Fluency is a quick assessment of reading skills. Fluency is considered the “canary in the mine”. When miners would go underground they would take a candle or canary. If the air quality could not sustain these, they could not sustain a human. If the candle went out or the canary keeled over, they sounded the...
It totally surprised me when my dad stopped the truck in the middle of the orchard and said, “Slide over.” He got out and I sat behind the steering wheel a timid teen peeking over the hood. Since that was the extent of my dad’s initial instruction and it was a manual stick shift, I...
Does teaching a child to read seem like a mystery of the universe? Let’s compare it to another mystery of the universe you have already conquered, potty training. It also took longer than expected, was messy, and unpredictable. Did you comfort yourself with the knowledge that all college students are potty trained? I did. Whether...
The mission of More to Grow Cognitive Development Training is to improve learning ability and function through cognitive exercises that meaningfully transfer to all educational and everyday life situations so individuals maximize their potential. Darlene Lewis, darlene@moretogrow.com, https://moretogrow.com...
In order to grow safely and properly in the womb and in early life we are born with primitive reflexes. These are instinctive and aid the birthing process and survival skills such as breast feeding and grasping. As we outgrow the need for these reflexes, they are integrated into our nervous system. If children progress...
These are books I read aloud to my own children or to hundreds of students over the years that magnified our understanding of various ancient civilizations while having so much fun. Most are adventure stories. We also journaled after each chapter or copied interesting quotes. Enjoy! Dragons Legends & Lore of Dinosaurs by Hodge &...
Let’s give our students that best fuel for optimal learning/growing. There are some easy grab and go breakfasts that will give our children the sustained energy and brain food needed to stay focused and energetic during their school day. The brain loves good fats and proteins and trace minerals and vitamins. Busy moms and children...
HARD IS GOOD “Ooooh! This one looks hard!” This dad had a sparkle in his eye as he leaned toward his daughter with a smile. I chimed in, “You’ve got this. Hard is good. And if you need help I will help you.” This few second exchange transformed a fearful encounter with a new cognitive...
The difference between training and tutoring is the ability to transfer meaning to new experiences verses replicating the taught task. Tutoring is an intervention centered on remediation of classroom content, such as math and reading skills. While these are wonderful helpful supports, they do not train the brain’s cognitive ability to learn. ...
By Darlene Lewis, Academic Interventionist, More to Grow Cognitive Development Training Contrary to popular belief, the ABC song we all learned as children seems unnecessary for learning how to read. For some students learning letter names actually complicates the reading process. Say aloud the letter C. Do you hear the /s/ sound? Try G, H,...
