4 Factors to Consider when Teaching a Learner with Learning Differences

Sharing 4 Factors to Consider when Teaching a Learner with Learning Differences during the Top Picks Back to School Bash was a blast!

Here are some highlights we covered in the workshop:
When teaching a learner with learning differences, we want to consider these four factors and make sure that we are meeting all of them as we teach.

Factor 1 – Immersion and Engagement – Your learning difference learner needs to be totally immersed and totally engaged in whatever they are learning. Ask this question, “How many ways can we have fun using their five senses, their voice and their body to learn this concept and connect it to what they already know?” 

To internalize the new concept that you're teaching and connect it with all other concepts that they've learned previously they need to be totally engaged with the concept in ways they enjoy. This total engagement and immersion in the fun of learning will activate all parts of their brain and make it possible for them to easily internalize, learn new concepts, and connect the new with what they already know.

Factor 2 – Embedded - To engage all parts of the learning different brain in learning to read, write and spell you want to teach them together. In other words, you want to embed their writing and spelling into their learning to read.

What does that look like? When they are learning a new phonics concept such as /ea/, or even a short vowel sound, they learn to read, write and spell words with those phonics concepts at the same time they are learning to read them. Then they immediately begin using their new words in reading and writing sentences.

Learning writing and spelling at the same time they learn to read makes sense to their learning difference brain that does not separate reading, writing and spelling into 3 separate subjects. 😊

Factor 3 – How the curriculum is set up matter. Is it sequential, systemic, progressive and logical? Does it teach all skills and concepts simple to complex?

This is not only important for them, it’s important for you. If the curriculum you are using doesn’t move sequentially simple to complex as it progressives logically and systematically through the skills and concepts, it will be not only be frustrating to you but chances are high that they will not learn easily or readily, maybe not at all.

Factor 4 – Predictability – For your learning difference learner to learn easily and readily to read, write and spell, you want their program and the way you are teaching to be predictable to them. It is very important to the learning difference brain to NOT have to wonder about how you will be presenting new concepts and skills or about what their worksheets look like.

Their brain needs to relax into the predictable so it can focus on what’s important – the new concept and how that concept relates to everything they have already know.

There’s actually a Factor 5 – This one is also important, maybe the most important. Believing they are going to read, write and spell and have fun doing it! They need to KNOW that YOU KNOW they will learn and enjoy their learning process.

Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ was written around these factors which is why we are watching our students with all kinds of learning differences become completely independent readers, writers and spellers enjoying their freedom to learn new concepts in every subject.

Yes! They still have learning differences, but they don’t struggle with reading, writing or spelling. There’s such freedom in that and it’s such a pleasure to watch their success!

If you have any questions about these 4 factors or Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™, call (208-859-4406) or email here silentelephante@gmail.com or nina.silentelephante@gmail.com

An Exciting Discovery

  My sweet fifteen-year-old student kept looking at me with a patient, wondrous smile.

As usual our tutoring session began with us playing the caterpillar and train phonemic awareness games. We proceeded to her word cards from the Fry List -- the 700 most frequently used words for reading and writing. Then we were ready to begin the Partner Practice page that she was on in Part 4:  the suffix -es added to words ending with the consonant digraphs “sh” and “ch”.

When I asked her to take out her worksheet, ‘Carrie’ said, “We didn’t have time to copy the worksheets, so I just put them on my Apple I-Pad.”

“Oh,” I said with a concerned voice. How was she going to mark the digraphs, root words, suffixes and vowels with our colors and our diacritical markings? So, I continued, “Maybe you could write the words on a piece of paper, so you can do all of our colors and markings.”

“I don’t need to do that,” Carrie patiently explained. “I can do all the colors and markings on my I-Pad.”

”How can you do that?” I worriedly questioned.

“I just use my Apple pen,” she replied.

“You mean it will write in colors and make different shapes and lines?”

“Yes.”

Carrie’s eyebrows raised higher and higher with each of my questions. I could see in her eyes and smile that she was delighted at my lack of knowledge of I-Pad’s and Apple pen’s capabilities. She was also proud to be teaching me!

“This is amazing!” I exclaimed. “My other students’ parents would not have to copy the Partner Practice pages if they didn’t want to or if they didn’t have a printer. This is awesome!”

Carrie’s bright, happy smile charmed me! Giggles!

I told her that I would have to share my new knowledge with everyone I knew that was teaching or learning reading, writing and spelling with Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™.

I can imagine many of you are thinking, “Really, Linda didn’t know the capabilities of an Apple I-Pad or an Apple pen?”

Yes, it’s true – I didn’t know! Giggles!

But now that I know, I wanted to share with you that your child may enjoy doing some or all their Partner Practice pages on an I-Pad.

Now, you may be wondering, “Why doesn’t Linda put all “Silent Elephant “e”™ on a computer program with learning games?”

The answer is simple. For children to truly learn to read, write and spell while retaining and applying what they’ve learned for years to come, they need to be able to interact with the concept, to be engaged with their teacher/parent educator and if possible other children. They need to both mentally and verbally process and share what they’ve learned with someone. They need to hear and respond to questions like these:

• Why are you using an orange wiggly line under those two letters?

• I know that ‘trip’ can mean going on a vacation. Can you think of another meaning of trip?

• How many sounds can you hear in the nonsense word “fash”? Are any of the sounds a blend? A digraph? Why did you think that?

• What do you think about when adding a suffix that begins with a vowel to a word ending with Silent Elephant “e”? How is your thinking different when adding a vowel suffix to a CVC word?

Children need to be able to share their learning and listen to a teacher/parent educator and if possible, another child share their thoughts.

Children need to be totally immersed in their learning and engaged with another human being using active listening to totally integrate their new concepts into what they’ve already learned.

They need to be actively involved in their learning.

Carrie easily used her I-Pad and Apple Pen to mark all her words and she easily shared her work with me during our Zoom tutoring session, at the same time, she was reading to me, answering questions, asking questions, explaining why she marked the words as she did, and sharing how she knew what a word meant and much more.

She was using her technology to support her active engagement in her learning process.

I was so excited to learn from Carrie that an Apple I-pad and an Apple pen can be used to engage in active learning with their Partner Practice pages. What fun!

Maybe you would like to have your kiddos try it!

Contact me here :).

I Taught It. They did it. Why Don't They Know It Now?!?

 I taught it. They did it. Where did it go?

The Solution is Easier and More Fun than You Imagined :)

Why don’t they know it?
I taught them. 
We did it.
They seemed to get it then, but now, it’s gone. 
I’ll have to teach it again.

What’s up with this?

This is not uncommon and it’s definitely more common with students who have learning differences. You teach it and at that moment they seem to understand it. Later, it’s like they’ve never heard of the concept.

There’s actually a very simple reason for this: not all parts of their brain were activated in their initial introduction and learning of the concept.

Since all parts of their brain were not activated, they did not connect the new concept to their prior knowledge, nor did they imagine how it connects to future concepts. They are left with disjointed information that their brain tends to let go of to not feel confused.

This is why they give you that blank look when you return to the concept.

And, of course, this is frustrating for YOU and THEM.

For you, it’s frustrating because they don’t seem to be learning or progressing, of course, you’re worried.

For them, it’s frustrating because they don’t understand why they don’t remember anything (or very little) of the concept. Add to that, their feeling of disappointing you.

Let’s talk about this. Let’s talk about activating all parts of their brain. It’s easy! It’s fun! It will change everything.

Their learning it the first time, even as a dyslexic, is about total immersion and total engagement with a concept. When they are totally immersed in a concept, they easily connect it to all prior learning and can imagine how it will connect to future concepts.

In other words, they learn it. They own the concept. The next time it comes up in their studies, they will be able to tell you all about it and how it connects to all their studies. The problem of them not “remembering” is solved!

Now let’s talk about what “total immersion and total engagement” with a concept means and what it looks like.

A simple way to think about immersion with a concept, especially a vague concept like phonics, is to ask ourselves, “How many ways can we use our 5 senses, our body, and our voice to learn a new concept? We can draw, color, act, make and build things, play with puppets, sing, dance, imagine and share our thoughts. How can we immerse our whole self into the new concept, so they really understand it and use it in all their other learning?”

When their whole self is immersed in learning a concept, all parts of their brain are immersed as well, and therefore all parts of their brain will be active. For dyslexics, who have parts of their brains that are not easily activated to learn, this immersive engagement does the trick.

Immersing your child in every vague phonics concept to successfully learn to read, write and spell is why every single concept and every activity within every single concept in Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ immerses their whole brain, their whole self in the learning.

They taste, listen, draw, color, explain, restate, clarify, connect, feel, share, smell and question every moment of their learning of a concept. In this total immersion they quickly and easily learn the new concept, connect it with the old, and understand how it connects to new learning that is on the way. 

They’re happy. They have fun. Their whole self is immersed in their learning. They are eager for more.

Here's some examples of being immersed in learning how their brain works. 😊 Enjoy!
Wait! I Have A Chest of Drawers in My Head?
Yes, There's a Chest of Drawers in Your Brain
Now You're Telling Me I Have a Rabbit in My Brain??
Analogies Open the Door to Learning

Contact me here with questions! Check out our Store here.

When Should I Begin Silent Elephant "e" With My Children - - NOW!

Don’t Wait!

“When should I begin Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ with my children?”

My answer is, “Begin teaching your children to read, write and spell with Silent Elephant “e”™ as soon as they are 4 years old or as soon as possible after you’ve learned about my awesome Silent Elephant “e”™ program. The sooner the better! They will enjoy success and fast progress at any age!” 😊

Maybe you have a preschooler just beginning to understand how our language works or maybe you have a middle schooler and/or a junior or senior high student struggling everyday with reading, writing and spelling. Wherever they are is the right place and now is the right time to begin with Silent Elephant “e”™.

It has been my experience as an educator, that once a child is feeling insecure and struggling with reading, writing and spelling, it’s going to take quite a bit of time for them to let go of their feelings of inadequacy. And it has been my experience, that Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ turns them around more quickly and successfully than any other program I have ever worked with.

This is not surprising, because Silent Elephant “e”™ is written the way all people learn. Everything your child will do, every concept he/she will process and learn and connect with all other learning, is through sensory activities. Your children will become totally involved in their learning, so it works, and it works for them quickly.Silent Elephant “e”™ was written for preschoolers through adults to be the only reading, writing and spelling program children and adults need, giving their language arts journey continuity and stability -- setting them on solid footing for the rest of their lives.

When they begin their reading, writing and spelling with Silent Elephant “e”™ as a preschooler, Kindergartener or first grader, they are fresh to their learning and they connect reading, writing and spelling together the way their brain learns. Their learning makes total sense to them as they progress through phonemic awareness and phonics. The sensory activities they use to learn every concept are fun! They retain and apply their skills to decode unknown words.

Older children who have experienced struggles and frustrations with reading, writing and spelling probably have a low self-concept about their ability to learn. It will take time for them to let go of their unsure feelings (usually only about 4 to 5 weeks).  My experience with Silent Elephant “e”™ is they readily let go of their concerns about themselves and their ability to read, write and spell and then they fly! They are thrilled with their newfound ability to read and write, their new found freedom.

If your child is dyslexic or has any other learning difference, beginning Silent Elephant “e”™ as soon as possible sets their foundation in reading, writing and spelling on strong footing and guides them to become strong, capable, confident young people with a joy of learning!

It has been my experience with Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ that no matter how dyslexic a student is, or how much they have struggled, they become delightfully happy and successful students.

Several of my most profoundly dyslexic students are now enjoying college without struggle.

Rebecca is a wonderful example, even though she is profoundly dyslexic, she is no longer struggling in school. She is completely confident and happy. That alone is a good reason to start their Silent Elephant “e”™ journey as soon as possible. This post shares Rebecca's story.

Here are three more posts that share successes. Julie is severely dyslexic, whereas Rachel doesn't have learning differences. 17 Months to 6th Grade Level, Reading and Writing Go Together, "Sh" is a Digraph, Not a Blend. Enjoy.

So - what's the answer to the question, ““When should I begin Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ with my children?” 
NOW! And the sooner the better! Don’t wait! 
It doesn’t matter how old they are or what their current reading, writing and spelling skills are, they will be successful with Silent Elephant “e”™.

Contact me here!  Or here!

“My brain felt so disorganized! I felt like a railroad without tracks,”

Stephen stopped in the middle of our Zoom lesson, and looked me in the eyes, “Mrs. Jones, I’ve been thinking about something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a long time. Do you know how I felt all the time before I began tutoring with you?”

I looked at him thoughtfully as he was so serious. “No,” I replied, “but I’d love for you to tell me.”

“I felt like a railroad without tracks,” he said slowly and then quickly looked away. I could tell he felt uncomfortable, and this had been hard for him to say.

My brain began to whirl trying to picture what he had experienced and what he meant. “Please tell me more.”

Slowly Stephen began explaining, “For years and years, I tried so hard to make sense of what my parents, teachers and other tutors were teaching me. I felt my brain was built for learning concepts. I felt capable of learning. I really did.

“But I also felt dumb. I watched my teachers walk away from my desk – giving up on helping me. It took too much of their time to try to help me. They had so many other children to help. They began to ignore me. I felt so alone.

“My brain felt so scattered! My brain felt so disorganized! I needed railroad tracks to guide me.”

I could feel Stephen’s profound pain – it was palpable!

He continued, “I tried so hard to do what I thought was right, but I was never right!

“I could see and hear what my friends were doing, but no matter how hard I tried, I could never get it right. I thought I was the stupidest person alive! I felt like giving up!

“I’m so glad my mom didn’t give up on me. She was aware that I was developing numerous coping mechanisms – trying to cope in school with the way teachers and other kids looked at me, trying not to feel embarrassed in front of everyone, trying to learn and always failing, trying to keep on believing in myself.

“It was the best day of my life when my mom brought me to your house for tutoring. Within just a few minutes of meeting me, you told me that I was smart! You said that I would learn! You said that I just needed to be taught a in different way. You said I needed to be taught to read, write and spell the way MY brain learned!

“After just 3 weeks of tutoring with you, I suddenly could see and hear individual sounds within words (phonemic awareness). I finally got it! Before we did the caterpillar and train games, I couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to do when teachers and my parents said, ‘Just sound it out.’ When I began to hear the individual sounds within words, I knew I was going to be able to learn to read!

“When we started using colors for phonics, I felt relief and joy too! The color that helps me the most is the purple lines between syllables! The purple lines break the words into smaller pieces and then I can use the other colors to help me see the small phonetic parts of words that the letters form.”

As I listened, I was doing my best not to be too emotional. “Oh, Stephen, I’m so grateful to be your tutor!

“Hearing your words, I am reminded of just how serious and important a teachers’ job is and I’m reminded of the huge responsibility that I have to all my students.

“I’m so thankful I’ve been able to help you learn to read, write and spell so quickly! Do you remember that in just 2 years you went from a primer to a 9th grade reading level between the ages of 8 and 10?”

“Yes, I do remember,” he said with a big smile, “and my reading continues to grow and become even faster and smoother.”

“You are an extremely intelligent person! You and your family would never have given up on you!

“I’m so proud of you! You’re awesome!”

I could see the relief and pride in his eyes. He had realized his own growth and could feel a bright future ahead.

With smiles on our faces, we did our computer high five and returned to our lesson. 

Phonemic awareness is the foundation of reading, writing and spelling. If a child doesn’t have phonemic awareness, they will struggle with reading, writing and spelling, it’s just that important.

Part 1 of Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ is 47 lessons in phonemic awareness. Part 2 has all the assessments you will need including a detailed phonemic awareness assessment.

When they finish Part 1, when they have phonemic awareness, their foundation of success is set and they will fly.

Contact me here, silentelephante@gmail.com! 😊

I Need You Help!

I need your help! 😊

What can I do to help you and your kids experience the joy and freedom of learning to read, write and spell using Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™? 

What do you need from me? 

I imagine that when you look at the cost of the whole Silent Elephant “e”™ program, it might look daunting.
 However, when you break the cost down for what you are purchasing, 3 subjects for 14 years of learning, it turns out to be less than $40 a year per subject.

Further, you will use Silent Elephant “e”™ for all your children, no matter age or learning differences. With Silent Elephant “e”™, you have reading, writing and spelling for preschoolers through high schoolers. It is the only language arts program you’ll need to buy.
 
You can purchase the whole program initially, which offers you a savings, or you have the option of purchasing the parts separately.
 
Secondly, I want to say this because it’s very important to me, I wrote Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ after much research on how our brains learn and much personal experience with my students and my own daughter. That’s why Silent Elephant “e”™ is active, interactive, interesting, and fun in every moment of every lesson. Plus, it’s easy for you to teach with and your children will love learning with Silent Elephant “e”™. This is also why everyone teaching with Silent Elephant “e”™ has had so much success.
 
Please help me by letting me know what you need from me to help you be able to  purchase Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ so you and your children can experience the same joy and freedom of learning that every one of my students has experienced. 
 
What do you need from me?
 
Please send your thoughts and ideas to silentelephante@gmail.com
THANK YOU!  

They Said She Would Never Catch Up in Comprehension

Silent Elephant “e” Has to Disappear!

 A smile brightens my face as I recall the day “Kimberly” excitedly shared her experience of teaching her class my phonics lesson about when and why Silent Elephant “e”™ has to disappear at the end of Silent Elephant “e”™ words when you add a suffix that begins with a vowel.

She beamed as she told me, “My teacher loved the Silent Elephant “e”™ puppet! She thought it totally made sense that you couldn’t make SILENT Elephant “e” talk by putting ‘two vowels walking’ next to each other when you add a suffix that begins with a vowel!”

You might be confused, so let me give you some examples. Let’s take the word “poke”. If you want to add the suffix -s which begins with a consonant, you can just add it on to the end of the root word to make “pokes”. The consonant “s” will not make “two vowels go walking” in the word.

However, if you want to add the suffix -ed which begins with a vowel, you cannot just add it on the end of the root word as it will make “pokeed. Silent Elephant “e” has to disappear, or you’ll have “two vowels go walking” and the first vowel will have to say its name.

If you want to add the suffix -ing which begins with a vowel, you cannot just add it on the end of the root word as it will make “pokeing”. Again, if Silent Elephant “e” doesn’t disappear you’ll have “two vowels go walking” and the first vowel will have to say its name.

This sweet girl is now a 5th grader. She began tutoring with me in late October of her 3rd grade year. She was at an instructional 3rd grade reading level in word recognition but frustrated at a 1st grade reading level in comprehension.

She has dyspraxia. Dyspraxia is a chronic neurological condition where the wiring in the brain is mixed up. People with dyspraxia display different symptoms. Kimberly can easily find and remember details when she reads, but she was struggling putting the details together to make sense of sentences, paragraphs, and lengthy pieces of writing. She struggled to find the main idea in any piece of writing. The educational psychologist that diagnosed Kimberly told me that Kimberly would probably never catch up in reading comprehension.

After completing only 14 months of instruction with me using Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™, last March during her 4th grade year, this bubbly, energetic little girl tested out at a 9th grade instructional reading level in word recognition AND comprehension using the Fleishman Oral Reading Inventory!

This is such a joyful example of the power of Silent Elephant “e”™ that teaches each child the way they learn. My heart sings knowing Kimberly is a successful reader. Her world has opened up for her.

Contact me here to explore how you can teach your kiddos with Silent Elephant “e”™ to give them the freedom of a solid reading, writing and spelling foundation that will set them up for life.

"Sh" is a Digraph, not a Blend, She Taught Her Class

 “Sh” is a digraph because when “s” and “h” are together
they make one new sound of /sh/.

 It always makes me giggle and burst with pride when one of my kiddos becomes so confident in their skills that they become the teacher. It’s such a good feeling, for them, for me and certainly for their parents.

Silent Elephant “e”™ is THE program that teaches reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, and comprehension), writing and spelling in a precisely organized, systematic, complete auditory, visual and kinesthetic way that ALL CHILDREN NEED, especially dyslexic and struggling learners.

It is THE program that makes the teaching and learning to read, write and spell interesting, fun and a sure thing. It engages their whole brain and all their senses every moment of every lesson.

Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e” is tried and true and that became apparent again when “Kathy”, the proud mom of “Julie”, one of my students, excitedly shared this wonderful story.

At the time, Julie was in second grade and because of Covid was on the computer for her reading class with her teacher and classmates. Her teacher told a child who was struggling to read the word “shade” that “shade” started with the blend “sh”.

Julie raised her hand and her teacher called on her. Julie politely explained to her teacher and classmates that “sh” is not a blend.

“If “sh” was a blend, it would make the Kindergarten sounds of /s/ and /h/ blended together smoothly. Then “shade” would sound like /s/ - /h/ - /long “a”/ - /d/.

“So, “sh” is a digraph, because when “s” and “h” are together they make one new sound of /sh/.

Julie continued teaching, “My tutor says that the letters in blends sound just the same as the sounds we learned for the letters in Kindergarten.

“But the letters in digraphs make new, different sounds, not at all like the sounds we learned in Kindergarten. Mrs. Jones and I say the digraphs are magical, because the letters magically change their sounds to become digraphs.”

Julie’s teacher was amazed, “Wow Julie, you explained that very well, very clearly. We’ll never get blends and digraphs mixed up again! Good job!”

Kathy beamed with pride and shared, “I was so impressed by how politely and meticulously Julie taught her teacher and her classmates!

“Everything she’s learned from you completely makes sense to her.” (Julie often said during a lesson, “Oh, that makes sense.” 😊)

Kathy smiled with pride and continued, “Julie teaches Silent Elephant “e” to anyone who will listen: me, her dad, her little sister, her grandma, her friends—everyone! Maybe she’ll grow up to be a teacher.”

I, too, felt so much pride!

Julie is a completely different girl than the one who began Silent Elephant “e”™. She is severely dyslexic and had already been placed in special education in the early part of first grade.

But there she was completely successful in her reading class, even on the computer. What Julie needed to become confident in her reading, writing and spelling was a precisely organized, systematic, complete auditory, visual and kinesthetic program, aka, Silent Elephant “e”™.

Students becoming a teacher is a common theme when you teach with Silent Elephant “e”™. It teaches them the way they learn, so reading, writing and spelling “makes sense” and it is easy for them to explain to others what they understand, even if they are severely dyslexic. Explaining why they know what they know is an integral part of the program.

Being severely dyslexic did not stop Julie from learning to read, write and spell. She is a confident student, never looking back, thanks to being taught the way her dyslexic brain learns. Thanks to Silent Elephant “e”™.  Within 3.5 years, Julie, as a first grader, went from frustrated at a Kindergarten level to an instructional 11th grade reading level at the end of her fourth-grade year of school! She is at the top of her class instead of the bottom of her class. She used to struggle with anxiety and depression. Today my heart is filled with joy seeing how proud and confident she is of herself!

Contact me here to explore how you can teach your kiddos with Silent Elephant “e”™ to give them the freedom of a solid reading, writing and spelling foundation that will set them up for life.

Reading and Writing Go Together - Her Essay Shares Her Solid Foundation

In my last post (here's the link), I shared my student Rachel’s success and how the deep foundation in reading, writing and spelling she received from Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ is showing in all parts of her life.

Her mom, Jennifer, had mentioned in her letter that Rachel had written a report on a special person as a school assignment.

I’m eager to share it with you. 

“My Special Person
By Rachel 3-3-23

My special person is my mom. Do you want to know why? (I have lots of reasons I meen lots.). I love my mom because she takes care of me when I’m sick. She gets mad when I pass the sickness along to her, but she still loves me. When I was learning to ride my bike she pushed me forward (theoreticly not physically). I remember when I was in seattle, and it was Covid, she was are teacher at home. Every day for recess we would bounce on the trampoline. I loved those days. My mom helped us move. And when I was born she quit her job just like with Rebecca (my older sister). my family went to Plymouth. I got a fever and even then, my mom took care of me. I think you can see how important my mom is to me.” 

This is delightful and an amazing story for a second grader!

As I look at her story to see how she is doing, I notice her content is relevant and flows beautifully.

There are just three spelling errors: mean, theoretically (What an amazing vocabulary word and spelling attempt! She was so close you knew exactly which word she was using.), and our.

She needed to capitalize Seattle and the beginning of one sentence, plus she needed a couple of commas for adverbial phrases. That’s another thing! She is using adverbial phrases!! Also, her use of parenthesis within her story is outstanding!
 
Plus, her handwriting is beautiful!

This is exceptional writing for an eight-year-old and it’s so fun to share this with you. 

Her story illustrates two points that Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ provides us all:

First, with Silent Elephant “e”™, it doesn’t take 6 years to be a successful reader on a 6th grade level. She’s in second grade writing an essay like this one!

Second (maybe the most important, as it frees our students to read and learn freely), with Silent Elephant “e”™, they achieve a SOLID, STABLE foundation in reading, writing and spelling that is theirs for the rest of their life. Rachel is now reading and comprehending above 6th grade level and her writing and spelling is above age level as well.
 
This is why I wrote Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ -  so ALL children and adults feel the freedom of reading and writing.

Contact me here to explore how you can teach your kiddos with Silent Elephant “e”™ to give them the freedom of a solid reading, writing and spelling foundation that will set them up for life.
Or call me here Linda Smith-Jones 208-859-4406 

Keep a song in your heart!

17 Months to 6th Grade Level with Only Twice a Week Instruction!

This seems to be the season for up-dates.

In my  March 8th email, From Failure to Scoring 104% on Her Spelling Test, I had the pleasure of sharing how my student Rebecca has been acing her spelling tests plus spelling the majority of her surprise extra credit words correctly. She has been scoring 100% or above for weeks.

Her mom also shared how Rebecca clearly understands syllabification because of how Silent Elephant “e”™ taught her and that she helped her teacher with the word “temperature”.

When Rebecca graduated from Silent Elephant “e”™ she was reading on an 11th grade level and has continued to progress though she is profoundly dyslexic. She is now in the  5th grade and, as her mom shared, confident and eager. She can read anything she wants and write delightful stories.

NOW – I get to share an update on Rebecca’s sister Rachel.

Rachel is not dyslexic like her sister. She began Silent Elephant “e”™ just before entering Kindergarten. She had been in preschool for a bit, but then Covid hit. Rachel’s mom wanted her to have the same foundation that Rebecca was getting.

Rachel finished Kindergarten reading on a 4th grade level. She went on to finish first grade decoding words on a 6th grade level. She is now in the last part of her second-grade year and Jennifer, her mom, sent this wonderful update and photos.

“Rachel is doing great! She's so far advanced in her class.  Her classmates write short sentences and Rachel writes paragraphs. They are finishing up a book they are writing about animals.  Rachel chose the mountain lion. Her teacher is going to email it to me when they are finished. I can forward a copy to you.  I volunteered and helped the other students, so I saw a good comparison of her writing verses her classmates.  She also wrote a paper on her special person, me (!). 

“Rachel loves researching, science and math. Her teacher told me that they (she and the class aide) were blown away recently when Rachel started talking about Malala Yousafzai.  Rachel knows who she is because she talks to Rebecca about her and she can read the "I Am", the "Who Was?” and the “Who Is?" book series.  I'm not sure what level these books are, but definitely not 2nd grade!!” Jennifer proudly wrote.

“Rachel has read almost all the "I Survived" book series.  She absolutely loves them!!

“Rachel reads ALL the time.  We've been tracking it the last couple of weeks for a read-a-thon at school and she reads around 390 minutes a week. She really loves learning all things, but she especially loves math.  As of now, she wants to be a mathematician when she grows up.  Her teacher told me to email her when Rachel goes to Harvard! :-)

Love, Jennifer” 

Rachel is flying because she has the stable foundation in reading, writing and spelling that Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ provides for every learner: dyslexics, those with other learning differences, or like Rachel, no learning differences.

What Silent Elephant “e”™ did was teach Rachel the way she learns - through fun, active activities, and as her success is showing, just like with her dyslexic sister, it does not take 6 years to be reading on a 6th grade level, dyslexic or not.

Further, Rachel was reading on a 6th grade level in 17 months with just 20-25 minutes of Silent Elephant “e”™ instruction just twice a week in Kindergarten and only 25-40 minutes twice a week in first grade. She is now easily comprehending on a 6th grade level after 2.75 years.

Now, as her mom shared, second grade Rachel is free to read anything she wants and write wonderful stories about what she enjoys reading.

Just like her dyslexic sister Rebecca, Rachel feels not bound to what she can learn.

This is the freedom that Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ provides. It teaches children to read, write and spell the way they love to learn, and they never look back.

Contact us here to explore how you can teach your kiddos with Silent Elephant “e”™ and give them the freedom of a solid reading, writing and spelling foundation for the rest of their lives. 

Linda Smith-Jones

Imagine My Surprise As I Opened the Box

Imagine My Surprise

Imagine my surprise as I opened a package to find this beautiful quilt hidden inside.

I had no idea who had sent it and as I admired the beauty of the quilt, I searched for a card. I eagerly opened the one I found to find these wonderful words from my former student “Sean”: “Thank you for all the help you gave me. It has helped so much! Thank you for everything!” (It wasn’t too wordy, he is a 14-year-old boy 😊, but I could feel the relief and pride in his words.)

His grandma wrote, “You are an amazing woman touching so many lives—you are a God send to ‘Sean’. You were exactly what he needed!! This will make a difference for the rest of his life! We can’t thank you enough!”  

As Sean’s grandma said, he is set for life. He can relax and learn anything he wants to learn. 

It’s always both joyful and a little hard when one of my students graduates from Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™.

Sean’s grandparents are the ones who contacted me about tutoring Sean a little over 2 years ago. They were very worried because he was struggling in school and was not progressing in reading, writing and spelling. He was way behind his age level peers and was becoming more and more frustrated and embarrassed. Sean was in 6th grade and reading independently at a 2nd grade reading level.

2 years later with Silent Elephant “e”™ under his belt, Sean graduated from me and headed off to his 8th grade classes with the knowledge that he was now reading at an instructional 9th grade reading level!

I am so proud of him.

This exquisite quilt is a thank you from his grandmother. I am in awe of its beauty and the craftmanship and talent it shows. I barely had it out of the box before I began trying to decide which wall to hang it on so that I could see it throughout my day.  😊

With Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ we are changing lives. We are setting our kiddos on a new trajectory—one of success and fun.

No child should struggle to learn to read, write or spell.

Every child should have fun learning to read, write and spell.

Contact us here if you know of anyone who is struggling in reading, writing or spelling. They don’t even have to be children. 😊

Linda Smith-Jones  silentelephante@gmail.com          

From Failure to Scoring 104% on Her Spelling Test! She Understands How Phonics and Spelling Works

 Today, I get to share this wonderful update that makes my heart sing!!

It’s from Jennifer, the mom of my student Rebecca, who graduated from Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ 9 months ago.

These are Jennifer’s proud words:  
“All the extra hours of studying and practicing and tutoring paid off! 104%!! When Rebecca started spelling in first grade, it was so stressful for her that she took her test alone and untimed. Now Rebecca understands phonics and why words are spelled the way they are, and she tests with the class. She just did three weeks in a row with 100%, 102% and now this 104%! She gets the twenty-word spelling list to study, but the extra credit ones are a surprise on test day.

People with dyslexia CAN spell. They just need someone to teach them how and to believe they can!”

On another day, Jennifer shared an experience Rebecca had during the past week in school. Rebecca had a reading assignment to circle all the words on the paper that had 3 syllables. When she was working on it, her teacher stopped by her desk and said, “You forgot to circle ’temperature’.” Rebecca politely replied, “Temperature has 4 syllables, so I shouldn’t circle it. Every syllable has one vowel sound. You need to say it correctly to spell it correctly.” She truly has learned phonics!

Rebecca’s grandma, a retired teacher, said, “I am so grateful that Jennifer insisted that there had to be a solution and then researched until she found Mrs. Jones and Silent Elephant "e", LLC ! Rebecca is amazing !!!”

This is even more joyful news when you realize that Rebecca is profoundly dyslexic.

When she began Silent Elephant “e”™ with me as a first grader, she didn’t have any phonemic awareness and was failing in reading, writing and, as Jennifer shared above, spelling. Rebecca’s school had staffed her into special education with an IEP. To that point, nothing that had been tried had helped her learn.

School was painful for her, and Jennifer set out to find someone who understood her as a dyslexic learner and could teach her the way she learns as a dyslexic.

Skipping ahead to today, Rebecca is a completely successful 5th grader reading on an 11th grade level, writing amazing creative stories and poems, and as you saw, understands spelling because she KNOWS and UNDERSTANDS phonics because she was taught phonics the way her brain learns.

She is free to happily explore her world, and she is.
I’m so proud of her!
 
If you have a child who is struggling with reading, writing or spelling, please contact me.
If you know someone whose child is struggling, send them this email and encourage them to contact me.

No child should struggle with reading, writing or spelling.

In Jennifer’s wonderful words, “They just need someone who can teach them how and believe they can.”

With Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ YOU have the HOW to teach them the WAY THEY LEARN, and you are the one who loves and BELIEVES in them. 

Contact me here silentelephante@gmail.com

Keep a song in your heart!

To Her the Words Looked Like They Were Under a Magnifying Glass

Not every dyslexic learner experiences the words and letters moving around. Some do, and in those who do, they don't see it the same. Interesting. 

I’ve shared how Josie and one of my seven-year-old students opened my eyes by sharing what happens to the words and letters when they read. Since this revelation, I’m feeling even more joy in my teaching. (Here are links to the last two emails. Josie. Sweet seven-year-old) 

My meeting each and every student exactly where they are is even more astute, because I’m listening more intently, asking the right questions and teaching them how THEY learn using Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™.  

I’m continually amazed and very 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 shared that the letters jump around on the page, I asked one of my ninth-grade dyslexic students to explain what she saw on a page of printed material.

I had been trying many teaching techniques to help Ahva develop smoothness (fluency). When she read aloud, 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. I had her put her hand under her chin so she could feel the bobbing.

When the bobbing subsided, we began working on 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 wearing?

• 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 with more fluently, smoother, but she couldn’t read a phrase that was longer than three or four words smoothly, 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 needed multiple repetitions of a sentence to reach conversational fluency.

Thinking of Josie, I asked this awesome, conscientious ninth grader 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!

I sat 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.”
Wow!
Ahva’s brain focuses 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 could see the relief on her face when she realized I understood and that she wasn’t alone seeing words differently. She was relieved there was help.

Here is Ahva’s story 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
This is amazing. I am so proud of her for being able to share her story with us!

Even though I wrote Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”™ to teach dyslexic learners the way they learn, I’m still happily amazed at how the strategies and activities written into every component of every lesson also takes care of the letters and words moving and shifting. 

Silent Elephant “e”™ does the trick because of continual engagement of every part of their brain, in every SINGLE thing they do throughout EVERY lesson. It’s sort of magic. But really, Silent Elephant “e”™ teaches them the way THEY learn.

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

And last, your child (children) may not be struggling to learn to read, but you may know someone who is, please share this blog post. 

Contact us here - silentelephante@gmail.com Linda Smith-Jones 208-859-4406

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