Switch It

[Marnie]

Great Mary! I’m glad they did well and also am glad you understand the importance of finding their current instructional level. Thanks for sharing!

[Marnie]

Great Mary! I’m glad they did well and also am glad you understand the importance of finding their current instructional level. Thanks for sharing!

[Jennifer Nowicki]

I have done Switch It with my son using words from the 1st grade Intro list (by the way, I cannot get that document to print, it just spools forever and then prints gobble-dee-gook so I retyped the words in a Word doc).  My son is able to handle cvc words and some cvcc words and three sound words with consonant digraphs.  I am intrigued to learn more about applying this Switch It to transition him to ccvc or ccvcc words.  It is really puzzling to me why I don’t see this type of sequence addressed more/discussed.  Many, many programs go from cvc words to short vowel words with blends.  That is where my son has struggled.  I was just saying to a classmate this past weekend, that he’s learned a lot this year but he just seems stuck at the cvc stage; on the other hand, I mentioned to her he has done fine with the consonant digraphs and a few vowel teams.  Many light bulbs have gone off for me over just the past 24 hours, including the realization about why Primary Phonics covers vowel teams in level 2 before consonant blends, and I am eager to continue on in this course.  My son really isn’t stuck at the cvc stage; rather it’s the ccvc and ccvcc words that are problematic.

[Marnie]

Jennifer, I’m sorry to hear about the printing problem! What a drag. I’ll email you a copy for you and hope that it will work.

I love how much you’re sharing and how fast you’re going through all the content! :O

At your son’s level, consider how he may be on separate tracks for manipulating as compared with blending. In other words, I often get kids to the CCVCC level in Switch It earlier than I get them there for Read It. But that’s still great phonemic processing work that they’re getting with manipulating sounds in Switch It.

You may like watching this video of a K student who was in a 5-day challenge I ran in November. He was behind because it was mid-Nov. and he knew only 7 letter-sounds and couldn’t segment CVC words. All I did with him was Switch It for 5 days in a row. You can see a bit of his transition from CVC to CVCC to CCVC to CCVCC in the video:
http://readingsimplified.com/videos/

[Marsha Osburn]

Not sure this is where I am suppose to put my response for – beginning experiences with Switch It but here it goes…

Student A-I found Switch It during the school year and was able to try it with a Kindergarten struggling reader. He actually knew all his sounds but had little experience manipulating sounds for himself to make words and change words. He was able to go through the Switch It word lists quickly learning consonant digraphs that he had very little experience with. Throughout this experience I saw the Spring Forward challenge and decided that I would use the long o packet to “spring this student forward.” He responded very quickly and his eyes lit up when he saw the /oe/ patterns in stories. I almost hated to see summer come. I was so excited about the Reading Simplified Academy I decided to ask administration for professional development money to enter the academy. It was granted and I started in May with summer coming.

Student  B-As I was considering children to try Switch It with I thought of my oldest grandson he has a natural interest in letters, reading and is eager to learn. Will likely not be a struggling student when he starts kindergarten in the fall….he lives hours away from me but I was able to snatch a few moments last weekend to give Switch It a try with him. I decided to give the list on Day 1-Week one of the Spring Forward a try with him (I knew he had some sound experience from earlier conversations with him). The list included /a/ and /i/ which I thought might be a little more challenging. He absolutely loved it…it was game like enough that he responded with enthusiasm. I needed to draw out the sounds several times to help get the vowel in the right place but he loved to hear “how” he could correct his word. If we lived closer I feel he could move quickly with this activity.

Student C- I would like to share a bit about another student that I had in school. This student struggles in school. He moved into our district in February and was included in our PreK (4 year olds) program. He was older and will be considered repeating kindergarten next fall (although he is moving out of the district). This student was unable to say (or identify letters in) the alphabet or name letters in his last name. I was the SPED teacher so saw him only a few minutes each day (4 day school week). When he left for summer vacation he was able to say his alphabet, point and say alphabet after putting it in order (without a model) with only occasional errors. Although I didn’t start him in Switch It I had started him with Build It (using the beginning list from “Reading Reflex“). I felt he needed the support of pictures to tie to a written word for meaning. He was picking up on sounds in our language.

I included student C in my response about Switch It because I feel this student would benefit from Switch It after getting a little more experience with sounds…and realizing sounds make words and words are written form of talking. He will be a student that may get lost in a classroom and not be expected to move quicker…but I think Switch It and other Reading Simplified activities “immerse” kids in reading sounds. Which is a more natural way to learn (it is the way kids learn to talk…hearing and using all sounds) not certain sounds till they are solidly proficient.

 

[Marnie]

Marsha, yes, you’re posting in the right place since you’re posting about Switch It! With the re-organization, it’s a little hard to tell but you got it.

So pleased to hear your quick results! I didn’t realize you had this many different students you could try Reading Simplified out with.

It’s so wonderful to hear the way other teachers describe what happens to kids when they learn to read with this approach. For instance, “Reading Simplified activities ‘immerse’ kids in reading sounds.” A perfect description.

And thanks for playing in our Spring Forward Challenge! And here’s to good blessings to follow your Student C in his next school…

[Marsha Osburn]

The students were all over a period of time (using the samples of Switch It and the Spring Challenge materials) ….before school got out. I am started in the Academy during the summer and will likely work through the Academy rather slowly until school starts….(my grandson lives a ways away and I will not get to practice with him as often as I’d like.)

One of the students that I have not visited about is a 3rd grader (4th in the fall) I didn’t use Reading Simplified with this student…from what I had learned I did start to encourage a “try something different method” when she was reading she tended to get stuck in using the same sounds instead of trying a different sound…to get a word that made sense.

Anyway my reason for mentioning this is I like the idea of your Streamlined Pathways… as I learn more about your system I can see that students like this one can be taken through the 3rd pathway as an organized review of sounds learned …while the majority of time is spent in the practice of reading text…

I enjoy the organized, systematic, phonetic approach in the Reading Simplified Method. Thanks

[Marnie]

Lovely. Thank you Marsha.

Yes, the Streamlined Pathway is just a HUGE time-saver for me. Whenever I have a new tutoring student, I always carry them through the same general progression.  Right now I have a rising sophomore who’s doing the same basic set of activities as the K student I just finished with. However, I just use a lot harder words and texts with the high schooler.

[lisa bayer]

First time using Switch It.

I did my first lesson with my student.  I did the first lesson in the first grade packet.  He was successful with this and seemed engaged.  I thought this was too easy for him so I gave the quick assessment that was provided and he did quite well with that so I am going to try a more advanced level tomorrow.

[Marnie]

Lisa, I’m sorry I missed this post awhile ago. Sounds like you made great calls!

[Kaye Randle]

First time using Switch It…..I used it today with one of my resource classes and the kids loved it!!  I think that the level I started with was a little too easy for them so I plan to do the assessment with them tomorrow and go form there.  I think they liked it so much because it was something they were able to do and be successful with!!!  The are ready to try again tomorrow:)

Instead of the word cards, I am using some plastic tile cubes that I wrote the letters on.  There are four colors, so I used one for the vowels and then another color for the sound cards.  It is so visual for them!!  Thanks

 

[Marnie]

Thanks for the good report, Kaye! Most folks start out at levels that are too easy, but that’s fine if you figure it out the first day and adjust! Using the assessment is a good idea.

The other idea would be…was is SUPER easy? Then jump 2 levels of phonemic difficulty tomorrow and be ready to move up another level.

Was it only moderately easy? Then jump up 1 level of phonemic difficulty and be ready to move up another level.

I love the idea of the tiles. Are you putting the 2-letter digraphs on 1 cube? 😉

Keep us informed of your next steps!

An aside: could you please try to create a new topic next time so your comment won’t be hidden below so many others’ comments? This is an old thread so folks might miss it. Thanks! Please let me know if you don’t know what I’m talking about. 🙂