What is the alphabetic principle? To start, let’s come to a common understanding of what we mean by the alphabetic principle. This is not just … [Read More...]
How To Help Older Students Build Phonemic Awareness Skills
You may think of phonemic and phonological awareness as something for the primary grades, for early readers or non-readers. If you teach older struggling readers or language arts classes for upper elementary or middle school, you may not find phonemic awareness tasks among the materials at your disposal. However, for a lot of readers that […]
How To Help Younger Students Build Phonemic Awareness Skills
Phonemic awareness might be one of the most important, most talked about, and most misunderstood aspects of literacy. Some of that confusion stems from the similarities and differences between phonological and phonemic Awareness. They are very much related, but not interchangeable. If Phonological Awareness is an umbrella that covers skills, those skills include hearing words […]
Top Resources for Teaching Kids about the Brain
Many times, your students with dyslexia or other learning differences mistakenly believe that their brain is somehow defective. You might hear them referring to themselves as stupid. These are insults that are often used to bully or insult children with learning challenges. One of the ways you can empower your students is to teach them […]
Metacognition and Comprehension Strategies : Critical for Struggling Readers
As teachers and tutors, you know that we must go beyond helping our students learn to decode and read fluently. Comprehension is the end goal for all of the instruction and practice that we provide. BUT how do you know WHAT and HOW to teach in order to help our students improve in this […]
The Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide: 12 Great Learning Games Your Kids Will Love
It is hard to believe that the holiday season is here! Many families have rediscovered the fun of family game night. From board games to card games to jigsaw puzzles, the joy of off-line fun has helped to bring families together. Not only are games fun, but they can also be educational. If you are […]
Checking for Mastery In Orton-Gillingham Lessons
Teaching to mastery is one of the most important considerations when teaching your students with dyslexia. Striving readers and writers very often find the class and instruction moving forward before they have had a chance to master new concepts. This results in learning gaps. When I encountered this in pupils at school, I would describe […]
The Top 5 Reasons You Should Use Decodable Text With Your Students
One thing that I find myself frequently explaining to parents, students, and other teachers is the rationale for using decodable texts. Students are accustomed to using leveled texts in their classrooms and in many school-based interventions that follow and balanced literacy model of instruction. While engaging, there are important reasons why decodable text can be […]
Five Ways To Spread Dyslexia Awareness Virtually
In our new reality of virtual school and virtual work. It might feel hard for you to keep track of what month it is, let alone what Awareness Month it is! However, October is Dyslexia Awareness month. For the sake of our students with dyslexia, it is important to continue to spread awareness, not just […]
