Why I Love myON ~ Independent Summer Reading

I found a wonderful way to keep LionHeart engaged with reading and to ensure that Fortnite doesn't take over his life this summer.  myON is a digital book library, containing thousands of enhanced and age-appropriate titles for PreK-12.  I like that it suggests books based on his interest.  He chooses what he wants to read and the placement test determines the appropriate Lexile level.  He even has the option of having it read to him and the words are highlighted.  My favorite aspect of myON is the comprehension quiz.  He already knows that he must score 3 out of 5 or higher in order to "earn" his game time.  I still believe in reading to my child, so in addition to his independent reading, I chose books that he would probably cruise smooth past in the library.  Together we'll read about Wangari Maathi, Ida B. Wells, Bob Marley -- important historical figures he should know.  But when he chooses what to read, he can enjoy his Fantasy Basketball and Greatest MMA fighters.  I think having choice in reading material is very important.

Digital Texts

myON has unlimited access to digital texts available on and offline for reading.  The placement test ensures that book titles match reading and Lexile level. The more a child reads in his current level, the more confident he becomes and the more his reading improves.

Literacy Tools

I really love the literacy tools! There is an embedded dictionary and a zoom feature.  Also, because each digital book is a personal copy, your child will be able to use all sorts of literacy tools to really interact with the text.

Drawing Tool (Brush)

Students can identify important concepts in photos and illustrations throughout the book.

Sticky Notes

Students can annotate and add symbols while reading to mark passages, document theories, ask questions, remember connections or respond to the text. Sticky notes can be attached to highlighted text.

Shapes

Students can create on-page shapes and reposition, resize, change the color or remove them.

Journal / Notebook 

Students can create long text notes within the book reader that can be accessed within their account journal, and used to complete parent assigned writing projects.

Citation Creator

Students can learn the importance of citing sources and proper formatting, helping avoid plagiarism.

 Students can use a highlighter, brush tool, shapes and sticky notes to identify, markup and connect story concepts.

To Purchase

I purchased myON through the Home Buyers Co-op for $39.95 for the year! So glad this resource is now available to homeschoolers and families.  Initially, it was only available through school districts.  To purchase, click here for myON.

Pairing Audio Books with the Hard Copy Book To Get Children Reading

Kwame Alexander, the award-winning author of Lionheart's favorite book

In a rush to get Lionheart ready for his Creative Writing class last fall, I checked out the required book from the library.  Because Lionheart started late and had to cover a lot of chapters in a short amount of time, I checked out the audio book too.  He loves stories, but doesn't always like to sit down with a good book.  I had no idea what would happen next.  He read the entire book in one night.  Actually, I fell asleep and he woke me up at 1 a.m. to excitedly tell me he had finished the entire book.  It was Crossover by Kwame Alexander.  I was on to something.

It filled me with such joy to see him sitting and actually enjoying the book, as opposed to laboring through the assignment because he had to do it.  For some right brain learners, reading uses what Diane Craft calls "a lot of battery energy," and can suck the joy out of reading in the process. No child will learn to love something that leaves them depleted by the time they are done.  When I pair the audio book with the hard copy book, Lionheart listens to the story and he follows along in the book.  In the process, he is developing the skill of creating a movie in his head, which aids in comprehension, according to Diane Craft.  When it was time to finish the last two chapters of The Broken Bike Boy and the Queen of 33rd Street, Lionheart said to me, "I wish this book were a movie!" Then he asked if I could find a sequel. This is just what I wanted.  More importantly, as he follows along in the book, he is exposed to challenging vocabulary and proper pronunciation. What I love most about pairing the audiobook with the hard copy book is that we get to experience the book together.  When it's time for a comprehension discussion, we can have meaningful dialogue because I've essentially read the book too.

When I plunked down the next reading, As Brave As You, by Jason Reynolds, instead of moaning, he was excited about the sheer size of the book.  When I broke out the audio book, he smiled and rubbed his hands together and said, "Let's go!"  That is precisely the reaction I want to elicit about books, not drudgery.  What's extra special about this book is that we'll also get to meet the author, Jason Reynolds, who happens to be the friend of a fellow homeschool dad.

Another important benefit to pairing audio books with hard copy books is that I can help him understand heavy topics.  When we read the story of Claudette Colvin, I'm sure we'll be pausing the CD a lot and I'll be answering lots of questions.  Through this process, I see his vocabulary and reading comprehension expand with each book he completes.  My vocabulary expanded in much the same way.  I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness. I had to attend Bible study, Theocratic Ministry and Sunday was the Kingdom Hall (think church service).   To keep from being bored, I followed along in whatever printed material was being used by the speaker and along the way learned all kinds of words.  I recall being the only person in my 2nd grade class that knew how to spell reign, rain and rein - all from reading along.  My goal is to develop a love of reading.  I am confident that eventually he'll gravitate toward the hard copy book without the audio book.  In the meantime, I'll keep digging for great books that have an audio book companion.

The Right Side of Normal

When LionHeart wasn't reading at age 5, I was concerned.  When he wasn't reading at the same level as his big brother at age 6, I was more concerned.  By age 7, I was in a state of panic!  There were doctor's appointments and testing.  I rejected the terms dyslexic and learning disabled that are slapped on so many African American boys.  Then I stumbled upon a book that set me free.  The book's title is The Right Side of Normal by Cindy Gaddis. I read the characteristics of the Right Brain Learner and I instantly saw an image of my LionHeart. These words embody the essence of him: imagination, picture based (3-dimensional), global, whole, association, intuitive (heart), resistant, internal perfectionism, process and space. As I continued to read, I discovered that Right Brain Learners typically begin reading between the ages of 8-10.  The discovery brought tears to my eyes.

After LionHeart's recent showcase performance with Tam Tam Mandingue and Farafina Kan, I realized I had not fully respected that LionHeart had been learning deeply all along.  I elevated traditional learning (sitting down with curriculum) above experiential learning (cooking, physical movement, technology, art, music), and downplayed the latter.  I had an epiphany right after his drum teacher put his hands on LionHeart's head and told him that he had four responsibilities for the upcoming performance.  A the age of 8, LionHeart was charged with not only remembering complex African rhythms (no music to read -- it's coming from the heart and spirit), but also which song went with which ensemble (he's playing with three), which song to play for the dancers, and when to solo.  Obviously, there's no learning disability; it's just that music speaks to the way he learns.  In the words of Dr. Umar Johnson, a noted African-American child psychologist, a learning disability is the opinion of the evaluator, not a scientific fact!

When I began to reflect upon all of LionHeart's activities where he experienced the most success and delight, it became crystal clear that he was already learning in a way that he could understand.  He gets it and he feels accomplished. In his study of Capoeira, he is learning Portuguese and the complex movements of the Afro-Brazilian martial art.  He's also learning to play a third instrument: the Berimbau!  The more I read about the Right Brain Learner and how different his timetable is from a Left Brain learner, the more I began to relax and trust that as long as he is learning, everything else will fall into place.

Playing a few bars from a Stevie Wonder tune his brother taught him.

In his study of piano he is learning the language of music - no small feat.  He loves to create, he loves costumes and loves to learn through technology and games like Minecraft.  In fact, we are taking a class with Minecraft Homeschool right now.  Why, why, why have I been discounting all of this as "extra" instead of making it his main work? Well, I'm a product of the traditional educational system that puts value on only one kind of education - organized, sequential, book-based information, which is the gift of the left brain learner, according to Gaddis.  In a school setting it makes all other children look disabled if they don't learn in the same way.  Why would I continue to speak Spanish to someone who obviously speaks Swahili? If I teach him in a way he can understand, he will learn.  He will thrive. Sadly, many children never get the opportunity to be taught in the way that they learn and end up feeling angry, worthless, depressed, or worse, just give up and live down to the low expectations.

My Right Brain Fashion lover.

Understanding and teaching to what Gaddis describes as the universal gifts of the Right Brain Learner opens up his world of learning.  Right Brain Learners are characterized as being highly imaginative and  possess the ability to think in pictures.  Gaddis lists some of their creative outlets as computers/video games, art/photography, puzzles/mazes, fashion/sewing, building/electronics, theater/showmanship, math/numbers, music/dance, and cooking/gardening.  Uh, can you say LIONHEART! This description couldn't be any more exact! I can certainly build his learning around these areas.  Gaddis says in her book that "by extensively engaging in preferred creative outlets up to the 8 to 10 year time frame, the creative child develops the traits and strengths necessary to navigate the left-brain tasks they'll encounter at the next stage."  Makes perfect sense to me!

 

Lion Heart loves to work in costume.

As a Left Brain Learner with right brain tendencies, I crave order and sequence.  Teaching out of order pains me.  But I had to learn to adjust.  According to Gaddis, the Right Brain Learner is a global, big picture learner.  They want to know the whole before the details will ever matter.  I was perplexed that LionHeart understood the concept of multiplication and division, but struggled with basic math facts until  I read that I should allow him to experiment with Algebra and Geometry, which will motivate him to learn math facts – the details.  Recently, I took an online class called Natural Math where these concepts were explored.  Experiencing multiplication through fractals was a delight-filled experience for LionHeart. I was able to present it in a way that he understood.

I cringe when I think about the kind of learning I would have continued to push on LionHeart had I never discovered this book.  Gaddis describes schools and many curriculums as using a scope and sequence that favors the gifts of the left brain dominant person - “product-driven, sequential learning, that is word and symbol focused.”  The Right Brain Learner is process driven, wants to know the why, wants to experiment and discover.  Creativity and exploration drives the learning of  Right Brain Learners whom Gaddis describes as “creative children that love to learn, but hate to be taught.”  John Holt says something similar in his book How Children Learn.

LionHeart loves Hip Hop, especially Break Dance.

Most schools will label (ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, learning disabled, dysgraphia, dyscalculia) or attempt to "fix" or "remediate" a Right Brain Learner because he struggles when taught in ways that are considered the norm.  Gaddis goes on to say that "labels were created to explain the difference between your child's intelligence and his inability to perform in the classroom."  As parents, we are not bound by that faulty reasoning.  We can learn about and understand the natural learning path for our Right Brain Learners.  It doesn't mean our children won't learn the skills needed to attend college or be successful in life.  It means, as my grandmother used to say, "there is more than one way to skin a cat."  Teaching to the strengths of the Right Brain Learner can be easily accomplished if you homeschool.  But, what if your child attends a traditional school?  The Right Side of Normal has 495 pages of perspective-shifting information and resources that parents will find useful in helping to facilitate strength-based learning that celebrate the unique gifts and talents of Right Brain Learners.

LionHeart loves to make art, especially drawing and painting.

When I stumbled upon the website, I knew I had to review this book for my blog.  I wanted other parents to be liberated from thinking something was wrong with their children if they were struggling with what I call "paper-based learning" - the usual textbooks and curriculum.  Although I was given a digital copy to review, I'm old school - I need paper.  So I'm ordering a copy that I am sure will become my highlighted, sticky-note tabbed reference for ways to support my Right Brain Learner as I continue on the journey.

If you click on this link, you can read a 28 page excerpt. 

Dyslexia Games for the Visual Thinker

I received a sample of Dyslexia Games to review.  I know so many families whose children struggle with reading or some sort of visual disability, that I thought a review of the program would be a great resource for parents.  Creating art to improve reading is a brilliant and fun concept, especially for children with Dyslexia.  According to experts, when children diagnosed with Dyslexia learn to read, brain scans show right brain activity. Consequently, traditional phonics-based programs may not work for struggling readers.  Simply put, most phonics programs are left-brain based and Dyslexic readers learn differently.  According to Dyslexia therapy experts, teaching a child with Dyslexia to read requires a parent or teacher to get creative with 3D images, art, logic, creative thinking games, manipulatives and other hands on techniques. When I asked LionHeart to give the worksheet a try he stomped over to his table with lips poked out.  Because the worksheets are fun and appeal to a right-brain learner's creative side, struggles quickly fade away.  Once he got started, he couldn't stop.

Learning to Read Right Brain Style

A mother's love and determination to help her own daughter is how Dyslexia Games was born.  Frustrated with her daughter's slow movement in reading, Sarah Brown began researching everything she could about Dyslexia, current therapies being used and brain development options.  Unable to afford costly therapy, like most trailblazing homeschool moms, she created her own program.  The program transformed her daughter in a matter of weeks, helping her improve in reading and handwriting.  In fact, Brown's daughter even illustrated a book, A Day Like Tomorrow.  Brown credits the program with helping her develop her artistic skills.

How Does It Work?

Dyslexia Games use visual art and puzzle exercises designed for children who think visually.  The workbooks start off with art, puzzle games and 3D drawings.  When the child is working on the games, the right brain is activated.  Gradually, the art and puzzle games become symbols, letters and numbers.  Finally, these games are transformed into reading exercises, and according to the website, over the course of 2-3 months, the child is now using the right brain to read.