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Show Parents get reading tips to help kids By IRENE R. JANES President, Davis Council International Reading Association The Davis Reading Council met and over 40 people received information infor-mation about classroom reading ideas. Becky Wright from the Ogden Standard Examiner, shared some of her ideas about writing. Members and guests were encouraged en-couraged to promote reading and writing skills by having students write a story, then illustrate with newspaper clippings of food or household items. Students then designed their own personalized cover. Examples were shown by which students followed the familiar famil-iar format used in some well known children's books. When all questions were addressed, ad-dressed, a drawing was held for door prizes which consisted of books, book bags and a large easel holding news print for classroom use. Prizes were donated by Wright It is not uncommon for me to be asked several times a week by parents and students, "What is a learning disability in reading?" A common catch phrase is dyslexia, which really means a reading difficulty which can mean decoding or sounding out words as well as comprehension or understanding what you have read. As I have taught students with reading difficulty, I have carefully observed and discussed with them what the written word appears to them on the page. Some students report that letters may appear backwards, upside down or even move on the page. Students may also report that while they may be able to read, sometimes sentences will appear to be missing words. Others indicate that they do not understand what the words are saying say-ing or they forget what they have read before they finish a page. As to the actual cause, all of the research is not yet complete. Incidentally, In-cidentally, it probably never will be; it is an ongoing dilemma and challenge. There is strong evidence of genetic inheritance as well as residual effects of drug and alcohol use of one or both parents. Others have indicated that there is evidence of incomplete cerebral dominance. That is, the student mixes right and left as well as lateral lat-eral direction and position in space. I have noticed this may be so by students who turn the book in an unlikely position to read or turn their head and neck in an unusual alignment from the book. Many students have problems dealing with abstract words that don't convert easily into a multisen-sory multisen-sory image that they are familiar with. Students and parents sometimes ask how their difficulty can be improved? im-proved? Determination and motivation motiva-tion are the two key elements. Students must really have the desire to keep working at it. Practice is the next key element. As with any skill one becomes good at, it requires practice. An excellent golfer, swimmer, musician and typist all practiced a great deal to become good. This is the same with reading. If reading is difficult, then one must practice even more. A person who is determined to become a reader can do so at any age. Reading never improves with just leaving it alone for a while. One should always persist in acquiring acquir-ing the skill. Just when it seems hopeless, hang in there, keep trying. Press on and eventually your effort will pay off. Think of some accomplishment you made that was hard. When you persisted with the task, eventually you succeeded or improved. Later you noted that very skill is the one that helped build your character. Remember how you felt as you obtained ob-tained your goal. So what if your reading skill is not what it should be. Don't just live with it and keep on hiding it. You can improve. Set a new goal to improve, work hard, never, never give up. Success is just around the corner as you feel like quitting. Hang in there a little longer and "Read for Life." |