This camp works best for kids who have already learned how to read many kinds of words, have been working on it for a while, but they are still struggling. The can sound out many simple words (3 letter words and "silent e" words easily), and they can even figure out some bigger words based on context, but it takes a very long time and truly interferes with reading. Keep reading below and download the "Boot Camp Recruit Checklist"!
Here are some other signs this would be a good fit for your child:
* "Sounding it out" does not always work. When they s-l-o-w-l-y sound out a word, it's not until they've said all the sounds and they're at the end of the word before they realize they've got it wrong! So they have to go back and try it again, sounding out vowels/letters multiple ways. They still look at words as each individual sound, and don't seem to have consistent strategies to break it into "chunks" or parts. Strong readers can take an unknown word and read it by chunks. For example: con-cen-tra-tion. A struggling reader may go, "c...o...n...k?...c?..e...n...t...r...a.." and then they know "tion" or it stumps them!
*Reading is exhausting! It takes so long and so much effort to figure out unknown words, you can see them getting tired.
*Sometimes they seem to be "shouting" words. Your child is trying to figure out a word, says the first few sounds, and then shouts the rest emphatically. That's because they're actually guessing! They are guessing what the rest of the word is, once they have gotten a head start, but they don't have the skillset to know if it makes sense.
******
If your child is in traditional school, these "word attack" skills and word patterns will have all be taught by the end of second grade. However, often times older kids are still struggling and need this support. Students younger than rising-third-graders are typically too young, but each child is unique. For homeschoolers, it depends on how far along your child is, but I would say that typically these skills would be for kids in the 8-11 year old range. However, as a former teacher I had numerous 5th graders who would have benefitted greatly from this instruction, and I was teaching them how to do it. And of course, as kids get older the words they encounter in books are longer, but many can still be figured out using the syllable skills taught in the Boot Camp.
It really is about the skills your child needs, and less about their age.
DOWNLOAD the "Boot Camp Recruit Checklist" below to see if this would be a good program for your child. Note that Boot Camp Jr. is not being offered at this time, just the full Boot Camp program.
Here are some other signs this would be a good fit for your child:
* "Sounding it out" does not always work. When they s-l-o-w-l-y sound out a word, it's not until they've said all the sounds and they're at the end of the word before they realize they've got it wrong! So they have to go back and try it again, sounding out vowels/letters multiple ways. They still look at words as each individual sound, and don't seem to have consistent strategies to break it into "chunks" or parts. Strong readers can take an unknown word and read it by chunks. For example: con-cen-tra-tion. A struggling reader may go, "c...o...n...k?...c?..e...n...t...r...a.." and then they know "tion" or it stumps them!
*Reading is exhausting! It takes so long and so much effort to figure out unknown words, you can see them getting tired.
*Sometimes they seem to be "shouting" words. Your child is trying to figure out a word, says the first few sounds, and then shouts the rest emphatically. That's because they're actually guessing! They are guessing what the rest of the word is, once they have gotten a head start, but they don't have the skillset to know if it makes sense.
******
If your child is in traditional school, these "word attack" skills and word patterns will have all be taught by the end of second grade. However, often times older kids are still struggling and need this support. Students younger than rising-third-graders are typically too young, but each child is unique. For homeschoolers, it depends on how far along your child is, but I would say that typically these skills would be for kids in the 8-11 year old range. However, as a former teacher I had numerous 5th graders who would have benefitted greatly from this instruction, and I was teaching them how to do it. And of course, as kids get older the words they encounter in books are longer, but many can still be figured out using the syllable skills taught in the Boot Camp.
It really is about the skills your child needs, and less about their age.
DOWNLOAD the "Boot Camp Recruit Checklist" below to see if this would be a good program for your child. Note that Boot Camp Jr. is not being offered at this time, just the full Boot Camp program.
| boot_camp_recruit_checklist.pdf |
If your child has already had this type of instruction (perhaps in a school that uses Fundations, or from previous tutoring) that is fantastic! Some kids need more time to master it, but once they go back to school they are moving right into new skills and learning. So they never feel like they catch up! The "Break-the-Code" Boot Camp is the perfect opportunity for them.
If you have any questions about this, email me at literacyjourneys@gmail.com . We can even set up a time to meet in person if you would like!
If you have any questions about this, email me at literacyjourneys@gmail.com . We can even set up a time to meet in person if you would like!
