A TOS Review: Read, Write & Type

Have I told you how blessed I am? I LOVE this job. I am generally an easy person to please. Have you noticed that? I can find the silver lining in most storm clouds, the lemonade in the lemons….you get the picture. When it comes to reviewing homeschooling curriculum and products, I can usually find something positive/encouraging/"this might work for you" with every product.

And then there are those that really (and I mean really) change the atmosphere in our little 700 Square ft. Apartment on the Second Floor. There is no wailing and gnashing of teeth. There is no “can I take a break” repeated every. five. minutes.  This, my friends, is one such product. We recently had the chance to review Read, Write & Type by Talking Fingers Inc. Wowsers.

This program is intended for ages 6-9, BUT if you have a child with a learning disability or needs ESL instruction... this is for you. Read, Write & Type is so much more than a typing course. For the purpose of this review I received a one-year subscription for one user.

If you are a regular follower of my blog, you know that my beautiful 14-year-old son is dyslexic and has dysgraphia. We really have seen improvement over the past few years. I have found that those programs that incorporate a multi-sensory approach  have benefited Josiah the most.  He is one of those kinds of kids who needs to get his hands on the thing. You have any like that?

The developer of the program, neuropsychologist Jeannine Herron, had a vision to change the way kids learn. She emphasized that parents and teachers needed to understand that reading and writing “go hand in hand.” Unfortunately, there are many (especially in our case) where writing becomes a chore. How can a student who struggles with one discipline (or both) truly excel with the other (those are my thoughts…not hers).

I know that when I was a college student going through my paces the wisdom of the day was the "whole language" movement. After I got a few years of teaching under my belt and the added experience of homeschooling, I realized that the "whole language" method wasn't cutting it. Phonics is where it's at. Read, Write & Type takes that phonics instructions and adds the tactile (and let's face it...practical) benefit of keyboard instruction. The student hears, reads, touches...and all kinds of possibilities open up to him or her. 

How We Used It

This was something that we tried to incorporate every day. The lessons only take 15 minutes. There are plenty of other activities a student can go and visit (more on that in a minute).

It was easy to set up Josiah’s account and he didn’t have to go through any major hoops to access the program.  

Read, Write & Type is set in a little town. This little town has a manner of learning sites. Included in those sites are...

Power Foundation (practice speed and accuracy)

E-mail Tower (Write and receive virtual email)

The Park (Blend sounds together)

Story Tree (Type a story) 

And many more! 

Each day Josiah went right to work.  The green little blog is called Vector. He is bad news. The student's job is to get all the little letter friends in their rightful places and defeat Vector! 

They do so by completing a variety of activities and challenges. For example, in this screen shot, the student is required to type Otto to move the Octopus across the screen. 

I know what some of you might be thinking. Josiah is a 14-year-old boy. There is no way he could think this is "cool." Frankly, the measure of coolness in our home is not determined by graphics, sound effects or catchy little ditties. 

Cool is when you get your schoolwork done. Cool is when you can effectively master a concept. Cool is when you take out the trash without being asked. 

Josiah isn't offended. He is thrilled to be doing something that even resembles a video game during school hours. And I don't think he feels overwhelmed and helpless because he can't understand what is being required of him. 

Another great feature to Read, Write & Type is that the instructions are clear. They are spoken. Josiah doesn't have to find his way around a confusing screen by reading the clues. Personally, as a parent who has a child with this kinds of learning challenges I feel that we need to make it less about a grade level and more about the need. 

I know you're with me. 

Here is one of the best parts. You can try out Read, Write & Type for FREE. There is a demo available for those of you who need to "try before you buy." I also encourage you to take some time to read the research done with kiddos of many different walks of life and abilities. It really is encouraging. 

To use this program you will need a few things. Mainly a working computer, a set of speakers and a keyboard and mouse. Josiah did  use my laptop, but I do need to see that he is fairly familiar with a keyboard. The system requirements for both a Mac and Windows user is on the website. I have Windows 10 and use Google Chrome and didn't have any issues.

Just a final thought. Read, Write & Type is not just for homeschooled kiddos. Any student will benefit from this program. 

Run! Walk! Slither your way! Head on over to Talking Fingers, Inc. and try this AWESOME program out. 

You can connect with Talking Fingers Inc. via the following social media outlets. Don't forget to click on the banner to read more reviews. 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TalkingFingers/
YouTube:   https://www.youtube.com/user/talkingfingersvideo
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ReadWriteType/with_replies @readwritetype

Summer Reading Strategies for Strugging Readers in Middle School

So who is reading what at your house this summer? 

Frankly, my reading stack is always high. But it seems like I always have some sort of goal during the summer. Last summer I read through one of my favorite mystery novelists books. In order.

I’m not sure what direction I am going this summer. I need some inspiration. I like themes, collections, etc. 

I tend to treat Josiah’s summer reading list the same way. He, himself, is a great fan of collections.

This year we have reached a whole new world. Josiah had to sign up for the Teen Summer Reading Program at the Library. 

What? 

I’m not ready for this Middle School stuff. 

I was just in Middle School myself. 

We are also in an awkward phase concerning all things reading. As you might know, Josiah is dyslexic. I do require him to do free reading on his own, but often the books that are at his level intellectual or interest wise are too difficult or overwhelming for him to manage. And the ones that are easily managed are too babyish in his opinion. 

There are a few different ways we have stepped into this whole new world. I say “stepped.” I’m going into Josiah’s teenage years kicking and screaming. He’s still my baby. 

 I still have a book I read aloud every day. I don’t want him to miss out on the good stuff. I want him to get shipwrecked on the island with Robinson Crusoe, paint a fence with Tom Sawyer and travel through Middle Earth. 

I will never tire of the classics. 

Something else I do is to pair an Audio Book with a print copy. Currently, Josiah is interested in reading Eragon. He found an old PS2 Eragon game at a Thrift Store and dug out our copy of the movie (which is hardly resembles the book in my opinion). I downloaded the book from Audible with some free credits I had. He will start with Eragon after Cousin Camp. 

I need to mention that we really enjoy the fantasy genre (like Eragon, etc.). I personally don’t have an issue with dragons and the like. In fact, I like them. I’ve never met one in person….But you know what I mean. 

I do make a habit of reading books before I introduce them to Josiah. I am pickier about certain attitudes and behaviors (character) than I am about dragons and magic. 

I don’t do sassy. And if the character is sassy there better be  consequences and redemption. 

Enough of that. I didn’t mean to go down that particular rabbit trail. Don’t get me started.

Another method I employ is for Josiah and I to take turns reading aloud. This takes a bit longer, but if I can chose a book that moves quickly and is broken up in manageable sections it is doable. Hatchet is a good book for boys. I have a few copies (it is easy to find) and the book isn’t a lengthy one.

Hatchet is about a boy who, after a plane crash, has to survive in the wilderness with only a hatchet his mother gave him. There is an adventure a minute. There also isn’t a lot of dialogue so the paragraphs are easily defined.

In the past year or so I have been assigning Josiah a book to read on his own. This was a big deal. I wanted to make sure that he was challenged, but not to the point that it was frustrating for him.  I found that he loves The Diary of the Wimpy Kid series. The text is easy for him to manage and he is always entertained.

I can't begin to tell you how much this has done for his confidence. Sure. He can't do marathon reading, but it does my heart good to see him stretched out on the couch with a book in his hand.

This method of reading is called High Interest /Low Reading Level. It means that you must find reading material that is at a reading level your struggling reader can manage yet the material in the book will appeal to an older child. 

This article discusses this idea a bit more (though I'm not sure there the term High/Low is used). There is also a helpful link to a booklist. 

This link has a good list of books with their reading level and what ages will find them interesting.

Now I'm off to find something to read. Suggestions anyone?

You can check out more Summer Reads for Middle School by clicking the banner below. 

A TOS Review: A Life in Balance

I have talked about Josiah’s learning struggles often enough. My husband and I constantly thank God that we made the decision to homeschool early on. I am not saying that the Public School system doesn’t have some excellent teachers. After all, I was educated to be a Public School teacher and my friends who are teachers are some of the best people on the planet. Their work is truly a calling. 

With the exception of his kindergarten year, we have always schooled Josiah at home. This decision was made after his kindergarten teacher expressed concerns about Josiah’s learning capabilities. She thought he just required more time. I agreed, but I also recognized that there were probably other factors at work. Those other factors soon revealed themselves to be dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and ADHD. 

The Learning Breakthrough Program uses physical and occupational therapy. It integrates auditory, visual, motor planning, tactile, balance, body positioning and neurofeedback systems, allowing the entire body to function in a coordinated manner. I was able to review A Life in Balance which recounts the journey of Dr. Frank Belgau to create the Learning Breakthrough Program.

A Life in Balance begins with Dr. Belgau’s own learning struggles. As a child in the 1940’s, he had difficulty learning and school was a nightmarish event. He was the target of bullies and fearfully aware of his own scholastic shortcomings. 

His difficulties eventually righted themselves (he attributes this to a summer filled with outdoor games) and those early struggles made him even hungrier for learning. Dr. Belgau was also blessed during this period of his life with a mentor. This mentor came in the form of a teacher who challenged him and who believed in him. He became a plane mechanic after WWII and eventually a teacher himself. 

Dr. Belgau talks about his accidental launch into special education. I have seen documentaries and read about those early special education classrooms. Keep in mind that this was before the age of FAPE (the Free and Appropriate Education Act) and even once that was implemented teacher’s had no idea how to teach these exceptional students. Because they did not learn in the traditional manner they were often labeled and unchallenged. 

At the time, the best trick of the trade was to offer this advice. Tell the kids to sit down, put their heads on the desk and cover their heads with a newspaper. And this was from a good, well-meaning principal. The remedial teacher at his school asked Dr. Belgau (who was teaching arts and crafts at the time) if he would do her a favor by taking her class for an hour every day. She was worn to a frazzle and had no one to relieve her. 

In my opinion, Dr. Belgau did what any good teacher should do. He taught. Thankfully, he discarded the newspaper over the head advice and started giving these students small projects to keep them busy. They succeeded! He continued to challenge them. He noticed that they were undeterred by setbacks.

I can’t even imagine the obstacles he faced over the next few decades. The system wasn’t on the side of the learning challenged child. Changing minds (especially those who are trapped in their own arrogant self-importance) is difficult. Dr. Belgau worked through years of trial and error. He had his champions and his detractors. Eventually, he created the Learning Breakthrough Program. 

I took more than a few things away from his personal story. It  reaffirmed my commitment to be Josiah’s greatest advocate. I can’t imagine my creative, busy and inventive boy being asked to keep his head under a newspaper as to not be a distraction. I was reminded that I need to be a mentor to others as well as take inspiration from those around me. We are all students. 

I have read my fair share of easy fix solutions. Everybody is trying to sell me the answer to all of Josiah’s learning woes. I have been on this journey long enough to know that any solution takes work. Any progress that Josiah has had has been because he works and doesn’t give up. And mom and dad have to keep on keeping on. 

Towards the end of the book, Dr. Belgau gives some easy (no equipment needed) solutions. I have known for a while now that sensory input, working those gross motor skills and those fine motor skills all help Josiah succeed. Josiah is on a swim team for a few years now. His reading has improved. A coincidence? I don’t think so. 

This program intrigues me. Mostly because I don’t think it’s all smoke and mirrors. Dr. Belagu’s own personal story and journey is testimony to that. Josiah’s issues might not be as severe as some, but more challenging than others. I recommend that those of you who can to get the book and read the story. The exercises in the back (it’s called the Space Walk) seem simple enough to implement…though in all fairness it probably won’t be as simple for the kiddos. Josiah is not a graceful child, though his swimming has greatly improved his coordination. 

There was another little unexpected bonus while reading this book. Years ago I had an almost fatal car accident. I had to learn to walk again. There is still a lot I can’t do. Of course, I haven’t had any learning difficulties (unless you count my absolute avoidance of math), but while I was reading the book something struck me. Dr. Belagu talked about meeting his future wife. He was first struck by her graceful walk. It was perfection. I imagine that he was initially interested in her walk from only a scientific point of view, but part of his research concerned those gross motor movements. 

My own physical therapy was cut short. My insurance wasn’t willing to pay for the years of PT I needed. I have come a long way (baby), but while I was reading the instructions for Dr. Belgau’s Space Walk I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to even model some of the activities for Josiah. I still tend to drag a foot when I'm tired and I waddle like a penguin (true story). I can't even begin to think about marching backward and to put each foot in front of the other requires great thought. Skipping is something I haven't been able to do in years and years. Could this be something he and I learn together? Could Dr. Belagu’s exercises not only benefit Josiah, but his own poor broken mama as well? The jury is still out and I’ll keep you informed.     

I have come to learn that nothing is impossible. It just might take one a little bit longer to get there.

I truly believe that Dr. Belgau is man who didn’t take “no” for an answer. I admire his perseverance and commitment. The book itself is a fascinating read. It is inspiring and well-written. I also want to emphasize that this book is not intended solely for homeschool parents. Parents (and teachers) of learning challenged kiddos everywhere will find encouragement and solutions. 

A Life in Balance costs $16.94. You can find out how to purchase it on the website. 

You can connect with Learning Breakthrough using the following social media links. Click on the banner below to read more reviews.

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