The Laubach Way To Reading

The Laubach Way to Reading
Helping New and Low Level Learners to Succeed!!
Sandra Sullivan Learning for Life Program

of the West Side Catholic Center
Presented by Jacquelyn A. Comeaux of The L.E.A.D. Institute, LLC
Leadership, Education and Business Development Training and Consulting
April 12, 2010
Welcome!
 This training is provided FREE by
The L.E.A.D. Institute, LLC in
cooperation with Farrell Ink, LLC
and thanks to the Sandra Sullivan
Learning for Life Program of the
West Side Catholic Center in
Cleveland, Ohio.
The Laubach Way to Reading 2

Welcome!
 The L.E.A.D. Institute, LLC is a network of
Educators and Consultants providing:
 Professional & Personal Development
Training
 Literacy Education Training
 Leadership Training and
 Individual and Emerging Business

Development Consulting

Welcome!
 The Sandra Sullivan Learning for Life
Program supports non-profits and faith
communities to provide cost effective,
volunteer-based adult education tutoring.
 You may duplicate, present, or print this

training FREE for non-commercial purposes
and can customize it as long as you
attribute the training to the Sandra Sullivan
Learning for Life Program.

Agenda – Part One
“Charting the Course”
 What is the Laubach Way to Reading?

 Characteristics of New Readers or Low
Level Learners
 Special Needs of the Adult Learner
 Hearing
 Vision
 Learning Disabilities
 Individual Learning Styles

Agenda – Part Two
“Beginning the Journey”
 The Roadmap: The 4 Critical Components

to Reading
 Mile Markers: Lessons in the Skill Books
 Final Destination: Tips for Top Tutors!

What is the Laubach Way to Reading?
 Each Adult Learner is a Unique Individual
 Tutoring is Effective
 Reading and Writing are Meaning-based

Processes
 A Variety of Instructional Approaches are

Needed


 They bring a wealth of knowledge and experience
to the learning process.
 They have their on needs and interests.
 Tutors/Teachers must work with the learner to

tailor the program to their long-terms goals and
short term objectives

 Tutoring is Effective!
 Traditional instruction methods may have failed
many of the learners. Tutoring offered in small
groups or one-on-one offers another chance.
 Tutors can develop a respectful and encouraging

relationship and create a new environment for
learning. This new environment can guide and
support the learners literacy development.


Processes
 The goal of literacy instruction is to help learners
gain the skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed
to actively make meaning (or sense) out of
written language.
 To do this learners must be able to recognize the

language forms (letters, words, style, formats)
being used in what they read and in what they
write.


Processes (cont’d)
 They must understand the author’s purpose for
writing and have a purpose for what they write.
 They must react to what they read using prior

knowledge, and then be able to apply the
meaning to their own lives.

 A Variety of Instructional Approaches are
Needed
 Tutors /Teachers will need to be able to use a
variety of teaching techniques and materials.
 Tutors/Teachers need to understand the
following concepts of Listening, Speaking,
Reading and Writing and know that they are
interrelated parts of the language acquisition
process.
 Tutors/Teachers must integrate all four of these
communication tools into your reading and
writing instruction.

Characteristics of the New Reader
or Low Level Learner
Learners: Tutor/Teachers:
 Emphasize learner skills
 Want/deserve and strengths. Give
respect frequent praise and support
 Design lesson plans that
address priority needs so
learner experiences success
 Are used to making  Involve the learner in
setting goals and objectives
decisions  Ask learner to evaluate the
lessons respecting their
opinions
 Be flexible in assigning
 Are busy people homework
 Use tutoring time carefully

Characteristics of the New
and Low Level Learner
 Make an agreement on how
 Have to deal with to contact each other if you
emergencies and or the learner cannot make
unexpected a session
situations  Have alternative activities
ready in case the learner
did not have time to
prepare or you need a sub
 Have a wealth of  Design instructional

life experiences activities around the
learners work, community ,
family, politics, hobbies,
friends, or current interests

 Provide plenty of
 Sometimes feel opportunity to practice new
insecure about skills
using new skills on  Practice exercises with
their own learner before asking them
to do it alone or for
homework
 Don’t ask something you
know the learner doesn’t
know
 Ask the learner to repeat
explanations or instruction
so you can check
understanding

 Respect the learner’s values
 Have their own and don’t try to change
values and beliefs them or judge them
 Speak clearly, be sensitive

 May have special to possible sight/hearing
physical needs problems
 Meet in a place that is
comfortable and accessible
to the learner
 Provide adequate break
time and lighting

 Find out what the learner
 Want to apply what needs
they learn to their  Show how a skill or lesson
present lives helps the learner move
closer to meeting those
needs
 May fear school  De-emphasize formal
testing
 Find out what school
experiences were
unpleasant and avoid re-
creating them
 Sit next to, rather than
stand over the learner

 Encourage and be
 May be supportive of the learner
embarrassed or  Let them know there is
ashamed about nothing wrong with him or
returning or her
 Be Patient!
coming to sessions

Special Needs
Hearing – Signs to look for:
 Learner speaks loudly
 Asks you to repeat yourself
 Misunderstands you
 Turns an ear toward you
when you speak
If these things happen you can:

 Enunciate clearly
 Speak loudly without yelling
 Make sure the learner is
looking at you when you start
to speak
 Ask the learner to repeat
explanations or instructions

Special Needs
Vision – Signs to look for:
 Squinting, holding a book
very close or very far away
 Bending low over the table
 Headaches
 Eye fatigue
 Inability to read small print
 Misreading words
If these things happen you can:
 Ask learner to tell you if the
print is too small
 Work in a well-lighted area
 Use large-print books
 Use a magnifying bar

Special Needs
Everyone who has a problem learning to read has a learning disability?
True or False
Learning Disability is a term that refers to a broad spectrum of processing

disorders that arise from problems in taking in, storing, retrieving, or
expressing information.

Special Needs
Learning Disabilities – Signs to look for:
 Hyperactivity- (restlessness, poor motor coordination,
talking a lot but frequently with incomplete thoughts
 Hypo activity- (reacting slowly, working slowly, seeming

unemotional)
 Attention problems -(daydreaming, seeming confused,

having difficulty concentrating, being easily distracted)

Special Needs
Learning Disabilities – Signs to look for: (cont’d)
 Impulsivity- (acting without thinking and without concern
for consequences, not staying with a task, saying one
thing and meaning another, speaking at inappropriate
times)
 Other general behaviors- (misinterpreting what others

say, having memory problems, being clumsy, displaying
poor decision-making skills, having difficulty managing
time, displaying poor fine motor skills, confusing left and
right, up and down, or east and west)

Special Needs
Tutors, in consultation with their literacy program should:
 Determine whether problems that occur in tutoring are

caused by the methods of instruction or a Learning
Disability of the student.
 If you are working with a Learning Disability learner, try a

variety of techniques to build on the learner’s strengths
and compensate for weaknesses.
 Use multi-sensory techniques

Special Needs
Tips to Help Learning Disability Learners
 Present information in  Experiment with large print
small, manageable steps  Use graph paper to help
 Structure activities with letter spacing in
 Teach new material in writing
concrete ways. Give  Prepare the learner for
examples changes in routine
 Relate new material to  Rephrase questions during
the learner’s everyday discussions and on
life assessments
 Discuss and study new  Make frequent eye contact
vocabulary words before
they appear in the
instructional materials

Special Needs
Tips to Help Learning Disability Learners
 Set up instructional  Teach and encourage the
space away from use of mnemonic
distractions (techniques for memorizing
 Restate information in a information)
variety of ways  Be well prepared for each
 Use a colored session
transparency to change  Use untimed tests
the contrast between ink  Use multiple choice tests
and paper on reading
materials
 Provide frequent
reinforcement and feedback

Individual Learning Styles
A learning style is the way a person takes in, stores, and
retrieves information. The 3 main senses a learner uses are:
Type of Learner Sense Relied On Characteristics

Auditory Hearing Learns by listening
and discussing
Visual Sight Learns by visualizing

and by looking at
text, charts, pictures
Kinesthetic/Tactile Movement, Touch Learns by doing and

being physically
involved in a task

A multi-sensory approach to teaching and learning involves all
three of these senses. It has the following advantages:
 It ensures that the tutor will provide opportunities for a

learner to use the sense that works best, even if the tutor is
not sure what that sense is.
 The more pathways a learner uses, the more likely he or she

is to retain the information.
 People tend to rely on different senses depending on the

tasks at hand.

Auditory Learners Tutors/Teachers can:
 Prefer oral instructions  Read to the learner
 Understand information  Make audiotapes of
best when they repeat it reading selections
aloud after hearing it  Encourage the learner to
 Can discriminate between discuss or summarize a
words that sound alike reading passage
(bat/bet) and between  Ask the learner to repeat
similar sounds (s/z) instructions
 Can reproduce  Use oral reading
information they hear: techniques
sounds, words,  Use music and rhythms to
grammatical structures
reinforce learning

Tutors/Teachers can:
Visual Learners
 Choose materials with
 See information in their
pictures/other illustrations
minds (form mental
pictures)
 Use flash cards, diagrams,
and charts
 Prefer written instructions
or demonstrations
 Use language experience
activities to help the
learner see his or her
words and ideas in print
 Write instructions to
reinforce oral instructions
 use visualization
techniques to help with
spelling, sight words, and
comprehension

Kinesthetic/Tactile Tutors/Teachers can:
Learners
 Have the learner trace letter
or words
 Are physically active
 Develop writing activities to
 Learn by touching and reinforce the reading skills
doing being learned
 May recall information  Ask the learner to draw a
more easily when some picture that represents the
physical action is story
involved: walking,
touching objects,
 Use letter cards or letter
movement, taking notes game tiles to spell words
 Would rather do
 Use word cards to form
something than talk or sentences
write about it  Use computers or simulation
and board games

Let’s Review
Laubach’s Way
 Tutoring is Effective
 Reading and Writing are Meaning based Processes
 A Variety of Instructional Approaches are Needed
3 Major Characteristics of New Readers/Low Level

Learners
 Have a wealth of life experience with their own values/
beliefs and want to apply what they learn to present lives
 Sometimes feel insecure about using new skills on their
own and embarrassed about being unable to read or write
 May have special physical needs
Let’s Review
Special Needs
 Hearing
 Vision
 Learning Disabilities

 Auditory - Hearing
 Visual – Sight
 Kinesthetic/Tactile – Movement, Touch
 Multi-Sensory Approach

Your Turn!
Question and Answer Time

Agenda – Part Two
“Beginning the Journey”
 The Roadmap: The 4 Critical Components

to Reading
 Mile Markers: Lessons in the Skill Books
 Final Destination: Tips for Top Tutors

The 4 Critical Components to Reading
Effective readers should be able to do
the following:
 Recognize – match letters/sounds to
form/decode printed words and to learn
the meaning/spelling of words.
 Understand – understand the intended
message – both what the author says
and what can be inferred
(Comprehension)

The 4 Critical Components to Reading
(cont’d)
 React: compare and integrate the

information in the text with their own
knowledge and/or prior experience
 Apply: use the new knowledge or skills

gained from the reading in other
contexts or to meet personal needs

Mile Markers:
Lessons in the Skill Books
Lessons 1 -5
 Recognizing letters and letter sounds
 Letters – small and Capital
 Sounds – for small and capital letters
 Phonics- Blending of letter/sounds to form/decode words

 Name the letter
 Sound out the letter
 Repeat the sounds of the letters
 Read the word

Mile Markers:
Lessons 1 -5 – Tutor Tips
Recognize letters and letter sounds
 Provide a phonics chart - use of pictures and key words to
help student using visual skills
Picture Letter Sound Word

D da Dad a a
d da
 Phonics- Blending of letter/sounds to form/decode words
 Name the letter
 Sound out the letter
 Repeat the sounds of the letters
 Read the word

Mile Markers:
 Blending letters and sounds (Diagraphs blends)
Example: Reading words with short “i” sound

Picture Blending Sound Word
K i ch en Kitchen
Digraphs =2 letters together that make a completely

different sound than either of the letters separately (Ex: ch,
wh, th, sh, ing). These cannot be broken apart.

Mile Markers:
 Blending letters and sounds (Consonant blends)
Example: Reading words with short “o” sound

Picture Phonetic Sound Word
Cl o ck Clock
Consonant Blend =Do hear sound of each letter but the 2

sounds flow together (Ex: cl, fr, dr, sk, st, br)

Mile Markers:
Lessons 1 -5 – Tutor Tips (Building Vocabulary)
Student can create Word Charts to help Understand
unfamiliar words, defining them and having the learner
consider how they relate or how they React to other words.
Example
Definition
New
or
Word Recycle Use again
Synonym
Association The plastic
learner has Antonyms milk carton Throw
with the goes in a away/discard
word recycle bin.

Mile Markers:
Lessons 6-7 – Tutor Tips
Introduce syllables
 Explain what a syllable is = A division of the spoken word
based on the vowels found in the word. Each syllable has 1
vowel sound
 Example: Dad = 1 syllable
Clock = 1 syllable
Fish = 1 syllable
Kitchen = 2 syllables
Fixing = 2 syllables
Dinner = 2 syllables
Radio = 3 syllables
Listening= 3 syllables
Recycle = 3 syllables* (the y has an “long i” sound)

Mile Markers:
Directed Reading – Tutor and learner read together
Student reads a story aloud. (Apply)
 Start with the title. If the student is reading word by
word rather than phrases, draw them along with your
finger.
 Review any words missed
 Start with questions the learner can answer correctly

then move to more challenging questions when they
are ready.
 Ask factual questions (ones that can be found directly
in the text) to develop comprehension

Mile Markers:
Student reads a story about a family fixing dinner.
 Start early to help student relate the reading to their own
life experience. (Ex: Fixing dinner – Ask what student fixes
for dinner, how do they fix it, what else do you fix with it,
etc.) This helps learner to increase their understanding of
the written materials.
 Ask about and review punctuation Example

 Point to the punctuation .
 Ask what it is? Period
 What does it men? End of sentence

Mile Markers:
Student reads a story silently. The story combines the
letter/sound blending, word recognition, vocabulary building
and comprehension skills learned by the student in the first 5
Lessons.
Example: The Hill family is in the kitchen. The time on the clock
is 5pm. Jill is fixing dinner. They are having fish. Uncle Bob
caught the fish in the lake. Ed is sitting in the kitchen with his
little sister Kim. The children are listening to the radio. Jim
Hill, the dad, pours each child a glass of milk. He puts the
empty milk carton in the recycle bin. Jim and Kim set the
table. Dinner is ready. They sit down to eat.

Mile Markers:
Asking Questions
Example: The Hill family is in the kitchen. The time on the clock
is 5pm. Jill is fixing dinner. They are having fish. Uncle Bob
caught the fish in the lake. Ed is sitting in the kitchen with
his little sister Kim. The children are listening to the radio.
Jim Hill, the dad, pours each child a glass of milk. He puts
the empty milk carton in the recycle bin. Jim and Kim set the
table. Dinner is ready. They sit down to eat.
Ask Literal questions (What does the text say?)

Who is sitting in the kitchen?
What is the family having for dinner?

Mile Markers:
Asking Questions
Example: The Hill family is in the kitchen. The time on the
clock is 5pm. Jill is fixing dinner. They are having fish.
Uncle Bob caught the fish in the lake. Ed is sitting in the
kitchen with his little sister Kim. The children are listening
to the radio. Jim Hill, the dad, pours each child a glass of
milk. He puts the empty milk carton in the recycle bin. Jim
and Kim set the table. Dinner is ready. They sit down to
eat.
Ask Inferential questions (What is written between the lines?)

Do you think Jim is a good Dad?
What is the main idea of the story?

Mile Markers:
Asking Questions
Example: The Hill family is in the kitchen. The time on the
clock is 5pm. Jill is fixing dinner. They are having fish.
Uncle Bob caught the fish in the lake. Ed is sitting in the
kitchen with his little sister Kim. The children are listening
to the radio. Jim Hill, the dad, pours each child a glass of
milk. He puts the empty milk carton in the recycle bin. Jim
and Kim set the table. Dinner is ready. They sit down to
eat.
Ask Applied questions (What is in the reader’s mind?)

Do you think the family likes eating together? Why or Why
not?
What would you have done if you were Jill?

Tips for Top Tutors!
 Lessons should  Each lesson should
revolve around the integrate all four
learner’s goals comunication tools
 Lessons should  The learner should
build on each learn something
other new in each lesson
 Each lesson should
include time for
review and
reinforcement

1. Plan the Lesson

 What are the learning objectives?
 What will the learner accomplish?
 What materials will you use?
 What activities and teaching techniques
will you use?
 How can you integrate listening,
speaking, reading, and writing in the
lesson?

1. Plan the Lesson (cont’d)

 How much time will you spend on each
activity?
 How will you and the learner answer
the question, “Was it a good lesson?”
Do the Lesson!

3. Evaluate the Lesson

 Talk with the learner about the lesson
 Ask the learner to record thoughts in a
journal
 Develop and make notes in your Tutor
Log
 Write ideas for the next lesson

Let’s Review
4 Critical Components to Reading
 Recognize
 Understand
 React
 Apply
Mile Markers – Lessons in the Skills Books

12 Steps to Successful Reading
1. Look at the word
2. Say the word
3. Note the part that is written the way it sounds

Let’s Review
Mile Markers – Lessons in the Skills Books 12 Steps to Successful
Reading (cont’d)
4. Note the part that is not written as it sounds
5. Note any special points to remember
6. Say the word again
7. Say the letters in sequence for each part of the word
8. Look at the word again
9. Close your eyes and see the word in your mind
10. Spell the word again
11. Write the word without looking
12. Check to see if you are right

Let’s Review
Final Destination: Tips for Top Tutors
1. Be patient
2. Plan lessons in advance
3. Be flexible
4. Be creative

Your Turn!
Question and Answer Time

The Mustard Seed Prayer
GOD, thank you for the mustard seed although it is so
small
GOD, thank you for the plant that grows up largest of
them all
GOD, thank you for the birds that sing in branches that
reach wide
GOD, thank you for the words you teach while walking
by my side
GOD, give us love and strength to meet each other’s
human need
God, bury me to rise again just like the mustard seed.
AMEN

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The Laubach Way to Reading

Helping New and Low Level Learners to Succeed!!

Sandra Sullivan Learning for Life Program

The Laubach Way to Reading 2

 Leadership Training and

 Individual and Emerging Business

The Laubach Way to Reading 3

 You may duplicate, present, or print this

The Laubach Way to Reading 4

 What is the Laubach Way to Reading?

The Laubach Way to Reading 5

 The Roadmap: The 4 Critical Components

 Mile Markers: Lessons in the Skill Books

 Final Destination: Tips for Top Tutors!

The Laubach Way to Reading 6

 Each Adult Learner is a Unique Individual

 Reading and Writing are Meaning-based

 A Variety of Instructional Approaches are

The Laubach Way to Reading 7

 Each Adult Learner is a Unique Individual

 They have their on needs and interests.

 Tutors/Teachers must work with the learner to

The Laubach Way to Reading 8

 Tutors can develop a respectful and encouraging

The Laubach Way to Reading 9

 Reading and Writing are Meaning-based

 To do this learners must be able to recognize the

The Laubach Way to Reading 10

 Reading and Writing are Meaning-based

 They must react to what they read using prior

The Laubach Way to Reading 11

The Laubach Way to Reading 12

The Laubach Way to Reading 13

 Have a wealth of  Design instructional

The Laubach Way to Reading 14

The Laubach Way to Reading 15

 Speak clearly, be sensitive

The Laubach Way to Reading 16

The Laubach Way to Reading 17

The Laubach Way to Reading 18

If these things happen you can:

The Laubach Way to Reading 19

The Laubach Way to Reading 20

Learning Disability is a term that refers to a broad spectrum of processing

The Laubach Way to Reading 21

 Hypo activity- (reacting slowly, working slowly, seeming

 Attention problems -(daydreaming, seeming confused,

The Laubach Way to Reading 22

 Other general behaviors- (misinterpreting what others

The Laubach Way to Reading 23

 Determine whether problems that occur in tutoring are

 If you are working with a Learning Disability learner, try a

 Use multi-sensory techniques

The Laubach Way to Reading 24

The Laubach Way to Reading 25

The Laubach Way to Reading 26

Type of Learner Sense Relied On Characteristics

Visual Sight Learns by visualizing

Kinesthetic/Tactile Movement, Touch Learns by doing and

The Laubach Way to Reading 27

 It ensures that the tutor will provide opportunities for a

 The more pathways a learner uses, the more likely he or she

 People tend to rely on different senses depending on the