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Erin
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It is looking like my 15yr old brother is coming to live with us, arriving in the next couple of days 
I need instant advice, oh help. He can't read and is fifteen. I've taught my own children but they were much younger. The deal is I'm meant to teach him to read so he can get a job. This is his wish he finally has a desire to read  Oh and of course he is after his license. So he now has a need. I know a desire to read is half the battle.
Why isn't he reading? Various reasons- alot of it is probably to do with emotional traumas. I'm hoping this is the main reason as that will be easier to deal with. Although a friend of mine suggests he fits the dsylexic spectrum, but I really won't know till we try.
I've tried a bit in the past but he wasn't really willing and it was the holidays. This time he sees it as different.
Any suggestions would be appreciated, particularly from anyone who has had experiences with later readers.
God Bless
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Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
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julia s.
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Erin,
You are definitely in a unique position and I would suggest getting outside support. I would have him evaluated (reading, eyesight,...anything else you think might be a contributing factor) at this late date I wouldn't be guessing, and then look around for anyone who might be able to help facilitate you.. either a reading specialist, or someone who has taught older children. Sometimes libraries have literacy programs and they might be able to reinforce whatever you do at home.
Mostly pray and I will pray for you too as I'm sure others on this board will do.
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julia
married to love of her life
with ds12 ds8 ds3 and ds1
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esperanza
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Erin,
You are very much in my prayers. I have a 14 yos and he was a late reader. I believe he memorized all that he was able to read up to age 13...He could not spell very much at all. He had a tutor this summer. She used Phonics Pathways with my ds. Having a tutor helped so much...this was a spring board for us (I hope)..my ds was so resistant..his self esteem is bad..he has 2 older and 2 younger sisters that excel in academics and his 8 year old sister was passing him up on spelling. My ds did not know his vowel sounds..he had fluid in his ears off and on in his youth and I believe swollen adenoids. He finally has made the connection  He is doing dictation with simple words and vocabulary study with these words as well. Please pray for me, too! I get so drained dealing with his attitude. We go up and down. I still may need to find a tutor again..he was so pleasant and worked hard for this person...although I was blessed to hear all his complaints as he is so comfortable with expressing himself to mom 
Maybe something to start with could be
Earobics for the computer..while you work on evaluating him.
God Bless you and your family, Erin. You and your brother are especially in my prayers.
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In His Peace,
Tammy Gonzalez in VA
dh-Johnny
mom to Tara-'85, Noelle-'88, Jeremy-'91, Elizabeth-'93, Emma-'96, Dominic-'99, Gabriel-'01, Elijah-03
and Jacinta-06
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kristina
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Erin,
If you discover that brother is not reading because he simply "slipped through the cracks" as has happened at institutional schools, I can at least offer a suggestion for a reading program. I am by no means an expert. However, if you are looking for a simple program to start with.. you may look into Phonics Pathways by Delores Hiskes. I used this book to teach our 8 and 6 year olds when they were first learning to read and will use it for our kindergartner beginning Monday. I am thankful to report that our older two readers are doing well with reading skills and I attribute that to a strong foundation given by this book.
I started with the book because it was recommended by the Well-Trained Mind. Here are the reviews from the Phonics Pathways publisher's site. One of the strengths of the program is that it is perfect for remedial/adult learners. I really liked it because it was very easy for me. I was able to sit on the couch, nursing the baby while my learner was nestled next to me on the couch using the book with me.
BTW, amazon
has the book for $10 less than the publisher.. As far as reading programs go, I found it to be very reasonably priced, too.
May your efforts bear much fruit!
Blessings,
kristina
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Angie Mc
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Hi Erin,
How awesome of you to take on this endeavor!
When I think of teaching reading I think of three parts. The first is readiness. Reading developmental readiness happens at different ages for different children, usually starting somewhere around 6 up to age 12. The good news is that your brother is most likely developmentally ready. Perhaps when your brother was ready at a later age, reading was no longer being taught at his school. This is a sad and common occurance
The second part is learning the code. The posts above point to learning the code from a phonetic perspective. There are many good phonetic based programs out there. The one I've used and liked is Reading Reflex.
The code also includes sight words (which Reading Reflex includes)to be memorized (they don't follow the phonetic code.)
Some learning styles also learn more readily from a more whole reading way. Choral Reading is one approach. You can also simply sit next to your brother and read at the same time. Look for another post from me within a week called "Quick Response Whole Reading Help" that will describe another approach to whole reading.
I also like to use the Most Common English Words list. These words (a combination of sight and phonetic compliant words) help to get a reader reading quickly.
The third part is practice. With a fifteen year old, he can practice for longer periods of time and often throughout the day. I would consider immersion to the point of almost intolerance  . Sometimes giving full attention to this task is just what the older learner needs.
Please keep us posted of your progress, Erin. Reassure your brother that his hard work will pay off. We're praying for you both and cheering you on!
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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Erin
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| Posted: Sept 09 2005 at 1:10am | IP Logged
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Hi all,
Just wanted to say thank you for all the great suggestions and especially for your prayers. They have been awesome.
Guess what _ in one week he has gone from Prep readers to 3rd grade readers. (his choice of book, we used the Faith and Freedom Readers which he remembers from when he was little) I have now become convinced it has mainly been emotional, it turns out he used to be able to read before The Divorce and in all the tramua forgot.
We are so excited, he has been really serious about it all, and has worked hard. He has to now find some books at the level he is at to read as he finds the 3rd Grade reader boring. I'm off to search the bookcases for animal books as he is passionate about them.
All this has been done with a raging toothache, the tooth was extracted today (another drama, he has a phobia about needles and low pain threshold, Wednesday he walked out on a dentist and refused to co-operate) Just imagine what he can achieve next week.
Please keep up those prayers, you're great warriors.
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Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
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Mary G
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Erin:
That is wonderful news about your brother !
We'll keep him in our prayers -- and you and the family as well.
Blessings!
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MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
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4Real Forums : Language Arts Come Alive
Topic: Teaching a 15yr old non-reader -help!!
