Encouraging Reading With A Magnifier
With preschool/primary school students
- Observe interesting objects: rocks, shells, fossils, feathers, money,
fingerprints, leaves, flowers, and so on - Use a magnifier to identify stamps and find out the country of origin
in an atlas or on a globe - Use a game board approach to move forward when cut-out pictures on individual
cards are identified - Find hidden pictures within pictures
- Encourage systematic left-to-right scanning by placing a clear piece of
acetate over the page with a grid or scanning plan mapped out first - Read recipes off boxes during a cooking lesson
- Life skills reading activities: include reading: recipes, menus, newspapers,
CD covers, food cans, maps, charts, graphs, television guides, bus schedules
etc - Read Lego assembly instruction sheets to Lego toys
- Place magnifier on mirror to observe eyes and open discussion on the child’s
eye condition
Picture story books
Some of the illustrations is picture story books can be
used to encourage use of magnifiers in young and not so young readers.
The detail in the illustrations in the following list of books is worthy
of further exploration. And they have minimal text:
- “The Wrong Stone by Russell Deal
- “The Red Tree by Shaun Tan
- Graeme Base books including “Animalia”
- “Where’s Wally? books and jigsaw puzzles
Try your library or book store.
With secondary school students
- Scan pages of print for specific information
- Read newspaper classified sections, sports pages, and
stock reports to search for specific information - Locate information about food ingredients on grocery
labels - Read bus and train schedules to plan routes to and from
school or work experience placements - Make an address book by looking up names and addresses
of friends in the telephone book - Make a chart to compare reading speeds using magnifier
with different sized print - Read instruction manuals for computers or new appliances
- Use a magnifier to locate geographic areas mentioned
in current news broadcasts
See also Teaching the use of magnifiers for reading
Source: Corn, A.L. & Koenig, A.J., Foundations of Low Vision: Clinical
and Functional Perspectives, AFB, New York, 1996
Reading exercise charts
See Teaching the use of magnifier for instructions
and further information.
Here are three examples of reading exercise charts for use with a magnifier
| the yellow ball | to the school | can live |
| has run away | will walk | it was |
| he was | on the chair | with us |
| up there | so long | has made |
| your mother | the new doll | the black bird |
| to the house | he would do | if you can |
| he would try | when you come | can run |
| the old man | to the barn | from the tree |
| brother and sister | run and play | two brown ducks |
| went away | was made | they are |
Harry Potter reading exercise 1
| send an owl | he led them along | cars don’t fly |
| keeper of the keys | tap your wand | rubbing their ribs |
| pat his beak | wings flapped open | Ron and Harry |
| long hair and beard | back to school | at Snape’s class |
| at the roots | wash their hands | dash of leech juice |
| in a mean smile | potion needs to stew | up the stairs |
| to the tower | the Great Hall | a long list |
| a good time | gulp of potion | the cold wind |
| not even Ron | roll up the map | out in front |
| Harry sped up | the dark side | upside-down |
Harry Potter reading exercise 2
| two feet away | took out his wand | watch this spell |
| the dark mark | staff room door | the class came in |
| get a clear shot | his long robes | holding his wand |
| take its legs off | to get their bags | the Fat Lady |
| win the cup | saw the Snitch | all cats chase rats |
| the bell rang | put up his hand | a look in his eye |
| out of his room | side of the pitch | seen the Grim |
| the end of term | cold damp earth | top of his head |
| run for it | his scar hurt | the house cup |
| a grim smile | along the roof | the four friends |