writing and spelling become natural when they learn with Silent Elephant “e”®.

We also share that with Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”®. it doesn’t take 6 years FOR ANY OF OUR KIDS to learn to read at a 6th grade level.

I know! That surprised me at first.  

Even though I had carefully designed and written Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”® to build strong neural pathways for ALL our children, especially our dyslexics, it was a bit of a surprise when I watched just how fast the kids I was tutoring learned to read, write and spell with Silent Elephant “e”®.

Furthermore, most of my kids are profoundly dyslexic, which made it even more surprising.

Many of my most profoundly dyslexic students flew from non-reader to high school level in 18 months. They graduated from Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”® proud, confident, and ready to take on their world of reading and writing without struggle.

How were they able to achieve this?

Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”® teaches them the way their 3-D thinking brain learns, through fun, creative, continuous engagement in every moment of every concept.

Further, it turns out that the way our dyslexics need us to teach them so they create strong neural pathways is also the best way to teach ALL OUR CHILDREN so they ALL create strong neural pathways that will be with them for the rest of their lives. Very soon all of our kids are not learning to read, they are free to read.

ONE MORE WEEK OF OUR SALE!
50% OFF THROUGH 3/25/25 
PARTS 1-14,
THE EDUCATIONAL POSTERS
AND MY AWESOME GRANDMA.
CHECKOUT CODE, W9WZVI.
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silentelephant.com/store 

You can also contact us at silentelephante@gmail.com and 208-859-4406.
  
Keep a song in your heart!

Assessing Puts the Power in Our Hands as Their Teachers

Often, at this time of the year, we talk about assessing and assessments.

We talk about assessing because we always assess our students at this time of the year.

And, we always talk about assessing because assessing and assessments put the power into our hands as their teachers.

When we assess, we know what to teach next because we know where they are and what they know.

When we know the skills they have, we can see a clear path ahead for them. We feel clear and in control of their education, their direction.

This is important for all our kids but vitally important for our dyslexic or struggling kids.

We have to know what they know and where they are to know how to support their success. Without this knowledge, it’s like we’re stumbling around in the dark with their hand in ours.
A quick story-
We were contacted by a frustrated homeschool mom who shared that her 10-year-old was dyslexic and struggled every day in pretty much every subject. She shared that in the writing curriculum she was using, 10-year-olds were to be writing a 3-4 paragraph essay and even though the ideas came easily, putting them in sentences, let alone paragraphs, was a constant struggle. It was so frustrating for both of them.  
She felt like she was between a rock and a hard spot.

So did her young one, who was probably more frustrated than mom because not knowing why you don’t understand something is the most frustrating of all. And dyslexics don’t understand why they don’t understand.

Mom wanted to know what to do.

Of course, the first thing as always was assess using Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e” Part 2 assessments.

When their assessments were completed, mom realized her young one didn’t have phonemic awareness and very few beginning phonics skills, so no wonder they were both so frustrated. No wonder writing a 3 to 4 paragraph essay was totally out of reach.

Assessing always gives us a pure read on their skills and growth and it gives us a pure read on the next steps to take from where they are to where they want to be.

In this young one’s case, it was Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e” Part 1, Phonemic Awareness because without phonemic awareness success in reading, writing and spelling is limited if not unavailable.

The second step was Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e” Part  3 beginning phonics skills. (Silent Elephant “e” Part 2 is all the assessments you’ll need for reading success.)

I know these sound like skills way below the 10 year age of this young learner, but assessing guides us to teach our children right where they are so their success is constantly guaranteed.

When we move forward from where they are, not matter where that is, and we assess along the way, the path is always clear and their success smooth and easy.

Assessing puts the power in our hands as their teachers to ensure their success!

Contact us at silentelephante@gmail.com :)
 
Keep a song in your heart!

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A WAY TO MAKE MONEY WHILE YOU HOMESCHOOL?

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A WAY TO MAKE MONEY
WHILE YOU HOMESCHOOL?
(or even if you're not homeschooling)

Right now, there are so many concerned parents looking for tutors for their struggling kids. Becoming a Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”® tutor could be an easy answer for you and for them.

I am continually turning away concerned parents, both homeschool and public school, because I do not have time slots available for them. It’s very hard to tell them no when I can see and feel their worry and concern.

When you choose Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”® as your reading, writing and spelling curriculum, you not only have the perfect curriculum for ALL your children, preschool through high school, you ALSO have a fun and easy way to bring more money into your home right at your fingertips.

Since you'll already be teaching with Silent Elephant “e”®, you'll already know how fun and easy it is to teach and you'll already be experiencing how your own kids are learning quickly and easily and having fun doing it. You'll be watching them feeling confident and successful.

You can easily turn the success you are having into money coming in for your family.

You can tutor from your home face to face and/or within your homeschool community. You can also tutor on Zoom which opens the possibility of students from anywhere. I tutor full time on Zoom and my students are very successful. Check out my data here!

Parents are looking for help and with Silent Elephant “e”® you have a solid proven curriculum that makes it easy for you to be one who helps them.

Here’s a few more plusses to being a Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”® tutor:

1. OF COURSE, you have us to help you set your business up and to support you as you grow your business. There is training available. (Here's the link for info on training workshops.)

2. THIS IS BIG!! It’s your business. You get to decide just how big you want it. Maybe you tutor a few kids (or adults) each week, or maybe 2 or 3 a day. It’s your business and you decide what works best for you and your family.

3. THIS IS ALSO BIG!!  Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”® is  on SALE! Through May, Parts 1-14 and the Educational Posters are 25% off. (the videos and training are not included)  Silentelephante.com/store – Check out CODE LKAV6ZT, Afterpay is available. Or you can purchase it on Amazon – search for Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”.

4. You’re not homeschooling right now but would love to become a Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”® tutor? Contact me.

I’m eager for you to join me supporting struggling children and worried parents, and to feel the fun and success of teaching with Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”®. There’s nothing like it.

Have questions? Want to get started right away? Contact me at silentelephant@gmail.com or Nina at nina.silentelephante@gmail.com.

Follow us @silent.elephant.e on TikTok for lots of info.

February is a Special Time of the Year

 Every February I do a quick mid-year assessment to make sure that my kiddos are making good growth.

It’s true that as we work together every week, it’s easy for me to see their strong progress as ongoing assessment is built into Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”®, but, it is extremely important for my kiddos to see their progress in GRADE LEVEL NUMBERS, something that makes sense to them. 😊

Most kiddos learning with Silent Elephant “e”® are often not aware of the amazing progress they are making. This is because every phonics skill in Silent Elephant “e”® is taught using their whole body within a fun, memorable lesson that makes good sense to them. The lessons are also organized in such a way that a new skill logically builds upon the last skill(s).

As they progress through Silent Elephant “e”® at their own pace, they attain success and reach mastery through the controlled vocabulary for each phonics lesson. Reading, writing and spelling become comfortable and they begin to relax, to enjoy learning and to believe in themselves that they are totally capable of learning to read, write and spell.

When they see their progress in print and hear me telling them how good they are doing, they have an even stronger feeling of success.

This is especially true of those who have been struggling the most.

They LOVE seeing their progress in numbers on their progress record page. They LOVE hearing me tell them about their progress.

Because I tutor, most of my students are profoundly dyslexic with other learning differences as well. They know what it feels like to not be able to understand what is being taught. Every single one of them has known struggle and disappointment in trying to learn to read, write and spell.

Finally, with Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”® they’re beginning to realize that they won’t be struggling forever. This is life changing for them!

Furthermore, they are realizing they can even have fun learning to read, write and spell.

They become happier, less anxious, more hopeful. They become more eager to pay attention. They begin to see success without struggle.  They feel and are in control of their learning. This usually begins within the first 6 weeks with Silent Elephant “e”®. ❤️

So, I don’t assess just for myself 😊; I assess for them too. They need to see the numbers rising on their progress record chart.

In the last couple of weeks, my students and I have had fun sharing their success over the last year as we did their assessments. I watched their eyes sparkle, and their faces break out in smiles of pride.

Here’s an overview of their progress since last February ‘23:

• 2 students have achieved 3 years of growth.

• 5 students have achieved 2 years of growth.

• 4 students have achieved a half year of growth. These 4 are newer to Silent Elephant “e”® and have multiple learning differences. They are just getting their feet under them. 😊

• 3 students are soon to graduate Silent Elephant “e”® reading at a college level.

No matter how profoundly dyslexic they are or how many other learning differences they have, they have all made great progress!

As we finished talking about their successes, every single one of them smiled with pride and eagerly said, “Mrs. Jones, let’s get going!” They are all happy and ready to continue their success.

They ALL see, or are beginning to see, themselves as capable readers and spellers who can write anything they want to write. It feels like freedom to them.

They see a future without struggle. Their whole life has turned around.

It makes the heart sing out loud.

If you are interested in becoming a Silent Elephant “e”® tutor contact me. It’s a fun, very rewarding way to bring in extra money.

Contact us at silentelephante@gmail.com or nina.silentelephante@gmail.com. We do have answers for your questions.

12 Wonderful Years of Changing Lives - so beautiful!

YAY for DATA! 12 Wonderful Years!!

This is so good! So fun to share!
I have 12 YEARS worth of Silent Elephant “e”™ data. 12 years! I’ve been watching Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ truly change children’s lives (and their parent’s lives!) for 12 YEARS!

During those years, I’ve taught preschool through high school students who were struggling to read, write and spell. Some were staffed into special education. I have also had a few students who were not struggling at all but whose parents knew about Silent Elephant “e”™ and wanted their children to have a solid foundation in reading, writing and spelling.

My students have included those with:

• Dyslexia

• ADD or ADHD

• Speech and Language Disorders

• English Language Learners

• Autism

• Hearing Impairments

• Down Syndrome

• Dyspraxia

• Microencephaly

• Central Auditory Processing Disorder

• Low to Extremely Low IQ

• Other Learning Differences

• Those with No Learning Differences

I share all their differences, because IN SPITE OF their differences, they have ALL SUCCEEDED in becoming fluent, confident readers, writers and spellers. Some needed the gift of time, to move at their own pace slowly but steadily, which is a powerful component of Silent Elephant “e”™. Some quickly moved through the entire program. ALL HAVE SUCCEEDED.

Are you ready to be impressed by the 12 years of data, the quick, amazing progress my kiddos are making in a short amount of time?

Over the last 12 years, students learning with Silent Elephant “e”™ just 1.5 - 2 hours/week, on average:

• Advanced 1 grade level for every 2.8 months of instruction. (Think of this: my students are not taking a school year to advance a grade level—they’re advancing multiple grade levels in one year.)

• Advanced to their age-appropriate grade level in 9.9 months (some in as little as 2 ½ months). (Some of them were 2-6 years behind their grade level when they began learning with Silent Elephant “e”™.)

• Many advanced 4 grade levels with 6 months of instruction. (😊 Wow!)

• Mastered Part 1, Phonemic Awareness within 3 months. (In 3 months, they understood the basics of written language and were ready to fly!)

In these last 12 years, 11 of my students have successfully exited out of special education which is unheard of. All eleven of them are now competent, confident students who are having a good time in school, learning easily and proud of themselves.

Also in these 12 years, I have been able to support parents and teachers in their decision to refrain from placing a child in special education because the student was being tutored using Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ and both the school and the parents knew the success of Silent Elephant “e”™ students.

I’m so pleased to share all of this with you! I’m so proud of all those whose lives have been touched by Silent Elephant “e”™ (students and parents) from the beautiful, profoundly dyslexic young woman in her senior year of college majoring in neuroscience who is not struggling to the sparkling little one who began second grade reading on a sixth-grade level after two years of learning with Silent Elephant “e”™ beginning in her Kindergarten year.

If you are wondering how Silent Elephant “e™ can support your children as their (and your) comprehensive pre-school to college reading, writing, and spelling program, call me at 208-859-4406 or email me at silentelephante@gmail.com.

She Improved 5 Grade Levels in 9 Months!! Soon she'll be up to 8th grade level and beyond!

Summer rolled to an end way too quickly. It seems like we didn’t get to do as many things as we had planned -- maybe we had too many things planned. 😉

We’ve packed up and are ready to head back to Seattle until next June.

This is always a bittersweet time. I’m not ready to leave Idaho and yet at the same time I’m so eager to hug my grandkids. And my kids. 😊 It seems like a very long time since I’ve wrapped my arms around all of them.

I did get most of my student’s end of summer assessments finished.

Assessing is such a happy time. Sometimes my kiddos don’t even realize how much they’ve learned and how well they’re reading. I love the way their eyes grow huge, and their smiles explode when they stop for a moment to realize their own progress. It’s a special time.

And -- it’s a time for celebrating for them, for me and definitely for their parents!

Last week I received this wonderful note from Mckenna’s mom, and I’d love to share it with you.  
"Dear Linda,

You have no idea how much we appreciate you…

Jeremy, Mckenna's dad, and I had the best discussion about tutoring tonight (he has dyslexia as well).  He is blown away with how far she has come since last November!
He wishes he didn’t struggle as a child and had had help. We are so happy you can help her down this road! 
So much love,
Brie

In 9 months, Mckenna mastered Phonemic Awareness. She didn’t have Phonemic Awareness 9 months ago. She also improved 5 grade levels in word recognition and 3.5 grade levels in comprehension! Both word recognition and comprehension are at a 7th grade reading level now.

She is so proud of herself, and rightly so.

Within the next 3 months she will be up to grade level (8th grade) and beyond. She is ready to fly!

If you have questions about teaching reading, writing and spelling with Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™, email me at silentelephante@gmail.com. You’ll love the freedom of teaching with Silent Elephant “e”™. You’ll love watching them learn to read, write and spell so quickly – all of them. You’ll love it when their eyes grow huge, and their smiles erupt. xoxo

If you'd like to be a part of changing lives with us, talk to me about becoming a Silent Elephant “e”™ tutor. You'll never regret it. 

Contact me here!

YAY for DATA! YAY for Their SUCCESS!

YAY for DATA! YAY for Their SUCCESS!

I have 11 YEARS worth of Silent Elephant “e”™ data. 11 years!
 
I’ve been watching Silent Elephant “e™” truly change children’s lives (and their parent’s lives!) for 11 YEARS!
 
During those years, I’ve taught preschool through high school students who were struggling to read, write and spell. Some were staffed into special education. I have also had a few students who were not struggling at all but whose parents knew about Silent Elephant “e”™ and wanted their children to have a solid foundation in reading, writing and spelling.
 
Over the years my students have included those with:

• Dyslexia

• ADD or ADHD

• Speech and Language Disorders

• English Language Learners

• Autism

• Hearing Impairments

• Down Syndrome

• Dyspraxia

• Central Auditory Processing Disorder

• Low to Extremely Low IQ

• Other Learning Differences

• Those with No Learning Differences

 
I share all their differences, because IN SPITE OF their differences, they have ALL SUCCEEDED in becoming fluent, confident readers, writers and spellers. Some needed the gift of time, to move at their own pace slowly but steadily, which is a powerful component of Silent Elephant “e”™. Others quickly moved through the entire program.
 
THE point here is – THEY ALL HAVE SUCCEEDED!
 
Regardless of having learning differences or not, THEY ALL HAVE SUCCEEDED!
 
Are you ready to be impressed by the 11 years of data, the quick, amazing progress my kiddos are making in a short amount of time?

Over the last 11 years, students learning with Silent Elephant “e”™ 1 ½ - 2 hours/week, on average:

·Advanced 1 grade level for every 2 months of instruction. (Think of this: my students are not taking a school year to advance a grade level—they’re advancing multiple grade levels in one year.)

·Advanced to their age-appropriate grade level in 4 months (some in as little as 2 ½ months). (Some of them were 2-6 years behind their grade level when they began learning with Silent Elephant “e”.)

·Advanced 4 grade levels with 6 months of instruction. (😊 Wow!)

·Mastered Part 1, Phonemic Awareness within 3 months. (In 3 months, they understood the basics of written language and were ready to fly!)

In these last 11 years, 9 of my students have successfully exited out of special education which is unheard of. All nine of them are now competent, confident students who are having a good time in school learning easily and are proud of themselves.

Also in these 11 years, I have been able to support parents and teachers in their decision to refrain from placing a child in special education because the student was being tutored using Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e™” and both the school and the parents knew the success of Silent Elephant “e”™ students.  

I’m so pleased to share all of this with you!

 
I’m so proud of all those whose lives have been touched by Silent Elephant “e”™ (students and parents) from the beautiful, profoundly dyslexic young woman who is no longer struggling and is in her junior year of college majoring in neuroscience to the sparkling little one who began second grade this fall reading on a sixth-grade level after two years of learning with Silent Elephant “e”™ beginning in her Kindergarten year.  

If you are wondering how Silent Elephant “e”™ can support your children as their (and your) comprehensive pre-school to college reading, writing, and spelling program, please email me at silentelephante@gmail.com or call me at 208-859-4406. You will love watching their success as much as I do.   

Keep a song in your heart!

It Only Takes 2 Years!!

It Only Takes 2 Years!

Today I’d like to share more of my experiences with Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™  and continue my thoughts on why I am realizing it shouldn’t take 6 years for a child to be able to decode 6th grade reading words.
 
Over the last 10 years that I have taught reading, writing and spelling with Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ it’s been my experience that children master phonemic awareness and learn all the phonics rules and are able to apply the phonics rules to fluently decode 6th grade words by the end of their 2nd grade year, about 8 years old. In other words, it takes about 2 years to achieve reading 6th grade words. 

Further, Silent Elephant “e”™ was written so this goal can be achieved with only 2 hours of instruction per week. Again, that’s what my data is showing because I only meet with my students for 2 hours a week. Of course, if they spend an hour per day learning with Silent Elephant “e”™, they will be decoding words at a 6th grade level even sooner.
 
Why would this be true? Why is this my experience over and over?
 
Well, they learn so easily and quickly because they are learning the way they learn best, through whole child/whole brain, multi-sensory activities that stimulate all parts of their brain for both learning and retaining what they have learned. These whole child/whole brain, multi-sensory activities are embedded into every moment of their instruction in Silent Elephant “e”™. My experience and data share the results.

I can hear some of you thinking, “But my child struggles with reading. It’s so difficult for them!”
 
If your child has a learning difference, multiple learning differences or any learning struggles, it may take longer for him/her to reach that 6th grade word recognition level.
 
But, you can rest assured that he/she will attain that level with Silent Elephant “e”™ faster, more steadily and with more fun than with any other reading program. This is because they will be learning using all their senses (multi-sensory) therefore connecting their learning in all parts of their brain. In the case of dyslexic learners, it activates under stimulates parts of their brain and makes learning and retention of learning much easier. 
 
This has been my experience with Silent Elephant “e”™, it may take them longer if they have learning differences, but they get there and they have fun getting there.
 
Let me share an example. I have been tutoring an ELL boy for 2 ½ years who has multiple learning differences and speech and language processing disorders (one can barely understand his English or his native tongue). He is also considered to have a low IQ.
 
When he came to me halfway through his 3rd grade year, he wasn’t reading at all. He didn’t know letter sounds or letter names. He was illiterate and basically non-verbal.
 
Today as I write this, he has mastered phonemic awareness and knows all letter sounds and letter names. He fluently reads simple to complex words, such as: so, ran, sphinx, lush, squint: words with single consonants, consonant digraphs and/or consonant blends. He knows how to read and write (spell) words with the suffixes -s, -es, -ed, and -ing. He has also mastered the first 425 words on the Fry Word List of the most common words. Further, he is formulating answers to high level thinking questions. 
 
When this beautiful boy, who has a goal of becoming a police officer, first came to me, his teachers were sure that he’d never learn to read.
 
That thought crossed my mind from time to time also when we first began, but I knew I couldn’t give up on this sweet, hard-working boy. He certainly isn’t giving up! Like I said, I knew he WOULD take longer than 2 years because of his learning differences and his language processing difficulties, but I had faith he would get there because of my experience with Silent Elephant “e”™. We started out very slowly and have slowly picked up speed. 
 
He’s now reading early readers’ books. You should see the smile on his face as he shows me a book he’s read: one about veterinarians, one about astronauts, one about dinosaurs. He beams with pride! He is feeling the freedom and joy of reading.
 
His dad, who had been told his son would never read, says over and over to me, “You, Mrs. Jones, you are really teaching him to read!”
 
I humbly thank his dad and I think to myself that I’m so glad I wrote Silent Elephant “e”™. It has been the steady, consistent, multi-sensory instruction his son needs to understand language and learn to read.
 
From my experience with other students, I know that now that he’s almost finished with Part 6 of Silent Elephant “e”™ his reading growth will speed up! I can’t wait, I can already see his face beaming with both pride and relief. He realizes he is succeeding. He is feeling the joy of reading.
 
This Fall he headed off into middle school with more of a feeling of confidence and that he has a future than he has ever felt. He’s still not reading on grade level yet, but he knows he is moving there, however long it takes.

This young success story has not been my only student whose parents were told their child would never read. Recently I had a fun experience with one of my 9th grade boys admitting to me with both embarrassment and pride that he got caught red-handed reading his mom’s text messages. A year ago, he was a nonreader.
 
He hadn’t meant to snoop into his mom’ phone, he just started reading, got caught up in what he was reading, didn’t even realize that he was reading so effortlessly, and didn’t even think about the fact that he really shouldn’t be reading his mom’s private messages. 😊
 
His mom told me later that she didn’t know whether to be excited and happy, because he was actually reading and engaged in reading or to be upset because he was reading things she hadn’t planned on him reading. In the end, she was thrilled!
 
He shared, “I wasn’t trying to snoop. I just started reading and I got so excited that I couldn’t quit. My mom was stunned!” He asked me immediately to give him a reading assessment to see what reading level he was on which, of course, I did. We celebrated the growth he’s made in ONLY 9 MONTHS.
 
Let me go back to where I started today, it’s been my experience with Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ over and over these past 10 years that when you teach children, especially struggling children, the way they learn best with whole child/whole brain, multi-sensory activities embedded into every moment of learning, it doesn’t take 6 years to be reading at a 6th grade level. The average is 2 years, and that’s the average!
 
Those who don’t have learning differences learn more quickly but EVERY SINGLE ONE will succeed. That’s been my experience. I have many, many success stories. And I LOVE it!
 
Check out this blog post to enjoy a young one who flew - She Was Reading at a Fourth Grade Level at the End of Kindergarten.  There are also many more success stories here on my blog.
 

Contact us here – Linda Smith-Jones                   Nina Henson

It Shouldn't Take 6 Years to Learn to Decode 6th Grade Words!

It Shouldn’t Take 6 Years for a Child to be Able to Decode 6th Grade Level Reading Words!

I know you are probably thinking to yourself, “Why not? Isn’t that the way it works? A child goes to kindergarten and then 1st through 5th grade, that’s six years of instruction. It makes sense that they would be at a beginning 6th grade reading level when they start 6th grade, doesn’t it?”
 
The thing is, if a child is taught to read, write and spell the way they learn (whole body/whole brain/whole child), they learn quickly, they transfer that knowledge to prior and future learning easily and they RETAIN their learning.
 
It all has to do with teaching them the way they learn and that’s what we do with Silent Elephant “e”™. We teach the whole child; we activate their whole brain.
 
Our data shares the story; Children learning with Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ progress on average one full grade level their first 2 months of instruction. This amazing data isn’t based on daily Silent Elephant “e”™ instruction, it’s based on just 1½ to 2 hours instruction per week. Also, this data includes many students with multiple learning differences which makes it even more impressive.
 
Now add this, our Silent Elephant “e”™  students advanced 4.25 grade levels with 6 months of instruction! That’s advancing over 4 grade levels in just 6 months.
Silent Elephant “e”™ learners experience such rapid growth at first, because Silent Elephant “e”™ Part 1 begins reading instruction where it needs to begin, with phonemic awareness.
Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear the individual sounds within words and is the foundation of learning to read for every child.
On average with Silent Elephant “e”™ children master phonemic awareness in only 3 months.
 
While they are having fun mastering phonemic awareness, you begin teaching them their first phonics lessons in Part 3 – short vowels and the suffix -s. They quickly become excited as they realize they are beginning to know how reading works and are learning to read, write and spell.  

I can’t even begin to tell you how many children who were struggling with reading at the end of kindergarten, first grade, second grade or third grade blossomed within only a month of Silent Elephant “e”™ phonemic awareness and phonics instruction.
 
Both they and their parents expressed their amazement at how fast they were learning, especially if they had been struggling.
 
A parent of a little boy that struggled through kindergarten and just began tutoring with me on June 20th, 2022, sent me this email last night, “’Marcus’ has made so much progress this summer, and I have learned a lot too!”
 
A 3rd grader said to me after just 7 times of tutoring, “I know what you’re trying to teach me. There are single, separate sounds in words! I never knew that. I think I’m going to be able to learn to read now!”
 
A 9th grader said after just 5 times of tutoring, “I never knew what rhyme was! I never heard individual sounds in words before!”
 
A 1st grader’s parent said to me, “I know my daughter doesn’t belong in special education. She’s truly very intelligent. Can you help her learn to read?”

That little kindergarten boy is now hearing individual sounds in words. He is connecting sounds to letter names and shapes. He is beginning to spell two and three letter words. He is beginning to learn the Fry List of words using the word cards he is making. He is happy, excited and so proud of himself. I hardly recognize him as the little boy I met in June! He’s ready to soar with his classmates this fall!
 
It took that newly confident 3rd grader 3 months to go from Primer to a 3.2 reading level and a total of 8 months to be at a 6th grade level in comprehension and a 7th grade level in word recognition. She went from being way behind her peers to being far ahead! Now she’s starting college at 16½ years old.
 
That struggling, scared 9th grader who is now a oh-so confident junior in college majoring in neurology at just 20 years old took 4 months to go from a 5th grade reading level to a 9th grade reading level and another 9 months to reach a college reading level while in 10th grade.
 
That profoundly dyslexic first grader who began tutoring with me halfway through her 1st grade year was frustrated at a mid-kindergarten reading level. Within 6 months she was at a 1.8 reading level – almost caught up with her peers. Within 11 months, she was decoding words at a 6th grade reading level and within 18 months, she was comprehending at a 4th grade reading level – a grade level above her peers. To put icing on that cake, she was staffed out of special education at that time. She continued with me and within 3½ years was reading at an 11th grade level when she completed 4th grade!
 
Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ isn’t just for those with learning differences, it’s for ALL learners like the sweet, little girl who began with me in July of 2020. She doesn’t have any learning differences. Her mom asked me to tutor her because she was worried about what her daughter’s kindergarten year would like on-line. This bubbly, bright little girl began tutoring with me twice a week for just 30 minutes as she was so young. She didn’t have phonemic awareness and wasn’t reading on a PrePrimer level. She did know most letter names and sounds. Within 7 months, she was at a 1st grade reading level although she was still in kindergarten. In July of 2021 she was at a 4th grade reading level getting ready to enter 1st grade, and within 2 years, she was decoding words at a 6th grade reading level and comprehending at a 4th grade level. Right now, she’s getting ready for 2nd grade.
 
So, you see, when we teach children the way that is best for them to learn and the way they love to learn with Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™, it DOESN’T take 6 years for them to be
reading at a 6th grade reading level, even if they have learning differences.
😊
 
If you have questions and/or want more information about Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™, feel free to contact us.
Linda Katherine Smith-Jones                            Nina Henson

Navigation Systems Get Us Where We Want to Go

Navigation Systems Get Us Where We Want to Go

Let’s celebrate the power of assessing!

 
The kids I tutor and I have just finished their mid-year benchmark assessments.
 
Three of the 17 kids moved from frustration to instructional at the same reading level. I was not surprised as Silent Elephant “e”™ has on-going assessment built right into every lesson so I knew they were progressing and I knew they hadn’t jumped to the next grade level. Two of them are profoundly dyslexic and are now reading on grade level and one, who is not dyslexic, is 5 yrs. ahead of grade level. Since he is already far above his age and grade level in his reading skills, the vocabulary he is learning is stretching him. By the end of the year, I expect all three of them to have moved up a full grade level or more.
 
As I mentioned, Silent Elephant “e”™ has on-going assessments built into every lesson. These assessments take several forms from watching as they mentally and verbally process a concept with their worksheets to having them verbally explain why they know their answers are correct.

Since we are assessing as we move through each lesson, we don’t leave a concept unless they are competent and confident with it. This ensures that they will be successful with the next concepts because all reading, writing, and spelling concepts build on each other.
 
Seven of my kids advanced ½ year in reading skills since fall. Four are profoundly dyslexic and are now all one grade level above their chronological grade level in reading. Three of them are three years ahead of grade level! Two of those are profoundly dyslexic.
 
Five advanced one full year in half a year with Silent Elephant “e”™! All five are profoundly dyslexic and are now reading at grade level.
 
On-going assessments are our handy navigational system that guides OUR daily teaching. We KNOW where they are progressing in their knowledge of the concepts we are teaching, and where we need to give them more support. On-going assessments guide us.
 
Benchmark assessments such as I just finished giving are different, they are a way for us and them to see where they were and where they are now in their overall reading skills. Benchmark assessments give them and us a look at their progress over time.  These assessments are given at the beginning, middle and end of the year, and are a time to stop and celebrate their knowledge and progress.
 
Two of my kiddos advanced 2 full years in half a year! One is profoundly dyslexic and as you can imagine is extremely pleased. 
 
The other is my little first grader that I have shared with you in this blog post. She doesn’t have any learning differences and is now reading at a 6th grade reading level! She has moved 6 grade levels in reading in a little over a year.

We all had fun taking a moment in the middle of the year to celebrate their successes.
 
As educators, homeschool, classroom, or tutor, our desires for our students are the same. We want them to feel that freedom that comes from being able to confidently read and write. We want them to be able to freely explore their world of print, knowing they have the tools to read anything that comes their way. Using assessment as our navigation system is a sure way to make sure they get where they want to go. 

BTW - Silent Elephant “e”™ Part 2   has all the assessments you’ll need beginning with phonemic awareness and taking you all the way through high school. It’s now on sale 25% off. Also on sale at 25% off is the Part 1-3 Introductory Package. Parts 1-3 will take your child from phonemic awareness through 2 grade.

Contact us for information -

Linda Katherine Smith-Jones 208-859-4406 silentelephante@gmail.com

Nina Henson 208-860-3125 nina_henson@yahoo.com

2,600 Pages In One Month!! She Beams With Pride

She is Beaming With Pride! 

I became a teacher because I wanted to help ALL children learn. Even in when I was in elementary school, I loved helping my friends with their homework and teaching them new things!

 
When I began teaching, I dreamt of parents sharing that I had made a difference in their child’s life. “Because of you,” they would share, “our child now loves curling up with a book in bed, reading until we say, ‘Lights out,’ and on several occasions, we’ve caught our kiddo reading under the covers with a flashlight not wanting to put their book down!”
 
Well, dreams do come true. 😊
 
Recently, I received this letter from a sweet, lovely young lady who began learning to read with her mom homeschooling her using Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”.
 
Hi Miss Linda,
I was in the summer Reading Program, and I was selected as a Top Reader!! I read over 2,600 pages in one month. Thanks for helping me learn to read. I’ve enjoyed all the stories I’ve got to read and look forward to many more. 
Love,
Audrey
Age 8
P.S. Here’s my picture of me when I received my certificate for Top Reader.

I was so excited to get this wonderful email from Audrey and the darling picture! Audrey looks so proud of herself! Her “buttons are popping!”
 
I immediately wrote back:
Dear Audrey,
I love your beautiful smiling face as you hold your wonderful award! Your T-shirt is awesome too! I’m so happy for you and so proud of you! 
 
Every time I can help a child learn to read using Silent Elephant “e”, I am thrilled! I’m one step closer to helping ALL children.

Wondering how Silent Elephant “e” will work with your children? Contact either of us. ;)  
Linda Katherine Smith-Jones                            Nina Henson

WOW! TEN YEARS of SILENT ELEPHANT “E” DATA!

WOW! TEN YEARS of SILENT ELEPHANT “E” DATA!

WOW! It suddenly hit me. I have 10 YEARS worth of Silent Elephant “e” data. 10 years! I’ve been watching Silent Elephant “e” truly change children’s lives (and their parent’s lives!) for TEN YEARS!

 During those years, I’ve taught preschool through high school students who were struggling to read, write and spell. Some were staffed into special education. I have also had a few students who were not struggling at all but whose parents knew about Silent Elephant “e” and wanted their children to have a solid foundation in reading, writing and spelling.

 My students have included those with:

·       Dyslexia

·       ADD or ADHD

·       Speech and Language Disorders

·       English Language Learners

·       Autism

·       Hearing Impairments

·       Down Syndrome

·       Dyspraxia

·       Central Auditory Processing Disorder

·       Low to Extremely Low IQ

·       Other Learning Differences

·       Those with No Learning Differences

I share all their differences, because IN SPITE OF their differences, they have ALL SUCCEEDED in becoming fluent, confident readers, writers and spellers. Some needed the gift of time, to move at their own pace slowly but steadily, which is a powerful component of Silent Elephant “e”. Some quickly moved through the entire program. ALL HAVE SUCCEEDED.  

Are you ready to be impressed by the ten years of data, the quick, amazing progress my kiddos are making in a short amount of time?

Over the last ten years students learning with Silent Elephant “e” 1.5 to 2 hours/week (which is not much time!), on average:

·        Advanced 1 grade level for every 2.25 months of instruction. (Think of this: my students are not taking a school year to advance a grade level—they’re advancing multiple grade levels in one year.)

·        Advanced to their age-appropriate grade level in 4 months (some in as little as 2.5 months). (Some of them were 2-6 years behind their grade level when they began learning with Silent Elephant “e”.)

·        Advanced 4.25 grade levels with 6 months of instruction. (😊 Wow!)

·        Mastered Part 1, Phonemic Awareness within 3 months. (In 3 months, they understood the basics of written language and were ready to fly!)

In these last ten years, 9 of my students have successfully exited out of special education which is unheard of. All 9 of them are now competent, confident students who are having a good time in school, learning easily and proud of themselves.

Also in these 10 years, I have been able to support parents and teachers in their decision to refrain from placing a child in special education because the student was being tutored using Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e” and both the school and the parents knew the success of Silent Elephant “e” students.  

I’m so pleased to share all of this with you! 

I’m so proud of all those whose lives have been touched by Silent Elephant “e” (students and parents) from the beautiful, profoundly dyslexic young woman in her sophomore year of college majoring in neuroscience who is no longer struggling to the sparkling little one who began first grade this fall reading on a fourth-grade level after one year of learning with Silent Elephant “e” during her Kindergarten year.  

Thank you for celebrating with us! 

If you are wondering how Silent Elephant “e” can support your kiddos as their (and your) comprehensive pre-school to college reading, writing and spelling program, contact us with the links below.

Linda Katherine Smith-Jones                            Nina Henson

Keep a song in your heart!

This Little Kindergartener Rocked It!

This Little Kindergartener Rocked It!

My editor, Nina Henson, has always said that Silent Elephant “e” is really for all children.
“Yes,” she says, “it teaches THE WAY dyslexics learn and it teaches using strategies for success of ELL students and any student at risk.

“But,” she continues, “the truth is that Silent Elephant “e” teaches the way every child deserves to learn to read. It involves the whole child; it teaches the way they process concepts. It’s fun. It teaches them to think about how they are learning and think about how they are processing concepts. It teaches them to express their knowledge and to express how they know what they know. It ensures success for all.”

I know all of this is true because I wrote Silent Elephant “e” for the whole child—integrating the whole learner into every lesson. Silent Elephant “e” stimulates thought and learning through multiple interactive multi-sensory activities in every single lesson.

As you know, I wrote Silent Elephant “e” because my daughter is dyslexic and I needed to learn how to best help her process and retain the concepts in reading, writing and spelling. It needed to be sequential: beginning with phonemic awareness and then moving step by step through all phonics concepts. It had to be taught the way she learns. I needed to support her learning from pre-k through college.

Silent Elephant “e” does that.

Until this last school year, all my tutoring students have had learning differences, many profound. I have seen amazing results for all of them.

This last school year, I had the delightful pleasure of experiencing what Nina believes: Silent Elephant “e” is the way every child deserves to learn to read, write and spell. I had the privilege to teach the Kindergarten sister of one of my third graders.

My third-grade student is profoundly dyslexic, but her little sister, “Lisa”, isn’t. Their Mom asked me to tutor Lisa as well because she was concerned about her missing out with their online schooling.

During the 11 months I tutored Lisa, I watched with awe as she picked up concept after concept so quickly and transferred what she was learning into other areas. She asked questions and made statements like: “This must be a word family, because there’s only one vowel in the middle of the word but it’s a long sound like the “i” was long in “find”. We need to put a purple wall after the long “e” sound in “before” just like we put a purple wall after the long “o” sound in “over”, because long vowels have long legs to see over the purple wall!”

It was thrilling to watch her mind absorb the concepts quickly and be ready and eager for more.

In our short time together, Lisa mastered all 700 Fry list words and finished her kindergarten year reading on a 4th grade level. I was amazed and delighted, yet not surprised.

Now because of this sweet, little one I have experienced how quickly Silent Elephant “e” supports the learning of every child.

She opened my eyes again to the power of Silent Elephant “e”.

If you have any questions about Silent Elephant “e” contact us.

Linda Katherine Smith-Jones Nina Henson

Two Reasons We are Celebrating! And They Are BIG!

Two Reasons We are Celebrating! And They Are BIG!

It seems like a long time ago that I sat with my classroom students and talked about how they learned.

I asked questions, “How did this lesson work for you? Did you understand this concept the way I taught it to you? Was it difficult or simple to learn it? What did I do that made it easier for you to learn?” and many more questions. We had fun thinking about thinking and what made learning easier for them.

I remember their faces when I first began asking them to think about their learning. Many had never been asked to actually analyze their own learning process. I also remember their faces relaxing and how they became engaged and invested in helping me be the best teacher I could be.

At that time, I knew I was adjusting my instruction to insure every child would learn, but I didn’t exactly realize what I was setting in motion. My students’ answers to my questions lead me to writing Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e” and then to the joy I am experiencing being a part of changing student’s lives as I tutor using Silent Elephant “e”.

That joy is day to day, week to week and especially vibrant for me, my students and their parents when we do our end of the year assessments.

This has been another year of changing lives. The numbers tell the story.

The average improvement for my students this school year is
3.625 grade level advancement!

3.625 grade level advancement is the average!

3.6 is an amazing grade level advancement, but when I add to that the fact that all my students except one have learning differences, most of them profound, 3.6 is a staggering number.

Here are some more numbers to enjoy:

Three students have been with me for 2 years:
One student progressed 5 reading levels in those two years and is going into 4th grade reading on a 5th grade level.
One progressed 4 years in those two years and is heading into 6th grade reading on grade level.
And one progressed 8 reading levels in those two years and will begin 4th grade reading on a 9th grade level! She is profoundly dyslexic.

Five students have been with me for only 1 year:
One improved 4 reading levels and is going into 5th grade reading on a 6th grade level.
Another is heading into 4th grade reading on a 6th grade level having improved 3 reading levels.
A young man with significant learning differences is excited about heading into 6th grade reading on grade level having improved 3 levels in just one year.
Another young man improved 6 reading levels this year to begin 7th grade reading on a 9th grade level.

Then there is my little Kindergartener without learning differences who is off to 1st grade reading on a 4th grade level! She mastered all 700 Fry list words!

There is an additional reason to celebrate this year.
All but one of my students who came to me with a Special Education IEP or having been in Chapter 1 have been staffed out.  That one has been in Special Education since Pre-school and will probably test out this next year at his 2-year review as he is already on grade level and will be an even stronger reader before that review. 

These are numbers worth celebrating and my kids, parents and I have been celebrating!

I continue to celebrate by sharing this data with you, because I know you will celebrate with us that Silent Elephant “e” is changing lives!

If you have any questions about Silent Elephant “e” contact us.

Linda Katherine Smith-Jones Nina Henson

Silent Elephant “e” Will Help You Through the Summer and Beyond

Silent Elephant “e” Will Help You Through the Summer and Beyond 

How are you feeling about your kids as summer approaches? 

Do you have concerns about their reading, writing and spelling—

concerns about how ready they are for next fall? 

Do you want to spend productive learning time this summer that doesn’t cut into summer fun? 

Are you looking for summer school materials that insure thorough, complete, easy to follow directions that actually make learning to read, write and spell successful and fun? 

LET YOURSELF IMAGINE THAT YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

AND YOUR WORRIES ABOUT YOUR YOUNG ONES (OR TEENAGERS) HAVE DISAPPEARED! 

Imagine you have a program that is

easy for you,

successful for them,

doesn’t require hours a day,

is FUN,

and you can take it on the road!!

Imagine a program with a success record like this: Over the last eight year, on average, students:

Advanced 1 grade level for every 2 months of instruction

Advanced to their age-appropriate grade leve in 4 months (some in as little as 2.5 months)

Advance 4.5 grade levels with 6 months of instruction

Mastered Part 1, Phonemic Awareness within 3 months

OF COURSE, that program is Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”!

Easy for you, successful for them, and FUN!

Here’s another important piece of data: Those wonderful results were accomplished in only 45-60 minutes of instruction periods TWICE A WEEK!

Just imagine the multiple grade level advancement children will achieve in a full week summer school program providing 60-minute instructional periods using Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”. 

Now imagine they are feeling strong in their reading skills, proud of their knowledge and accomplishments and eager to take on the next school year. That is a GOOD feeling. 

OH YES, I get to share the data that makes my heart sing every time I share it: 

In the last five years, 9 of my students have successfully exited out of Special Education!

This really is special. Being staffed out of special education is pretty much unheard of. All 9 of these students are now competent, confident students, eager about learning and proud of themselves and their accomplishments. (Check out Testimonials - some of their stories are there.)

And now imagine that Silent Elephant “e” is not only

easy for you,

fun for them,

successful for everyone.

easily fits into your schedule, and

it’s easy to order!

Check out our store! 

Put a copy of Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e” in your hands! It will change things!

If you have further questions, feel free to contact us.

Linda Katherine Smith-Jones                            Nina Henson