by PRIDE Reading Program Admin | May 7, 2015 | A PRIDE Post, Reading Skills
Getting your child interested in reading is one of the most important things you can do as a parent. I understand it isn’t always easy. Just try to think of your time and energy as an investment in your child’s reading future. Here are some practical tips for getting your child interested in reading…
While there aren’t movie equivalents for every book, there is a large selection of children’s literature out there. If you can find them, watch and discuss them together. Some suggestions are: A Series of Unfortunate Events: Lemony Snicket, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, To Kill a Mockingbird, Charlotte’s Web, Hoot, etc.
- Find books with cartoons or humor — which only a child would find amusing
Not everything needs to be a learning lesson. Letting children read books such as Big Nate or Diary of a Wimpy Kid will keep them engaged and entertained. Although adults might find the language and humor distasteful, children find it very funny and are therefore more motivated to read.
- Zero in on your child’s passions and choose books and magazines focused on areas of interest
Find books on specific topics to keep your child’s interest, such as science, baseball, American Girl dolls, etc. Children who already have the background knowledge, language and vocabulary before beginning a book will have an easier time getting through the reading. Order a magazine subscription to Sports Illustrated for Kids or Nickelodeon. Children love receiving mail and reading ‘their’ magazines.
- Get your child an email account and, together, check it regularly
Using the computer to read and write is a huge advantage for most students. By letting young children write and send email, they practice reading, writing and spelling. Teach your child how to use spell check before sending off messages. Be sure to monitor your child’s ‘pen pals’ – who is your child writing to and receiving mail from? Let your child pick out a few family members, including grandparents and maybe two or three friends. You will find that by using email regularly, your child becomes very strong in typing (keyboarding) and using the computer.
- Find an author that your child likes and stick with it
If your child loves reading Hank Zipzer by Henry Winkler or Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume, then you have found a writing style which stimulates your child’s interest. Go through the entire series. Don’t worry if the reading is below grade level: your child is reading for pleasure and for practice. Also remember, just because you loved a certain author or series when you were a kid, this doesn’t mean your child will love the same books you did. Browse the bookstore or library and find the newest, most modern series. Usually these books contain language and themes to motivate the most reluctant reader. Kids need to relate to what they are reading, and modern language usage helps.
- Get books with large print
For some children with learning difficulties, getting books with larger type can be helpful. Maybe it’s because the pages are less intimidating with less text, or maybe it is the fact that there are fewer words on each line, but it seems to make the reading a bit easier.
- Let your child talk to you about the book they are reading.
When we adults read books we enjoy, we like to talk about them. After reading a book, we don’t necessarily want to write a summary, book report or make a project of it. We just want to discuss it with someone else. Look interested in what your child is reading (yes, even if it is Captain Underpants) and ask questions and have your child tell you about it. Laugh with your child about the funny parts (even at the bathroom jokes) and help your child feel good about reading.
Learn more about the New PRIDE Reading Program
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Karina Richland, M.A. is the Founder of PRIDE Learning Centers, located in Los Angeles and Orange County. Ms. Richland is a certified reading and learning disability specialist. Ms. Richland speaks frequently to parents, teachers, and professionals on learning differences, and writes for several journals and publications. You can visit the PRIDE Learning Center website at: www.pridelearningcenter.com
by PRIDE Reading Program Admin | Mar 8, 2015 | Reading Skills, Summer Programs
PRIDE Learning Center, a specialized tutoring center in Redondo Beach, has announced it will offer a specialized summer reading camp to better meet the needs of children with dyslexia, auditory and visual processing, speech delays, autism, ADHD and other language and learning disabilities.
The summer reading camp at PRIDE Learning Center in Redondo Beach will run weekly from June – August to accommodate busy schedules and traveling families. Children can attend from either 9:00am – 12:00pm or 12:30pm – 3:30 pm Monday –Friday. All of the teachers at PRIDE Learning Center are credentialed with strong special education backgrounds and deliver one-on-one Orton-Gillingham language and reading lessons.
“This summer reading camp at PRIDE is designed to help students in a way that a regular summer school program cannot,” states Center Director Christine McLarty. “Summer is a wonderful and effective time for struggling students to boost their skills and close the reading and comprehension gaps,” says McLarty.
PRIDE Learning Center is a leading tutoring company in Los Angeles and Orange County, for students with learning disabilities. Their reading and comprehension program has been shown to boost student performance almost 2 grade levels in just 3 months. The Orton-Gillingham instruction develops the underlying reading and comprehension skills necessary for students with dyslexia, auditory processing, visual processing, autism, speech delays, ADHD and other learning challenges. It is common to see years of reading improvement after just weeks of intensive instruction.
“Although the reading camp is intensive and highly structured, the teachers at PRIDE make it really fun and super engaging for the kids. The kids love it and we have families return to us each summer,” says Christine McLarty.
Individuals interested in the summer reading camp at PRIDE Learning Center in Redondo Beach can call (310) 322-2800, visit the website at www.pridelearningcenter.com or email info@pridelearningcenter.com.
by PRIDE Reading Program Admin | Apr 14, 2012 | A PRIDE Post, Reading Skills
The school year is coming to an end and as a parent of a first grader your thoughts are probably turning towards second grade. Is your child ready for second grade reading?
How do you know?
Here is a list of benchmark reading accomplishments for first grade that was included in a report prepared by a National Academy of Sciences panel titled Preventing Reading difficulties in Young Children, Catherine E. Snow.
- Makes a transition from emergent to “real” reading.
- Reads aloud with accuracy and comprehension any text that is appropriately designed for the first half of grade 1.
- Accurately decodes orthographically regular one-syllable words and nonsense words (e.g., sit, zot), using print-sound mappings to sound out unknown words.
- Uses letter-sound correspondence knowledge to sound out unknown words when reading text.
- Recognizes common, irregularly spelled words by sight (have, said, where, two).
- Has a reading vocabulary of 300 to 500 words, sight words, and easily sounded-out words.
- Monitors own reading and self-corrects when an incorrectly identified word does not fit with cues provided by the letters in the word or the context surrounding the word.
- Reads and comprehends both fiction and nonfiction that are appropriately designed for grade level.
- Shows evidence of expanding language repertory, including increasing appropriate use of standard, more formal language registers.
- Creates own written texts for others to read.
- Notices when difficulties are encountered in understanding text.
- Reads and understands simple written instructions.
- Predicts and justifies what will happen next in stories.
- Discusses prior knowledge of topics in expository texts.
- Discusses how, why, and what-if questions in sharing nonfiction texts.
- Describes new information gained from texts in own words.
- Distinguishes whether simple sentences are incomplete or fail to make sense.
- Can answer simple written comprehension questions based on material read.
- Can count the number of syllables in a word.
- Can blend or segment the phonemes of most one-syllable words.
- Spells correctly three-and four-letter short-vowel words.
- Composes fairly readable first drafts using appropriate parts of the writing process (some attention to planning, drafting, rereading for meaning and some self-correction).
- Uses invented spelling/phonics-based knowledge to spell independently, when necessary.
- Shows spelling consciousness or sensitivity to conventional spelling.
- Uses basic punctuation and capitalization.
- Produces a variety of types of compositions (e.g., stories, descriptions, journal entries) showing appropriate relationships between printed text, illustrations, and other graphics.
- Engages in a variety of literary activities voluntarily (e.g., choosing books and stories to read, writing a note to a friend).
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Karina Richland, M.A. is the Founder and Director of Pride Learning Centers, located in Los Angeles and Orange County. Ms. Richland is a certified reading and learning disability specialist. Ms. Richland speaks frequently to parents, teachers, and professionals on learning differences, and writes for several journals and publications. You can reach her by email at karina@pridelearningcenter.com or visit the Pride Learning Center website at: www.pridelearningcenter.com
by PRIDE Reading Program Admin | Jan 7, 2012 | Reading Skills
Thursday February 16, 2012, 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Presenter: Karina Richland, M.A.
Taking PRIDE in Reading:
Understanding how we learn to read
This presentation will cover reading development, from phonemic awareness to comprehension. Learn about the stages of reading, normal reading benchmarks and the difference between reading and understanding. Parents and professionals will gain a better understanding on identifying reading difficulties and ways to support struggling readers. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from this dynamic presenter.
FREE of charge. All workshops include materials, refreshments and a Q & A period for specific concerns.
Location: JFFS Library, Second Floor, 1 Federation Way on the Samueli Jewish Campus in Irvine.
Registration is requested, buy not required.
RSVP: Danielle Wiltchik, Coordinator of Special Needs: 949-435-3460 or danielle@jffs.org
by PRIDE Reading Program Admin | Jan 4, 2012 | Reading Skills
Pre K – Kindergarten
Learning to read is a gradual and sequential process that is developed with explicit instruction and exposure. In the late preschool years, children begin the reading process by listening to stories and chanting nursery rhymes so that they can hear the similarities and differences in the sounds of words. Through this process, the children begin to manipulate and understand sounds in spoken language and proceed by taking the next step of making up rhymes and words on their own. As the children get older, they begin to learn the names of the letters in the alphabet and the different sounds each letter represents. Subsequently, they begin to write the letters and numbers that they already recognize by their shapes. Finally, the children associate the letters of the alphabet with the sounds of the words they use when they speak. At this point, they are on their way to learning to read!
The key to the entire reading process is phonological awareness. This is where a child identifies the different sounds that make words and associates these sounds with written words. A child cannot learn to read without this skill. In order to learn to read, children must be aware of phonemes. A phoneme is the smallest functional unit of sound. For example, the word ‘bench’ contains 4 different phonemes. They are ‘b’ ‘e’ ‘n’ and ‘ch.’
Through phonological awareness, children learn to associate sounds and create links to word recognition and decoding skills necessary for reading. Research clearly shows that phoneme awareness performance is a strong predictor of long- term reading and spelling success. In fact, according to the International Reading Association, phonemic awareness abilities in kindergarten (or in that age range) appear to be the best single predictor of successful reading acquisition.
At PRIDE Learning Center our PRIDE Little Readers Program is specifically designed to develop early reading skills in children. Students from ages 4-6 years old will learn beginning phonics and reading readiness skills. Our program is based on structured yet fun exercises that engage young children in the reading process.
For more information call (866) 774-3342
by PRIDE Reading Program Admin | Apr 9, 2010 | Reading Skills, Summer Programs
Pride Learning Center presents the “like us and win!” Giveaway
We have just launched our “Like” Facebook campaign and want to thank you all for being our fans! In union with this campaign we will be hosting a giveaway to one lucky fan member. All you have to do is visit our Pride Learning Center Facebook Page and “like us.” It’s that easy!
The Prize is a one- week free Reading and Writing Camp at any of our Pride Learning Center locations for any of our afternoon offered sessions. This is a $750 value. The winner will be chosen by random decision (random.org) on May 30th, 2011. Pride Learning Center will notify the winner by e-mail and/or Facebook message shortly after the random drawing.
OFFICIAL RULES
No purchase or payment is required to enter or win.
Entry Process – To enter the Sweepstakes, You must go to the Pride Learning Center Facebook Page and become a Fan by hitting “like” to enter. Now you are automatically entered into the sweepstake.
Duration of the Sweepstakes – The Sweepstakes shall begin at 12:01am on April 11, 2011, and end at 11:59pm (PT) on May 29, 2011.
Prize – The winner of the Sweepstake will receive a Gift Certificate in the value of $750 for a free one week Reading and Writing Camp at a Pride Learning Center. The Gift Certificate may not be redeemed for cash value. Winner may choose any of our Pride Learning Center Camp afternoon sessions Monday – Friday 1:00pm – 4:00pm. GOOD LUCK!
