I am still undecided about what to do with my 7 year old daughter for her for language arts next year. She has Down Syndrome. She can read quite well (at grade level) however, her language skills are delayed so she has difficulty with answering comprehension questions and creative expression type stuff. As I look at the emerging readers I think she may be ready for some of them but I really don't think she'll be ready for the DITHOR in one year's time.
1) I've been thinking about possibly doing Sonlight LA 1 or LLATL Blue and then moving into the Language Arts in Beyond the next year thus giving her another year before getting into DITHOR. Has anyone done this? OR
2)I could get the Beyond guide now and work through the emerging readers set and Language Arts over 2 years. For those of you that have used Beyond, is there enough in the Language Arts activites to spread it over 2 years or would I need to try to supplement it with something else? And if so, what would you suggest as a supplement? How may spelling words are required for them to learn each week?
Thank you for your help! I am looking forward to starting HOD this fall!
question about Language Arts
Re: question about Language Arts
Beyond sounds like a great place to start. You can set your own pace. There will be lots of opportunites for dicussion and oral narration. You can begin the Rod and Staff 2 when you are ready and if it goes slow - fine. If not, move on into 3.
With Joy!
Florence
My blog: http://florencebrooks.com/
Began HOD 1/2009
Currently using: Bigger, RTR, Rev to Rev and MTMM
Florence
My blog: http://florencebrooks.com/
Began HOD 1/2009
Currently using: Bigger, RTR, Rev to Rev and MTMM
Re: question about Language Arts
Hi mommy3!
I wanted to pass along a resource for you.
http://jamesdmacdonald.org/Articles/MacDonaldStart.html
Dr. James MacDonald has over 30 years experience working with children with Down Syndrome, autism, and other speech delays. His book, Communicating Partners, is very parent friendly and stresses the importance of parents being the teachers in the area of communicating. He has numerous books, but I found Communicating Partners at the library, then bought it. It has been very helpful. Helping your daughter be able to express herself, and what she comprehends, is a foundational skill for all her work in language arts.
Narration, a Charlotte Mason method, would be good to use. Instead of testing for comprehension, you ask what she remembers of the story. Then she's not wrong in any of her answers and you're able to find out what she is learning. Charlotte Mason also suggested waiting for formal grammar study until a child was about 10, just using a gently introduction. You may want to hold off on doing too much until she is older, or go slowly. Stretching the language arts of one year out over two years would probably be plenty.
I, personally, am going to wait to start my son in DITHOR unitl he is older. I just can't imagine him being ready to do that kind of work in 2nd or 3rd grade. (He struggles greatly with abstract concepts.) I will have him read, but do some type of narration with him until I know he's really getting it and enjoying reading.
I hope this helps a little.
I wanted to pass along a resource for you.
http://jamesdmacdonald.org/Articles/MacDonaldStart.html
Dr. James MacDonald has over 30 years experience working with children with Down Syndrome, autism, and other speech delays. His book, Communicating Partners, is very parent friendly and stresses the importance of parents being the teachers in the area of communicating. He has numerous books, but I found Communicating Partners at the library, then bought it. It has been very helpful. Helping your daughter be able to express herself, and what she comprehends, is a foundational skill for all her work in language arts.
Narration, a Charlotte Mason method, would be good to use. Instead of testing for comprehension, you ask what she remembers of the story. Then she's not wrong in any of her answers and you're able to find out what she is learning. Charlotte Mason also suggested waiting for formal grammar study until a child was about 10, just using a gently introduction. You may want to hold off on doing too much until she is older, or go slowly. Stretching the language arts of one year out over two years would probably be plenty.
I, personally, am going to wait to start my son in DITHOR unitl he is older. I just can't imagine him being ready to do that kind of work in 2nd or 3rd grade. (He struggles greatly with abstract concepts.) I will have him read, but do some type of narration with him until I know he's really getting it and enjoying reading.
I hope this helps a little.
-
Christi in Ohio
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Tue Apr 20, 2010 6:31 am
- Location: NE Ohio
Re: question about Language Arts
I just wanted to second Dr. MacDonald. He is fantastic. His newest book is Play to Talk. I try really hard to use his ideas with our DD with down syndrome. She just turned 7 last week. I would love to hear about what you used to teach your DD to read if you have a minute to share. We tend to take a very laid back approach to learning but I am starting to wonder if that is really the right thing for our DD.
Blessings,
Christi
Blessings,
Christi
Christi
DS1(17) - Private high school
DD(12) blessed with down syndrome
DS2(7) - Sonlight Core B
DD2(4.5) - just enjoying life tagging on where she can
DS1(17) - Private high school
DD(12) blessed with down syndrome
DS2(7) - Sonlight Core B
DD2(4.5) - just enjoying life tagging on where she can
Re: question about Language Arts
I will definitely look into those books! Thanks so much!
Christi -
Our daughter is VERY visual (I've read from many resources that children with DS tend to be visual learners) so many of the things that I used with her targeted her visual strengths.Some of the things we did in her preschool years that I believe helped her to read include:
- Signing TIme DVDs - these are excellent! Thankfully our library system has them all. Due to her language delays the signing helped her A LOT. They also have the words they're signing written on the screen so that helped her to learn to read those words too.
- Love and Learning - they have books and DVDs. We only used the first two kits but they have more than that.
- The bookTeaching Reading to Children with Down Syndrome by Patricia Oelwein is a GREAT reading program as well. When we started this, she already knew letter names and sounds (The Letter Factory DVDs are EXCELLENT for that - my 2 year old twins learned all the letter names and sounds after watching it a couple of times!) (by the way, there's also a book called Teaching Math to People with Down Syndrome by DeAnna Horstmeier)
- Her KDG year we used My Father's World Kindergarten - she was able to handle the reading with that just fine- the other activities were a little too much for her language-wise though and she really didn't like artistic stuff (fine motor delays)
-This year (she is in 1st grade), I used some of the Bob Jones Kindergarten for part of the year but it wasn't a good fit for us. So then about mid year we started to use Primary Phonics for reading. By the way, there is a Bob Jones modified curriculum for children with Down Syndrome. It's a pilot program and last I heard, the teacher guide/lesson plans were free - you just need to purchase some of the workbooks. It was written by a mom who homeschools her child with DS.
I think that pretty much covers what we've done so far. We've also used Handwriting without Tears (LOVE IT! Her OT uses it too) and we've gotten through most of Math U See Primer this year. Hope that helps - sorry if I rambled!
Stephanie
Christi -
Our daughter is VERY visual (I've read from many resources that children with DS tend to be visual learners) so many of the things that I used with her targeted her visual strengths.Some of the things we did in her preschool years that I believe helped her to read include:
- Signing TIme DVDs - these are excellent! Thankfully our library system has them all. Due to her language delays the signing helped her A LOT. They also have the words they're signing written on the screen so that helped her to learn to read those words too.
- Love and Learning - they have books and DVDs. We only used the first two kits but they have more than that.
- The bookTeaching Reading to Children with Down Syndrome by Patricia Oelwein is a GREAT reading program as well. When we started this, she already knew letter names and sounds (The Letter Factory DVDs are EXCELLENT for that - my 2 year old twins learned all the letter names and sounds after watching it a couple of times!) (by the way, there's also a book called Teaching Math to People with Down Syndrome by DeAnna Horstmeier)
- Her KDG year we used My Father's World Kindergarten - she was able to handle the reading with that just fine- the other activities were a little too much for her language-wise though and she really didn't like artistic stuff (fine motor delays)
-This year (she is in 1st grade), I used some of the Bob Jones Kindergarten for part of the year but it wasn't a good fit for us. So then about mid year we started to use Primary Phonics for reading. By the way, there is a Bob Jones modified curriculum for children with Down Syndrome. It's a pilot program and last I heard, the teacher guide/lesson plans were free - you just need to purchase some of the workbooks. It was written by a mom who homeschools her child with DS.
I think that pretty much covers what we've done so far. We've also used Handwriting without Tears (LOVE IT! Her OT uses it too) and we've gotten through most of Math U See Primer this year. Hope that helps - sorry if I rambled!
Stephanie