Reading in Focus: Vision Strategies - Eyes on the Prize: Fun Strategies for Visual Tracking and Convergence

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In Eyes on the Prize: Fun Strategies for Visual Tracking and Convergence, you’ll pick up easy, classroom-friendly tips to help students whose eyes have a mind of their own—pencil push-ups, line trackers, flashlight games, and more. Discover why these “eye workouts” can help unleash reading fluency (and maybe leave you with a new appreciation for the phrase “eye roll”).

Join Dr. Pepin for a lively, teacher-to-teacher chat that will have you laughing, learning, and eyeing your reading block in a whole new way!

Check out more at: www.ginapepin.com

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:17):
Welcome back to Let's Talk Teacher to Teacher.
I'm Dr.
Gina Pepin, and today's episodeis part of the Reading in Focus
Vision Strategies.
If you've ever had a studentstare at the word dog and
sometimes read bog, dig, ordonut, don't worry, you're not
alone.
Sometimes the problem isn'tphonics.
Sometimes it's the eyes playingtricks.

(00:39):
In this series, we'll explorethe hidden side of reading, the
visual skills that make or breakfluency and comprehension.
We'll dive into eye tracking,visual memory, and even why some
kids act like the letters aredoing a dance across the page.
So grab your coffee, yourreading glasses, or let's be
real, your third pair of readerglasses.

(01:00):
Let's talk teacher to teacherabout how vision impacts
reading.
Today's episode is entitled Eyeson the Prize: Fun Strategies for
Visual Tracking and Convergence.
I'm Dr.
Gina Papin and welcome back toLet's Talk Teacher to Teacher.
Today we're talking about visualtracking and convergence

(01:21):
challenges, otherwise known aswhy some students' eyes have
their own secret agenda whilereading.
Have you ever had a student thatskips lines, squints, or holds a
book so close you wonder ifthey're trying to inhale the
words?
Chances are it's not laziness,it's a vision issue.
And yes, there are ways we canhelp before everyone ends up

(01:42):
with headaches.
There are some practical and yesslightly fun strategies you can
use in daily reading time.
Let's talk about pencilpush-ups, and they're modified,
of course.
Slowly bring a pencil tiptowards your nose, keeping both
your eyes focused until doublevision occurs.
Then hold it briefly.

(02:03):
This strengthens convergentmuscles and it helps to reduce
eye fatigue.
Think of it kind of like a bicepcurl, but for your eyeballs.
Then there are line trackingtools.
Things like finger windows,color strips, or highlighted
rulers with arrows will help toguide the eye movement across
the text a lot easier.
This helps students stop hoppinglines like they're playing

(02:25):
hopscotch on the page.
Word ping pong is a really funactivity where you place two
words far apart and studentsalternate reading them aloud
quickly.
This helps rapid eye jumps andtraining the eyes, or what we
call cicades, for essential andfluent reading.
Bonus, it's basically a miniOlympic sport for your eyes.

(02:49):
Don't forget to have them keeptheir heads still and only move
their eyes.
Then there are flashlight orlaser pointer tracking exercises
or activities where you projectwords or letters and you move a
pointer slowly from left toright.
It builds focus, horizontaltracking, and visual stamina.
It's super wonderful for smallgroups or as a whole classroom

(03:14):
warmup.
Then there are IMA's activitysheets.
It's where students can track awinding path with their finger,
their eyes, or both.
Optionally reading letters orwords along the path.
This enhances scanning,accuracy, and control.
It's kind of like a visualobstacle course for the brain.
And last but not least, anotheridea would be to utilize

(03:36):
near-far shifting activities.
It's where students look at aword up close and then they
quickly locate that matchingword across the room, and you do
that many times.
This helps to build smoothconvergence and focus switching.
It's perfect for a quick,energizing warm-up.
You may be wondering why doesthis all matter?

(03:59):
Well, convergence and trackingissues can make reading slow,
tiring, and frustrating.
These activities can help tostrengthen those eye muscles,
improve coordination, and mostimportantly, it can make reading
more comfortable and enjoyable.
Trust me, kids notice whenreading stops feeling like a
wrestling match with the text.
But remember, classroom teachersaren't alone in this.

(04:22):
Collaborating with your readingspecialists and occupational
therapists can really help tocreate integrated,
student-centered interventionsthat can tackle both cognitive
and visual motor foundations ofreading.
Thanks for tuning in to Let'sTalk Teacher to Teacher.
Try one of these eye-friendlyexercises this week and watch

(04:42):
students' reading flow improve.
And remember, if you catchyourself doing pencil push-ups
along with them, you'reofficially a team player and
probably a little extra soretomorrow.
Until next time, I'm Dr.
Gina Beppin'