Silent Elephant “e” Stops the Words and Letters From Jumping Around

In my last email (link here), Josie’s shared with us how she used to struggle with learning to read, write and spell and how differently she learns now because of Silent Elephant “e”™.

What a change from the shy, introverted, frightened of failure young girl I met to the beautifully confident and self-assured high school student she is today. Her life turned a complete 360.
 
Josie’s revelation about how the letters and words used to jumble up for her when she was reading and how the activities and strategies in Silent Elephant “e”™ stopped them from doing that made me so much more aware.
 
As I am teaching, I’m listening to my students for greater understanding. I’m listening more carefully as they share with me.
 
Just last month one of my seven-year-olds told me the letters were jumping off the page when she was trying to read!
 
I stopped short! This put me in my careful listening mode.
 
In the past, before Josie wrote about her experiences, I may have just listened politely to this little one without truly understanding what she was trying to explain to me.
 
She was really asking for help.
 
She was feeling comfortable enough in our relationship to share what she thought other people would think was silly—after all, letters don’t jump off a page.
 
But they did for her. 

Now because of Josie’s brave sharing of her own journey, I approach comments like this very differently. I know I need to know more.
 
I know I must ask questions and I must ask the right questions. I have to truly understand as well as I can what is going on with my students in order to guide each of them to becoming the successful reader I know they will become!
 
I knew I needed to honor what she was experiencing, so with this little one, I began gently asking questions to help her share more of what she was seeing such as:

• Do the letters jump up towards your eyes? (“No.”)

• Do the letters jump onto empty, blank space on the paper? (“No,” she replied rather sadly. I could tell that she wished the letters did land in a blank space.)

• Do the letters land on top of other letters? (“Yes.”)

• Do the letters land on top of other words? (“Yes.”)

• What is it like to see letters jumping on top of other letters and other words? (“It’s very hard to tell exactly what letters or words I am supposed to look at. It’s very messy.”)

I knew she was feeling very frustrated with trying to read, but sharing her frustration with me about the letters jumping around was helping her relax a little.
         
I suddenly remembered my dyslexic daughter telling me when she was little that tall letters slid across the lines to hook up to other words. She said tall letters from the next word would slide over to the word she was trying to read, so she would often add those sounds to the word she was reading. When she pronounced the word wrongly out loud, she realized it was incorrect because it was out of context. She would then struggle to correct it.
 
I have always sensed my daughter’s and my struggling students’ frustration. I have always known of their pain and sense of helplessness.

But now, I am so pleased that I can truly offer them hope, because I know from Josie’s experience that Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ is helping many children. (Here's the link to Josie.)
 
When I think about what Josie shared, I’m excited because I KNOW that my young seven-year-old will soon no longer experience the letters jumping off the page. She will soon be reading fluently and feeling confident.
 
I also realize, happily, that Silent Elephant “e”™ has probably helped many of my students who never mentioned the letters and words moving but experienced them stopping as they learned to read with Silent Elephant “e”™.
 
This is a wonderful realization and a happy understanding to share.
 
Silent Elephant “e”™ is the answer! Silent Elephant “e”™ is here to help. It stops the movement and jumbling of letters and words that some dyslexic learners experience when they try to read. It sets their life on a success path.
 
This is such a good feeling - there’s a path to success laid out ahead for them. It’s fun, it’s engaging, they love it – it’s Silent Elephant “e”™!

If your child has ever quietly mentioned letters or words moving around, contact us. We will set up a path of success.

If your child is dyslexic, contact us. Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ was written to ensure that dyslexic learners learn to read. It teaches them the way they learn by activating all parts of their brain with fun and engaging activities throughout every lesson.

AND, even if your child is not dyslexic, they will also love learning to read with Silent Elephant “e”™. They will fly! (This little kindergartener never looked back. Here's the link to her story.)
 
Click here to explore our website. Click here to email us for information.

"The Words and Letters Would Jumble Up" - Josie in Her Own Words

She Shared How the Letters and Words Moved

I had no idea how the sweet, shy girl who walked in my door would open my eyes and stop me in my tracks.

Today Josie’s a bright, happy, full of life, confident young teenager. She often makes me giggle while we are working together. She is not the person who walked my door.

Josie began tutoring with me because she struggled with reading, writing and spelling. At that time, she was so painfully shy that she could barely lift her eyes to look at me—her self-confidence was rock bottom.

It was obvious after visiting with her for just a few minutes, that she is a bright, intelligent girl. I knew I could help her, and so our journey began.

During the time we have worked together, Josie diligently persevered with a positive attitude attempting every learning task I presented to her in Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™.

I have seen subtle changes in her as her reading, writing, and spelling skills grow. She is now a smooth, fluent reader with excellent comprehension!

I have watched her self-confidence blossom. Now her head is held high; her shoulders back as she smiles self-assuredly when I ask her to read and when I ask her questions. Her eyes meet mine with strength and confidence.

My heart bursts with pride for her every time she walks in the door.

A few weeks ago, Josie reached a place of feeling so secure in herself that she felt at ease sharing how she used to struggle in reading and learning. She shared what she sees now when she reads words and how my tutoring and Silent Elephant “e”™ has helped her.

I sat in amazement as she shared. I listened silently. My heart went out to her.

I felt that I understood much of what she was telling me and I could empathize with her, but I also felt that there was so much more she wanted to share if she could find the words (and SO much more I wanted to understand).

I asked her if she would write about her struggles to explain to me exactly what reading used to be like for her and how it has changed. I also asked her to write about her feelings. This is what she wrote:

“Prior to tutoring with Linda, when I looked at words, they appeared scrambled and jumbled.  Random letters from other words on the page would combine with the actual letters within a word I was trying to read.

Linda has taught my brain how to break down words, so when I’m focusing, I don’t see scrambled or jumbled words anymore.

I am able to read and see all of the phonics rules we learned by imagining the colors we used for each rule. If I have to read a tough word, my brain will picture the color parts that I need to read the word. I also remember the colored posters that I learned for the rules.

First I look for prefixes, suffixes and root words. Next I look for where the purple line(s) will be to divide the word into syllables. I listen to the syllable parts in my head. I look for small words within the word. Usually by then, I get the word. I don’t have to do all of these steps all of the time.

I like reading more now than I used to. When I was younger, I hated reading. I would get so frustrated. I didn’t want to read.

I really liked picture books, and I loved being read to.

I still don’t like to read out loud in class.

After tutoring with Linda, I love to read. It’s fun. ELA (English, Language Arts) is my favorite subject in school now. Josie Age 13”
 
Are you as stunned as I to learn of all of her difficulties and challenges; that letters moved around on the page and were scrambled and jumbled? When I read her beautifully written piece, I sat amazed.

In all the time I have tutoring her I never knew that letters were moving around the page for her!

I did actually notice when Josie first began coming to tutoring with me that she was having difficulties with clarity and focusing in on words when she was reading. I asked her mom if she would consider taking her to an eye doctor. Josie did need glasses and wears them now.

The glasses do help with clarity, but they can’t stop the letters from moving on the page. What stabilized the letters on the page for Josie were the colors and the teaching techniques I use in Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™.

Josie’s confidence and ability to share her experiences and feelings opened a giant door for me.  Because of her, I am asking better questions of my struggling students. I am asking them what they are seeing on the pages. This is continuing to open doors of understanding for me.

I thank Josie from the bottom of my heart for feeling the confidence to share and helping me become a better teacher. She has helped me understand the importance of Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ yet again. Without Silent Elephant “e”™ she would be a painfully shy 13-year-old desperately struggling to understand her world instead of the confident, head high student who moves about her classrooms feeling in complete control of her learning.

Next time I will share the experience of two more students who answered, “What do you see on the page?”   It’s eye opening.

If you are questioning whether someone in your life is dyslexic and you’re not sure what to do, feel free to contact us.

Linda Katherine Smith-Jones                              Nina Henson

For the First Time Ever, She Felt Brave Enough to Read Aloud in Class (Even Science!)

For the First Time Ever, She Felt Brave Enough to Read Aloud in Class (Even Science!)

“Mrs. Jones, can I tell you what happened to me at school today?” This question came from my student Becca at the beginning of our tutoring session.

 
“Of course!” I quickly replied.
 
Becca started sharing, “My 504 Plan says I’m not supposed to be called on in class to read aloud. It makes me extremely nervous. But my science teacher called on me to read aloud today. I thought I’d try because the typing was on light blue paper. The light blue paper made it easier for me to read the words.”
 
I asked her, “How do you feel you did reading aloud?”
 
“I think I did pretty good. I read quickly and smoothly,” she happily replied.
 
“That’s wonderful to hear! You’re becoming a better and better reader every day! Do you think the light blue paper helped?” I questioned.
 
“Yes. My science teacher copies our work on pastel papers – pink, light blue, mint green and lavender - so we can organize them in our folders. The pastel papers make reading easier for me. It helps the letters in paragraphs – big chunks of sentences – to stop tilting back and forth so much.”
 
That gentle statement started my brain racing, “Tell me more about the letters tilting back and forth in paragraphs.”
 
I also smiled at myself and thought, “How could I be surprised when yet another one of my dyslexic students shares with me how the letters and words on the page move around for them?”
 
Becca continued, “When I look at a paragraph - a large chunk of sentences - the whole chunk tilts and rocks back and forth from side to side until I blink and refocus. This tilting motion used to make me dizzy until I got blue light lenses in my glasses.
 
“Also, when I try to read a sentence within a paragraph, the words blur, and the letters scrunch together with no space between the words. Then I blink and the words will usually become clear and move apart. I may need to blink a few times.”
 
Becca went on softly sharing her experiences, “Often, I lose what line I’m on and what word I’m on when reading silently or aloud, so I use my finger (finger tracking) to keep my place. If I lose my place, I try to refocus. When I’m reading aloud and try to refocus, I usually accidentally read the word above the word I’m supposed to be reading. Then I must try refocusing again until I find my place.
 
She smiled gently and shared as if an afterthought, “I’ve found that if I use pastel pink and aqua pens to write answers on my school papers it’s easier for me. I can’t use black because the black answers will blend in with the black text printed on the worksheet and then I don’t know where I am.”
 
Letters and words moving as they are reading is not uncommon for dyslexic learners, but not all dyslexic learners experience this either. Further, the letters and words moving is quite individual to the dyslexic learner. Many of my dyslexic students have shared how the letters and words move for them in completely different ways. (Click here to read other blog posts that describes how some of my dyslexic learners perceive the printed word. It's very interesting.)

 In Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ I teach decoding words using multi-sensory activities, colors and symbols that stimulate and activate the parts of the dyslexic brain that aren’t easily activated for dyslexics. Silent Elephant “e”™’s symbols and colors have specific meanings that my students learn to help them as they decode and comprehend what they are reading. 
 
It has been my experience with my dyslexic students who have letters and words moving (even racing off the page) that the techniques they learn in Silent Elephant “e”™ begins to “control” the movement of words and letters. This makes it so much easier for them to learn to read and to read both out loud and silently. They begin to read quickly and smoothly and with great comprehension.
 
I was curious about Becca’s experience with the words and sentences moving. Had Silent Elephant “e”™ changed this for her like my other students? Was it Silent Elephant “e”™ that had helped her read aloud quickly and smoothly in class for the first time? I want her to use the tools that are helpful for her, but foremost I want her to rely on her knowledge of decoding.
 
Since she was sharing her experiences, I asked her to reflect on what she had learned with Silent Elephant “e”™ and how it helped her read smoothing and quickly.
 
A big smile spread over Becca’s face as she explained, “A while after I started tutoring with you, I began noticing  that I’m reading faster and smoother. I also don’t have to read things 5 to 8 times before I can understand what I read. I used to read something 3 or 4 times just to figure out what the words were. Then I would read it 2 to 4 more times to try to understand what I was reading. Now I just read something 2 or maybe 3 times and I feel good! I know what I’ve read!
 
“I feel that if I keep learning more with you (through Silent Elephant “e”™), I’ll be able to read something quickly and smoothly just once and completely understand what I’ve read,” she contentedly said.
 
“I totally believe that will happen,” I said.
 
“What do you think is helping you the most?” I asked.
 
Becca thought for a while and then said, “I can hear single sounds in words now (Phonemic Awareness, Part 1). Using the colors in phonics helps my brain focus on the parts of the words and keeps the letters from moving so much on the page. Spelling makes sense now too. Everything is just making so much more sense!”
 
I smiled. I could feel her joy and relaxation! “I’m so happy for you! We’ll keep working with Silent Elephant “e”™ and you’ll keep blazing along in reading!” We giggled with delight and anticipation.
 
I’ve talked several times with Becca’s mom over the last 7 months. Her mom tells me, “After just 6 hours of tutoring with you, I’m seeing so many differences in Becca. I asked her last night how she felt about tutoring. She said that she loved it.
 
Mom continued, “Hearing individual sounds in words was new for her. I never knew she couldn’t hear the individual sounds!
 
“Becca said that when you teach her, you teach in a way that makes everything make sense.”
 
When I talked to her mom last week, Mom said, “I don’t know how to explain this to you, but I’ll try. In the past, I’ve always worked with Becca on her spelling - trying to help her spell phonetically and trying to help her memorize sight words. Nothing worked.”
 
Mom continued, “I’ve tried to help her with her writing, because when she wrote, nothing really made sense. Her thoughts seemed disjointed and incomprehensible. I’d read back to her what she wrote and ask her if it made sense. She’d say, ‘No.’ But she had no ideas for how to fix her writing. I knew Becca had wonderful thoughts inside her. We could verbally discuss a story or book she’d read, but somehow Becca couldn’t get these awesome thoughts down on paper.
 
“But now, since tutoring with you,” Mom paused and emotionally told me, “Becca’s thoughts are flowing from her brain unto paper! The girl I knew that was inside is coming out for all to see! Becca’s spelling is remarkably better! Her sentences are coherent, making good sense and revealing her emotions!
 
“I just never knew how much Becca was struggling to achieve all that she did accomplish! I can never thank you enough!” Mom exclaimed.
 
“Thank you for telling me this. It means a lot to me to know that Becca is developing and advancing significantly in her reading writing and spelling. I’m so proud of her and happy for her!” I humbly said.
 

This is why I am a teacher. This is why I wrote Silent Elephant “e”™. Children need to be taught the way they learn best – the way they love to learn.
 
Here are a few general suggestions of tools that may help your dyslexic students if the letters move around when they read. These are also helpful when sending assignments to dyslexic students on the computer.

• First, use simple, clear font such as Century Gothic.

• When handwriting for them, use large clear letters

• Use larger font size

• Double space the text

• Print on light pastel colored paper

• Check into colored overlays

As Becca shared, there are tools that are very helpful to her. But what really changed Becca’s life and led her to feel brave enough to read aloud in science class was being taught to read the way HER brain learns.
 
This is what Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ does -
it teaches dyslexic learners the way they learn – through multi-sensory, whole child, whole brain, whole body activities throughout every single concept. Therefore, every one of my students have become successful readers and students, even in college.
 
If you are concerned about your dyslexic learner, contact me. We’ll put our heads together and come up with the best path for your young one.
 
To further learn about and to try to imagine what it is like for Becca to read print, you might wish to watch a video by Googling “What do dyslexics see in print when trying to read?” Again, I have to mention that my experience has been that they all experience it differently so this is just an example of what they could possibly be experiencing.

Contact us here -

Linda Smith-Jones silentelephante@gmail.com

Nina Henson nina.silentelephante@gmail.com

Josie — In Her Own Words – I Sat in Complete Amazement!!

Josie — In Her Own Words – I Sat in Complete Amazement!!

Stunning Discoveries of My Students’ Vision Perception!

I just keep learning more and more!! Wow! 

Two years ago, I had no idea how the sweet, shy girl who walked in my door would open my eyes and stop me in my tracks.  

Today Josie’s a bright, happy, full of life, confident young teenager. She often makes me giggle while we are working together. She is not the person who walked in two years ago. 

Josie began tutoring with me because she struggled with reading, writing and spelling. At that time, she was so painfully shy that she could barely lift her eyes to look at me—her self-confidence was rock bottom. 

It was obvious after visiting with her for just a few minutes, that she is a bright, intelligent girl. I knew I could help her, and so our journey began. 

During these past two years, Josie has diligently persevered with a positive attitude attempting every learning task I presented to her in Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”. 

I have seen subtle changes in her as her reading, writing, and spelling skills grow. She is now a smooth, fluent reader with excellent comprehension! 

I have watched her self-confidence blossom. Now her head is held high; her shoulders back as she smiles self-assuredly when I ask her to read and when I ask her questions. Her eyes meet mine with strength and confidence. 

My heart bursts with pride for her every time she walks in the door. 

A few weeks ago, Josie reached a place of feeling so secure in herself that she felt at ease sharing how she used to struggle in reading and learning. She shared what she sees now when she reads words and how my tutoring and Silent Elephant “e” has helped her. 

I sat in amazement as she shared. I listened silently. My heart went out to her. 

I felt that I understood much of what she was telling me and I could empathize with her, but I also felt that there was so much more she wanted to share if she could find the words (and SO much more I wanted to understand). 

I asked her if she would write about her struggles to explain to me exactly what reading used to be like for her and how it has changed. I also asked her to write about her feelings. This is what she wrote: 

“Prior to tutoring with Linda, when I looked at words, they appeared scrambled and jumbled.  Random letters from other words on the page would combine with the actual letters within a word I was trying to read. 

Linda has taught my brain how to break down words, so when I’m focusing, I don’t see scrambled or jumbled words anymore. 

I am able to read and see all of the phonics rules we learned by imagining the colors we used for each rule. If I have to read a tough word, my brain will picture the color parts that I need to read the word. I also remember the colored posters that I learned for the rules. 

First I look for prefixes, suffixes and root words. Next I look for where the purple line(s) will be to divide the word into syllables. I listen to the syllable parts in my head. I look for small words within the word. Usually by then, I get the word. I don’t have to do all of these steps all of the time. 

I like reading more now than I used to. When I was younger, I hated reading. I would get so frustrated. I didn’t want to read. 

I really liked picture books, and I loved being read to. 

I still don’t like to read out loud in class. 

After tutoring with Linda, I love to read. It’s fun. ELA (English, Language Arts) is my favorite subject in school now.
Josie Age 13” 

Are you as stunned as I to learn of all of her difficulties and challenges; that letters moved around on the page and were scrambled and jumbled? When I read her beautifully written piece I sat amazed.  

I have been tutoring her for a little over two years and I never knew that letters were moving around the page for her! 

 I did actually notice when Josie first began coming to tutoring with me that she was having difficulties with clarity and focusing in on words when she was reading. I asked her mom if she would consider taking her to an eye doctor. Josie did need glasses and wears them now. 

The glasses do help with clarity, but they can’t stop the letters from moving on the page. What stabilized the letters on the page for Josie were the colors and the teaching techniques I use in Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”.  

Josie’s confidence and ability to share her experiences and feelings opened a giant door for me.  Because of her, I am asking better questions of my struggling students. I am asking them what they are seeing on the pages. This is continuing to open doors of understanding for me.  

I thank Josie from the bottom of my heart for feeling the confidence to share and helping me become a better teacher. She has helped me understand the importance of Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e” yet again. Without Silent Elephant “e” she would be a painfully shy 13-year-old desperately struggling to understand her world instead of the confident, head high student who moves about her classrooms feeling in complete control of her learning.  

Next time I will share the experience of two more students who answered, “What do you see on the page?”

It’s eye opening.

If you are questioning whether someone in your life is dyslexic and you’re not sure what to do, feel free to contact us.

Linda Katherine Smith-Jones                            Nina Henson

Success with Dyslexia! This Opened Up Her World!

A Young Child’s Path to Success with Dyslexia!

 In my last blog post, I shared Josie’s paper about how she used to struggle with learning to read, write and spell and how differently she learns now because of Silent Elephant “e”. 

I shared how beautifully confident and self-assured she is in school and life today. What a change! 

Josie’s revelation has made me so much more aware. I’m listening to my students for greater understanding. I’m listening more carefully.   

Just last month one of my seven-year-olds told me the letters were jumping off the page when she was trying to read! 

I stopped short! This put me in my careful listening mode.  

In the past, before Josie’s paper, I may have just listened politely to this little girl without truly understanding what she was trying to explain to me. 

She was really asking for help.  

She was feeling comfortable enough to share what she thought other people would think was silly—after all, letters don’t jump off a page. But they do for her.  

Now because of Josie’s brave sharing of her own journey, I wanted to know more. I knew I needed to know more.  

I knew I had to ask questions; I had to ask the right questions. I had to truly understand as well as I could in order to guide her to becoming a successful reader, which I know she can be!  

I began gently delving to help her share more of what she was seeing. I asked this little one questions such as:

·       Do the letters jump up into your eyes? (“No.”)

·       Do the letters jump onto empty, blank space on the paper? (“No,” she replied rather sadly. I could tell that she wished the letters did land in a blank space.)

·       Do the letters land on top of other letters? (“Yes.”)

·       Do the letters land on top of other words? (“Yes.”)

·       What is it like to see letters jumping on top of other letters and other words? (“It’s very hard to tell exactly what letters or words I am supposed to look at. It’s very messy.”) 

I could tell she was very frustrated with trying to read, but sharing her frustration with letters jumping around was helping her relax a little.          

I suddenly remembered my dyslexic daughter telling me when she was little that tall letters slid across the lines to hook up to other words. She said tall letters from the next word would slide over to the word she was trying to read, so she would often add those sounds to the word she was reading. When she pronounced the word wrongly out loud, she realized it was incorrect because it was out of context. She would then struggle to correct it.  

I have always sensed my daughter’s frustration and my struggling students’ frustration. I have always known of their pain and sense of helplessness. 

But now, I can truly offer them hope, because I know Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e” is helping many children especially since Josie shared:  

“Linda has taught my brain how to break down words, so when I’m focusing, I don’t see scrambled or jumbled words anymore. 

I am able to read and see all of the phonics rules we learned by imagining the colors we used for each rule. If I have to read a tough word, my brain will picture the color parts that I need to read the word. I also remember the colored posters that I learned for the rules.” 

Silent Elephant “e” is here to help. Silent Elephant “e” is the answer! This is such a good feeling, as there’s a path to success laid out ahead—it’s Silent Elephant “e”!

If you are questioning whether someone in your life is dyslexic and you’re not sure what to do, feel free to contact us.

Linda Katherine Smith-Jones                            Nina Henson

No Wonder She Struggled with Fluency - WOW

Struggling with Fluency 

In my two previous blog posts, I shared how Josie and one of my seven-year-old students had opened my eyes by sharing with me what happens to the words on the page when they are reading. Since this revelation, I’m feeling even more joy in my teaching.  

I feel like I’m meeting each and every student exactly where they are because I’m listening more carefully, asking the right questions and teaching them using Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”.   

I’m continually amazed and pleased that Silent Elephant “e” alone has made such a difference in their lives and that my asking the right questions has sparked a different awareness in me, making me an even better teacher.      

A few days after my little seven-year-old student told me about letters jumping around the page, I asked my ninth-grade dyslexic student to explain what she saw on a page of printed material.  

I had been trying many teaching techniques to help Ahva develop fluency in reading, as she would physically tense up and her breathing became extremely labored. Her anxiety and tenseness were palpable. It contributed to her choppy reading. 

I had her read sentences several times stretching out vowel sounds to give her more time to think about what the ending sound in a word was and more time to contemplate the next word in the sentence. 

She unconsciously began bobbing her head slowly with every word. When I mentioned that to her, I had her put her hand under her chin so she could feel the bobbing.

 When the bobbing subsided, we began working on phraseology (My next two posts are about teaching phraseology.). I taught her how to find prepositional phrases in sentences. 

As she is in Part 14 now, I had her read the following sentence: “The lanky man in the dark blue suit was hurriedly walking toward the cashier at the counter to deposit money in his savings account.” 

We discussed that our brains always strive for meaning. Our brains naturally break sentences into phrases: “The lanky man - in the dark blue suit - hurriedly walked - toward the cashier - at the counter - to deposit money - in his savings account.” 

I taught her to focus on the questions her brain would naturally ask as it sought meaning in what she was reading:

·                 What about the lanky man?

·                 What is he in?

·                 Where did he walk?

·                 Where is the cashier?

·                 Why did he go to the bank?

·                 Where is he depositing his money? 

She did begin to read more fluently, but she couldn’t read a phrase smoothly that was longer than three or four words, even though I encouraged her to try to smoothly combine two short phrases in one breath. 

I would have her read each sentence several times to practice. After reading a sentence several times, she ultimately read it smoothly as if in conversation. 

However, I was still concerned that she would need multiple repetitions of a sentence to reach conversational fluency. 

That is when I asked my awesome, conscientious ninth grade student to explain what she saw on a page of printed material.  

She explained that she could see a space of about 1.5 to 2 inches clearly and all around that space of clarity everything was distorted and stretched!  

Again, I was stunned!  

I asked her, “Is that why you only read three or four words smoothly and then have a long break before the next three or four words, and after practicing the sentence several times you appear to read it smoothly, because you have it memorized?” 

She smiled at me a little shyly, and said, “Yes. Now you understand.” 

Her brain is focusing on printed materials in a hyper focused way, much like a magnifying glass, where the center is super clear, but the periphery is distorted.       

I sat admiring this young woman for her tenacity and positive mindset. I was in awe. I shared with her how Josie and my seven-year old saw print. I think she felt relief that she wasn’t alone and that someone understood and was there to help. 

 I asked Ahva if she would share her story with you. 

In her own words: 

“Before I first came to tutoring with Linda, I just avoided ever reading on my own or in front of people. If I ever did read, within an hour I would get dizzy and have to stop. It was hard for me.  

I would panic if I were called on to read in class. I’d feel sad about it afterwards and think I was just dumb or not trying hard enough. 

I would try to read. It felt like the words were always moving depending on where I looked on the page. Due to that, I would start to read and get two or three words read and get stuck on each group of 3 words that followed. 

Now that I’ve been working with Linda, I have improved hugely. I can now get through sentences without freezing. My head hurting when reading has almost completely gone away. I am now willing to read in front of people! 

I am VERY happy with where I am now in reading, and I am very thankful for having Linda help me through it! Not to mention she is a very good and kind woman whom I am very happy to call my friend!” 

Ahva, 14 years old 

I am so proud of her for being able to share her story with us! 

NOW, I am offering you a challenge along with myself: If our students/children are struggling with reading IN ANY WAY, let’s ask each of them to tell us what they see on a page of writing. We do not want to put ideas into their heads, but we do want to understand how they are processing printed material, especially if they are struggling.  

Please share your experiences with me. With your permission, I’d love to pass along your experiences, successes and thoughts. We have so much to learn from our children to help us become even better educators!

If you are questioning whether someone in your life is dyslexic and you’re not sure what to do, feel free to contact us.

Linda Katherine Smith-Jones                            Nina Henson

“The Words and Letters Move Faster and Faster Around the Page like a Racetrack!”

“The Words and Letters Move Faster and Faster

Around the Page like a Racetrack!” 

To my surprise, recently another one of my students shared how he sees words on a page of print.  

I shared with you how Ahva, a ninth grader, sees words stretched and compacted and how only 3 or 4 words are clear to her at any one time. When Ahva shared how she sees words, I completely understood her fluency struggles as she painstakingly, yet steadily improved her smoothness and reading rate while learning to read with Silent Elephant “e”. She is now reading and comprehending above her grade level. 

I shared with you how Josie, a seventh grader, saw words scrambled and jumbled.  Random letters from other words on the page would combine with the actual letters within a word she was trying to read. Through instruction with Silent Elephant “e”, Josie learned how to break down words by imagining the colors used for each rule. She doesn’t see scrambled or jumbled words anymore and is also reading and comprehending above her grade level now. 

I shared how surprised I was when one of my second-grade students said, “I would be able to read better if the letters would just stop jumping around the page.”  

I shared how I gently began to question her to understand what she meant.  

Our conversation opened my eyes, and from that moment on, I began to carefully question all of my students.  

I wanted to know what they saw. I was careful not to ask leading questions, so I questioned in a way they would feel safe and confident to express what was happening for them on a page of print.  

Most of my students gave me a look of, “Well, the words on papers are just words sitting there!” (Sigh of relief on my part!) 

But a few began to feel safe enough to share just how they saw the words and just what the words were doing.  

These students OPENED MY EYES. They have helped me become a better teacher!

To bring home again that we need to ask questions of our students who are not progressing as we feel they should, I want to tell you about Jacob.  

Old day during tutoring, 11-year-old Jacob expressed to me, “My brain is broken. I just have to deal with it.” My first response was to assure Jacob that he IS a bright, intelligent boy! I went on, “ Jacob, you are one of the most thoughtful, compassionate, caring young people I have ever known! Your brain isn’t ‘broken’ at all. You just learn to read differently than most people.“ 

But I heard his pain and confusion.  

He was adamant, “Yes, my brain is broken! I know other people don’t see words on paper like I do.” 

I gently began to ask questions to understand what he meant.  

Below is what he described. 

(I know it is a lot to ask of anyone to read my precisely detailed notes of exactly what Jacob sees on a page of print, but I wanted Jacob’s parents to take him to an ophthalmologist and show the doctor my notes and I wanted to share my notes with you, an educator.) 

“When I first look at a written page, I see clear typing. 

As I begin looking at the sentence I am supposed to read, the words begin to slowly blur from the margins inward until only about 2½ inches of space has clear typing in the middle of the line. 

That clarity lasts for about 1 to 1½ seconds. 

Then the whole sentence gets blurry. 

The rest of the typing on the entire page blanks out to just be the color of the paper, however, the blurred sentence I’m focusing on stays in the same place and stays blurry. 

Then that whole sentence shifts by moving up one inch on the paper, and then it becomes clear. 

Then the letters in the sentence form a “follow the leader” single file line moving straight out to the left edge of the paper. There is a tiny bit of space between each letter, but no additional space separating words. 

When they reach the left edge, they begin to move in the single file line directly to the top of the paper. (The letters do not flip over from top to bottom or appear backwards.) 

When they reach the top edge, they continue to move clockwise in the single file line directly to the right edge of the paper.  

When they reach the right edge, they continue moving clockwise in the single file line directly to the bottom edge of the paper.  

When they reach the bottom edge, they continue moving clockwise in the single file line directly to the left edge of the paper.  

When they reach the left edge, they continue moving clockwise in the single file line directly to the top edge of the paper, etc.  

This movement forms a line of letters moving clockwise around the edge of the paper.  

The spinning motion increases its speed with each “race track loop” as it passes its original starting position.

The speed the letters move around the loop is between about .8 to .5 sec./loop with the speed increasing with every cycle. 

Also, the space between letters decreases as the speed increases, so by the fourth time around I just see a blur of black racing letters in an oval shape. (No longer do the letters reach the corners of the paper.) 

If there are other people around me when I’m reading, people can help me stop the spinning by talking to me or touching me or I need to hear loud noises. 

If I am alone when I’m reading, I try to blink my eyes, shake my head, rub my face, adjust my clothing, and/or look somewhere else on the page. 

If those things don’t work, I try to drop the paper or book, but I’m unable to let go of either. I feel like I’m a statue. I’m frozen. I’m unable to move. 

When I began experimenting with the colored Irlen overlays with Mrs. Jones and my dad on June 19, 2019, I discovered that the dull side helps prevent the letter “racetrack”. The letters stopped racing around. 

However, with the Irlen overlay, the letters become a little bit shaky and the shakiness increases a little bit the longer I look at the words. It stays that way, until I look away. 

Also, with the Irlen overlay, instead of the blurred line of typing moving up an inch, the clear line of typing moves down about a half inch.

The letters land directly on top of the letters in the sentence that is about a half-inch below.” 

Isn’t that amazing! 

Understanding how Jacob is seeing the letters and what they are doing helps me to help him. 

After Jacob shared, I sat amazed that he was learning to read at all. I am struggling to comprehend what it must be like to watch the letters race around the page faster and faster.  

I am very pleased to share that all my students who have expressed that they see the words on the page differently are successfully learning to read using Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”.  

This affirms my research and the techniques I developed to ensure that ALL CHILDREN LEARN TO READ.  

It is their right.

It also affirms our need to ask questions and listen to our children.

If you are questioning whether someone in your life is dyslexic and you’re not sure what to do, feel free to contact us.

Linda Katherine Smith-Jones                            Nina Henson

“This is the piece I’ve been missing! This is the piece I’ve been missing!”

“This is the piece I’ve been missing! This is the piece I’ve been missing!” 

“I wish the letters would stop racing off the page!” my ten-year-old student exclaimed in frustration. 

“What?” I questioned.  

He replied with a sigh, “I just wish the letters would stop racing off the page when I’m trying to read!” 

I took a quiet deep breath and trying to keep concern out of my voice said, “I’d love for you to tell me what you see when you are reading.”

 I listened with amazement as this kindhearted, hardworking boy began describing what it’s like when he looks at letters on a page and tries to read the words and sentences. 

“The letters are in a race,” he said. “They run to the left side and then disappear off the page. It’s as if they ran through a portal into another dimension.

“I have to try to read really fast to try to catch the second word. Sometimes I just catch the beginning of a word. Sometimes I can catch a few more letters. That’s why I guess a lot.” 

He paused and continued, “Suddenly the words in the sentence will grow or pop back on the page in the same spot. 

“Then I try to quickly read more of the sentence. I might be able to get to the third word, but then the fourth word might move up a line and then the fifth word might move down a line. 

“I have to try to read super-fast the first time I read a sentence. I usually have to read a sentence 3 to 5 times to be able to slow down enough that I can understand what I’m reading.” 

He thought for a moment and continued to share, “Black letters always used to race off the page, but since I’ve been tutoring with you and learning the colors, the colors stay hooked to the words like rubber bands. The rubber bands pull the words back onto the page.”*

I asked, still in a state of surprise, “You said black letters always used to race off the page, but now the colors help. How often do the black letters race off the page now?” 

He gave this question some thought and then answered, “Oh, I’d say about 30% of the time. It’s a lot better now!” 

He was beginning to feel safe and comfortable and wanting to share more about what reading is like for him. “But it’s not good to have the letters in bright colors like they are in books sometimes, because the letters will jump, explode and then come back. That makes reading take a long time, because I have to wait for the bright letters to come back. 

“I like to read comic books and graphic design novels. The speech balloons help keep the words in the white space, so they don’t race off the page.  

“And, I don’t like the words mixed in the picture, because the words will jump off the page for sure.” **

This sweet boy was on a roll. He continued to think of things he wanted to share. “Oh, Mrs. Jones, you know the yellow highlight handwriting paper*** that we use to practice my spelling words?” 

I nodded, “Yes.” 

“When we first started using it, the yellow part would stretch up taller and taller if I was writing a word that didn’t have any tall letters in it, such as “can”. I’d have to refocus several times. It’s better if a word has at least one tall letter in it, such as “cat”. The more I use it, the better it’s getting though.” 

I thought of his progress over the past several months. “Yes, I have seen a lot of improvement in your spelling and handwriting since we began using that paper,” I replied. 

The more he shared the more he thought of things he wanted me to know, such as how extremely frustrating it is for him to try to read highway signs, street signs and store front signs when he is riding in a car. “The letters race off the signs too quickly.”

 Let’s stop here for a moment and imagine the daunting task this young boy faces each time he tries to read anything. Imagine how frustrated he must feel. Imagine the effort he puts forth just to read a word. Imagine . . . 

This wonderful boy began tutoring with me and Silent Elephant “e” 14 months ago when he was in the 3rd grade and has preserved through biweekly tutoring sessions.  

At age nine, when he began tutoring with me, he had not mastered phonemic awareness and did not have a clue about how language works. 

After two weeks of instruction in phonemic awareness he exclaimed out loud, “This is the piece I’ve been missing! This is the piece I’ve been missing!” I smile when I think of that moment 14 months ago, I knew he was on his way to becoming a confident reader.  

It only took him 5 months to reach complete mastery in phonemic awareness with Silent Elephant “e”. He now hears the individual sounds within words giving him an understanding of how our language works. 

Since beginning tutoring with me with Silent Elephant “e”, his word recognition and comprehension skills have gone from a Primer Instructional reading level to an 8th grade instructional reading level! That’s a 7-year advancement in 14 months of instruction (just 2 hours/week) with Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”! He’s now a strong confident reader headed into 5th grade this fall! 

I know that every time this remarkable, hard-working boy reads, he confronts a huge mountain to climb, but thanks to Silent Elephant “e” the letters are staying attached to the page more often and reading is becoming easier and more fluent. He still gets frustrated, sometimes more than others, but he continues to press on. He has felt success and wants more of it.  

I’m so proud of him—I can’t begin to tell you how much! My heart fills with joy! 

*Silent Elephant “e” teaches phonics using colors for vowel diacritical markings, consonant digraphs, consonant blends, roots and base words, prefixes, suffixes and syllables. 

** This comment reminded me of my husband, who is also dyslexic. He worked hours with me after we received my illustrator’s rough draft for my picture book My Awesome Grandma. Many times, he could not see letters on a colored background and he definitely couldn’t see letters that flowed into the picture. This was a real eye opener for me. I had known for years that I could only write him a shopping list on white paper using blue or black ink, but I had not ever understood exactly why this was until we worked together on my book. 

***I use Abilitations Hi-Write paper. There are several brands available.

If you are questioning whether someone in your life is dyslexic and you’re not sure what to do, feel free to contact us.

Linda Katherine Smith-Jones                            Nina Henson

Glasses Make a Wonderful Difference!

Glasses Make a Wonderful Difference! 

After a caring, concerned parent read the blog posts describing how five of my students view a page of print, I received an email from this anxious mom. She was worried because her daughter had recently said to her that the letters were moving on the paper! 

I wrote back to her with suggestions to try Irlen colored overlays and to take her daughter to an ophthalmologist to have her eyes examined if she hadn’t taken her recently. 

A couple of weeks ago, I received this wonderful email that Mom said I could share with you: 

We were able to take Zoya to the regular eye doctor last week. She has some farsighted vision. The doctor hopes that regular glasses will also improve her eyes functioning together, as her right eye is not as strong as her left. 

She has been very pleased with the glasses helping the letters to hold still! 

And now while we are driving places, she has become able to call out different words that she sees and she is trying to read them. I’m so proud of her progression. 

Thank you for the recommendation to see the eye doctor. 

Here she is in her new frames.

Wendy 

Look at that big, happy smile on such a beautiful girl!

If you are questioning whether someone in your life is dyslexic and you’re not sure what to do, feel free to contact us.

Linda Katherine Smith-Jones                            Nina Henson