Small group or 1:1 format

Supplies: 3x5 cards and glitter glue. I often get mine at Walgreens/CVS or Dollar Stores.

Cognitive Target: speeding up recognition of symbolic information such as letters, numbers, or words.

Important Tip: Students can’t see the cards—only their fingers feel this one! This develops visual memory in reversal, which helps many students get faster and they love the format.

Task Description: Flashcards are created for the each phoneme, sight word, or number symbols. The symbols are printed neatly in the center of the card with a black marker. Then I use Glitter Glue over the pen so the symbols have a strong texture when touched. Sometimes I needed 2-3 coats to achieve this. I ask them to use only their fingers to quickly identify the symbol shown while a folder or paper hovers over the given card. Since they can’t see the symbol their fingers can discover what is on the card by placing it flat on the table under the folder or paper. Have the student talk out what they feel in regards to lines, shapes, and letter height. Most students try to look or peek as a natural reaction to this not being easy, so watch their eyes closely as well as their fingers. Students of mine have considered this a game, but this task is extremely hard if a student doesn’t solidly connect to the orthographic picture in their imagination of what the letter looks like, which is also known as Symbol Imagery. As a warm-up, I begin lessons with this and typically do about 2-5 cards at a time.

With the Word Families exercise, pattern recognition is developed by having the student practice recognizing a similar pattern in a set of words rather than sound them out. A set of words are presented in two colors; a bright color for the pattern (-out), and a black marker for the part that changes. These need to be done rapidly, and in the set's entirety. I review any errors one more time at the end. This is an excellent exercise to use with students who are sounding every word out, struggle with slower processing speeds, and/or who have weak sight word bases.

With the Word Families exercise, pattern recognition is developed by having the student practice recognizing a similar pattern in a set of words rather than sound them out. A set of words are presented in two colors; a bright color for the pattern (-ake), and a black marker for the part that changes. These need to be done rapidly, and in the set's entirety. I review any errors one more time at the end. This is an excellent exercise to use with students who are sounding every word out, struggle with slower processing speeds, and/or who have weak sight word bases.