Working with a struggling reader, Reading one sentence at a time, Checking to see if the eyes trace smoothly

Someone wants to read and is making the effort to learn.  Too often this student is told he or she is just not trying hard enough or they are lazy or any excuse to blame the student. If this is not the excuse the student is just too immature to learn.  If the student is young the immature label will work for a little while. We expect children's eyes to develop earlier than the eyes can or will in our country.  

I have had too many parents tell me their child just does not try.  I know of very few children who are not curious about things around them.  Often adults wish the children had less energy because they get tired of answering questions. Then the child goes to formal school and they are lazy.  No, they are not lazy. They need to be taught in a different way with more movement than our schools allow them to use. 

I am working with a junior high student who wants so much to pass the test, they get physically sick when it is time to take the test.  

I am doing two things to check this out. First, they read one sentence and then I read a sentence. Second, we discuss the story as we read it.  Guess what? There is a reading comprehension issue.  I had them lie down under the hanging ball and follow the ball with their eyes.  Their eyes do not track smoothly. When the eyes jump following the ball, they also jump when reading and miss words. I have them follow the ball in each direction 2 or 3 times including diagonally and in a circle.  This can be very tiring. I tell the student to close their eyes if they began to hurt so I will know.  

It is easy to hang a ball at home and have the student lie under the ball.  Have them gently hit the ball and you watch their eyes as they follow the ball. I have them alternate hands as they hit the ball. Warning: it is fun to hit the ball too hard so insist on gentle hitting to avoid getting hit yourself. Also for safety use string that will break if a younger child gets tangled in the string.  One person was going to use wire so it would not break. They were not thinking of the danger it could pose.