| New Decoding
System for Special Needs
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Read Quick-Learn Quick, a student
friendly method for learning to read, was developed in the classroom during 30 years
searching for the "KEY" to help special needs students have their best
opportunity for success in school.
Teach decoding skills, reading skills and
critical thinking skills thoroughly to
special needs students to develop their maximum learning for
immediate and long term goals.
Special needs
students of many disabilities are able to correctly decode
multi-syllabic words for advancing their learning to read with modest
practice. Longer words are accurately decoded using the
3-Step System; an important feature for
remedial readers, allowing them to have a more rapid path to
reading success.
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"An 11th grade male student,
diagnosed as dyslexic, requested reading instruction from our private
reading clinic. The student was in special education classes due to his
reading deficiencies. The student, his father and teachers, reported
that he was unable to read after many different approaches had failed
over the years. He was taught the academic curriculum in his classes
using taped textbooks provided by the State Dept. of Education.
After nine
clinic hours, using the Read Quick 3-Step system on a one to one
basis, student read one-half of the story, "Outcast of Poker
Flats," making one pronunciation error and in general, read
orally with normal emphasis and grade level comprehension."
Reading Clinic Director
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Read Quick teaches a new reading strategy to students in special education by
eliminating the often confusing syllables, difficult for special
needs students to remember and apply. As a consequence, they
are unable to decode key words that greatly decrease their
comprehension. When meeting an unknown word, they may 'skip'
over it or ask for help from a teacher, aide or parent. As
they mature, asking for help becomes "tiresome" to the students and
they accept reading failure as their ultimate fate. Accepting
failure is the fourth step in Dreikur's, "Maintaining
Sanity in the Classroom" and "Natural
and Logical Consequences".
(Books should be required reading for all teachers,
particularly those working with special needs learners.)
The 3-Step System is a direct
pathway from print to sounds. When a word is marked, each
sound in the marking process results in the word correctly
controlled and each sound is speech perfect. This teaching
method is critical for dyslexics to hear and see sounds for left
brain development. Special needs
students receive the precise sounds needed for decoding and saying
the word. This teaches to the special needs, including
learning disabled, dyslexic, autistic, Tourette's Syndrome,
learning delayed, auditory-processing deficits, and
attention-deficit disorder; and any disabilities relating to
language processing. All this is achieved by the Read
Quick method of constantly hearing and repeating the
correct sounds. Their challenge now is to memorize letters and
letter clusters, which is much like learning the alphabet. To
achieve this, students hear, see, and say the 47
Combinations in as many formats as possible. This
constant repetition of sounds soon results in memory and
identification of Combinations, C, G, & Y
Borrowers and vowel sounds, which is then applied by
learners to words, leading to comprehension.
It is not
necessary to separate affixes from the base word to decode the word.
The 3-Step System accurately identifies newly
created Combinations when affixes are added to a
word. Prefixes with a long vowel sound, but no long vowel rule
to follow, are taught as 12 prefixes having a long vowel sound.
Affixes should be taught in the context of a word, not in isolation.
Students are taught to pay attention to the "reading brain."
When all 3 steps are finished, students are taught how to sound out
the word and there is only one sound they need to change. A
short vowel may change to a long vowel sound; a simple application
of the 'listening vocabulary.' Six suffixes are taught that
usually cover or eliminate visual identification of the final 'e'
which gives a reading strategy for ultimate vowel control.
Special needs students develop a positive attitude and willingness
to attack unknown words, where they previously asked for help or
skipped the word. This reversal is very significant for
teaching reading comprehension to special education students.
Reading vocabulary will improve for comprehension as unfamiliar
words now make sense to the "reading brain".
Learning to read is challenging to special education students, but
Read Quick 3-Step System is taught much like learning the alphabet
to develop the skills students need for learning to read. Oral
reading allows teachers to select challenging reading materials so
special needs students are reading for understanding through
dialoging.
Strategies for Special Needs Students
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Read Quick is applicable to a wide range of
student needs, based on their learning styles, dictated by their
vision, hearing, and brain dominance.
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Provides special students consistency and
accuracy for initial learning and review for memory and application.
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3-Step System may be repeated daily during
warm-up in less than 15 minutes.
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Lessons are age appropriate. The system is
a decoding method, and any reading material may be used.
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Offers a simple
system, easy to teach and explain to special needs students.
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Allows user to read and unlock unknown words in
context that are typically years above their basic reading skill
level.
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Students are pulled 'upward', not leveled, when
using reading text, short story, or novel.
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Teachers should not place an artificial ceiling
on reading material for any special education student. They need the experience of exposure to a better
vocabulary.
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Should be used in all subject areas requiring a
workable decoding system for all ages.
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Motivates student by allowing them to read mature
reading material while practicing decoding, vocabulary and critical
reading skills in context.
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Consistently using reading material 2-4 years
above students actual reading level, while reading orally, works
exceptionally well with this group of students.
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Allows instructor to use direct teaching method,
as well as, silent reading activities to instruct and monitor
progress and student needs.
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Promotes student interaction when reading orally
and discussing quality questions, developing skills in text analysis
while providing a much needed student-to-student social interaction.
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Teachers working with this group of
learners should teach every facet of reading skills as identified by
curriculum for their grade level.
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Stop oral reading every time there is an
opportunity to ask questions and clarify vocabulary and content.
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It is not how many words or pages students read orally, it's how
thoroughly they are read, based on teacher's questions.
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Reading and speech skills are taught
simultaneously, further enhancing the overall language skills
because Combinations are speech and spelling perfect.
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Used by speech teachers to supplement their
formal speech program.
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Memory for Combination sounds
and spellings are improved because Combinations do not change.
The same sounds associated to letters are consistent and repeated
throughout the process; a method required for most special needs and
ESL learners to internalize.
Laminated 3"x 8" Student Bookmarker
should stay with the learner as long as needed. The 47 Combinations,
Borrowers C, G, & Y, with rules,
and the 3-Step System are on the front side, all 2 sound
Combinations are
repeated on the back in sample words. Blends are listed across the bottom.
Bookmarker should be used as a constant student reference.
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