She Looked Down at Me and Said, “What Will You Do Differently?”

She Looked Down at Me and Said, “What Will You Do Differently?”

Today I want to share a story. Stories are always illuminating and fun.
 
About 6 years ago, I welcomed a sweet girl and her mom into my home to begin tutoring. It was the first time we had met, although I had visited with the mom on the phone. She had expressed deep concern about “Beth’s” lack of progress in learning to read.
 
Since I want everyone to relax when we meet, we share our favorite foods, games, hobbies, subject in school, etc. I introduce them to my service dog who’s a great icebreaker.
 
As I could feel this sweet young girl relaxing, I asked her if we could play some listening games. She very shyly agreed, so I began assessing her phonemic awareness skills.
 
She scored 90% on Silent Elephant “e”™ Phonemic Awareness Assessment Part 1, but her answers were hesitant. To continue to Part 2, Beth would have to have had 95% accuracy with quick, confident answers. I praised her and told her she was doing beautiful, which she was. She was working very hard to know the correct answers.
 
We moved to uppercase and lowercase letter names, to letter sounds and then to rhyme. We were giggling while having fun making up silly words that rhymed.
 
On the San Diego Quick Assessment, Beth scored instructional at a 1st grade level. On the Silent Elephant “e”™ oral reading inventory she scored Primer level. Beth was 10 years old and in the 5th grade. She was 4-5 years behind in reading. I could see why her mother was so worried.
 
When I asked her if she liked to spell words and write stories, she answered that she loved to draw pictures and her mom wrote the stories for her. I heard a sadness drift into her voice when I asked her to write some words for me. We only tried three words; she only got “the” correct.
 
We finished our assessments, and I knew we needed to begin at the beginning: Phonemic Awareness Part 1 and Short Vowels Part 3. We jumped into the phonemic awareness train game and had fun playing it together.

As we finished the game, Beth’s Mom said, “Beth, you may play with Mrs. Jones’ dog for a bit. I want to talk with Mrs. Jones in the kitchen.”
 

I was a bit surprised, but went to join her in the kitchen where she was standing with her hands on her hips and said as she backed me into the cabinet corner, “What do you think you can do differently than I have done to teach my daughter to read?”
 
Before I could answer she continued, “Beth has been in preschool, public school, tutoring with Sylvan Learning Center and other tutors, and recently I’ve begun homeschooling her part time while she also attends a public-school alternative learning program. So, what makes you think that you can teach her to read?”
 
I took a deep breath, stood straight and tall and looked up into her eyes (she’s about 6 feet tall) and said, “Let ME tell YOU about my background, how my reading program came to be, and how I KNOW she will learn to read quickly with Silent Elephant “e”™.”
 
I told her how my life changed the day I realized my daughter was dyslexic. I told her how I knew I had to be THE ONE that researched, learned and helped my daughter succeed in reading, writing and spelling.
 
I mentioned classes I had taken. I mentioned the hours I had spent learning about how our brains learn, about dyslexia, and about other learning differences. I talked about the hours I spent asking my daughter, my husband (who is also dyslexic) and all the children I taught what helped them learn and what didn’t help them learn.
 
I shared that Silent Elephant “e”™ teaches reading, writing and spelling all together, simple to complex, because our brain perceives them as the same subject, just different parts of, “words in print”.   
 
I shared how every vague phonics concept (they’re all vague) is introduced in Silent Elephant “e”™ by engaging the creative parts of the brain first and then moving to the analytical part, therefore stimulating both hemispheres to interact with the concept. I told her how the creative brain understands and stores the knowledge through the senses as we color, dance, sing, draw, perform puppetry and much more. At the same time, the analytical part of the brain is understanding the “whys” and the “rules”. I shared that when learning this way, the brain in never confused. It connects the creative with the analytical and logically fits ALL the pieces together easily.
 
Then, I finally took a deep breath and said, “You’re going to have to trust me. And just so you know, my daughter graduated Magna Cum Laude.”
 
She looked at me and said, “I’ll give you 3 months!”
 
At the end of those three months, I had to smile thinking about Beth’s mom staring down at me in my kitchen. By that time, Beth was already reading at a 3rd grade level. By the end of 8 months, she was reading at an 8th grade level - 3 years above her chronological age. And now, she’s a very successful, happy, high school student.
 
Beth learned to read, write and spell in a very short time even though she’s profoundly dyslexic, because Silent Elephant “e”™ taught her in the way our brain learns new information best: in fun and creative ways.

Have questions?

Email us at silentelephante@gmail.com or call us at:
Linda        208-859-4406                            Nina    208-860-3125

Getting Started With Silent Elephant “e”, A Mom Shares

 Getting Started With Silent Elephant “e”, A Mom Shares

In our last email, we shared notes from the video that Jennifer did for us during our vendor week with Top Picks Homeschool Curriculum Facebook group. Jennifer is the mom of two lovely girls that I tutor. Jennifer shared how completely different her daughters are as learners (one dyslexic, one not) and how successful they both are with Silent Elephant “e"™.  (Here’s the link.)

 
This week we want to share thoughts that Crystal Kroush shared in her video during our vendor week.(Here is the link.) Crystal is an experienced homeschool educator who is just beginning to use Silent Elephant “e"™ with her three kids ages 12, 10 and 4. Here are notes from her video:
 
“We’re just beginning with Silent Elephant “e"™. I have just finished assessing all the kids and am getting ready to begin.
 
“We’ve used other programs for reading, writing and spelling. The other programs have assessments, but they’re usually assessments to tell us where they are in that program.
 
“Silent Elephant “e"™’s assessments are different. They’re comprehensive; they cover EVERYTHING you want to know about your kids’ language arts skills. They tell you their strengths AND their weaknesses. This is very important information. You want to know their weaknesses so you can fill them, and you want to build on their strengths. It’s like when you get into your car to go somewhere, you want to know where you are going and why. 😊
 
“I know as homeschoolers we teach where they are. We are more relaxed about their progress, not as concerned about how fast they are progressing, but that they are progressing. But I feel it’s also a very good idea to really know exactly what they know and don’t know, because you never know what might happen. Life might change. You might decide you want them to go to a public or to a private school and you’ll want to know they’ll be successful in that transition.
 
“So, even though my intention is to homeschool right through high school, it’s super important for me to know where they are in their skills, what their strengths are, and where they weaknesses are. I’ve already been surprised by our results.
 
“I think this is important too: since I have given them Silent Elephant “e"™’s comprehensive assessments, when I assess again with Silent Elephant “e"™, I’ll truly be able to see their growth. I’ll REALLY KNOW where their skills grew. I won’t be guessing or hoping.
 
“For my husband and I it was exciting to KNOW our kids are reading on grade level, and a bit of a relief. It was also reassuring to know exactly where their weaknesses are. Now with Silent Elephant “e"™, I feel confident I will address those weaknesses and my children, especially our 10-year-old, won’t continue feeling frustrated with certain concepts. On the flip side of that, I love the thought of building on their strengths with the multi-sensory activities of Silent Elephant “e"™. This is fun and exciting for all of us.
 
“I do have a tip for giving Silent Elephant “e”™’s comprehensive assessments.  Because they are so comprehensive, you will want to focus with only one of your kids at a time. Have the others do un-schooling activities like building with Legos or art, something that doesn’t need your immediate attention. This allows you to focus your attention on the one you are assessing. This will set all of you up for success and sidestep frustration on your part. 😊”
 
Crystal continued:
“I enjoyed watching Wendy’s video (Here's the link.) and her comment about how her kids are able to pick out library books that they can read and comprehend. I believe mine can do that too. Our kids are also avid readers and bring home dozens of books from the library each time we go. 
 
“But I do know, especially now that I have assessed, that they could be better especially in spelling and phonetic skills.
 
“I love that Silent Elephant “e"™ covers reading, writing and spelling all together as one and I love that it focuses their learning with color. Our kids really love color and are responsive to learning with color.
 
“I also loved seeing the confidence of Wendy’s kids as they shared their knowledge and work on the video. I loved the ease of it and the consistency of the rules. They knew exactly what to do because the rules are consistent, and they’ve learned them through their senses.
 
“And I also love the fun, multi-sensory approach of Silent Elephant “e"™! I have to say that we have tried some ‘workbooky’ type programs. They got the job done, but it was not very fun and there was lots of frustration. I like fun and, of course, all our kids like fun!
 
“Both my kids and I are eager to get started with Silent Elephant “e"™. 😊”
 
Here’s the link to Crystal’s video. 

 
Crystal’s last comment was very thoughtful. She encouraged utilizing my and Nina’s expertise. She appreciates our years of experience, research, and knowledge and how accessible we are to help and support. She scheduled a time with me to discuss her assessments and where and how to begin with her 3 kids who are all on very different levels. She left feeling empowered and knowledgeable, knowing how to addresses particular weaknesses and eager to begin.
 
Contact us with thoughts, questions, or to schedule a consultation.
Linda   208-859-4406                            Nina   208-860-3125  

Knowing What They Know Makes All the Difference!

Knowing What They Know Makes All the Difference!

As a sweet fifth grade girl and I began tutoring this past week on ZOOM, I heard her mom remind her, "Tell Mrs. Jones what ‘Mrs. Hartman’ told you."

 
Carol said, “Oh, yah, Mom!” Then she turned to me. “Do you know what Mrs. Hartman told me yesterday?"
 
“No,” I replied, “but I’m excited to hear!”
 
“She said I improved 69 points in my i-Ready Reading Test since the last time we took it. I made the greatest improvement of anyone in my class! I’m at a fifth grade reading level now! I’m caught up! But now, I even want to get higher!”
 
“Oh, my gosh!” I said. “I’m so, so proud of you! You’ve been working so hard with such a positive attitude! From our last assessment, I knew you’d caught up to fifth grade reading.”
 
I smiled at her. "And, what’s this I hear? You want to get even better in reading? That’s wonderful, let’s go for it!”
 
Carol began tutoring with me 9 months ago at the end of her fourth-grade year. She was struggling in reading, writing and spelling and was beginning to feel more and more defeated and behind.
 
When I assessed her, she didn’t understand phonemic awareness at all and was frustrated at a third grade reading level. Until fourth grade she had appeared to have foundational reading skills but had been memorizing all the words and had finally reached that place where she just couldn't memorize everything being taught.
 
Now she is reading on grade level and is eager to learn more. She has mastered phonemic awareness, the 700 High Frequency Fry Sight Words and has caught up with her classmates! 
 
She is very proud of herself and eager about her future. 

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 know the joy of reading.
 
I have a concern though. I’m concerned that there are many more children with or without learning differences who for whatever reason did not pick up phonemic awareness when they were younger.
 
These children begin to think that you their parent and their teacher have just memorized the words in the books being read to them. This makes sense to them, because they can memorize short books. They make the assumption as they observe their classmates and siblings read fluently, that reading is about memorization. They try hard to memorize everything.
 
This works for them until, like Carol, they reach that age when there is too much information to memorize. At that point, they begin to realize something isn’t right and become more and more frustrated. You become more and more concerned as you watch them.
 
Even worse, they begin to question themselves as a learner and doubt their own abilities to succeed.
 
Sadly, this frustration occurs because no one realized that they, like Carol, simply do not have phonemic awareness, and do not understand phonics concepts. No one assessed their reading skills.
 
This is why I strongly recommend that there is no time like right now to assess your kiddos to make sure their reading foundations of phonemic awareness and phonics skills are truly solid. This is especially true if your kiddos are struggling or becoming resistant to reading, writing, spelling instruction in any way. Frustration of any kind is a clue that assessments are needed.
 
When you have assessed them, you will KNOW they have the skills they need to succeed, or you will know exactly which skills you need to teach them. You won’t be wondering, hoping or guessing.
 
Of course, Silent Elephant “e”™ has you covered.

• Part 2 provides you with all the assessments you will need pre-k through high school beginning with phonemic awareness.

• Part 1 is the 47 phonemic awareness lessons.

• Part 3 teaches phonics skills through the end of second grade.

At this time, Parts 1-3 are 25% OFF!
In fact, all Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ program books and videos are 25% OFF!
 
Click here to visit our store, read our blog posts, and learn more about how Silent Elephant “e”™ supports the success of your kiddos and your success as their educator.
 
As always Nina and I love visiting with you, answering your questions about Silent Elephant “e”™, reading writing and spelling and supporting you as you teach your young ones! Please contact us anytime!
 
Linda Katherine Smith-Jones  208-859-4406                Nina Henson  208-860-3125

Once Learned Through Experience, It's Theirs Forever

When Learning is Fun, It’s Easy and It Stays!

The eyes of the young boy hunched over his last worksheet in Part 14 moved effortlessly word to word. His hand stretched into the colored pencils spread in front of him with a smooth motion as he chose the next color he needed to mark the decoding in the next word.
 
Shaun quickly and confidently used different colors and different symbols to mark prefixes, suffixes, root words, consonant digraphs, consonant blends, consonant twins, the sounds of “c’s” and “g’s”, vowel diacritical markings, syllable division and accent marks.
 
He did all of this from memory.
 
By repetitively using colors to mark prefixes, suffixes, root words, consonant digraphs, consonant blends, consonant twins, the sounds of “c’s” and “g’s”, vowel diacritical markings, syllable division and accent marks, Shaun easily put the “puzzle pieces” in a word together to find meaning.
 

Example of a Level 3 worksheet with phonetic markings for decoding.

The Silent Elephant “e”™ colors and phonetic markings Shaun chose to indicate how to decode words are not random markings taught in isolation.
 
Instead, the phonetic markings and the colors used to mark them are the logical outcome of the fun, multi-sensory activities that Shaun experienced as he learned each phonetic concept. More importantly, he had fun learning the concept and the markings.
 
These activities included acting, puppetry, cooking, games, singing and many other multi-sensory activities that set the phonetic concepts firmly in multiple parts of Shaun's brain.
 
In Silent Elephant “e”™, every phonetic concept is introduced with a multi-sensory activity.
 
As he finished his worksheet, he began to glow with pride and as he raised his head, his bright smile beamed at me. He was proud.
 
Shaun was so calm, so in control, so meticulous and so very pleased with himself as he flew through that worksheet marking word after word, reading each sentence effortlessly with expression and comprehending completely.
 
He knew that he knew how to decode and read every word on that page, and he knew that he comprehended everything he read.
 
He also knew that just two years before, he wasn’t even able to read at a first-grade level and now here he was reading at a 9th grade level, 4 years ahead of his grade level.
 
He knew school was easier now and getting easier all the time.
 
He also knew that he is profoundly dyslexic and that learning to be calm and focused had been hard. He knew that learning to read, write and spell through the fun activities in Silent Elephant “e”™ had not only helped him find calm in learning to read, but helped him understand what he hadn’t been able to understand before. 
 
Looking up from his worksheet, his bright smile told me the truth of all of this.
 

Example of a Level 2 works showing phonetic markings for decoding.
Each marking takes their mind back to the activity they experienced to learn that concept.

Let’s ask those questions that come to mind, WHY was Shaun able to make such fast progress with Silent Elephant “e”™? WHY was this profoundly dyslexic young boy able to move from primer to 9th grade in two years?
 
It’s because Silent Elephant “e”™ is experiential, it’s multi-sensory, it’s fun.

It teaches the whole child through fun activities that activates all parts of their brain through their senses, thus “wiring” their brain with memories of these fun activities and with the knowledge learned during them to decode unfamiliar words. It teaches them the way they learn best – through fun experiences.

Long after he completes Silent Elephant “e”™, Shaun’s brain will retrieve memories of the fun activity he experienced while learning the phonetic markings associated with each learned phonetic concept. His brain will retrieve this knowledge when he needs to decode any unfamiliar word.

Shaun’s anxiety is gone; he will always feel confident that he has the skills to support him as he moves into high school, college and adulthood.
 
When children learn to read, write and spell experientially through fun, meaningful, multi-sensory activities, learning WILL be FUN AND FAST and it WILL STAY with them.

Contact us here or call us at:

Linda Katherine Smith-Jones   208-859-4406       or Nina Henson   208-860-3125

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

Silent Elephant “e”™-ing is FUN!

Silent Elephant “e”™-ing is FUN!  

The more I teach with Silent Elephant “e”™ the more I’m beginning to feel like Silent Elephant “e”™ is a verb. 😂

I know that sounds a little crazy, but it’s true, the more I teach with Silent Elephant “e”™, the more I feel like I’m Silent Elephant “e”™-ing. 😂😂
 
Let me give you a little background to where this happy, but little bit goofy, feeling is coming from.
 
“Learn – to learn” is a verb, an action word.
This means learning is an active process.
To learn, action must be happening.

It’s true that part of the activity or action of learning is happening in the brain unseen, but for our brain to engage in the process of learning, our senses must get involved.
 
Let’s look at this.
Obviously, our senses of sight and hearing are a major part of learning to read, write and spell, but actually our other senses of touch, taste and smell all have a part in our learning process. Furthermore, when ALL our senses, and movement, get involved, learning happens faster, is deeper and is more easily transferred into other concepts and subjects.
 
There’s just added power when we involve the whole-child/whole-person, all our senses, in the learning process.

Now, let’s go visit that sweet young man Xander again. (See last email HERE)
 
As you will remember, I shared Xander’s interaction with Silent Elephant “e”™’s Phonemic Awareness Caterpillar Game that uses color and movement to identify sounds in words. There was a moment when Xander had such a firm grasp on identifying individual sounds in spoken words that he transferred his knowledge into a new way of showing his comprehension.
 
Remember how he jumped up and shot off to bring his toy cars in on the learning. He had mentally processed, comprehended, that individual sounds make up our words and that in this game, the sounds could be represented by colored squares, or toy cars, but it didn’t change the individual sounds in the word.
 
Let’s look at what Xander was doing, how he was active and interacting with his knowledge, and how his senses were involved to activate his brain. Xander was:

• using his sense of hearing as he listened intently to each sound his mom said.

• using his sense of sight as he watched his mom’s mouth move as she said each sound.

• using his sense of hearing as he carefully listened to his own voice saying and identifying each sound he heard.

• using his sense of touch, and movement, as he slid his colored squares in place to indicate the sounds he heard, and

• using his senses of sight and hearing to decide that his game board was correct, whether his answers were indicated with colored squares or toy cars.

True, he didn’t use his senses of smell or taste in Silent Elephant “e”™’s Phonemic Awareness Caterpillar Game, but these two senses are also integrated throughout Silent Elephant “e”™. True deep learning that transfers easily and swiftly into other concepts and subjects involves ALL the senses; It involves the whole learner.
 
Now do you see why I giggle to myself when I find myself thinking that I am Silent Elephant “e”™ -ing as I sit down at the computer to meet one of my students? Every one of the lessons in Silent Elephant “e”™ is centered around the whole-child in front of me and how they learn.
 
Furthermore, Silent Elephant ”e”™-ing is just plain FUN!  Cont
 
Gentle reminder - 25% off on Silent Elephant ”e”™ Parts 1-14, click HERE.

Contact us at:

Linda Katherine Smith-Jones 208-859-4406 Nina Henson 208-860-3125

Teaching Multiple Levels at the Same Time Made Easy

Teaching Multiple Levels at the Same Time Made Easy

Meet Xander who was beside himself when he got to join in the Silent Elephant “e” ™lessons with his sisters.

It was a happy day for Xander when he was able to begin HIS Silent Elephant “e” ™ reading lessons like his two older sisters. He had watched his sisters have so much fun learning to read. He had even been able to join in some of the multi-sensory introduction activities like writing his letters in pudding as they practiced their sight words, but finally the day had come when HE got to have HIS lessons to learn to read, write and spell.

He eagerly listened to his mom explaining phonemic awareness with the Caterpillar Game and the colored squares. He listened intently as his mom said the sounds in “fan”, he repeated them listening intently to HIS voice and then carefully moved the colors squares to indicate the number of sounds he was hearing. He beamed with pride!
 
Suddenly he had a great idea! His brain was transferring his knowledge! He shot off to his room, returned with his toy cars, began lining up his tiny cars to match the colors of his squares, and moved his CARS to indicate how many sounds he was hearing in a word.
 
He was having FUN while learning and transferring his knowledge.
 
Learning to read, write and spell should be fun and Silent Elephant “e”™ is all about the fun!
 
Silent Elephant “e” ™teaches entirely using multi-sensory and whole-body instruction, so children are actively learning at all times. 

Xander is Wendy’s third child to begin learning to read, write and spell with Silent Elephant “e”™.
 
Wendy has honed her method of teaching 3 different ages at the same time and making sure they are always successful. Silent Elephant “e”™ makes this easy for her.
 
Here is the Silent Elephant “e” ™method for teaching multiple ages. You and your children will enjoy success using these: 

1. Since every Silent Elephant “e” ™lesson has leveled materials, begin every new concept with the multi-sensory introductory lesson with all your kids. This gives them a sense of learning community as they are actively learning the same concept.

1. After the active multi-sensory introduction, move your kiddos to their personal practice pages which are leveled:

• Level 1 introduces the phonics rule – these practice pages are for your child that is just beginning to learn to read.

• Level 2 provides developing vocabulary and independence in using all the phonics rules – these practice pages are for your child that has completed Level 1 and is reviewing each phonics rule.

• Level 3 contains multi-syllabic words for advanced independent reading using the phonics rules – these practice pages are for your child that has completed Level 1 and/or Level 2. (Some children can move right into Level 3 upon completing Level 1. Other children may need more review after completing Level 1, so it’s best to have them excel in Level 2 before moving to Level 3.)

As continual assessment is a built-in integral part of Silent Elephant “e”™, Wendy KNOWS when each of her children have mastered a concept and she knows if she needs to reteach a concept before moving on.  It’s easy for Wendy to meet each of her child’s individual needs to be sure they are succeeding.
 
And they ARE succeeding! Her 7-year-old won an award for reading the most books at her library this past summer and her 9-year-old is blazing a trail through Nancy Drew mysteries. 😊 And Xander is eager to join them.

As always, check out more info at silentelephante.com, email us at silentelephante@gmail.com

or call us -
Linda    208-859-4406                   Nina    208-860-3125

LOOK WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ASK QUESTIONS! You write a reading program for ALL children!

LOOK WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ASK QUESTIONS!
You write a reading program for ALL children!
😊😊

I have a passion for teaching children with learning differences. I never thought of leaving a child behind. I always wanted to make sure EVERY ONE of my students was learning.

However, that desire became stronger and more personal when I first discovered that my own daughter is dyslexic.

When she was three, I began noticing in her drawings how she was struggling with directionality.

One warm summer day as I weeded a flower bed, she sat under her favorite tree drawing. Suddenly, she jumped up and danced over to me to share her artwork.

As I looked down at her drawing, I asked her in my happiest “Wow! That’s beautiful!” voice to tell me about her drawing.
She joyfully exclaimed, “I drew my first picture of our family!” She pointed to each person in the drawing telling who they were.
Again, I asked with my cheeriest voice, “How are we all feeling?”
She looked up at me with the biggest smile and said, “We’re all happy!”
“How do you know we’re happy?” 
“Look at our big, happy smiles!”
“You drew a beautiful drawing of our family! I love it!”
She happily skipped back to continue drawing.

As I stood there watching her dance away, my thoughts began to spin. She had not drawn happy smiles. She had drawn frowns, but SHE was not seeing the difference.

That was the moment I knew she was dyslexic.

My husband is dyslexic, and he struggled in school. He was even retained in third grade.

I felt a little scared. My thoughts were whirling. I didn’t want my little girl to feel the unhappiness my husband had felt in school.

I knew she was going to face many struggles as she tried to learn to read. I stood there wondering how I, her mom, was going to help her meet all those struggles. What could I do? How could I help?

I promised myself that day, that very moment that I discovered she was dyslexic, that I would learn the best way to teach her and any other children with learning differences, because I knew they all had a long, hard road ahead of them.

As I set about learning even more about the best practices and strategies to teach all people with learning differences, I thought to myself, “Wait! I’m bouncing around hoping these strategies will work when what I really need to do is ask them! I need to ask my daughter, my husband, and my students, whether they have learning differences or not, for their help. I need to ask them questions, so I understand exactly what really works for them.”

I began to ask questions and I didn’t stop. I asked:
“What helps you learn to read, write and spell?
What did I do today that helped you learn more easily?
What did I do today that didn’t help you learn easily?
How can I teach differently to help you learn more easily?”
I asked these questions the day I first taught a lesson, a few days later, a week later, a month later, and several months later.

I began to notice a pattern.
EVERY ONE of them, whether they had learning differences or not, learned best and retained information best when I taught using “whole-body” and “multi-sensory” instruction.

I realized that “whole-body” and “multi-sensory” instruction was the best for ALL learners!
This knowledge guided every word and every activity in Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”.

Their answers to my questions and the research that supports whole-body and multi-sensory instruction, guided me to write activities that introduce every vague phonics concept with rich multi-sensory activities that stimulate all parts of the brain in every learner, whether they have learning differences or not.

This knowledge guided me to create Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e” ™that teaches phonemic awareness and all phonics rules in a way that ALL children are immersed in learning the concepts and easily move from concept to concept because the rules are made tangible for them.

As I look at other reading, spelling, and writing programs, I realize even more why Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e” ™is so powerful – it’s the ONE that was developed by asking the learners how they learned. I’m very proud of Silent Elephant “e”™.

 
My entire Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e” ™program (Parts 1-14), the posters, the picture book My Awesome Grandma, and the videos are 25% off through December 31st, 2021. You can purchase the program as a whole or by parts. Click here for the store.

As always if you have questions, contact us at silentelephante@gmail.com

Keep a song in your heart!

Linda Katherine Smith-Jones Nina Henson

She Was Reading on a Fourth Grade Level at the End of Kindergarten

Pre-schoolers Blossoming with Silent Elephant “e”!

At the very end of June 2020, I had the pleasure to begin tutoring a four-year-old pre-Kindergartener with Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”.

This bubbly, spunky, sweet little girl had hardly had the opportunity to attend pre-school before COVID.  

“Chloe” loved being read to but at that time wasn’t at all interested in learning to read herself. Chloe’s parents definitely wanted her to learn to read and were concerned about what her soon to be on-line Kindergarten experience would be like. She didn’t have any discernable learning differences; she was a happy bouncy 4-year-old.  

Since Chloe was only 4 years old, I began our Zoom sessions tutoring her for only about 20 minutes a day 5 days per week using Silent Elephant “e”’s caterpillar and train games.  

Young children, really ALL children, need to have FUN while learning, so I kept every lesson upbeat and positive with lots of smiles, giggles, and encouragement. I never rushed Chloe through a lesson; we progressed at her pace. We only moved to the next phonemic awareness lesson when I knew she had mastered the lesson we were working on.  

As we progressed, she became more and more interested in what she was learning and began to work diligently to learn phonemic awareness.  

The phonemic awareness portion of Chloe’s lesson only lasted about 9 to 10 minutes, then she and I would sing our hearts out as we sang our special version of “Old McDonald” at the top of our lungs to learn the short vowel sounds. (See my blog post https://www.silentelephante.com/blog/category/Vowels at www.silentelephant.com to learn my adapted version of “Old McDonald and how to use it.) 

After enthusiastically singing, if Chloe wanted to learn one new reading word, both of us would write the word using specific colors on 4” x 6” note cards. Because she was only 4 years old, I didn’t push her, we spent time forming the letters and remembering the sounds as we created her new word. For this part of Silent Elephant “e” I use the Fry Sight Word List of 700 words. (Learn in detail how I teach sight words at https://www.silentelephante.com/blog/2021/2/15/how-do-you-teach-sight-words-36Xh1. This sight word blog post explains why some sight words are really phonetic, https://www.silentelephante.com/blog/2021/2/15/ts-truesome-sight-words-are-really-phonetic-heres-why) 

Whenever Chloe was still eager to learn, we delved into the phonics part of her lesson. We used Silent Elephant “e”, Part 3. Using Silent Elephant “e”’s excellent, extremely well organized “cookbook” directions, I made sure that Chloe knew letter sounds and letter names; the difference between sight words and phonetic words; how to read simple short vowel VC and CVC words; and how to read, write, spell, and comprehend sentences. At the end of Part 3, Chloe learned about root words and the suffix -s. 

In September of 2020, Chloe was ready for 30 minutes a day. She was excited to learn—truly bouncing in her chair! The more she learned, the more eager she was to learn!

By January 8th of 2021, she had mastered the entire Part I, Phonemic Awareness section of Silent Elephant “e” with 100% accuracy on both assessments!

At the beginning of February 2021, she was reading, writing, and spelling at a second semester 1st grade reading level (one full year above her expected reading level)! She read smoothly using beautiful expression and comprehended everything she read! 

At the completion of her Kindergarten year in June of 2021, Chloe was reading, writing, and spelling at a 4th grade reading level with excellent word recognition and comprehension! She loved reading. 

Presently (November of 2021), Chloe continues to tutor with me only twice a week for 45-minute sessions. She is now at a 5th grade reading level in first grade! She is in Part 7 of Silent Elephant “e”! Her parents want her to continue with me because she is having so much fun and learning so quickly.

I’m so happy to share this success story with you! I’m so proud of Chloe! It has been so fun to watch how a young learner without any learning differences speeds through the lessons with confidence, eagerness and joy.

Teaching children beginning in preschool with Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”, provides them with the best learning tools in lessons that are FUN—using their whole body to learn!

Recently I began tutoring two three-year-olds in phonemic awareness! We are having a great time playing the caterpillar and train games with no real expectations! It’s such a pleasure for me to watch these two young minds at work as they eagerly understand how our language works. They are a joy.

Just imagine where they’ll be a year from now!

Contact us with questions at:

LInda Katherine Smith-Jones Nina Henson

Keep a song in your heart!

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

Such Overwhelming Responsibility - Maybe! Maybe Just Different

Such Overwhelming Responsibility - Maybe! 

I hope that as you’ve gotten to know me, you realize how seriously I take my responsibility of being an excellent teacher in every way for each of my students and their parents. 

Interestingly, I’m discovering a new responsibility and a new teacher/student relationship the longer I tutor. This has taken me by surprise.  

As a classroom teacher, I struggled having to say good-bye to “my” children at the end of each school year. I would be in tears—tears I needed to hide. I knew I’d miss each one of them, but I’d send them off knowing they were going to have wonderful teachers the next year. When they walked out the door, my responsibility as their teacher ended. 

I looked forward to the times I’d see them in the hallway. I looked forward to watching them grow. 

Tutoring is a whole different ball game! 

I’m discovering that I don’t have a set number of days to teach my tutees. I totally move at their pace, making sure they are successful and reach mastery of each skill I teach them. When they finish Part 14 in Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”, they are ready to graduate from me—at least that was my goal and anticipated outcome when I wrote my reading program.

But after 9 years of tutoring, I’m realizing that this is not always the case. 

Although my tutees are academically ready to leave me, many of them, and their parents, are not emotionally ready to let go of our relationship upon completion of Part 14. This was something I wasn’t prepared for. 

One time, a ten-year-old girl ran upstairs and hid in an upstairs bedroom on her last day with me. She wouldn’t leave. Her dad went up to talk to her. I went up to talk to her reassuring her that she was going to do beautifully in school and that she could visit me whenever she wanted. I gave her lots of hugs while telling her how much I love her. I then went downstairs to tutor two more children for the next two hours. She still didn’t come down.  

At 7:30 that evening, I went up again with some hot chocolate and cookies. We talked more and hugged. Finally, she was ready for my service dogs and me to walk her home. 

To this day, she still frequently walks by, waves through the window, texts me with holiday wishes and comes over to play ball with my new service dog. 

I love her so much. She’s like a granddaughter to me. 

She wasn’t the only one of my kiddos who wasn’t ready to graduate even though their reading skills were advanced.  

As the end of another school year was approaching, “Troy”, a sixth-grade boy, asked me, “What happens when I graduate from you?” 

I explained that he wouldn’t need to come to tutoring anymore because he was far ahead in reading now. “I’m so proud of you! You’ve worked so hard! You’re an advanced reader!” 

He slowly, painfully asked, “Do you miss the kids that graduate from you?” 

“Yes, I do, very much!” I answered. “But I still see them sometimes. I go to their football and basketball games, their gymnastics meets and their school plays. They come over at Christmas time for hot cocoa. I’ll still get to see you.” 

“Oh,” was all he said. 

At our next tutoring session, he bounced in the door with a big smile on his face! “My mom said I’m going to keep coming to tutoring! I need help with math now.” He was beaming ear to ear.  

I was so surprised! I knew he didn’t need help with math, I also knew it was difficult for his family to afford tutoring. I wasn’t sure just what to say. 

When Mom came in to pick him up, he happily ran out the door to climb the tree in the front yard. I somewhat tentatively said to Mom, “Troy told me he’s going to continue tutoring.”  

Mom winked, “Oh yes, he needs help with math. He’ll come only once a week. The truth is, Troy needs you. You’re his lifeline. You build his self-confidence. He needs you!” 

I didn’t know what to say—I hadn’t seen this coming. I felt honored and humbled, yet in some respects I felt somewhat frightened and concerned about this new role I was to fill in Troy’s life. 

I looked at her and smiled, “I don’t know what to say. I’m honored to continue tutoring Troy. I love him as one of my grandboys. Thank you!” But this left me wondering. I’m still tutoring him once a week for an hour. 

Then two and a half years ago, one of my 11th graders was completing Part 14 at the end of December. She kept stalling and stalling, not wanting to have our last lesson. She’d tell me, “I need help with an English paper. I need help with my algebra practice test. I want to do some more timed readings.” 

Finally, at the end of January I said, “Sweetie, you are reading at a college reading level now. When you started tutoring with me a year and a half ago, you were at a fifth-grade reading level. Look what you’ve accomplished in such a short time! You’re going to do beautifully for the rest of your high school career and in college! You’re awesome! I believe in you!” 

Then I realized that like Troy and my 10-year-old who hid in the bedroom, she was afraid of letting go of me and the support I meant to her.  I assured her, “You can call, text and/or visit anytime. I will always want to keep in touch, to hear about all the amazing things you’re doing. You’ve got this! I love you so much!”   

Finally, realizing she wouldn’t be losing me, she was able to let that day be her last tutoring day. We both had tears in our eyes and exchanged big hugs. She and her mom always call on my birthday and text on holidays. I send her birthday cards. She called a couple of months ago to discuss her college course selection that she’s considering for next year—her sophomore year! She’s majoring in neurology! 

I’m so proud of her! I love her dearly! 

Those three are not the only ones. 

I have 4 other high schoolers that text often, send pictures and call occasionally. Before COVID, I attended their sporting events and class plays and they dropped by at Christmas for chocolate chip cookies and hot cocoa. 

Presently I have 4 kiddos that are tutoring with me one or two hours a week who have graduated from Part 14 but who are just not ready to end tutoring. They range in age from 9 to 14. I am tutoring them in advanced reading and spelling skills and helping with homework in language arts, math, science, and social studies.  

I have found myself quietly examining my new responsibility--one of continuing to support some of my students until they feel that not only are they excellent readers, writers, and spellers, but that they can trust themselves to confidently handle anything that comes their way. 

This responsibility can feel a little overwhelming but then maybe it’s the natural progression for them that I can’t rush any more than I could have rushed their learning phonemic awareness and phonics.  

When I feel it this way, I just relax and smile and LOVE that I get to continue to be a part of their lives as an educator and as a caring, loving person who will always know they will succeed.  

Now, I don’t have to let them go at the end of Part 14 - I get to watch them fly when they are ready to fly.

If you have any questions are Silent Elephant “e” or becoming a tutor, contact us.

Linda Katherine Smith-Jones Nina Henson

A Stress toy - Who Knew Something So Simple Made So Much Difference

Something So Simple Made All the Difference 

I watched the peace and calm of my concluding tutoring session fly out the door as a new family happily bounced nosily in. They brought smiles to my face. I loved their joyful eagerness to begin tutoring!
 
After everyone introduced themselves, my departing family beamed saying, “See you next week!”
 
I welcomed “Amy”, her dad, her mom, and her older sister to have a seat in the office area of my home.
 
We settled down to get to know each other. I introduced my service dogs Sundance and Kona; they told me about their much-loved dog “Scooter”. We shared our favorite and least favorite colors, food, subjects in school, hobbies, and interests.
 
As we progressed through my “Get to Know You Session”, Amy and her mom became more and more restless. Amy repeatedly jumped up, ran all around my home, jumped on the couch, rocked powerfully on the rocking chairs, and rolled on the floor. She was obviously feeling tension about beginning tutoring. Her Mom kept jumping up trying to rein Amy in while smiling uncomfortably, giggling nervously, and making excuses for Amy’s behavior.
 
I knew immediately that Amy and her mom had ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).

I’ve taught many such students during my classroom and tutoring teaching career. I was not concerned. I knew I could help Amy learn to read.
 
But to begin helping her, I needed to administer phonemic awareness and reading assessments. It definitely was a challenge to gently, positively and lovingly settle Amy in a chair and get her to focus long enough to complete the assessments.
 
We finished the phonemic awareness assessment during this first tutoring session and completed the other assessments during the second session.
 
She achieved 30% accuracy in her initial assessment in phonemic awareness and did not know most letter names and letter sounds. She was a nonreader.
 
No wonder she was feeling so much fear and tension about beginning tutoring--she knew she was a nonreader.
 
That was four years ago when Amy was in second grade and already 2 years behind in reading.
 
She had good reason to be frustrated and concerned about learning to read, as she hadn’t been able to so far.
 
Adding to Amy’s severe ADHD, she is also profoundly dyslexic. She has been on medication for the past 3 years for ADHD but she is still hyperactive during reading as her medication is wearing off by the time we have tutoring late in the evening.
 
Amy began to feel success almost immediately when we began tutoring together with Silent Elephant “e” thus helping her relax a little.  Even with all her learning challenges, she works very hard with a positive attitude. It only took her a year coming to tutoring twice a week to master phonemic awareness. And in 2 years she caught up and surpassed her grade level in word recognition and reading comprehension. She is so proud of herself.

I am still tutoring Amy, as her parents feel I provide her security and stability.

Presently she is 2 years ahead of her grade level in reading. Her word recognition is superb. Her reading expression is outstanding. She does struggle with sequencing and maturity of thought in comprehension. Thus, our tutoring sessions focus on these skills.
 

Here’s why I’m eager to share Amy with you: suddenly two months ago, her comprehension achieved a 180 degree turn around in an extremely positive direction!
 
Even though I tutor on Zoom, I could visually see a different young lady on the screen--a relaxed young lady ready to read. I could hear a calm voice (not the nervous, silly giggle I most often hear). As usual, she read the pages in the book beautifully.
 
Then I began to ask her questions about what she had just read, and this is where I became speechless. She always does beautifully answering simple recall questions: characters, setting, problems, and solutions. However, when we move to higher level questions: sequencing, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating, her weaknesses quickly become apparent. As I mentioned above, she struggles with sequencing and maturity.
 
But on this particular day two months ago, she sequenced the story she’d just read into thirteen steps using her own words in great detail in complete sentences! No detail was missed or out of order! I was shocked! Nothing even close to this had ever happened before!
 
When I began asking higher level questions requiring maturity of thought, a calm, confident Amy I’d never seen before self-assuredly answered every question! I couldn’t believe it!
 
I told her how proud I was of her explaining beautifully in great detail everything she’d just answered for me. Then I asked, “How do you feel? Are you proud of yourself? What’s different about you today?”
 
She said, “I feel good! The only thing I can think of that is different is that I have this fidget ball in my hand.” She held it up for me to see.
 
Could this small ball in her hand make such a difference?
“Tell me about it,” I implored.
 
“My mom got this and 3 other kinds of fidgets (not the spinning kind), stress relievers and neato sensory toys from a teacher supply store. My sister is using them too.
 
“When I squeeze the neato over and over again, I just feel so relaxed. I’m not so nervous. I can think better. What I’m reading makes sense! I feel happy!” She was beaming from ear to ear!
 
I could hardly believe this was the same little girl I’ve been teaching for 4 years! I was thrilled, but afraid to get too excited.
 
And here is why I’m eager to share with you: this wonderful transformation has continued throughout each tutoring session for the last 2 months.
 
After a month, I called her mom to share our wonderful experiences, Amy’s explanation for the change and to ask mom to share her thoughts.
 
Mom was thrilled to hear of the transformation. She said that Amy was using the stress relievers while doing her on-line school lessons now and when doing homework. The stress relievers were helping her sister too.
 
I am so pleased by Amy’s transformation and her newly found way to succeed. I believe Amy won’t need my tutoring services after this school year. She’s unquestionably a successful, advanced reader now. I couldn’t be happier.

I wanted to share Amy’s transformation with you because I want to try these stress relievers with 2 other children I tutor. It might just be what they need to help them relax and understand what they are reading.
 
As you read this, maybe you are thinking of some kiddos in your life that might benefit from fidgets (not the spinning ones), stress relievers and neato sensory toys.
 
If you have any questions or experiences you would like to share, contact us.

Linda Katherine Smith-Jones                               Nina Henson