Tip #12: Stay Aware…
Stay aware of the importance of the objectives below, using this order as a guideline. But you can emphasize any of these objectives at any time. There are so many different skills involved in being an excellent reader that it’s almost always ok to postpone a particular goal that seems difficult, substituting something that is easier and/or more fun on any particular day.
Each child will achieve the objectives at his/her own pace. This needs to be OK with the adult, as it is a natural part of learning. Don’t stay on an objective after the child is seeming frustrated, but rather move on to other kinds of play, or to another part of the game that they find easier. Always make sure the child knows you’re enjoying playing the game too. The objectives are simply stated, and match more how-to details in paragraphs below.
Objective #1
This objective is to be achieved each time the Reading Window games are played.
The student feels the game is fun. Maintain this objective throughout any exercise. The game is to be sometimes challenging, sometimes easy, but always enjoyable. Children learn best when they are happy.
The words can vary each day, but always make it sound like “Do you want to play with me?” Keep an upbeat tone of voice and be flexible. Have small rewards visible (raisins, half-peanuts etc) to congratulate the child very frequently, and give the first reward, for trying, within the first two or three minutes!
Objective #2
This objective may be achieved during the first day with reinforcement , OR may take several days to achieve and need to be reinforced other days, OR may take many days to achieve and then also need to be reinforced other days. Follow the child’s needs.
The student is able to place a window around the picture of the animal which the adult has named. The goal is to do it so that the whole animal and only the animal is showing through the window, which you can demonstrate in an upbeat way.
Some Tips for this:
Talk about the picture-windows and how they are like real house windows again. You can see things through the house windows, and you can see the pictures of the animals through the picture-windows. Suggested steps follow: Notice all the exclamation marks, reminding you to keep on showing how happy you are to be playing this game with your child.
- Demonstrate how you can look at an animal through a window. As you hold a window over an animal, say the name of the animal. Say, “Now you try that!” … “Good!” [Yes, you do say 'good' even if only the nose of the animal gets in the picture window on the first try! You just gently put your hand over the child's hand and guide the window to the correct place.]
- Say “Let’s do that again!” If more accurate this time, say “Great!” or “That’s the way!” or do a High-five with a big smile. [Otherwise, say "Good try! You've won a prize!" as you hold out the dish with one raisin available -- and skip the next paragraph until later when a complete success for some small step has been achieved.]
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- Notice that until now you’ve been asking the child to try to do what you request.
Now is a good time to start distinguishing between free choice and trying to follow specific requests. FREE CHOICE means that any response your child makes is fine with you. With that in mind, ASK “Would you like to do that again?” If they say “yes” and do it again, act very pleased and even give an extra hug or an extra raisin. If they say “no”, smile and say “OK, here’s what we can do next.”
- Next ask the child to tell you which animal they want to look at through the window, and then model the game by placing the window over the animal, showing all the animal and nothing but the animal, and saying the name of the animal at the same time.
- Model the thinking process too, by saying things like, “Oh, I can’t see the tail, let me move it over so I can see the whole cat,” and, “Oh, I only want to see the cat, so let me move it down so only the cat is showing.”
- After modeling the task, let the child try framing animals that you call out. If you say look at the cat through the window, let the child try placing the window over the cat. To encourage the goal of showing the whole animal and nothing but the animal, you can say things like, “Great! I’d like to see the head too, can you move it up a little so we can see the whole cat? Great! You get a reward!” “ and, “What is the name of that animal?” “Yes! You got that on your first try! Take another reward!”
Objective #3
This objective may be achieved during the first day with reinforcement , OR may take several days to achieve and need to be reinforced other days, OR may take many days to achieve and then also need to be reinforced other days. Follow the child’s needs.
With the large picture window, and the smaller word window placed above or to the side of their favorite picture page, the student is able to say which window is best to use for the picture and which is best to use for the word.
Specific activity examples are below:
- The first day, you might be sitting on a couch with picture pages 4, 6, and 8 near you, and call the child over to look at the new pictures you have. Show the child the windows you’ve made, and sound excited that you have a Window Game to play. Show them how your windows are like the windows you can look through to see outside the house. They they have 4 sides the same as the house windows, but these are little cardboard windows we will use in the Window Game. (This is a good time to ask the child if they want to help you decorate the windows if they are plain cardboard).
- Any day, you might ask a child to find a toy which matches any of the pictures you will be using that day. They can play with the toys with you before starting the Reading Window Game. Maybe, “just for fun” they can look through the window at the toy animal.
- Any day, you might ask a child to decorate new window frames, which are the right size for the words and pictures you will be using that day.
- Any day, you might as the child to cut out a magazine or computer print of a picture of some of the animals found on pages 4, 6, and 8 and glue them down to a paper.
- Etc. Be creative.
Objective #4
Placing the window over the picture of the animal you name, and saying the name of the animal at the same time.
Mention that maybe playing on the table would work better (in an excited voice).
Objective #5
The child will understand that the words represent the pictures, and be able to tell the difference between some words.
At the table, ask the child, “What are these things beside the animals? They are the words for the animals. This is the word ‘dog’ (as you point to the word ‘dog’). Can you say the word ‘dog’.” Have them pick their favorite animal page, and talk about how the words on this page look different. Ask them to say the name of one of the animals, while you point to the word and say “word______” (what ever animal it is they said). Role model this and then let them try it. Work on this segment for how ever many days, as needed, in time frames that are comfortable and fun for them.
At the table, you can show the child the little windows you have, and perhaps saying, “Aren’t they nice?” (This would be a good time to decorate the little windows if you used plain cardboard). “We can play the window game with some little windows too.” Put the large and small windows beside each other above the pages, and ask the child to choose which window would work well for the picture. Then which would work well for the word.
Boy with Window
Objective #1
This objective is to be achieved each time the Reading Window games are played.
The student feels the game is fun. Maintain this objective throughout any exercise. The game is to be sometimes challenging, sometimes easy, but always enjoyable. Children learn best when they are happy.
The words can vary each day, but always make it sound like “Do you want to play with me?” Keep an upbeat tone of voice and be flexible. Have small rewards visible (raisins, half-peanuts etc) to congratulate the child very frequently, and give the first reward, for trying, within the first two or three minutes!
Objective #2
This objective may be achieved during the first day with reinforcement , OR may take several days to achieve and need to be reinforced other days, OR may take many days to achieve and then also need to be reinforced other days. Follow the child’s needs.
The student is able to place a window around the picture of the animal which the adult has named. The goal is to do it so that the whole animal and only the animal is showing through the window, which you can demonstrate in an upbeat way.
Some Tips for this:
Talk about the picture-windows and how they are like real house windows again. You can see things through the house windows, and you can see the pictures of the animals through the picture-windows. Suggested steps follow: Notice all the exclamation marks, reminding you to keep on showing how happy you are to be playing this game with your child.
- Demonstrate how you can look at an animal through a window. As you hold a window over an animal, say the name of the animal. Say, “Now you try that!” … “Good!” [Yes, you do say 'good' even if only the nose of the animal gets in the picture window on the first try! You just gently put your hand over the child's hand and guide the window to the correct place.]
- Say “Let’s do that again!” If more accurate this time, say “Great!” or “That’s the way!” or do a High-five with a big smile. [Otherwise, say "Good try! You've won a prize!" as you hold out the dish with one raisin available -- and skip the next paragraph until later when a complete success for some small step has been achieved.]
.
- Notice that until now you’ve been asking the child to try to do what you request.
Now is a good time to start distinguishing between free choice and trying to follow specific requests. FREE CHOICE means that any response your child makes is fine with you. With that in mind, ASK “Would you like to do that again?” If they say “yes” and do it again, act very pleased and even give an extra hug or an extra raisin. If they say “no”, smile and say “OK, here’s what we can do next.”
- Next ask the child to tell you which animal they want to look at through the window, and then model the game by placing the window over the animal, showing all the animal and nothing but the animal, and saying the name of the animal at the same time.
- Model the thinking process too, by saying things like, “Oh, I can’t see the tail, let me move it over so I can see the whole cat,” and, “Oh, I only want to see the cat, so let me move it down so only the cat is showing.”
- After modeling the task, let the child try framing animals that you call out. If you say look at the cat through the window, let the child try placing the window over the cat. To encourage the goal of showing the whole animal and nothing but the animal, you can say things like, “Great! I’d like to see the head too, can you move it up a little so we can see the whole cat? Great! You get a reward!” “ and, “What is the name of that animal?” “Yes! You got that on your first try! Take another reward!”
Objective #3
This objective may be achieved during the first day with reinforcement , OR may take several days to achieve and need to be reinforced other days, OR may take many days to achieve and then also need to be reinforced other days. Follow the child’s needs.
With the large picture window, and the smaller word window placed above or to the side of their favorite picture page, the student is able to say which window is best to use for the picture and which is best to use for the word.
Specific activity examples are below:
- The first day, you might be sitting on a couch with picture pages 4, 6, and 8 near you, and call the child over to look at the new pictures you have. Show the child the windows you’ve made, and sound excited that you have a Window Game to play. Show them how your windows are like the windows you can look through to see outside the house. They they have 4 sides the same as the house windows, but these are little cardboard windows we will use in the Window Game. (This is a good time to ask the child if they want to help you decorate the windows if they are plain cardboard).
- Any day, you might ask a child to find a toy which matches any of the pictures you will be using that day. They can play with the toys with you before starting the Reading Window Game. Maybe, “just for fun” they can look through the window at the toy animal.
- Any day, you might ask a child to decorate new window frames, which are the right size for the words and pictures you will be using that day.
- Any day, you might as the child to cut out a magazine or computer print of a picture of some of the animals found on pages 4, 6, and 8 and glue them down to a paper.
- Etc. Be creative.
Objective #4
Placing the window over the picture of the animal you name, and saying the name of the animal at the same time.
Mention that maybe playing on the table would work better (in an excited voice).
Objective #5
The child will understand that the words represent the pictures, and be able to tell the difference between some words.
At the table, ask the child, “What are these things beside the animals? They are the words for the animals. This is the word ‘dog’ (as you point to the word ‘dog’). Can you say the word ‘dog’.” Have them pick their favorite animal page, and talk about how the words on this page look different. Ask them to say the name of one of the animals, while you point to the word and say “word______” (what ever animal it is they said). Role model this and then let them try it. Work on this segment for how ever many days, as needed, in time frames that are comfortable and fun for them.
At the table, you can show the child the little windows you have, and perhaps saying, “Aren’t they nice?” (This would be a good time to decorate the little windows if you used plain cardboard). “We can play the window game with some little windows too.” Put the large and small windows beside each other above the pages, and ask the child to choose which window would work well for the picture. Then which would work well for the word.