Welcome! Thank you for visiting Reading Elephant.

Do you have a struggling reader? If so, then this site was made for you.

I’m a K-3 Reading Interventionist. I’ve catapulted many struggling readers, including students with dyslexia, ADHD, autism, auditory-processing disorders and language delays, into the next reading level with efficiency, quickness and lasting success.

After working with struggling readers since 2009, I learned that there are not accessible systematic phonics books. Many parents lamented that their child could not read any books from school or the library.

Thus, I decided to offer my research-based phonics books online. My phonics books are designed so all kids can learn how to read, including kids with unique learning challenges. You can find my phonics books in my shop.

My reading intervention clinic is located in the greater San Diego area. My students often come to me years below grade-level. I’ve worked with first graders that don’t know letter sounds, second graders that can only read books they’ve memorized, and 4th graders at the Kindergarten reading level. Most of my students have IEPs and have been diagnosed with a learning disability. I’ve used my decodable books to help these kids learn to read.

Through these experiences, the lesson has been clear: without research-based instruction, many kids won’t learn how to read.

I stay up-to-date on reading research and study the history, cognitive science, and psychology of reading instruction. I learned best practices from John Shefelbine, a dyslexia professor and K-3 reading curriculum designer for struggling and dyslexic readers. Consequently, I implement reading interventions with only the best research-based methods.

I have my BA from UC Berkeley, an MA and a Reading Certificate.

Thanks again for visiting Reading Elephant!

FAQs

How did I get started?

My first student, Kayla had acquired dyslexia; Kayla was in a severe car accident and completely lost her ability to read. In addition, she lost her ability to articulate certain sounds. Kayla had been in an intervention program for years with little success. After working one semester with Kayla, her reading improved dramatically and she was finally able to read books independently. I was thrilled to see how powerful excellent reading instruction can be, and I decided I would focus on helping struggling readers.

Another early student, James, a second grader, had dyslexia. He said aloud, “I can’t read. I just pretend to.” In the beginning, James would not engage. He shut down. After just a few lessons, James began reading simple cvc words like “cap, bin, let.” Thus, I began creating phonics books at his level. After he read a book, his eyes glittered with pride, he developed confidence, and he was excited to continue the program.

Another student, Matthew, a second grader, had a severe language delay. He struggled to string 2-3 words together to form a sentence. He had an IEP and had received numerous interventions at school, none of which helped him learn to read. His parents were skeptical that anyone could help. Matthew was convinced that he was dumb. He hid in a nook to avoid lessons while his mom sighed and shrugged. After a few lessons, Matthew began blending sounds together to read words. He started reading my phonics books and he progressed through each level at a good pace. Eventually, he became an accurate reader. I’ll never forget the day he brought a toy magazine to our session and showed me all the toy descriptions he could read.

Why does Reading Elephant offer printable phonics books?

After I started a reading clinic, I was dumbfounded by how few resources are available to educators and parents with struggling readers. I had trouble accessing quality reading materials for my students. To help my students, I began designing systematic printable decodable books. I made them leveled, easy-to-use, thorough and systematic. As a result, clients loved them and began asking for more and more…until a whole series was made.

Can reading difficulties cause behavior problems?

Children who are below grade-level in reading typically struggle with the following seemingly periphery issues: low self-esteem, lack of confidence, aggression, trouble focusing and overall behavior issues. Can these issues be brought on by reading struggles? Absolutely. Many children “act out” because they believe they cannot succeed in school. If a student is having reading difficulties, he might be bored in class because he cannot do the work (since he cannot read well). If a student comes home from school crying, avoids reading homework, and says startling things like, “I can’t read. I guess I’m stupid,” they are crying out for help.