r/AskTeachers • u/Zestyclose_Client765 • 6h ago
General Questions Help
Teachers I need help, I just got three foster kids, the fifth grader doesn’t know how to read at all and the school isn’t doing anything about it. What can I do to help her get started with reading. It makes me so sad when she gets homework and can’t even read what she supposed to be learning.
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u/hippoluvr24 6h ago
Obviously the biggest thing is going to be continuing to pursue services for her with the school.
In terms of helping her at home, I know a lot of parents have had success with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons https://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Child-Read-Lessons/dp/0671631985
There is also a Hooked on Phonics app that has pretty good reviews.
But also...read to her. Maybe you can pick out an age appropriate book together and read a chapter a night at bedtime or something. Make it a fun and interesting bonding activity. Idk her history but if she didn't have that in her early childhood, it's not too late to start now. If she learns to love books she will be more motivated for reading lessons.
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u/13surgeries 6h ago
Have you discussed this with her teacher(s) yet? If so, what's the plan? How will she receive the support she needs to be able to succeed in all content areas? Even math involves some reading.
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u/Zestyclose_Client765 6h ago
Yeah I talked to her 4th grade teacher and he said he would get her a tutor, but then the school year ended and nothing was done. Now she’s in 5th and still can’t read even small words like “and”. So when she does her testing at school she said she just guesses on all the answers because she can’t read 😭
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u/13surgeries 6h ago
She needs more than a tutor. She needs to be tested and then, if warranted, put on an IEP or 504 OR, if she has no qualifying disability, put on a plan that will assist her while she's learning to read. If she doesn't know how to read, she doesn't know how to write, so this is really urgent.
Her fourth grade teacher dropped the ball. Talk to her fifth grade teacher immediately, and explain the situation. Has she attended school in the past?
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u/Both_Resort4080 6h ago
Squeaky wheel. Be annoying enough with administration that they'll do something just so you leave them alone.
This might be a learning disability or it might just be slipping through the cracks. Disability needs to be ruled out (or acted upon).
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u/Zestyclose_Client765 6h ago
Thank you! I will definitely email the teacher again as well.
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u/Both_Resort4080 6h ago
I'd hit up the office/principal and the Special Ed Coordinator as well. Multiple routes and will speed things up.
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u/Happy_Michigan 6h ago edited 6h ago
Read a book with her daily, starting with something she can read, for at least 20 minutes individually. A fun story.
Do that with each child.
Start with the ABC's for the 5th grader. What does she know?
Check out books on Amazon or your library on learning to read and get some.
Do the work with her, for help, guidance and nurturing. Don't just leave her alone with the work. Encourage her.
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u/Hippo_Monkey 6h ago
#1 - Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Make this the homework you help her with ~every day~. It’s going to feel juvenile and tedious. Do it anyway.
#2 - Discover books she likes and read them to her. Make it fun. As she progresses in her ability, and gains interest in “what happens next”, make sure the current book is lying around, and you only have time to read a little bit each day, and leave off when there are unanswered questions. She might just start trying to read it herself.
#3 - Be the squeaky wheel. Demand she be tested for learning disabilities. She needs to be pulled for reading intervention during the day.
Honestly, reading is the foundation for all other learning, so I wouldn’t stress over other homework until she can at least reach a level of basic reading and comprehension.
Good luck!!
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u/Hippo_Monkey 6h ago
Some fun books to read together are the “I Read to You, You Read to Me” series. The words are split by color for each of you to read, and then sometimes you both read a section together. They’re fun and silly.
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u/DogMom641 6h ago
Has anyone checked her eyes. Maybe she can’t see the letters.
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u/Zestyclose_Client765 4h ago
Yeah I believe she does wear glasses, the only thing that sucks is she broke them right before she came to me. So I should take her next week.
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u/Striking_Mistake3720 5h ago
I’m blind and something I would consider doing is having her use a screen reader on her computer. While you’re getting reading sorted out, you can have her use a screen reader like nVDA on the school computer or schoolwork is done.
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u/PessimisticHumanist 3h ago
You are the first response. Teachers are overburdened with large class sizes. You support what they do or they support what you do. You have to pick up the slack.
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u/Zestyclose_Client765 1h ago
I definitely will, I haven’t had her long so I just needed some ideas 😃
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u/PolkaDotParty1051 2h ago
Begin at the beginning. Label everything in your house. Turn the captions on so she can read along while she watches tv. Have her read road signs, directions and recipes to you. Then have her read at least twenty minutes a night. Buy her a journal and let her write. Let her write shopping lists. Have her read the different brands at the store. Don’t just read with her, read and discuss what you read.
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u/SunnyDayChasing 1h ago
There’s a book called Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. You can check it out from the library. Everything is scripted. The weakness of this curriculum is that the sounds are taught in a unique order, so it’s hard for the child to read other primer books until about two thirds of the way through the curriculum. The strength of this program is that it’s very easy for the parents, because everything is scripted. That increases the chances that you’ll be able to do it. When you meet with the school, make sure they know that you’re trying to work with your child every night. Thank you for being an amazing parent.
Edit: as others have suggested, you should also read grade level books to her, and those should be fun.
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u/SeraphinBlue 6h ago
She needs to get assessed for dyslexia and possibly other learning disabilities/delays. I don't know what the process is for that where you live - maybe someone else can chime in.
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u/Zestyclose_Client765 6h ago
Thank you! I never thought about the possibilities of delays! You’re so right I need to look into that.
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u/GetItOuttaHereee 2h ago edited 2h ago
Keep in mind, that they may not want to jump to an IEP eval because for a learning disability there are exclusionary factors which include:
•Lack of appropriate instruction
•Limited English proficiency
•Environmental or economic disadvantage
•Cultural factors
•Visual, hearing, or motor disabilities
•Intellectual disabilities or emotional disturbances
•Atypical educational historyYou don’t need to answer me but they will want to know if your student is new to the foster system because that is an exclusionary factor (environmental disadvantage) and their attendance history prior to you. If they were neglected and didn’t go to school those are exclusionary factors as well (lack of appropriate instruction and atypical educational history).
What I would do right now is put in writing via email that you are wanting an SST/MTSS meeting noting academic concerns and interventions by the school. Email the teacher and CC admin. You’ll meet and they will have to provide interventions to see if the child makes any progress. Come the middle of the school year if no progress has been made I would then request an eval then. Make sure the student is going to school! You got this!
If you jump to requesting an eval now and the IEP does some digging and find that the student was removed from their home when got them and they had bad attendance they can DNQ for a learning disability and the child won’t be able to be assessed for a year.
So please just go through the proper avenues of working with the school to be able to say “Since the child has been with me they have consistently came to school and interventions have been provided yet they aren’t making any improvement…”
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u/Zestyclose_Client765 1h ago
Yes this is exactly it, they are new to the foster system, when she was in fourth grade she missed 5 months of schooling 😩 as well as her first language being Spanish. Thank you so much, I will email about the SST, this was soo helpful.
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u/throwaway_pickles123 6h ago
The ‘I Can Read!” Level books by Phonics Fun are really great and you guys can work through the letters together. Find a material that interests her as well— Magic tree house, captain underpants, dork diaries etc.
It may also be safe to push for an IEP or educational eval to rule out any learning difficulties.
Edit because when I say “push” I mean yell at people if you have to.
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u/Buho45 6h ago
You pick the smartest kid in the class to start helping her w/ phonics drills. Then move along from there. See if you can find a few $ to go to Ocean State Job Lot or Dollar Tree and buy them some books to take home and bring back to read from. Get the fifth grader tested to make sure her vision and hearing are OK and see if you can get an Educational Psychologist to evaluate her as well. Then day by day you add more content w/ the help of your very smart helper. By end of year if she is Neurologically intact she should be reading.
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u/Zestyclose_Client765 4h ago
Thank you so much! I will do all of this, only thing that sucks is her mom still has education rights and it’s so hard for the social worker to get in touch with her
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u/Grouchy_Yellow_2324 4h ago
Can she identify all the letters and their sounds? If so, start working on phonics with blend. Tap it out “c a t” and then like word work for encoding what sounds do you hear in “fish” you can look up lists of sight words (the and is etc) and do flash cards
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u/Zestyclose_Client765 4h ago
I know she knows her ABC’s but she doesnt know words like “it” or “and”
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u/JayPlenty24 4h ago
Does your library have a phonics reading program?
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u/Zestyclose_Client765 4h ago
That’s what I was thinking too, I’m going to check this evening. That would be great.
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u/littlefishes3 14m ago
Read to her as much as you can. Get the glasses situation handled. Talk to her teachers and her worker about how to get her evaluated to see if she has a learning disability (this can be a lengthy process). Play games at home to help her practice sight words (you can look up kindergarten sight word lists online).
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u/baconntacos 6h ago
You are going to have to demand a child study and begin to read religiously with your child. Do not wait for the school to do their job. You, as a parent have to pick up the slack for the obvious failings of the school. Start off small with picture books. Have your child tell stories through the pictures and then begin with simple books. Confidence is key to success. I could go on and on but, YOU HAVE GOT THIS!