Purple Sefer: A Guide for Effective Use
When using the Purple Sefer in mainstream classrooms, it’s essential to use the accompanying teacher’s guide. This resource provides detailed lesson plans and strategies to maximize the benefits of the sefer. Please note that there are separate guides for 4-year-olds and kindergartners (5-year-olds) due to the distinct pacing and teaching approaches required for each age group.
While the Purple Sefer is widely used in mainstream classrooms, it was originally designed for dyslexic students. This means that it incorporates specific strategies to address common challenges faced by learners with dyslexia.
Using the Purple Sefer with Students with Dyslexia:
- Page 1: Focus on Letter Structure: Discuss the letter’s shape and encourage the student to create a personal hint to aid in recall. Even if the hint seems unusual, emphasize its value if it helps the student remember the letter. If the student struggles, provide a consistent hint that can be used whenever they make a mistake.
- Page 2: Practice Tracking Skills: Explain the purpose of this page in developing tracking skills. Emphasize that tracking involves coordinating eye, mouth, and finger movements to ensure accurate reading. Poor tracking can lead to errors like adding or omitting letters.
- Page 3: Review and Integration: This page reviews the target letter alongside previously learned letters. The focus is on the target letter, which appears exclusively on the first line and at the end of subsequent lines.
- Page 4: Letter Recognition: Assess the student’s ability to identify the target letter within a mix of other letters.
Fluency and Accuracy:
Students must read the page in 30 seconds or less, without errors or self-corrections, before progressing to the next page. This approach focuses on developing both accuracy and fluency simultaneously.