Educators and families have lots of questions about RAN or Rapid Automatized Naming. This is also referred to as Naming Speed. I am so happy to have … [Read More...]
Back to School Tips for Structured Literacy Teachers
Late summer means cooler evenings, and back to school. Even for the most seasoned teachers, back to school this year presents many new challenges. Nerves and uncertainty dull the shine of freshly sharpened pencils and new sneakers. The excitement of seeing friends is confused by social distancing requirements, separated cohorts, and face coverings. And holding […]
How to Explain Multisensory Instruction to Families
When you’re the parent of a child with a diagnosis like dyslexia can be overwhelming. Relief over finally having answers and a plan for helping your child can swiftly turn to a feeling of being unprepared. Parents find themselves faced with an abundance of new information, unfamiliar terms in both legalese and “teacherese” and overwhelming […]
6 Picture Book Suggestions During A Pandemic
As an adult, I can look at these challenging times and think how we are currently living through historical events. I have the gift of age and perspective. Although none of us have ever experienced anything like this pandemic, for your children the challenges they face can be particularly difficult to process and understand. One […]
8 Websites to Find Summer Reading Ideas For Struggling Readers
In a typical summer, I might be writing to you about the dangers of the “summer slide”. The summer slide is a term used to describe the learning loss that occurs during the summer vacation. Struggling students are particularly at risk for losing ground in their quest to become a fluent reader. The statistics are […]
How to Keep Active Students Engaged During Distance Learning Sessions
During these challenging times, you may be adjusting to distance learning. You may be learning how to teach virtually and communicate through a technological intermediary. In addition to the learning curve, there are additional factors that make online learning challenging for you and your students. The increased screen time for many children can be overstimulating. […]
10 Tips for Using Poetry with Challenged Readers
When someone says poetry, my immediate image is classical poetry forms such as sonnets. But I also have fond memories of reading Shel Silverstein poems or writing structured poetry forms like haiku when I was a child. Often, poetry is not one of the things people think of when they think of challenged readers. However, […]
How To Keep Your Orton-Gillingham Lessons Multisensory When Tutoring Online
Multisensory teaching is a key element of instruction for students with dyslexia. Orton Gillingham has become synonymous with multisensory instruction, but let’s review what multisensory actually means. Multisensory teaching engages multiple senses for the student to support their learning. Ideally, this would involve the senses of sight, hearing and touch or movement. When I am […]
8 Tips If You’re Feeling Overwhelmed by Teaching Online
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by teaching online, you are NOT alone. It IS overwhelming. Your planning make take longer. There’s technology that may be new to you. Your emotions towards teaching may be a very mixed bag. Let me tell you. Every feeling you have is valid. Recently, I reached out to Nancy Young. You […]
