This winter has been filled with lots of snow and time off school for many parts of the country. Some kids may sit in front of a device or lounge in bed on these chilly days. Take advantage of snow days by helping your child strengthen their reading, writing, and math skills with the ideas detailed below.

Reading

To help your child develop their reading skills, try finding a snow-themed article from a newspaper or online source. This article could be a weather report on the anticipated snowfall, an article about snowfall affecting businesses, or a passage about post-snow hazards – really anything related to snow can work. Teach your child that there are three elements they should look for when reading: the topic, main idea, and important details. Have them take out blue, green, and yellow highlighters and explain to them that they will highlight each of these elements in a different color. A topic is typically one, two, or three words describing the passage, like snow, winter, or hot cocoa. They should highlight the topic in blue. The main idea is what the author is saying about the topic. For example, if the topic is snow, the main idea might be: one of the greatest snowfalls in recent history. They should highlight the main idea in green. Finally, they should look for important details describing the main idea, and highlight them in yellow.

Have your child read the passage first, then go back and highlight the topic, main idea, and important details. Next, ask them inference questions about the passage, like, “What do you think will happen after the snowstorm?” or “How do you think most people will prepare for the storm?” They can either tell you their response orally and you can have a discussion about it, or they can write their response in the form of a paragraph on a separate sheet of paper or on a computer.

Writing

Help your child build stronger writing skills during a snow day! Teach them the structure of a simple paragraph, which is comprised of a topic sentence, three detail sentences, and a conclusion sentence. Explain that when they write, they should start by brainstorming, then write, and finally self-check their work. Give them a topic, like: should schools be canceled tomorrow? Have them start by brainstorming their ideas and include three details on why school should be canceled (if that is their stance). For example, they might use web bubbles to write: safety, time with family, outdoor exercise. Then they should work on writing their paragraph using the information from their brainstorm webs. Their topic sentence should introduce their stance, like: School should be canceled tomorrow due to the snowstorm. Then they should write their detail sentences, ideally using transition words. For example, they might write: First, it likely won’t be safe to drive on the roads. Next, a snow day would allow me to spend quality time with my family, baking or reading together. Finally, I can get some exercise if I play outside in the snow. For the last sentence, they can wrap up their ideas with a sentence like: Since we will be getting a lot of snow, I feel strongly that schools should be closed. As a last step, have your child self-check their writing using the COPS checklist, which stands for capitalization, organization, punctuation, spelling.

Math

To build your child’s math skills during a snow day, try making snow-day word problems! Create problems like:

Hot chocolate costs $1 per packet. If there are four members in a family, how much will it cost for everyone to have a cup of hot chocolate?

or

Two inches of snow will likely fall each hour for four hours. At this pace, how much snow will we get?

When solving these math problems, teach your child to circle the key words, highlight the relevant numbers, then break down the problem into four steps. First, they should write down the relevant numbers. Next, they should choose which operation to use. Then they should write the number sentence and solve the problem. Finally, they should write their answer as a full sentence, using proper capitalization and punctuation.

Don’t let snow days stop your child from learning! Have fun with these activities, while still building your child’s reading, writing, and math skills.

EBL Coaching specializes in one-on-one in person and virtual tutoring for students in grades pre-K-12 with specialized learning needs. They use research-based, multi-sensory techniques, including the Orton Gillingham method, to develop students’ reading, writing, math, note taking, test taking, and executive functioning skills. Each student is evaluated and then receives an individualized learning plan to address their specific academic needs. Learn more at http://www.eblcoaching.com/.

Dr. Emily Levy, Founder & Director, is happy to hear from anyone who is in need for their child. You may reach her through her website, and mention you heard of her through MotherhoodLater.

The post Snow Day Activities That Build Reading, Writing & Math Skills appeared first on EBL Coaching.

If your child has dyslexia, you may see them struggling immensely with reading. Sounding out words may be a long, arduous task for them. They might also have trouble spelling words accurately or expressing their thoughts on paper when writing. If your dyslexic child struggles with any of these skills, specialized dyslexia tutoring using the Orton Gillingham approach can help them tremendously. What kind of tutoring is best for your child with dyslexia?

Best types of tutoring for children with dyslexia

The best tutoring for students who have dyslexia is structured, research-based, multi-sensory instruction, including tutoring using the Orton Gillingham approach. Dyslexia tutoring typically includes decoding lessons, reading comprehension strategies, structured spelling support, and writing lessons. These methods can help students improve their phonemic awareness, decoding, spelling, reading fluency, reading comprehension, and writing skills.

Orton Gillingham tutoring for dyslexia

Orton Gillingham tutoring is considered to be the most ideal approach for helping students with dyslexia build their reading and spelling skills. This method is research-based, systematic, and multi-sensory, and students often enjoy receiving this type of tutoring. Your dyslexic child should typically receive an initial evaluation before the Orton Gillingham tutoring begins to gauge their specific skill levels. They may have trouble reading basic consonant-vowel-consonant words, or perhaps they have difficulty reading words containing vowel digraphs or multi-syllabic words. The Orton Gillingham method typically follows a structured approach, as follows:

• Orton Gillingham lessons begin by teaching students the names of the letters and their corresponding sounds.
• Lessons then advance to words containing blends, consonant digraphs, vowel digraphs, silent e patterns, r-controlled patterns, multi-syllabic word patterns, and so on.
• Sessions include a review of previously taught concepts followed by the introduction of a new Orton Gillingham concept or sound.
• Orton Gillingham lessons typically end with oral reading of words, sentences, and decodable stories.

These phonics tutoring lessons should be tailored to your child’s needs, integrating multi-sensory tools, such as colored sand, magnetic tiles, audio-visual flash cards, and whiteboards, to engage your child and help them retain these key concepts. The Orton Gillingham approach is recommended by the International Dyslexia Association as being one of the most effective reading methods for students with dyslexia.

Learn more about Orton Gillingham tutoring in NYC at What is Orton Gillingham Tutoring? – EBL Coaching

Reading comprehension tutoring for dyslexic students

Some students with dyslexia struggle with reading comprehension and benefit from a multi-sensory approach to tutoring. They may, for example, respond well to a tri-colored highlighting approach for building active reading and reading comprehension skills. With this method, the student is taught to look for three key elements when reading: the topic, main idea, and important details. The topic is typically one, two, or three words describing the passage and should be highlighted in blue. The main idea is what the author is saying about the topic and should be highlighted in green. Finally, the important details are salient pieces of information depicting the main idea, which should be highlighted in yellow. For this type of dyslexia tutoring, your child should learn to read the passage first, then go back and highlight the topic, main idea, and important details using the appropriate highlighters. This multi-sensory strategy can help your child build much stronger reading comprehension and active reading skills.

Read more about reading tutoring for dyslexia in NYC at Supporting Students With Reading Comprehension Issues | EBL Coaching

Writing tutoring for students with dyslexia

Many students with dyslexia struggle with writing. They may have great ideas but have difficulty expressing their thoughts on paper in an effective manner. Dyslexia tutoring can help your child improve their ability to brainstorm, write, and self-check their ideas, a key skill for success in school. They may start by learning how to construct a well-written sentence and can later learn how to expand their sentences with adjectives and adverbs. Next, in writing tutoring sessions, they should learn how to write a well-organized simple paragraph, comprised of a topic sentence, three detail sentences, and a conclusion sentence. From there, the dyslexia tutor should teach them how to expand their paragraph into an extended paragraph, with three additional supporting detail sentences added after each detail. Later, with this dyslexia tutoring, your child can learn how to brainstorm, write, and self-check five paragraph essays and longer research papers.

Learn more about effective writing tutoring for students with dyslexia in NYC at How to Help Your Child with Dyslexia Develop Stronger Writing Skills | EBL Coaching

Specialized tutoring that is individualized to your dyslexic child’s needs can help them improve their academic abilities and self-confidence. Contact us at www.eblcoaching.com to learn how we can help your dyslexic child excel with specialized dyslexia tutoring in NYC, writing tutoring in NYC, and Orton Gillingham instruction in NYC.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which tutoring method works best for dyslexia?
The most ideal method for helping students with dyslexia build their reading and spelling skills is the Orton Gillingham approach. This approach uses multi-sensory tools and structured lessons to help students with dyslexia build their core literacy skills.

What are the benefits of dyslexia tutoring?
There are many benefits of dyslexia tutoring! Some of these benefits include:

• Improved decoding skills
• Stronger phonemic awareness skills
• Increased reading fluency and comprehension skills
• Stronger spelling and writing skills
• Improved self-confidence and school performance

Can tutoring improve dyslexia?
While tutoring can’t cure dyslexia, systematic one-on-one Orton Gillingham tutoring can help students with dyslexia build much stronger decoding, spelling, reading fluency, and writing skills.

Learn more about dyslexia challenges at
 Dyslexia Strengths and Struggles – EBL Coaching
Read more about dyslexia at
 https://dyslexiaida.org/

Dr, Levy holds her Doctorate Degree in Education and has been helping students with dyslexia through specialized reading tutoring, writing tutoring, and Orton Gillingham instruction for over twenty years.

The post Best Tutoring for Dyslexia: Orton Gillingham, Reading, and Writing Support for Children appeared first on EBL Coaching.

The core of EBL Coaching’s methodology is a profound respect for the learner. This isn’t just about delivering information; it’s about fostering understanding, building confidence, and equipping students with the tools they need to become independent, lifelong learners. We often hear about students who feel “left behind” or “not smart enough.” These are typically indicators that their learning style isn’t being met by the prevailing teaching methods. EBL Coaching seeks to bridge this gap by offering a learning environment that is responsive, adaptive, and, most importantly, empowering. Every student has the potential to succeed, and EBL Coaching is dedicated to unlocking that potential through a meticulously individualized approach.

The Philosophy Behind EBL Coaching
At its heart, the philosophy of EBL Coaching is rooted in the understanding that learning is not a linear, uniform process. It’s a complex tapestry woven from individual cognitive styles, prior experiences, emotional well-being, and environmental factors. Dr. Emily Levy, the visionary behind EBL Coaching, recognized early on that generic educational approaches often fail to account for this inherent individuality. The philosophy therefore centers on:

• Individualization: Every student is unique, and their educational support should reflect this. This means no two students will receive the exact same program, even if they have similar academic goals.
• Strengths-Based Approach: While addressing areas of difficulty is crucial, EBL Coaching also emphasizes identifying and leveraging a student’s existing strengths. This builds confidence and creates positive learning associations.
• Empowerment: The ultimate goal is not just to improve grades, but to empower students with the skills and self-belief to navigate their academic journey independently and confidently.
• Research-Based Practice: EBL Coaching is deeply committed to utilizing strategies and methodologies that are scientifically proven to be effective.
• Multi-Sensory Engagement: Recognizing that people learn through different modalities, EBL Coaching integrates visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile methods to create a richer and more effective learning experience.

This holistic philosophy extends beyond mere academic remediation. It seeks to build resilience, foster a growth mindset, and nurture a positive relationship with learning. By understanding the “why” behind a student’s struggles, EBL Coaching can create a supportive environment where challenges are seen as opportunities for growth, not insurmountable barriers.

Dr. Emily Levy’s Expertise and Journey
The exceptional quality of EBL Coaching is inextricably linked to the profound expertise and personal journey of its founder, Dr. Emily Levy. Her academic and professional path is a testament to a lifelong dedication to understanding and improving the learning process. Dr. Levy’s impressive academic credentials, including a Master’s and Doctorate from Nova University and her undergraduate studies at Brown University, provided her with a strong theoretical foundation. However, it was her early recognition of the nuances of reading comprehension, highlighted by her Westinghouse Science and Talent Award for a five-year study on the subject, that set her apart.

This early research likely ignited a deep curiosity about how individuals process information and the diverse factors that influence comprehension and academic success. Her experience presenting at national and international conferences further signifies her commitment to advancing the field of education and sharing best practices. It’s this blend of rigorous academic inquiry and practical application that forms the bedrock of EBL Coaching. Dr. Levy’s personal journey is not just about acquiring knowledge, but about translating that knowledge into tangible, life-changing support for students. Her authorship of the “Strategies for Study Success” workbook series, addressing crucial skills like test-taking, reading comprehension, and executive functioning, and the development of programs like “Flags and Stars Orton Gillingham and Multi-Sensory Math,” are concrete examples of her dedication to creating accessible, effective learning tools that are now used in schools nationwide.

This deep well of knowledge and experience directly informs the individualized approach at EBL Coaching, ensuring that every student benefits from strategies that are not only evidence-based but also developed by an expert who truly understands the intricacies of learning.

How EBL Coaching Delivers Tailored Support
The “EBL” in EBL Coaching stands for Exceptional, Best, and Learned, a powerful acronym that encapsulates their commitment to excellence in educational support. The delivery of this tailored support is a multi-faceted process that begins with a comprehensive understanding of each student.

Initial Assessment and Goal Setting
The journey with EBL Coaching begins with a thorough assessment. This isn’t a superficial quiz; it’s an in-depth evaluation designed to pinpoint a student’s specific learning profile, including their strengths, weaknesses, learning style preferences, and any underlying challenges that might be hindering their academic progress. This assessment might involve diagnostic testing, detailed interviews with the student and their parents, and an analysis of past academic performance. Based on this comprehensive understanding, personalized learning goals are collaboratively set, ensuring that both the student and the coaching team are aligned on what success looks like.

Individualized Learning Plans
Once the assessment is complete and goals are established, EBL Coaching develops a highly individualized learning plan. This plan is a roadmap that outlines the specific strategies, techniques, and resources that will be used to help the student achieve their goals. It’s a dynamic document, meaning it’s regularly reviewed and updated as the student progresses and their needs evolve. The plan might incorporate:

• Targeted skill development in areas such as reading, writing, math, or executive functioning.
• Strategies for improving study habits, organization, and time management.
• Techniques for enhancing test-taking skills and reducing test anxiety.
• Support for specific learning differences or challenges.

Highly Trained and Dedicated Tutors
The effectiveness of any coaching program hinges on the quality of its coaches. EBL Coaching employs a team of highly trained and dedicated tutors who are not only experts in their subject areas but are also skilled in implementing research-based, multi-sensory teaching methods. These tutors undergo continuous professional development to stay abreast of the latest educational research and best practices. They are passionate about fostering a positive and supportive learning environment, building strong rapport with their students, and celebrating every milestone achieved.

Flexible Delivery Options
Understanding that students have diverse needs and schedules, EBL Coaching offers flexible delivery options. Tutoring can be provided in-person, allowing for direct interaction and immediate feedback, or online, offering convenience and accessibility. This flexibility ensures that students can receive the support they need, where and when they need it, without compromising the quality or personalization of the instruction.

Multi-Sensory Methods and Research-Based Strategies
The cornerstone of EBL Coaching’s success lies in its unwavering commitment to employing multi-sensory methods and research-based strategies. This approach is not arbitrary; it’s grounded in a deep understanding of how the brain learns most effectively.

Traditional educational methods often rely heavily on auditory and visual input. While these are important, they can leave out students who learn more effectively through physical engagement or tactile experiences. Multi-sensory learning, as implemented by EBL Coaching, engages multiple senses simultaneously, creating stronger neural pathways and enhancing memory retention. For example:

• Visual: Using diagrams, graphic organizers, color-coding, and visual aids to explain concepts.
• Auditory: Explaining concepts verbally, using mnemonics, rhymes, and encouraging students to explain concepts in their own words.
• Kinesthetic: Incorporating movement, role-playing, building models, and using manipulatives.
• Tactile: Using hands-on materials, tracing letters or numbers, using textured objects, and writing on different surfaces.

These methods are not just engaging; they are proven effective. Dr. Levy’s work, including the “Flags and Stars Orton Gillingham” program, is a prime example of applying these principles in a structured and highly effective manner. Orton-Gillingham, in particular, is a renowned approach for literacy instruction that is systematic, explicit, and multi-sensory, making it highly beneficial for students with dyslexia and other reading challenges. Similarly, the “Strategies for Study Success” workbooks are designed with these principles in mind, offering practical tools and techniques that students can immediately apply.

The research-based aspect means that every strategy and technique is backed by scientific evidence. EBL Coaching doesn’t guess; they implement what works. This commitment to evidence-based practice ensures that students are receiving the most effective interventions available, maximizing their potential for growth and achievement. It’s about providing learners with the tools and techniques that have been rigorously tested and proven to enhance understanding, improve retention, and build lasting academic skills.

The Impact of Personalized Learning on Student Success
The impact of EBL Coaching’s personalized approach extends far beyond improved test scores. While academic gains are certainly a significant outcome, the true value lies in the profound and lasting transformation of the student themselves. When learning is tailored to an individual’s needs and strengths, several key areas experience significant positive shifts:

• Increased Confidence and Self-Esteem: Students who have struggled often internalize their difficulties, leading to feelings of inadequacy. Personalized support helps them experience success, fostering a belief in their own abilities. As they master new skills and overcome challenges, their confidence soars, spilling over into other areas of their lives.
• Enhanced Motivation and Engagement: When learning is made relevant, engaging, and achievable, students are more likely to become intrinsically motivated. They move from viewing learning as a chore to seeing it as an exciting opportunity for growth. This renewed engagement leads to greater participation and a more proactive approach to their education.
• Development of Independent Learning Skills: EBL Coaching doesn’t aim to create perpetual dependence. Instead, it focuses on equipping students with the strategies and metacognitive skills they need to become independent learners. This includes teaching them how to problem-solve, self-monitor their progress, and adapt their learning strategies as needed.
• Reduced Academic Anxiety: The pressure and frustration associated with struggling academically can lead to significant anxiety. By providing targeted support and breaking down complex tasks into manageable steps, EBL Coaching helps alleviate this anxiety, creating a more relaxed and productive learning environment.
• Long-Term Academic Achievement: The skills and confidence built through personalized coaching create a strong foundation for continued academic success. Students who have experienced the benefits of EBL Coaching are often better equipped to handle future academic challenges and pursue their educational goals with greater assurance.
• Improved Executive Functioning: Many students struggle with executive functions such as organization, time management, planning, and impulse control. EBL Coaching often incorporates explicit instruction and practice in these areas, which are critical for overall academic and life success.

The anecdotal evidence and testimonials from students and parents alike consistently point to these profound changes. It’s about more than just getting better grades; it’s about fostering a love of learning, building resilience, and empowering individuals to reach their full potential, both academically and personally.

Resources and How to Connect with EBL Coaching
The journey towards enhanced learning and academic success is accessible, and EBL Coaching is dedicated to making their expertise readily available. If you’ve been inspired by the philosophy and methods discussed in this post, or if you know a student who could benefit from this tailored support, here’s how you can learn more and connect:

The primary hub for all things EBL Coaching is their official website. Here, you can find detailed information about their services, the methodologies they employ, and the team of dedicated professionals who make it all happen. It’s an excellent resource for understanding the full scope of what EBL Coaching offers and how they tailor their programs to meet the unique needs of each learner.

In addition to the website, Dr. Emily Levy and EBL Coaching maintain a strong presence on social media. Engaging with them on platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram can provide valuable insights, tips, and updates. These platforms are often used to share success stories, educational resources, and announcements about upcoming workshops or events.

For those who would like to reach out directly to inquire about services, schedule a consultation, or simply ask questions, the contact information provided on their website will be your best resource. They are committed to responding to inquiries and guiding potential clients through the process of understanding how EBL Coaching can support their specific academic goals.

Remember, the conversation about personalized learning is ongoing, and the insights shared by Dr. Emily Levy on The Coaching Corner with Dori DeCarlo are a powerful starting point. This blog post has aimed to expand on those foundational ideas, offering a deeper look into the “EBL Coaching Difference.” Whether you’re a parent seeking support for your child, an educator looking for effective strategies, or a student aiming to unlock your full potential, EBL Coaching offers a path forward built on expertise, personalization, and a genuine commitment to learning.

Thank you for joining me on this exploration. I encourage you to listen to the full episode and explore the resources provided by EBL Coaching. Until next time, happy learning!

The post How EBL Coaching Provides Personalized Tutoring for Student Success appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Best strategies to improve organization for children with ADHD

When students with ADHD have multiple assignments to complete and activities to partake in after school, they may feel overwhelmed. They might not know where to start or how to fit everything into a limited time window. Creating a visual schedule can help! Together with your child, create a schedule of all activities and assignments they have on a given day on a large poster board or even a smaller sheet of paper if that works better for them. Write out an organized schedule for completing these daily tasks. For example, a visual after-school schedule might look like the following:

• 3:15-3:30pm snack
• 3:30-4:30pm work on homework
• 4:30-6pm soccer practice
• 6-6:45pm dinner
• 6:45-7:30pm complete any remaining assignments
• 7:30-8pm shower and get ready for bed

You can even draw or cut out pictures depicting each item and paste them on the visual schedule – like a picture of an apple for snack, an image of a homework sheet for homework time, and a picture of a shower in the getting ready for bed section. By creating a visual schedule, your child will feel less overwhelmed, more focused, and more in control of completing their tasks in a structured, organized manner.

Learn more about executive functioning strategies for your child at Executive Functioning Strategies for Your Child | EBL Coaching

Create an organized homework workspace

Creating a designated homework space for your child with ADHD can help them avoid distractions and stay focused when completing their schoolwork. This space should ideally be a desk in their room, but a spot on a communal table in the kitchen or dining room can work too. The key is consistency; your child should always complete their homework in this designated space. You should also make sure this space is fully stocked with all the supplies they may need for completing their assignments, including pens, pencils, scissors, paper, etc. If the supplies run low, refill them right away. This will help prevent your child from wandering around your home mid-homework session, searching for missing supplies and finding distractions as they look for these materials. Additionally, if your child works on a communal table, create a portable homework bin containing all the supplies they may need for completing their work, which they should bring with them to and from their room when they complete their schoolwork. This approach will help your child build their organization and executive functioning skills.

Use the Pomodoro Method for homework sessions

The Pomodoro Method is a great technique for helping students with ADHD stay focused for longer stretches of time. To use this strategy, your child should sit down at their designated workspace to begin working on their homework. They should set a timer for 25 minutes, work for that period of time, and then when the timer rings, take a 5-minute break. After that break, they should set their timer again for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break when it rings and do this same cycle four times. After four Pomodoro cycles, they should take a longer 15–30 minute break before starting the next four cycles. This system will help build structure into their study time and should increase their executive functioning skills and their ability to stay focused for longer periods of time.

Learn more about study skills strategies for your child with ADHD at Study Skills Strategies for Your Child with ADHD | EBL Coaching.

Active reading strategies for helping children with ADHD focus

Many students with ADHD lose focus when reading, which can negatively affect their ability to comprehend the material. To combat this challenge, teach them a tri-colored highlighting strategy to help them become a more active, rather than a passive, reader. To use this strategy, do the following:

• Explain to your child that when we read, there are three elements we should look for: the topic, which is one, two, or three words describing the passage (like snacks or rain). They should highlight the topic in blue.
• The second element they should look for is the main idea, which is what the author is saying about the topic (like types of afternoon snacks). They should highlight the main idea in green.
• Finally, they should look for the important details, or salient information describing the main idea, and highlight these details in yellow.

When sitting down to read a passage, your child should read it through once, then go back through the passage and highlight the topic in blue, main idea in green, and important details in yellow – making them an active reader and improving their ability to stay focused when reading.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ADHD affects roughly 11.4% of children in the United Stats ages 3-17, and those with ADHD benefit from structured routines when completing homework. As students move through school, the academic and focusing demands increase rapidly. Help your child with ADHD stay focused and on-task with these strategies and they will be well on their way to success in school. If you notice your ADHD child struggling with focus, time management, organization, or other executive functioning skills, EBL Coaching can help with one-on-one in person and virtual executive functioning coaching and academic tutoring programs. Learn more at www.eblcoaching.com.

Frequently Asked Questions about ADHD and Focusing Skills

How does ADHD affect school performance?
Students with ADHD often have difficulty with their executive functioning skills, including planning, time management, organization, and task initiation. These executive functioning skills play a large role in school performance, so learning strategies to build these skills through executive functioning coaching can be very beneficial for students with ADHD.

What is the Pomodoro Method and how does it help students with ADHD?
The Pomodoro Method is a great strategy for improving time management skills. It involves setting a timer and working for 25 minutes, then taking a 5-minute break, and repeating this cycle four times before taking a longer break. This technique helps students with ADHD learn to focus for increasing increments of time and feel less overwhelmed with their workload.

How can I help my child with ADHD stay focused while doing homework?
You can help your child with ADHD stay focused when doing their homework by setting up a study space that contains all of the supplies they need to complete their schoolwork and that is free of distractions. Have them turn off sounds and notifications on all devices when working on their homework and even try a method like the Pomodoro Technique to help them stay focused for set periods of time before taking a break.

Dr. Emily Levy is the founder and director of EBL Coaching and has been helping students with ADHD build stronger academic and executive functioning skills for over twenty years.

The post How to Help Your ADHD Child Improve Focus: Four Proven Strategies appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Winter Reading Challenge

Being homebound during winter can serve as a great time to do lots of reading. Instead of simply telling your child to go into their room and read, create a fun experience. Set up a reading challenge for your child and the rest of your family (that includes parents too!). Make a chart that details reading times for each family member and devote time each day to reading – ideally together as a family, perhaps before or after dinner, but individual reading time counts too. At the end of the day, log each person’s daily reading time on the chart and keep track of the minutes. At the end of the week, have your child add up the reading time totals for each family member (yes, you can integrate some math skills too!). Choose a prize for the winning family member – perhaps a toy for young children, a movie rental for older kids, or even an hour of alone time for a parent.

Winter Book Writing

Staying indoors during winter can be a great time for your child to further develop their writing skills. Just like with the reading challenge, try to make the writing activity fun. Help your child pick a winter topic to write about – perhaps polar bears, a day playing outside in the snow, or warm winter drinks. Give your child a blank journal and ask them to write a story about their topic of choice. Tell them not to focus on spelling (and to avoid asking you how to spell words) and to just write freely. Then have your child read their story aloud to you and discuss details, including the characters, plot, and setting. For younger children who aren’t able to write on their own, tell them to dictate their story to you while you write it.

Graphing

By tracking the chilly temperatures outside while hunkered down indoors, you can work on math skills with your child. Select a given week to focus on; each day when your child wakes up, have them check the temperature and write it down on a sheet of paper with two columns: a column on the left for the date and a column on the right for the temperature that day. At the end of the week, ask your child to gather markers, stickers, and glitter, and create a fun, colorful bar graph depicting the temperatures, one bar per date. Teach them that the dates can go on the bottom and temperatures can go on the left side, and show them how to create colorful bars in the form of a graph that shows the changes in temperature. It’s a great way to make math fun!

Snowflakes

Use a snowflake-making craft to help your child build their vocabulary skills when stuck indoors. Each day, pick a new vocabulary word for them to learn. You can find these words online by grade level, or even above or below grade levels if they are advanced for their grade or struggle a bit. Look up the definition of the word together, then have your child summarize it in their own words to make sure they understand it. Next, have your child cut out a large snowflake from a blank sheet of paper. They should write the word on the front of the snowflake and the definition on the back. They can also write a sentence on the back using the word and even draw a picture depicting the definition for an added visual touch. For example, the word on the front of the card might be “frigid.” On the back, they would write the definition: extremely cold. They would also write a sentence, like “I love sledding, but not when the temperature is frigid!” and then draw a picture depicting someone who looks very cold.

Don’t let being homebound during winter stop your child from learning. Enhance their academic skills with these fun, engaging, and productive ideas.

The post Academic Activities to Do with Your Child When Homebound During Winter appeared first on EBL Coaching.

How can Nessy Reading & Spelling help students with dyslexia?

Nessy Reading and Spelling

Nessy Reading & Spelling helps students with dyslexia improve reading and spelling skills using the Orton Gillingham methodology. The app utilizes an individualized, engaging approach, including games, videos, and interactive exercises to help students build their phonics and spelling skills. Students start with an initial assessment to gauge their reading and writing strengths and weaknesses, and the app then creates an individualized learning path. Each student is given lessons and activities specific to their levels and needs. Students love the fun, engaging lessons and integrated rewards called “Nessy nuggets” that they can earn along the way. Detailed progress reports are also included! This is a great app to use in conjunction with Orton Gillingham tutoring.

Why Is Phonics Hero helpful for early readers with dyslexia?

Phonics Hero – Growing Reading and Spelling Superheroes with Phonics!

Phonics Hero is a helpful tool for early readers with dyslexia. It is an evidence-based app that helps students ages 4-7 develop their reading and spelling skills. It uses a systematic, phonics-based approach for developing these key literacy skills. Students learn individual letters and their corresponding sounds, how to blend them to form words, and how to read and write sentences. They love playing the over 850 interactive games that are part of the app. Parents and teachers also enjoy reading their child’s progress reports, which show which skills the student has mastered and other skills they need to work on. This is a great app that can be used with reading remediation sessions.

How Does Montessori Words & Phonics Help with Phonemic Awareness?

Montessori Words & Phonics – Apps on Google Play

Montessori Words and Phonics helps students ages 3-8 build their foundational phonemic awareness and phonics skills – key components of reading. The app offers interactive activities, including moveable alphabet letters that students can manipulate to form words. There are also pictures and audio cues that students can use to create words, a sandbox for exploring letters, and visual rewards, including colorful animations when students successfully complete an activity – all great for students with dyslexia, including those who need reading remediation.

Is Epic helpful for students with dyslexia?

Epic 

Epic is a large library of digital books and audio books designed for students in grades prek-6. The app is particularly useful for students with dyslexia, as it helps with reading and processing information while listening. Users can choose a book, then read along while listening, helping to build decoding, fluency, and reading comprehension skills. Students love having access to such a wide array of books and being able to choose the ones that interest them. Each child is given their own profile that is customized to their age and reading level and is presented with book recommendations based on their profile. Students can also search in the app for specific topics of interest or types of books, and parents can monitor their reading activity. The more kids have a choice in their books and enjoy practicing their reading skills, the better!

Can Read & Write help students with dyslexia improve their writing skills?

Read&Write For Education – Reading, Literacy & Assistive Software

Read & Write is a great speech-to-text app for students with dyslexia that can help them improve their writing skills. Many students with dyslexia struggle to express their thoughts on paper when writing, and this app helps alleviate that challenge. In addition to speech-to-text, where students can dictate their ideas and the app transcribes them, it also offers text-to-speech and word prediction features. Additionally, it includes grammar check, picture dictionaries, and fonts that are optimal for those with dyslexia. This app can help students improve their overall literacy skills and encourage them to enjoy reading and writing, and is great to use in conjunction with dyslexia tutoring.

The International Dyslexia Association indicates that multi-sensory approaches like the Orton Gillingham method are highly effective for students with dyslexia. Students with dyslexia often struggle academically as they progress through school. In addition to Orton Gillingham tutoring, these apps scan help them build their core reading, spelling, and writing skills, and ultimately thrive in school. Learn about our Orton Gillingham tutoring program and how we can help your dyslexic child at www.eblcoaching.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best apps for students with dyslexia?
There are many apps that can help students with dyslexia improve their reading and spelling skills. Some of the best apps that build these skills include Nessy Reading & Spelling, Phonics Hero, Montessori Words & Phonics, Epic!, and Read&Write for Education.

Can apps replace Orton Gillingham tutoring?
Apps are great tools to use for extra Orton Gillingham practice and as a supplement to Orton Gillingham tutoring lessons, but they should not replace Orton Gillingham tutoring. Orton Gillingham tutoring lessons should be tailored to your child’s specific needs and levels, and these individualized tutoring sessions are much more effective at building their skills than using apps alone.

Can apps help students with dyslexia improve spelling?
Yes! There are many apps that can help students with dyslexia improve their spelling skills. Some great apps for spelling include Starfall, Reading Eggs, and Word Wizard.

Dr. Emily Levy, the director of EBL Coaching, has been helping students with dyslexia build their reading and writing skills for over 20 years.

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Fall is a festive time of year, filled with colorful leaves, pumpkin flavors, apple cider, and candy corn. It is also a great season for learning! Help your child develop stronger reading, writing, and math skills with the fall-themed activities detailed below.

Reading

Rhyming

Your child can develop stronger phonemic awareness skills – a precursor to reading – with a fall rhyming activity. Think of fall-themed words, like hay, apple, leaf, pumpkin, and cider, and write each word on a flash card. If your child is able to read the words, have them read each word aloud to you; if not, read the words to them and ask them to come up with words that rhyme with each word, then write those words on the back of the flash card. For example, if the word is hay, your child might come up with words that rhyme with hay, like clay, may, day, say, pay, stray, and so on. If your child can write the words on the back of the card themselves, have them do so. If not, you should write them and read the words aloud to them as you point to each word.

Match It!

Build your child’s reading and memory skills with a game of fall-themed Match It! To play this game, come up with ten fall-themed pictures. Either draw them on flash cards using colorful markers (one picture per card) or print the images and paste them onto cards. Then on ten separate cards, write the word that corresponds to each picture. For example, you might have pictures of an apple, pumpkin, ghost, leaf, pie, and so on, each on separate cards, with the corresponding words written on other cards. Then flip all twenty cards upside down and mix them around. Take turns with your child turning over two cards at a time. When your child flips over a word card, ask them to try to read the word aloud, then match it with the corresponding picture card. If they make a match, they get another turn. The player with the most matches wins!

Create a Tree

Your child can work on letter/sound recognition and word reading using an apple tree! To make one, they should use brown construction paper to cut out a long rectangle that will serve as the tree trunk and smaller brown rectangles to serve as the branches. Your child should paste the smaller brown rectangles around the tree trunk. Next, they should use colored construction paper to cut out a mix of 26 small orange, red, and yellow pieces to serve as leaves and paste them onto the branches. Your child can then write each letter of the alphabet on the leaves (or you write the letters for them if they aren’t able to). Have your child tell you the name of each letter and its corresponding sound. Older children can write fall-themed words instead of letters on the colored leaves and can even write a sentence using each word in a separate notebook.

Writing

Sentence Puzzles

Have fun working on writing skills with your child using fall-themed sentence puzzles. Come up with a series of sentences that involve fall themes, like:

I love apple picking.

Pumpkin pie is the best dessert.

My mom’s favorite drink is apple cider.

Colorful leaves are beautiful.

Then write one word from each sentence on separate flash cards. Mix the cards around face-up on a table and have your child put the words together to form a complete sentence. Then they can rewrite each sentence in a separate notebook and read them aloud to you.

Fall Writing Journals

To further develop your child’s writing skills, have them create a fall writing journal. Start by doing a fun fall activity with them, like baking pumpkin muffins, going for a nature walk and finding colorful leaves, or picking apples. Then have your child write about the experience in their fall journal. Encourage them to include as many details as possible, like sights and smells they noticed when doing the activity, who they were with, what time of day it was, and how they felt at the end of the activity. The more they can practice writing, the better!

Math

Leaf Sorting

Fall is a great time to work on math skills! Go for a walk with your child and have them collect a mix of different colored leaves. Then work on sorting them by creating a three-column chart labeled orange, red, and yellow. Have your child glue the orange leaves in the orange column, the red leaves in the red column, and the yellow leaves in the yellow column. You can then have them count up how many of each colored leaf they collected and write that number at the button of each column.  Discuss greater/less than concepts, like which colored leaf they have the most or least of, and how many more of one color they have than another.

Pumpkin Seed Math

You can further work on math concepts using pumpkin seeds. Go to a pumpkin patch with your child and pick a pumpkin, then carve it and save the seeds for a fall math activity. Alternatively, you can buy pumpkin seeds if that’s easier. Work on basic addition and subtraction concepts with your child using the pumpkin seeds. For example, you might ask them to pull out three pumpkin seeds, then four more. Have them count up all of the pumpkin seeds and tell you the total. Then use a mini white board or sheet of paper to write the corresponding math problem: 3+4=7. You can use this same process to practice subtraction, multiplication, and division problems, all using pumpkin seeds.

Baking!

Fall is a fun time for baking. Make apple pie or another fall dessert with your child while working on math skills. Have them measure out the ingredients for the recipe to work on fraction concepts. Ask them how much of each ingredient they would need if the recipe was cut in half or doubled. You can even have them write out fraction problems, like if the recipe calls for 1/4 cup of brown sugar and they are doubling the recipe, they might write out 1/4 + 1/4 and then solve that fraction problem to come up with the total amount of brown sugar needed for the doubled recipe.

Fall is a great time for festive and fun activities. Take advantage of this time to build your child’s academic skills while enjoying the season.

The post Fall Activities That Build Your Child’s Academic Skills appeared first on EBL Coaching.

As a parent, you might notice that your young child is struggling to learn the names of the letters and their corresponding sounds. They might have difficulty identifying and writing numbers. Other young children might have a quest for knowledge and yearn to learn new, more advanced academic skills. There is no official age when your child is too young for tutoring; it all depends on their individual needs and overall profile. The key to working with students as young as age 2 or 3 is to keep the sessions fun, engaging, and interactive. Tutoring can help your young child develop their academic skills in several areas.

Reading

When children are of preschool-age, the foundations of reading are being established. Learning key phonemic awareness skills can help strengthen their reading skills down the road. Tutoring can help your young child build phonemic awareness skills with targeted lessons, like the following:

The tutor might ask your child to name the first, middle, and final sounds they hear in the words mat, leg, pig, and so on. They might give the student two syllables, like “tall” and “est” and ask them what word is formed when they put the syllables together. Tutors can also work on rhyming skills by asking the student to name words that rhyme with mat, tug, pot, and other short words. From there, the tutor can work on teaching your child individual letter names using audio-visual flash cards with the letter on the front and a colorful key picture on the back. They might hold up the card to your child and say, “This is the letter a, like apple, it makes the sound /a/.” They can even take out a toy apple and ask your child to say the sound the word apple begins with. Later, once many sounds have been covered, the tutor can use magnetic tiles to work on blending sounds together to form words. The more multi-sensory and engaging the lessons are, the better!

Writing

Writing skills can also be developed at a young age. When introducing individual letter names, the tutor can also use a multi-sensory approach to teach students how to write each letter using specific formations. For example, for the lower case a, the tutor might trace the letter a in the sky, saying the formation out loud: around, up, and down. Then the child would trace the letter in the sky, first together with the tutor, then independently. Next, the tutor can take out a tray of colored sand and model tracing the letter in the sand. Then the student can do it on their own. When the child is ready, they can practice writing letters using dotted lines and eventually write them on paper without any assistance. A similar process can be used for learning to write numbers correctly: first in the sky, then in sand, then on paper.

Math 

Math concepts can be taught starting at a very young age. Tutors can use real-life scenarios to make math engaging and playful. For example, they can play “grocery store” while building math skills. The tutor can bring a set of pretend red and green apples to the tutoring session. They can tell the child that they are “buying” two red apples and three green apples. The child would take out the appropriate number of red and green apples. Then the tutor might ask the child to count all the apples and explain that two apples plus three more apples equals five apples all together. The tutor can even take out a mini whiteboard when the child is ready and write on the board: 2+3=5. The same exercises can be done with larger quantities of objects, and the tutor can teach subtraction in a similar way. For example, they might say, “If I started with three apples but ate two of them, how many apples would I have left?” Making the exercises fun and playful for the child will help them enjoy learning while building key skills.

When learning is approached in an engaging, interactive manner with shorter durations of activities, there really is no age that is too young to start tutoring.

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Access to specialized tutoring

Many students require specialized tutoring, such as Orton Gillingham tutoring for students with dyslexia, multi-sensory math instruction for students with a math learning disability, or executive functioning coaching for those with ADHD. In some geographic areas, tutors who specialize in these methods may not be available. Alternatively, there may be only a few specialized tutors in your area who have limited availability, offer tutoring at an undesirable location, are completely full, or aren’t a great personality match for your child. Virtual tutoring gives you access to specialized tutors from around the world who may be a great personality fit for your child and who specialize in specific skills and techniques that your child needs.‌

Interactive Digital Tools

With the rise of online instruction, many new digital tools now exist. For example, as part of an Orton Gillingham lesson, students might work with their tutor on blending sounds together to form words using digital magnetic tiles with sites such as https://www.reallygreatreading.com/lettertiles/. Tutors and students can also use virtual whiteboards such as Ziteboard or Miro when working together to go over new concepts. Additionally, multi-colored highlighting tools can be used for building reading comprehension, active reading, and other related skills. For example, to build a student’s reading comprehension skills, a tutor can teach them that when they read, there are three elements they should look for. The first is the topic, which is one, two, or three words describing the passage. Students should highlight the topic in blue using a digital highlighter. The second element they should look for is the main idea, which is what the author is saying about the topic. They should highlight the main idea in green using a digital highlighter. Finally, they should identify the important details and highlight them in yellow using a digital highlighter. Students tend to enjoy using these interactive digital tools and the tools can be very effective when integrated into virtual tutoring sessions.

Screen sharing

Screen sharing is also a benefit of virtual tutoring. Many teachers and schools now use online portals to post homework assignments and upcoming exams. During virtual tutoring sessions, the student can share their screen with their tutor, allowing them to show the tutor their online school portal. Together, they can review any current and upcoming assignments and come up with a plan for completing them in an organized fashion.

Flexible scheduling

Virtual tutoring generally allows for more flexible scheduling. While in-person tutors might have limited time slots available on certain days, times, and locations, virtual tutoring usually offers more flexibility. Tutors don’t have to build in travel time in between sessions and can generally fit more students into a given day. Students also don’t have to travel to a tutor’s office or home, maximizing the tutoring time and reducing extra time spent traveling to and from sessions.

Virtual tutoring can be a great option for many students. It offers numerous advantages that can help students have efficient, effective tutoring sessions and thrive in school.

The post Is Virtual Tutoring as Effective as In-Person Tutoring? appeared first on EBL Coaching.

Summer is a time for outdoor play, fun in the sun, and relaxation. Yet it is also a time when many kids experience significant learning loss from a lack of consistent instruction. In fact, research tells us that students may lose two months of reading skills and three months of math skills during the summer. Help your child avoid the summer slide and jump-start the school year on a positive note with the ideas detailed below.

Create a reading plan

Reading is one of the most important tasks your child can do over the summer to prevent the summer slide. Help your child come up with a reading goal for the summer. Perhaps they’ll read one book per week or six books for the duration of the summer – there’s no exact formula or number of books that is ideal for every child. Help your child come up with a goal that is realistic for them. When they finish each book, have them put together a mini book report summarizing the book and illustrating it with colorful pictures, or ask them to create a presentation on each book, summarizing the plot and key characters as well as aspects of the book they did or didn’t like and whether or not they’d recommend it to others.

Cook with your child

Cooking with your child can be a lot of fun and it’s a great way to build reading, math, science, and even time management skills over the summer. Start by having your child read through recipes online or in cookbooks and select recipes they’d like to make. Once they have chosen a recipe, have them read it aloud to you and measure out all the ingredients they will need. If the recipe is for two people but you are a family of four, have them figure out how much more of each ingredient they will need to feed your whole family. You can even discuss how much less of each ingredient they would need if they were only cooking for one person instead of two. Build sequencing skills by having them follow the steps detailed in the recipe from start to finish. You can discuss measurement, such as how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon, and chat about how the outcome might change if they used a large casserole dish or cooking tray verses a small one. If they cook more than one dish, they will need to manage their time by cooking certain items while others simmer or bake and they’ll need to make sure items are done in the appropriate time.

Plan a vacation

Another way to build key academic skills is to let your child help plan a summer vacation. Have them start by spending time reading articles or searching the web to read about various places they can go. Give your child a budget for the trip and have them come up with specific ideas that fit into that budget. They might choose a destination they have to fly to and should look into ticket pricing, or they may choose a driving destination, like a more local beach vacation. If they choose a driving destination, have them research how much gas costs per gallon (and the cheapest places to get gas), how many miles away the destination is, and roughly how much money it will cost in gas to get there. Ask them to search for hotel options with per-night pricing, along with the cost for meals and daily activities. They should detail all of this information in a document or presentation that you can review with them. In doing this activity, not only will they learn valuable academic skills to help prevent the summer slide, but they will likely feel proud that they were able to help plan the vacation and even more excited to embark on it.

Grocery shopping

Take your child to the supermarket with you to build math skills over the summer. For young kids, have them pick out produce, like peaches and plums, and work on addition and subtraction concepts. If they grab three peaches and two plums, how many pieces of fruit did they select all together? If one peach doesn’t look good and they put it back, how many pieces of fruit do they now have? For older students, have them calculate how much an item on sale might cost. For instance, if a box of cereal is normally $4 but it is 50% off, how much does it now cost? If spaghetti sauce is buy one, get one half-off, and one jar costs $6, how much would it cost for two jars? When you are waiting in the checkout line, have your child estimate how much they think all of the items will cost, then compare it to the actual cost and see how close they were. The more you can bring math concepts into real life, the better!

The dreaded summer slide can negatively affect your child’s academic performance when they start school in the fall. Don’t let this happen to your child! Prevent the summer slide with the ideas detailed above and help your child start school feeling confident, prepared, and excited for a great year.

The post Tips for Avoiding the Summer Slide by Dr. Emily Levy Founder & Director EBL Coaching appeared first on EBL Coaching.