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Reading Writing Spelling Phonics Handwriting
MY APPROACH
FUN
Learning to how read and write should not be a chore! I make sure lessons are easy to understand, full of wins, a little silly, and the kids always have a chance to work with a quirky squirrel puppet named Fig. If you opt for virtual, I use the KoalaGo platform, which is fully interactive and much more engaging than Zoom!
PERSONALIZED
I follow a scope and sequence with materials from Reading Simplified, That Reading Thing, and EBLI (linguistic phonics), and plenty of materials I create myself. Within that proven framework, I will adapt all lessons and materials to what your child needs — adding in activities that would be beneficial, and moving past what isn’t serving your kid. I am always on the lookout for books that might spark interest in your kid, too!
REAL WORLD APPLICATION
Learning to read is hard if you are stuck practicing individual, isolated words over and over again. The goal with each lesson is to move towards reading and writing with what we’ve learned — using language in a natural way is the best way to be fluent. We spend a big portion of our lesson having the student read text that focuses on the patterns we're learning.
LINGUISTIC PHONICS/SPEECH TO PRINT
I use a linguistic phonics (or "speech to print") method to teach reading, defined as "an accelerated, systematic, explicit, and integrated instructional speech-first approach to spelling and reading," which differs from a print-to-speech method like Orton Gillingham. I have used both Orton Gillingham and linguistic phonics approaches, and have found much faster results with linguistic phonics, even in students with dyslexia. I don't want you wasting your money, and I don't want your child falling farther and farther behind in school and getting frustrated. Linguistic phonics is a very natural way to teach reading, starting with what the student already knows -- speech! The cognitive load is so much lighter for a student learning with linguistic phonics, and there is no memorization of complicated rules (most of which have many exceptions), as we focus more on patterns and statistical learning. I never teach letter sounds in isolation with drills and flashcards -- sounds are learned in the context of words and phrases.
For more information about the Speech to Print, or Linguistic Phonics approach: https://readingsimplified.com/speech-to-print-logical-literacy/
This is a great article about the difference between Linguistic Phonics and Orton Gillingham: https://readingsimplified.com/is-orton-gillingham-still-the-gold-standard-reading-simplified/
If you have more time, this is a great article from the Association of Educational Therapists: https://www.aetonline.org/images/MEMBER_CENTER_Section/Journal_Docs/2023/44-2/Fall2023_03_ASpeech-to-PrintLinguisticPhonicsApproach-Fein.pdf
HOW IT WORKS
In Person
Lessons are at my home in Maplewood (above Wyoming) in a dedicated low-distraction, comfy, fun space full of books, materials, a squirrel puppet (hah!), etc. There are multiple seating options and even a little desk for sitting on the floor (my personal favorite).
Virtual
We will use the online platform Koala Go, which has been developed specifically for tutoring — it has great interactive features.
Virtual can be a great option during travel, sickness, etc., and will always be available if you need it.
When your child does virtual sessions, they'll get mail from me beforehand with pages we'll be working on -- isn't it fun to get mail??
Additional Work (whether in person or virtual)
I ask that you make time for a few days each week for reading/word work, in addition to our in-person lesson. This will usually consist of re-reading a short passage or book a few times, and/or some work on an app. These sessions are to review what we covered in person, and to keep the learning fresh and moving forward at a quicker pace.
Have your child watch at least one modeled readaloud per week, once a day would be best! Getting a readaloud at a higher level than what the child can read on their own is imperative for building vocabulary, stamina, and fluency. See this link for the importance of readalouds, no matter how old or young your kid is! https://blog.allaboutlearningpress.com/6-great-reasons-to-read-aloud
This additional work will keep your child moving forward quickly -- with consistent work each week, we can be making huge strides in just a few months.
PRICING/TIMING
$50/30 minute block
Let's chat about what makes sense for your child! Most in-person kids have had a great time with a one hour block, and virtual tends to work best in 1/2 hour blocks. We can also switch between in-person and virtual depending on weekly circumstances. I understand that things come up!
Sliding scale is available depending on need. Please be in touch!
ABOUT ANNIE
Experience/Philosophy
I taught 2nd and 3rd grade before having kids of my own. I homeschooled my daughters for 1st and 4th grade during the pandemic and loved the personalized learning I was able to provide. I realized that fun, relaxed, individualized exploration and coming up with ridiculous stories (and characters!) to reinforce concepts is definitely my teaching sweet spot!
I love working with kids -- in addition to tutoring, I've recently taught an after school cross stitch class and subbed at our local preschool. In non-kid-related work, I host webinars on all kinds of topics and do VoiceOver work (constant readalouds! I always point out that it’s my job to read aloud and I’ll still mess up a word at least once a page -- a lot of the techniques I teach the kids for accurate reading are techniques I use myself).
Credentials
I have my masters in elementary education from St. John’s University (along with an interesting but useless anthropology degree from Barnard). I am certified in the Reading Simplified method, and have completed the 40 hour Foundations course through Rooted in Language, along with many professional development hours through EBLI, including their specialized spelling course. I am also trained in That Reading Thing, a speech-to-print method specifically for teaching teens and adults. I am constantly learning and researching the best methods to teach your children to learn to read in the most efficient way possible -- while still having fun!
BE IN TOUCH!
Be in touch if you'd like to chat about your child's needs! Send me an email at AnniesWordWorkshop@gmail.com, and I'll be sure to get back to you ASAP. Looking forward to it!
Please visit my readaloud Youtube channel for extra reading practice! If your child has a favorite book, I'm happy to take requests. https://www.youtube.com/@AnniesWordWorkshop
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