We’re posting a “Memory Lane of Testimonials” for our newsletter this month, since I was recently away in California for a few months, and therefore only “active” in getting big plans ready for future students.

Here are some of our first testimonials/appreciations, from around 1987:

To Whom it May Concern:

In the 2nd semester of my daughter’s first grade class, we were asked to place Tennelle in Chapter 1 Reading. We were informed she was far behind in reading. She remained in Chapter 1 the rest of that year and tests proved she should repeat the first grade. In an attempt to correct the situation and help Tennelle, I rearranged my work schedule so that I could work with Tennelle every afternoon. This did not seem to help her. My efforts were failing.

We were fortunate enough to find Piper Martin from Twin Oaks Community who came highly recommended to us by other parents with children who had similar problems.

Piper started one-on-one tutoring with Tennelle at the end of June. The lessons continued for six weeks. Although the method is far different from that in school, Tennelle is now in 2nd grade and has read almost 45 books throughout the summer from the local library.

Piper not only helped Tennelle, but she showed me how to get results at home. I am now able to work with Tennelle at home and see rewarding results.

We cannot express our thanks and gratitude enough to Ms. Martin. We are convinced that this method works. Our hope is that others who may need it can obtain her professional assistance.

Sincerely,

Janice L.

To Whom it May Concern,

I could see a difference in my son’s reading after the first two weeks.

He enjoys reading so much more now.

He has so much more confidence in himself.

Piper has alo taught me how to read with my son at home so that I am able to help him everyday.

This way of reading has made it a fun experience for both my son and myself; before this, it just seemed to bore him.

Thank you,

Montie L.

To Whom it May Concern:

Piper has tutored our daughter, Dana, for the past two summers. Before tutoring, Dana was two and a half years behind in her reading level.

Dana progressed a year and a half the first summer, using an eight week program and Piper’s window method. This past summer, using a five week program, with one and a half hour sessions, and the window method, Dana is now on grade level.

Piper’s innovative method of teaching has opened up new avenues in Dana’s reading. Now, she enjoys reading!

Gayle H. 1989

Leaping ahead several years, here’s one from Dana herself (Gayle’s daughter mentioned above) !

Hi __________,
Thanks for your interest in The Reading Window!

Below is a somewhat “form” letter of instructions for using the free book in which I’ve put in bold the parts targeted for First and Second graders.  Third graders may whiz through the instructions for First and Second graders in a few minutes or a half-hour, that would be great. It’s a great foundation for reading-window methods all the way through 8th grade.  Just make sure to make the reading-windows BEFORE you present the book, otherwise they’ll be done before you’ve taught them how to use the windows!

It sounds like your interest might extend to a phone consultation with me, and the first 30 minutes are free! I would love to talk with you and offer help specifically for a particular student or situation.

My Verizon cell phone number is 540-872-1999. If you are interested, please email and also phone me. Including your phone number in an email will be helpful, as it will be easier to call you back if I have the number in writing in front of me.

I’ve also sent you a copy of our new Spanish version of the book, in case you know of anyone to share this with.

Thank you for your enthusiasm!

Winter vacation can be an ideal time to try out a new fun way of reading together. (No confusion such as “My teacher says … ” ) The Reading Window methods are easily called a READING GAME. You read everythingslowly, after each word is in the reading-window, except at least one word per page that your child chooses.

Click here for instructions on how to make your own reading-windows : Making reading-windows.

Have fun! Happy Holidays!

Advanced Phonics Idiocies

Let’s look at the situation when we have THREE consecutive vowels. Is there anything useful in our “phonics rules” about that? I think not.  For example,

conscious and malicious and delicious

&

industrious and notorious

&

beauty and beautiful.

I don’t see any way to make a useful rule for these sounds. PLEASE let’s just tell kids the proper way to say these words before they struggle with sounding out what CANNOT BE sounded out properly.

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And here are more cases in which “when two vowels go walking”, the second one DOES NOT do the talking. In fact, neither one does the talking:

our, hour, round

&

eight, freight, weight

&

sought, thought, nought

&

union and onion

&

soup, coupon, and group.

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We also have cases in which “when two vowels going walking” , EACH VOWEL SOUND CAN BE HEARD SEPARATELY.

piano, happier, interior, trivial, period.

And with the period, I’ll end this random ranting about “phonics rules”.

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You can also find this towards the end of Chapter 8: Phonics by clicking here: Chapter 8: Phonics.

You heard that we had an earthquake, which was a huge surprise to everyone and a lot of work as we continue to clean up all around Louisa county. Since Mason’s school was condemned, at first he had no school for over a week. Then, the classes doubled up, with each classroom holding two classes plus their teachers in one room at Trevilian Elementary School. And now, as of just a few days ago, they moved Mason’s class into one of the many trailers that are the new “classrooms” at Trevilian, with more changes to come as all the trailers will be connected to each other before the winter.  (Imagine having to get bundled up every time you had to go to the library or switch classrooms?!)

Even after an earthquake, dealing with the clean-up, and many movements in where school will be, Mason is still unstoppable!  Click here to read his mom’s testimonial.

Our other tutors (Sherri, Helen, and Allison) are also making extreme adaptations to their schedules and tutoring styles because of the earthquake.

To contact Piper by email, click here.

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To contact Piper by email, click here.
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Everyone involved with this website here at Twin Oaks (Piper, Marta, Tim, and Helm) are excited to be able to get back to work on the site.

At the Reading Window facility in town, Piper and Helen and two preschoolers were in the building when the quake hit.  They got out pronto and are all fine.  The school’s old, struggling photocopier, however, is now totally defunct.  Any and all donations would be tremendously appreciated.

Mason’s school building has been condemned; he’ll be starting at his new school on September 12th.  Until then, Piper is busy doing homeschooling — whoops, I mean Reading Window homeschooling, including math and spelling in addition to reading.

One big silver lining in all the destruction is that Bob Gilbert, an old friend of Piper’s, is working to create an online store for the Reading Window beginner book.

Let’s all wish each other more good luck and fewer earthquakes!

To contact Piper by email, click here.
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Another exciting piece of news that is on the horizon is a Spanish translation of Dog and dog-cat. Stay tuned for more on this.

To contact Piper by email, click here.
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I was thinking this morning about how pervasive our phonics/phonetics problem really is — all the way up to and including the horrible debt ceiling problem that congress and our president are struggling with as I write this newsletter item.

So many voters who will suffer if no agreement is reached — or a bad agreement — do not understand the huge financial problem, and cannot even read the non-phonetic words “debt ceiling” (pronounced det seeling) to start to become better informed voters.

What can Reading Window School do to “think globally and act locally” ?

How can we help our near-by 18 year-olds be ready to help themselves and our country if their literacy/reading level is still at about 8th grade level — as is true of many of our students in Virginia and the rest of the country?!

The fastest way I can think of is by getting teenagers to learn rapid  Reading Window techniques, and then use those techniques to simultaneously help pre-schoolers read while improving their own skills!

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Reading Window would like to try this new idea of training a teenager in Reading Window techniques, so that s/he may then tutor pre-schoolers and be simultaneously helping younger children become better readers and improving his/her own reading skills.

We’ve calculated the basic transportation cost for 5 lessons a week for 6 weeks, plus 3 lessons a week, for 5 weeks (45 lessons total) is $203.50 (at $4.50 per trip). This could mean Piper coming into Louisa for a lesson, and/or students coming to Twin Oaks for a lesson.

We’re looking for donations in order to make this idea a reality. It would take 20 people donating $10 to make this a free and wonderful opportunity for a local teenager. Our “donate” button isn’t currently working, so we are asking for Pledges. Can you contribute towards this cause? Please send Reading Window School a check or use the Contact form and send Piper Martin a tax-deductible pledge (501-c-3) for the amount you can contribute.

We’re hoping to implement this idea ASAP; please contribute what you can! Thank you!

To contact Piper by email, click here.
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