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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,…
Schwa vowels can be puzzling to children and adults at first. Breaking down schwa sounds by groups can be helpful. Starting with schwa a sounds is one of the common unstressed syllables in the English language. With this “How to Teach Schwa Tutorial”, your students will be able to pick this unstressed syllable up rather…
Do you have an older, struggling reader or writer? Here are some useful APPS for older struggling readers and writers. As your students become older and the demands on them in the classroom increase. The role of technology moves from a tool for practice and skill reinforcement, to that of assistive technology. Assistive technology is…
Today’s children are able to tap and swipe as toddlers. They are digital natives more comfortable with exploring apps and technology than most adults. However, the use of technology with children is always a balancing act. There are many reading apps available that can be a wonderful! Reading apps can be an engaging supplement for…
Want to learn how to monitor your Orton-Gillingham lessons? Here are some useful tips. The data-driven world of education can sometimes feel overwhelming. But with the tips I have for progress monitoring, the task isn’t going to feel so daunting. Is it important for you to take some time to consider progress monitoring? Yes! When…
It is easy to feel overwhelmed about how to help your child practice their reading, especially when they have dyslexia. There are a few simple tools for reading with dyslexia that can help make time spent reading with new readers more productive, less frustrating, and happier for you and your child.
The science of teaching reading can sound like a foreign language, especially when you are first learning about Orton-Gillingham or Structured Literacy instruction. While you will likely be talking about digraphs, trigraphs, and blends before you know it, some of the specialized vocabulary can be a bit confusing. Let’s discuss three important terms: phoneme, grapheme,…
The spelling generalizations for vowels really are cumulative. Although it may take a lot of practice for your students to internalize them, an understanding of the principles at work is very important. As your students continue to learn less frequent vowel teams, they will need to draw on their knowledge about other vowel teams and…
When you’re thinking about spelling a word with OI or OY, location is everything. In some ways, the /oy/ sound is one of the more straightforward vowel teams and spelling generalizations that your students learn during their Orton-Gillingham lessons. The /oy/ sound really only has 2 spellings: oi and oy and the letters oi and…