Tag: reading

See and Learn Phrases 1 Practice Workbook

Published on by Mary Cooney3 Comments

Are you looking to teach your child with (or without) Down Syndrome to read? Or looking to build your child’s expressive vocabulary?

As many of you know, I’m a great fan of the See and Learn Kits from Down Syndrome Education. It was the See and Learn Phrases 1 Kit that launched my son with Down Syndrome into the wonderful world of reading. I began using See and Learn with my son when he 3.5 years old and discovered that 1) learning to read sight words was a great way to build his expressive vocabulary and 2) reading was a very enjoyable activity for him. To see videos of how we used See and Learn, check out this post: Teaching Preschoolers with Down Syndrome to Read with See and Learn.

Naturally, we also used this with the boys in our Down Syndrome co-op. So, to help the busy moms practice See and Learn daily with their kids, I made this homework packet/workbook. And now, with the generous permission of Down Syndrome Education, I’m sharing it with you for FREE.

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First Steps with Phonics, Book 2: a FREE Workbook for Children with (or without) Down Syndrome

Published on by Mary Cooney4 Comments

Here’s Book 2 of First Steps with Phonics. This is an incremental, picture-based introduction to phonics designed for children with Down Syndrome. It’s both Orton-Gillingham and Montessori friendly! Read more about this program and watch some videos here.

If your child is struggling with phonics, give these workbooks a try! Unlike most phonics programs that start with CVC words, this series begins with vowel teams that make one and only one sound, which helps to prevent frustration and confusion in the early stages of decoding.

If your child hasn’t started with phonics, here’s an easy way to start for both parent and child.

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Construction Vehicles Three-Part Cards

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About this time last year, my son was really into all the Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site books. We read them over and over again. So I decided to make him Construction Vehicles Three-Part cards.

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First Steps with Phonics: A FREE Phonics Workbook for Children with (or without) Down Syndrome

Published on by Mary Cooney4 Comments

 

Is your child ready for phonics? Here’s a free and easy way to try it out!

A year ago, I came across the newly published book Phonics the R-igh-t Way for Children and Adults with Down Syndrome by Judy O’Halloran and Marilee Senior. My son with T21 was already a fluent reader, but I was interested to see if there were any ideas that might help the boys in our Down Syndrome co-op.

What the authors presented, among several great ideas, was a very unique and clever order of teaching the phonograms. Almost all other phonics programs teach the CVC (Consonant-vowel-consonant) words first, such as cat, pig, and dog. However, each of the vowels produce several different sounds. For example, think of the different sounds of A in the words apple, cake, and father.

Judy O’Halloran and Marilee Senior recommend teaching the seven phonograms that make one and only one sound first, to avoid early confusion and frustration. These phonograms are as follows: ay as in say, ai as in rain, ee as in bee, igh as in night, oa as in boat, oe as in toe, and eigh as in eight. Starting with these phonograms also helps a child get used to the idea that multiple letters can make one sound.

Very clever indeed!

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A FREE CVCe Practice Book

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Here’s a free resource to help your child with (or without) T21 learn the concept of silent e in long vowel words. Most phonics programs require children to practice word families by reading long, drill-like lists of words. Early on, I knew that was not going to fly with my little guy. So, to help him understand silent e, I adapted the word lists to make them colorful, interactive, and full of pictures to boost comprehension and to make reading lists of words more meaningful and interesting.

Take a look:

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Teach Me to Read Duets: Another Free Adapted Reader for Children with (or without) Down Syndrome

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For those of you who have used my free Short Vowel Stories to practice phonics with your emergent readers, here’s an easy next step: a FREE and adapted version of Teach Me to Read Duets.

Fifteen years ago or so, I wrote these little stories for my daughter when she was learning to read.

Then, about two years ago, I adapted them for my son with Down Syndrome. Compared to the original version, the font size is larger, there are two spaces between each word, and there are larger gaps between each line. I also broke this book up into three smaller books (A, B, and C), all of which are included in this file.

Well, my son whizzed through them nearly as quickly as I could adapt them. Just recently, I pulled them out again for a young boy in our Down Syndrome Co-op, who had just completed the Short Vowel Stories. Easy-peasy! He read several pages in one lesson. So I thought I really ought to post this one.

Take a look:

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Homeschooling a Child with Down Syndrome: My Favorite Resources for Parents

Published on by Mary Cooney2 Comments

Last fall Junior started kindergarten, so I’ve been doing a lot of reading about how best to teach a child with Down Syndrome. There isn’t a whole lot of information and advice available on how to homeschool children with Down Syndrome (compared to the overwhelming plethora of blogs, books, videos, and conferences on homeschooling in general). However, there are some very helpful educational resources for parents of children with Down Syndrome. Today I’m sharing my favorite ones:

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Homeschooling a Child with Down Syndrome: Effective Strategies for Teaching

Published on by Mary Cooney10 Comments

Fifteen or so years ago, I began homeschooling my oldest child, and I’ve been homeschooling ever since. I’ve homeschooled five of my kids from preschool through sixth to eight grade. Even though my children differ widely in temperament, I eventually settled on a piece-meal curricula that worked well for everyone with some minor variations and changes over the years.

And then Junior came along. Junior, with his extra special chromosome, his zest for life and learning, and his gritty stubborn streak. Very early on, I realized that teaching him would be a whole new adventure. So I was not surprised when I came across the following:

Research has shown that young people with Down syndrome not only take longer to learn new skills but also learn differently in some key areas. Additionally, they benefit from some teaching strategies that are different to those typically used in education. Down Syndrome: Guidelines for Inclusive Education, International Down Syndrome Society and Down Syndrome Education International, Dec. 2021

As I read and researched about teaching children with T21, I began to keep a rolling list of best teaching strategies and practices. These have been incredibly helpful for homeschooling Junior and teaching three more little boys with T21 who come to my home for a Down Syndrome co-op.

Today I’m sharing these strategies with you and how we can use them at home.

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Winter-Themed Picture and Word Cards

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It’s winter! So here are some winter-themed picture and word cards to build your child’s sight-word reading vocabulary. This free download also comes with a book that allows your child to practice reading the new sight words. The book is best suited for children who have completed See and Learn Phrases 3. But the cards can be used at any level.

Check it out:

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