structured literacy

Five Misconceptions About A Structured Literacy Approach

Five Misconceptions About A Structured Literacy Approach

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…

What Does Explicit, Systematic, and Sequential Teaching Look Like?
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What Does Explicit, Systematic, and Sequential Teaching Look Like?

I’m digging into specific principles of the Orton-Gillingham approach. Three words are key to describing some of the principles that define Orton-Gillingham. Instruction is explicit, systematic, and sequential. While these principles are crucial for your students with dyslexia or learning challenges, they also constitute powerful teaching for most of your learners. In another post, I…

Checking for Mastery In Orton-Gillingham Lessons
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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…

How to Teach Schwa Vowels Part 2: Tips for Teaching Other Schwa Vowels

How to Teach Schwa Vowels Part 2: Tips for Teaching Other Schwa Vowels

In Part 1 of Teaching Schwa Vowels, we talked about strategies for learning schwa a. Schwa a is a great place to introduce the schwa vowel because it is predictable in its location and spelling. In addition, this post offers a lot of suggestions about teaching children about accent and stress which is a necessary…

Back to School Tips for Structured Literacy Teachers
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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…