Individualized Keyboarding

Individualized Keyboarding

Individualized Keyboarding utilizes a multi-sensory approach (as most of the AVKO materials do) to teach typing skills. But this not only teaches typing skills, it also reinforces the reading patterns that are necessary for typing proficiency. You may try our free experiment that demonstrates our point that good readers have built-in automatic responses to spelling patterns. Poor readers don't yet have the patterns locked into their God-given computer brains, so they must type letter-by-letter which slows them down and increases the likelihood of mistakes. AVKO's method of teaching is by patterns. The book is standard 8 1/2 X 11 inches in size and is in a three ring binder. In the back of this book is the teacher/parent's book - Improving Reading and Spelling Skills via Keyboarding.

www.avko.org

Starting at Square One

The AVKO Philosophy: The How

Starting at Square One – for Kindergarten and 1st Graders

The only curriculum ever devised to teach reading, spelling, handwriting and keyboarding AS the students are learning the alphabet NOT after! This 313 page book is filled with lesson plans for teaching a Kindergartener/1st graders the letters, the sounds they make, how to print the letter(s) that represents the sound(s), beginning keyboard lessons, and reading using only DECODABLE words.

The alphabet is not introduced going from A to Z. McCabe introduces the letters intelligently according to common sense by the first few a child might know by rote and then the next few are the most common letters used. So it goes A, B, C, D, then R, S, T. With just these first seven letters student can begin to learn words and sentence parts, like /a cab/, or /a dad/ or /a car/, /a card/, /a bad cab/, /a bad car/ as well as names like Barb, Barbara, Cara, Brad, Bart and words like add, brat, arc, crab, radar, cars, sad, bass, scads, crass and lots more. This text can also be used for an older student who has some gaps in letter-sound recognition, such as the sound made by x , qu, digraphs or certain consonant blends. AVKO suggests you make yourself familiar with the entire book before starting to teach.

When done with this book, they should be reading at a beginning second grade level, the student is now ready for Sequential Spelling 1.

www.spelling.org www.avko.org

Patterns of English Spelling

The Patterns of English Spelling & New Word Families in Sentence Context,

1600 pages in 10 volumes. McCabe was not content with just the word families that fit cleanly into rimes, he also explains spelling oddities of w- and r- controlled clans, basic suffixes, -y families and their relatives, advanced suffixes, advanced patterns of /k/ spelled -qu, -ch, and /sh/ spelled -ch and other miscellaneous relatives, and even Greek and Latin prefixes, roots and suffixes. It contains EVERY word family in the English language and is a universal resource for the entire list of spelling and reading books AVKO produces.

HOW TO USE: (alphabetic index pgs 23-93) 101A are Word Family & Power Words, 101B are Sentences

1. Find and review the ENTIRE word family you are studying. Sequential Spelling 1-7 has a selected grouping of the word family, NOT every word; therefore this book allows you and students to review all word family words, not as spelling words, but as vocabulary.
2. Power Words - listed on the same page, these are to be used for developing multisyllabic pronunciation and comprehension.
Great Vocabulary Game: Go over the words and their meaning in the dictionary. Students write the word on one side of paper; on the other they draw the meaning of the word. Be sure the drawing expresses some feeling of the word meaning. Hang up drawings around schooling area. When you have five or more pix start a weekly game where you either show them the word and they have to tell the meaning of the word by describing the picture OR they look at picture and tell what word it represents.
3. On the opposite (B) page, you will find sentences using the word family words in context. Divide into four sections. Use the sentences for dictation, typing, handwriting and reading comprehension practice. Each of these functions is an important sensory learning tool and beneficial for mastery of higher education.

For additional practice go to Spelling city.com, (free website) the student types in their current spelling words (works best with base words) and choose from 10 word games using those words plus TWO new writing features.

www.spelling.org www.avko.org

Connection Between Dyslexia and Right-Brained Learners

Connection Between Dyslexia and Right-Brained Learners
by Topsy-Techie

Disclaimer: The opinions stated in this essay are those of Topsy-Techie and do not necessarily represent those of AVKO.

Dyslexia affects a large population of the public, especially now that we understand that it is not limited to people who “read their letters backwards.” Rather, dyslexia encompasses a host of varying reading, spelling, and writing disabilities or differences.

Another characteristic that affects a large population of the public is right-brained thinking. This refers to individuals with strong visual skills and memory who tend to store and access information mostly in picture form. For the right brained learner, pictures are their main line of information - - words are secondary sources at most.

Researchers have been making connections in recent years between right-brained thinking and dyslexia. It makes sense that those who struggle with word-based tasks might not be “learning disabled” as much as they are just “learning different”. In fact, in visual spatial skills, even right-brained learners who are severely dyslexic can outperform their left-brained peers 2 to 1. While logical, or sequential tasks can stump them, these learners can show incredible strength in holistic and creative tasks.

This being the case, children with dyslexia should definitely be tested for brain dominance. If your child seems to be a visual thinker, then it will not be enough to just “treat” the dyslexia. Right-brained visual learners need to be taught in specific ways that will capitalize on their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.

One of the keys to successful teaching of right brained learners is using multimedia. The more visually appealing the materials, the more engaged your right-brained learner will be. These students can benefit from educational software and videos, multimedia online games, online homeschool curriculum. Programs such as United Streaming and Cable in the Classroom are wonderful for helping to find educational programming that will supplement whatever your child is learning with visual reinforcement.

Visual learners soak in information from television, computers, and videos, but they also need time to let the information soak in, and time to do what they do best - - learn by demonstration. Field trips are incredibly important for right-brained kids. In fact, almost anything your child is studying can be enhanced by real world experiences. If they are studying American history, take them to local historic sites. If they are studying food and nutrition, find out which grocery stores or restaurants in your area are willing to host behind the scenes tours. Right-brained learners thrive on up-close and personal interaction with their subject of study.

If your child has dyslexia and right-brained dominance, it is important not to focus on their “disability,” but rather emphasize their learning differences and strengths. Just because they may struggle with traditional spelling and writing instruction does not mean that they do not have the ability to learn. If information is presented to them in a way their brain can process it, there are no limitations to what a right-brained learner can do!

For further information on teaching a right-brained, visual learner, you might want to check out Right Brained Children in a Left Brained World by Jeffrey Freed and Laurie Parsons.

Author: Topsy-Techie is a homeschooling mother and online writer. She writes the blog about learning to write at Time4Writing.com and the homeschooling blog at Time4Learning.com.

www.avko.org www.spelling.org

Membership Books to their Greatest Potential

How to Use the Membership Books to their Greatest Potential

MEMBERSHIP: What's that? Why should I bother with it?

As a non-profit organization, AVKO exists to HELP adults and kids learn how to read and spell. AVKO has established an annual membership which provides the REFERENCE MATERIALS every child's classroom (even at home) should have available. Membership also gives you a 25% DISCOUNT on all AVKO books and DVD's. The Membership fee of only $25 you can download the E-book version of 6 reference, technical and informational books. We suggest you download the e-books to a CD or flash drive. The six books are:

1. The Teaching of Reading and Spelling: A Continuum from K - College (Pt 1)

For the parent/teacher to learn HOW and WHY.

2. The Teaching of Reading and Spelling: Starting at Square One (Pt 2)

K and 1st grade: Lesson Plans for teaching alphabet, AVKO Method

3&4. The Patterns of English Spelling, combined with New Word Families in Sentence Context

Resource books for every AVKO spelling program- see below

5. The Reading Teacher's List of Over 5,500 Basic Spelling Words

Find true reading level, check decoding and comprehension skills.

6. To Teach A Dyslexic

For those NOT dyslexic, to better understand their children who ARE.

What they CONTAIN and HOW to USE: For Use with ANY AVKO Spelling Program

The AVKO Philosophy: The Why

The Teaching of Reading and Spelling: A Continuum from Kindergarten to College

It contains the whys and wherefores of the AVKO philosophy and method of teaching spelling, reading, handwriting, and keyboarding. A book for the parent/teacher, it not only gives the background on WHY but lets you begin to see that the flexibility of AVKO is why this method works so well for all ages and people with spelling and reading difficulties. It is a common sense, down-to-earth book on teaching all the parts of learning to communicate through the English language. As a supplementary textbook for Education Majors/parents/tutors/teachers, the learning to read process is defined, phonics in teaching reading and writing is discussed, an explanation of what part learning-to-write-letters-and-words has in the reading process, plus the spelling and reading connection information is given along with practical diagnostic and prescriptive tests and even activities and materials for the classroom. The second part – the “how”- actual lesson plans for teaching the alphabet and introducing reading, handwriting and typing is Starting at Square One.

www.avko.org www.spelling.org