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The KPS or Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading were developed by the International Dyslexia Association in 2010 and revised in 2018. They represent a list of skills and knowledge necessary to teach literacy to all learners. The KPS help structured literacy educators in a variety of ways. The KPS are divided into five…
If you are anything like me, you love going to conferences and workshops. Although I always wind up physically exhausted, I somehow also find myself energized and my batteries recharged. Professional development has so many wonderful benefits. You may discover a whole new vein of interest and develop a brand-new skill set. You can reignite…
If your partner, parent, child, sibling, or dear friend is a dedicated and hard-working structured literacy teacher or tutor, you may be searching for thoughtful and useful gifts you can surprise them with this holiday season. You need ideas for gifts for structured literacy teachers. I’m here to help – with this list of gifts that…
If you are a dyslexia specialist or educational advocates for your students with dyslexia, you may be facing an uphill battle. Trying to encourage structured literacy changes to classroom instruction can sometimes be a challenge/. There is bountiful scientific evidence supporting a structured literacy approach as part of the regular Tier 1 curriculum. However, the…
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…
One challenge that structured literacy practitioners face in their work is isolation and frustration with how to share their knowledge in a way that will be well received. While this is a bigger challenge for those working in a school setting, the issue may also arise for those in private practice when communicating with other…
The road you take to become a structured literacy interventionist can take many twists and turns throughout your career. Who I am today is certainly not the young, impressionable twenty-two-year-old in her first year of teaching back in 2000. If I could talk to that young teacher now, I would definitely have some advice to…
Before sentence dictation, we dictate sounds and individual words. During these activities, we are providing students with on-the-spot support to use their SOS strategy, and providing them with immediate corrective feedback. This can be very much a “We do it” portion of the lesson in a gradual release of responsibility model. Why do we use…
Audiobooks are one of the most important and valuable accommodations for students with dyslexia. Listening to audiobooks, or “ear reading” as we call it is important for several reasons. Audiobooks allow students with dyslexia to access text at their interest level. This helps develop vocabulary and build an interest in reading. In my experience, the…