Tag: See and Learn

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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Four-Syllable Word Cards for Articulation

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Here is a set of 20 four-syllable word cards I made for Junior. Once he mastered the three syllable word cards, I made this set for him. The more syllables there are in a word, the trickier it is to articulate. Thankfully, there are not many four-syllable words that young children use on a daily basis. But in case your child needs to say words such as ballerina and elevator, here is something that will help…

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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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Autumn-Themed Sight Words and Pictures, See and Learn Style

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Can you believe it’s autumn already?

Here are eighteen autumn-themed sight word pictures and word cards. They’re great for building vocabulary, too. Use them just the way you use the See and Learn kits. And since books are always so motivating, here are two books that go with the words:

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Teaching Children with Down Syndrome to Read with See and Learn: Ten More Free Books!

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For those of you using DSE’s See and Learn Reading Program, here are ten more free books. These books are meant to go with See and Learn Sentences 1. Each book reinforces new words and reviews old ones. New books keep my little guy highly motivated, which I why I keep making them 🙂

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Adapted Books for Children with Down Syndrome

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In past posts, I have shared some of our homemade books to supplement DSE’s See and Learn Reading Program. Sometimes, however, kids like to read from “real” books. Adapting real books is a great way to motivate them to read. Natalie Hale, author of Whole Child Reading gives some excellent guidelines for adapting books. My nephew Aidan, for example, LOVES the movie Cars. So my sister and I adapted several Cars books for him, which he was so excited to read.

Today I’m sharing some adapted books which your kids may find highly motivating:

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Nativity and Christmas Picture and Word Cards

Published on by Mary Cooney2 Comments

Just over a year ago, Junior began learning to read sight words using DSE’s See and Learn Reading program. We have been amazed at how quickly he learned to read, and since then he has completed all three of the See and Learn Phrases kits and the See and Learn Sentences kit (which is huge!). Now there are no more See and Learn Kits for him to use, but I don’t want to slow down his momentum. We have since moved onto phonics. However, the process of matching, selecting, and reading sight words is such a powerful learning tool for him that I want to keep using it in addition to learning phonics.

So I am making my own picture and word cards, See and Learn style. It’s a lot of work, but definitely worth the effort, especially when I see how quickly and eagerly Junior learns new words. Here are two sets I am sharing with you today: A Nativity Set and a Christmas Vocabulary Set.

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Teaching Children with Down Syndrome to Read with See and Learn: More Free Resources

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As many of you know, I’ve been teaching Junior to read using Down Syndrome Education’s See and Learn series. Teaching Junior to read has been one of the most gratifying experiences in all my years of homeschooling because he is so eager to learn. One of the things that keeps him motivated is getting to read new books. Every time I bring home a big bag of new books from the library it’s like Christmas… he’s that excited. Then Junior sits on the floor and digs into the bag, happily flipping through each of the books and lining them up neatly as he finishes each one.

To keep him motivated and to give him continual review of previously learned words, I make him books using the words he has learned from See and Learn and from the Faith and Freedom Primer.

A few posts ago, I shared some books I made to go with See and Learn Phrases 1 and 2. Here are ten free books to supplement See and Learn Phrases 2 and 3.

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Free Resources for Teaching Children with Down Syndrome to Read

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Several weeks ago, I read the book Whole Child Reading: A Quick Start Guide to Teaching Students with Down Syndrome and Other Developmental Delays. If you have a child with developmental delays, I highly recommend reading this book. It’s a fast, easy read with useful insights into how the brain works and many practical applications. The gist of the book is to go in through the heart by using stories and topics that are highly interesting and motivating to the student and then to teach to the brain by understanding how children with T21 learn best.

In the book, author Natalie Hale gives specific instructions on how to format and make your own books so that your kids can read with greater ease and success. So I began making books. I made personal books, because Junior, like most kids, likes to read about himself and his family. I also made books using words from the See and Learn Phrases kits.

Today I’m sharing some of these books:

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