The Seeing Stars® Program
by Lindamood-Bell
The Seeing Stars® program, backed by extensive research and evidence, is designed to enhance reading and spelling skills, particularly for those who find these areas challenging, including individuals with Dyslexia. The program concentrates on crucial areas such as recognizing sounds in words (phonemic awareness), visualizing letters and words (symbol imagery), sounding out words (word attack skills), spelling (decoding skills), memorizing sight words (word recognition skills), and reading fluency. These skills form the bedrock of proficient reading and comprehension. The program’s goal is to bolster these skills, enabling students to continue learning independently long after our sessions have concluded.
The Seeing Stars® program begins by assisting students in developing the processing skills essential for natural learning, with a particular emphasis on Symbol Imagery. This skill, often overlooked, is the glue that allows students to retain letter/sound connections, patterns, and sight words. We stress the importance of a robust reading foundation by equipping students with the skills they need to thrive. Unlike some multisensory programs that depend on shortcuts and workarounds, Seeing Stars® introduces new concepts and techniques sequentially, aligning with the improvement of students’ processing skills. This approach can enhance the reading abilities of students across all ages and skill levels.
Thanks to its research-based approach, Seeing Stars® is a highly effective program. It aids students in developing the skills they need to excel in school. By focusing on the fundamentals of reading, it provides students with the foundation they need to read with confidence and precision. Whether you’re grappling with reading difficulties or simply wish to enhance your reading skills, Seeing Stars® can help you achieve your goals.
How can you tell if your child needs Seeing Stars® instruction?
If your child is struggling with any of the following, they might benefit from our program:
- Learning the Alphabet: If they often mix up sounds, especially vowels.
- Sounding Out Words: If they struggle with learning phonics rules and applying them inconsistently.
- Memorizing Sight Words: If they sound out the same word multiple times on one page.
- Confusing Known Words: If they mix up visually similar words like “then”, “them”, and “they”.
- Letter Reversals: If they often flip and confuse “b/d”, and “p/g/q”.
- Blending Words Together: If words come out choppy as individual sounds: “cuh” “ah” “tuh” instead of “cat”.
- Spelling: If they only spell phonetically or forget spelling words soon after the test.
- Reading Fluently: If they struggle to bring the pieces together for smooth reading, even with the basics in place.
- Reading Comprehension: If their reading skills require so much energy that they can’t recall what they read.
TAKE THE FIRST STEP
What is Symbol Imagery?
The Silent Partner to Phonics
Symbol Imagery is a crucial skill for learning to read that is often overlooked. It’s the glue that allows students to retain connections between letters and sounds, patterns, and sight words. Students who struggle with these aspects are often given more repetition. However, without improvement, this can lead to frustration and their underlying challenges continue to go unaddressed. Without developing Symbol Imagery, these learners will always face limitations in learning to read. The good news is that this essential skill can be measured and consistently improved in our students, especially those with diagnosed challenges like Dyslexia, ADHD, and Auditory Processing Disorders.
Is the Seeing Stars® Program right for my child?
Common Challenges:
One of the first signs of a reading challenge is difficulty connecting letters and sounds. Seeing Stars® instruction builds this connection to kick-start the process.
If your child struggles to sound out words, we use a systematic, multi-sensory method in our instruction, applying Symbol Imagery to high-quality phonics, which helps students decode new words.
Many students with weak Symbol Imagery have difficulty committing sight words into memory. Our instruction focuses on giving children the tools to learn and then fills in literacy gaps using their newfound skills.
The final application of Symbol Imagery is to improve spelling. Once a student has improved their Symbol Imagery, we then create custom spelling inventories for each student, aligned with their curriculum at school. With the right glue, they are able to learn new words like never before.
For many of our students, achieving fluent reading is the most challenging part. We start by ensuring they can handle words on their own before moving on to more complex content. We choose and create content that not only matches their abilities but also keeps them engaged and interested.
We provide instruction when and where your student learns best!
Our team of Learning Coaches is dedicated to identifying areas that could inhibit your child’s successful learning and processing growth. Our approach at Eardley Education is focused on identifying these learning differences and building custom learning programs for your student to close their learning gaps and succeed in the classroom. We are solutions-oriented and have the right tools to help your student close their learning gaps. Our team has helped hundreds of students using the Seeing Stars® Program and would love to help you next!
We provide learning programs that cater to your schedule, including 1:1 teaching sessions, group instruction, and parent workshops, all facilitated by our expert Learning Coaches. We aim to foster a positive learning environment that builds confidence and self-esteem. We offer our learning programs in various formats – at home, at your child’s school, or virtually. We also run intensive sessions each summer and winter, and our services extend to families across the globe. If you are an educational professional interested in learning our approach to assist your students or a parent better seeking to understand more about your child’s learning process, don’t hesitate to contact us today.
Our Instruction Options
At Your School
At Eardley Education, we prioritize collaboration with schools nationwide to support our students’ success. We deliver instruction on-campus during optimal learning times, ensuring students receive the best education possible. We also coordinate closely with your child’s school to customize our content or pre-teach material that will soon be covered in class. Our school partnerships aim to create a nurturing and supportive learning environment that empowers students to achieve their academic objectives and unlock their full potential.
At Home
Our in-home learning programs are the perfect solution for families who want to ensure their child’s academic growth without the added stress of time-consuming and costly after-school travel. With our dedicated Learning Coaches, your child will receive personalized, one-on-one instruction right in the comfort of your home. This approach not only saves you time and money but also provides a familiar and comfortable learning environment for your child. It eliminates the hassle of commuting and allows your child to focus solely on their learning.
Virtual Instruction
We offer our programs online through secure, interactive video conferences, making it a perfect fit for busy families, students residing out of state, or those living abroad. You can join from anywhere and enjoy the same advantages as attending in person. This flexibility lets you balance your schedule while gaining important reading skills regardless of distance. We can even arrange a mix of virtual and in-person sessions to accommodate your schedule!
Summer & Winter
Our intensive summer and winter sessions offer students a chance to significantly advance their education during school breaks. We help bridge learning gaps and boost confidence with individualized reading, spelling, math programs, and more. Our multisensory approach, combined with gamification, allows rapid progress. We also provide group instruction and parent workshops, catering to home, school, or virtual learners.