Victory Drill Book -

How our family uses Victory Drill Book for reading remediation.

This post might contain affiliate links. Just thought you’d like to know.

We’ve used many, many, MANY tools, sets, and kits to help teach reading. I could cheer for several curriculum and program providers. Some work quickly and then fizzle. Others take too long to integrate and discourage my students.

In our home, reading curriculums work until they don’t. Changes in hormones, changes in mental capacity, and changes in attention span interfere and morph our remediation routines and needs. This mama is tired of stalling and running off to purchase the next package that promises to help, only to reach the same plateau and need a new one.

So, using all the studies and reports I’ve collected and all the classes I’ve attended, I’ve put together my own remediation routine. I’ve dusted off my old books and revived them, combining the best of what I already have to make a complete tutoring session for my students.

One book I reach for is my Victory Drill Book.

What is the Victory Drill Book?

Victory Drill Book is a book of word lists, grouped by phonetic sounds. It emphasizes speed in reading. This is great for my more typical learner, it helps hone their speed reading. For my struggler, its a great tool for fluency practice.

Either way, each student does three one minute long drills. I add up how many words they read correctly within that time and they keep trying to beat their own score. Any words that trip them up, we discuss and break down after each drill. Students progress at their own pace. Victory Drill Book breaks down how many words per minute a student should be able to read at their grade level. The entire practice takes less than five minutes. Though it is a simple program it is powerful.

Beware when using it with your dyslexic or struggling reader. Keep your face free from expectation but full of hopeful anticipation. Your struggling learner may take days or weeks to complete a page. This is not easy to witness and it’s not easy for the student.

Be steady and encouraging. Have compassion. Often, I have to pray over my student and comfort them when they feel like they have failed. I remind them they are only trying to break their own record, no one else’s. I never show or discuss my student scores. Also, on bad days, hard days, I reassure my student that the entire VDB session is only 3 minutes of hard work and then that part is over.

When a student passes a page, they are rewarded. Younger children love dollar store treats and even recycled favors from past parties. Older children appreciate a Redbox rental, a mom and me trip to the bookstore, or even a quick drive for shakes. I try to make rewards fun and fulfill them as soon as possible.

Just 3 minutes of fluency practice in Victory Drill Book can do so much. Give it a try and watch your reader’s skills flourish.

Click the picture to see Victory Drill Book on Amazon. Have you used Victory Drill Book? Let me know your tips and tricks in the comments below.