I have been considering using the WRTR. I have a 12 yob who could not read or write when I brought him home to home school 1 year and a half ago. He was being promoted to the 5th grade anyway. We have been doing vision therapy for a year and reading reflex for a year and a half. He is finally reading about 2-3 grade level and can finally write a full page staying on the lines, neatly, without to much agony.
Vision therapy has helped so much though is taking so long for him. Writing was the first improvement we saw in VT. Before VT he could not write one sentence on a line. The letters would get larger and slopper and to diagonally up the page. He would cry and fall on the floor and loose his pencil several times in the process of writing one line.
My question is: how long does it take to go through WRTR successfully? He is extremely bright with high IQ, and tremendous general knowlege and large vocabulary. However, has had extreme problems with reading, writing, and spelling. Comprehension is a strength when he reads or is being read to. Very much an auditory learner. He has much more trouble with little words like … there their was saw said here where… then he does with multisylable.
I plan to do audiblox after vision therapy for visual perception/processing. Advanced math concepts are another strength, however math facts with a quick response are impossible. I think due to the visual processing deficit, which I believe is due to his eyes not being as they should.
We have struggled so much; attitude has been poor due to so much failure and poor self-esteem and getting in trouble in ps for acting out of frustration for punishments for not being able to do his work and stay on task, etc. before I brought him home to homeschooling.
Again, I am wondering if I should pursue the WRTR after we are finished with Vision Therapy (hopefully about 3 more months). I am also reviewing Reading Reflex with the parent support workbook now (again because I think it didn’t completely stick first time around due to poor visual processing/perception.
Since he is 12 years old, I wasn’t sure how long it would take us to get through WRTR. I have never seen anything that mentions the time spent or years. However, I want him to be a success in reading and spelling.
Thanks for any help you can offer and I’ms sorry I wasn’t brief.
Gina in Texas, who has been consumed for the past several years in search of helping my son succeed.
"fast as you can, slow as you must."
The “how long will it take” question is a sticky one. WRTR is Spalding’s WRiting Road to Reading, an O-G program. Therefore, things are taught to automaticity — and that takes longer. How much longer? Depends extremely on the individual. I worked with some students who went through the “meat” of our O-G program in two years, with great and wonderful gains in that time. (Then we worked on comprehension… and we never ran out of spelling to work on :-( ) And sometimes, well before we were “through” all the syllable types, it was clear that the decoding process had been unlocked and the kid’s skills took off. More often, it was like athletic training — things improved and we kept the kiddo in good “Verbal shape” (and had to get bakc into it after summers), but you didn’t become really “fit” that first season.
In my opinion, especially for highly intelligent students, it is well worth it because the foundations built the slow way liberate the student to college reading. Accommodations, etc. are still often in order — extra time for tests, etc — but the reading and writing quantity demands are more within reach.
I’m not specifically familiar with WRTR, though I’ve looked over the program (they were in the booth beside us in Houston once… and I overheard some real tales about Ms. Spalding…) and considered that there *is* a lot of writing involved so that perhaps w/ a kiddo with dysgraphia I’d be checking out other O-G programs.
Re: WRTR
I haven’t used it either, but someone told me about a much easier to use version published by the Riggs Institute (more scripted lesson plans).
http://www.riggsinst.org/index.shtml
Janis
I used WRTR for a year with my ds.
I used WRTR with ds when he was in 2nd grade. I followed the instructions exactly. I used Wanda Sansari’s supplement to the program. I was disappointed with the program. I had read where a child’s spelling would soar using this program. My ds’s spelling went downhill. Of course it may have just been a bad fit for my ds.
I like the way the program has the child mark the words. This gives a multisensory way of remembering the word. However what I did not like about the program was the order in which words are learned. Apparently you learn the word as from most frequently used word to lesser frequently used words. I prefer to teach words together according to rules/patterns. I think this is more effecient teaching.
I’m a homeschooling mom and I used Cathy Duffy’s Curriculum Guide to go by. I believe that she said that a highly kinesthetic child might have problems with WRTR. She was right about my ds.
I much prefer Phonics Pathways which is extremely easy to use. I also highly recommend the book “Never Too Late To Read : Language Skills for Adolescent with Dyslexia” by Ann Cashwell Tuley. You can get this from York Press. It also advocates setting up a notebook for the student. However you teach rules, especially syllabication rules, in order to teach the student to read and spell. It basically uses the Orton-Gillingham method of teaching reading. I know that Spalding studied under Orton, and her program is similar, but it is not the same IMHO.
I will say that many, many, many folks have used WRTR successfully. IT just didn’t work for us. I didn’t use the Riggs format, so that could be something to look into.
HTH,
Jan P.
"Never too late" is a great book :)
And it would match the information & tools at the yahoo group (MSSLathome).
Re: "Never too late" is a great book :)
Thank you all for your responses. I have been checking out the MSSLathome site and appreciate you pointing me to it and the book.
And then there are the chats at net-haven.net
If you want support along the way, drop on by — I’m there most Thursday evenings. Everybody’s welcome (Thurs is “education” night, other nights are for parenting and ADD type issues) — it’s small & quiet & friendly; you can go straight to www.net-haven.net or click on the “chat” link from my site at www.resourceroom.net
What is WRTR? Obviously I’m not going to be the one to tell you to use it, but I’m always interested in knowing about things.
BTW, you don’t need to be brief. Just say what needs saying—and you did.
Congratulations on your hard work. Your child will never forget you for it!
We need a Mom’s club. Membership requirement: I taught my child to read. What shall we call ourselves?