Jump, Feel, and Think Visual

As you teach the class, you will find that some of your students will be ready for independent reading much sooner than others. Reading requires keen auditory processing. Students who are auditory learners will tend to read at an earlier age than their peers who learn best through kinesthetic, tactile, or visual stimulation.

While it can be a challenge to teach some students to read, with some creativity it can be fun and motivating. All students will benefit from multisensory instruction, so it is important to provide a learning environment that blends kinesthetic, tactile, and visual stimulation.

Kinesthetic learners need to move, so allow students to act out parts of books. If the book is The Little Engine that Could, have your most energetic student be the engine and lead the class up the mountain. (Be careful that the students don’t become too energetic; you don’t want a train wreck!)

Tactile learners learn best by handling objects. These students need to touch, feel and have and emotional bond with things. Provide opportunities for students to handle and examine the objects that the book discusses. For instance, if the class is reading about rocks, you could bring in some specimens for the students to inspect. This hands-on experience with the objects will help all of your students with comprehension.

An effective way to teach visual students about story structure is through the use of visualization. Ask your students to picture the story in their heads and explain what is happening. This strategy helps students think about the story in a different way which increases their comprehension.

True comprehension is reached when a student hears, sees, and feels what he or she is reading. When reading becomes a multisensory experience, it transcends the reader from the passive, vicarious experience to an active, almost concrete experience. This is the magic of reading!