We have an exciting new professional development partnership with the MAIA Education Resource Center.

As we move out of January’s resolutions that we may or may not have kept, we move into February with wise words from Marc Parent, “If January is the month of change, February is the month of lasting change. January is for dreamers. February is for doers.” There is certainly a lot of “doing” at Everyone Reading right now!

• We have an exciting new professional development partnership with the MAIA Education Resource Center! Supporting Diverse Learners with Comorbidity: ADHD and Dyslexia, in Grades 6-8, will be held Monday, March 4th, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Zoom. The session is designed to equip educators with the knowledge and strategies to support students diagnosed with ADHD and Dyslexia effectively. Participants will leave this workshop with an understanding of how to address comorbidities and learn practical tools for creating inclusive and nurturing environments in middle school. It will be presented by Sharon Thomas, MAIA Founder and Director, Samantha Santiago-Gionet, MAIA Director of Executive Function Coaching and Tutoring, and Dr. Paul Yellin, MD. Dr. Yellin holds a medical degree and provides neuropsychological evaluations at the Yellin Center. He has expertise in diagnosing both dyslexia and ADHD (https://www.yellincenter.com/about-dr-yellin.html). The cost of this session is $35. You can register here!
• We are currently accepting applications for our next tutoring program, Catching Up and Getting Ahead, which will be held during mid-winter break at the Museum of the City of New York, and ten subsequent Saturdays on Zoom. Applications are due Monday, February 5th, and students will be accepted based on need and availability. The application is attached.

• The Right to Read, a film about the literacy crisis in America, is having a free all-day virtual screening on February 1st in honor of Black History Month. It is an extremely powerful film that highlights the “why” of so many of you who are reading this newsletter. To register for the screening, click here.

Phonic Books specializes in decodable books for beginner and catch-up readers. Each series is expertly designed to develop independent reading skills in children ages 4-14 and create lifelong readers, with over one million books sold worldwide. Find out more at www.phonicbooks.com.

Defining Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a neurological condition that primarily affects reading, spelling, and writing skills. It is not related to intelligence or lack of effort but is instead a result of differences in how the brain processes language. People with dyslexia may have difficulty decoding words, recognizing letter-sound relationships, and mastering the fundamental skills of reading.

The exact cause of dyslexia is still a subject of ongoing research, but it is believed to have genetic and environmental factors. It often runs in families, suggesting a strong genetic component.

Recognizing the Signs

Identifying dyslexia can be challenging, as it manifests differently in each individual. Some common signs and symptoms include:

• Difficulty with reading: People with dyslexia may struggle with reading fluency and comprehension. They might read slowly, mispronounce words, or lose their place while reading.
• Spelling difficulties: Dyslexic individuals often have trouble with spelling, even with common words. They may also find it challenging to remember the correct order of letters in words.
• Difficulty with writing: Dyslexia can affect a person’s ability to express their thoughts in writing. They may have trouble organizing their ideas using proper grammar and may produce written work that is less coherent than expected for their age or educational level.
• Phonological difficulties: Many individuals with dyslexia struggle with phonological awareness, including the ability to recognize and manipulate language sounds. This can affect their ability to learn new words and their overall language skills.

Impact

The challenges associated with dyslexia can have a profound impact on individuals throughout their lives. Early academic struggles may lead to a lack of self-confidence, low self-esteem, and a negative view of education. However, it’s important to note that dyslexic individuals often possess unique strengths, such as creativity, problem-solving abilities, and strong visual thinking skills.

In adulthood, dyslexia can continue to present obstacles, especially in the workplace. It may take individuals with dyslexia longer to complete reading and writing tasks, which can lead to stress and frustration. However, with the right support and accommodations, many dyslexic individuals have succeeded in various fields, including business, science, and the arts.

Support and Accommodations

Understanding dyslexia is the first step in providing appropriate support and accommodations for individuals with this condition. Some effective strategies and accommodations include:

• Early intervention: Identifying dyslexia in children and providing targeted interventions can significantly improve their reading and writing skills. Early support is crucial for building confidence and preventing long-term academic difficulties.
• Individualized education plans (IEPs): IEPs can outline specific accommodations and strategies tailored to a student’s needs in schools. This may include extra time for reading and writing assignments, audiobooks, or assistive technology.
• Assistive technology: Various tools and software are designed to assist dyslexic individuals in reading and writing. Text-to-speech software, spell-checkers, and speech recognition programs can be incredibly helpful.
• Tutoring and specialized instruction: Dyslexic individuals can benefit from specialized instruction that focuses on phonemic awareness, decoding skills, and reading comprehension.

By increasing awareness, providing appropriate support, and accommodating the unique needs of dyslexic individuals, we can help make learning easier. With the right resources and understanding, dyslexic individuals can thrive in both educational and professional settings, contributing their unique perspectives and talents to society. It is our collective responsibility to create an inclusive and supportive environment for those with dyslexia, ensuring that they have every opportunity to succeed.

If you have a story you’d like to share with our community, please reach out to Tamara at tamara.cella@everyonereading.org.

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2024 Everyone Reading Conference

We are currently accepting proposals and vendor applications.
If you are interested in presenting or hosting a table at our conference, please contact
Laura Guerrero at lguerrero@everyonereading.org or Tamara Cella at tamara.cella@everyonereading.org

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Volunteer with Everyone Reading!

If you are interested in volunteering with Everyone Reading, please fill out the attached form: Tutor Interest Form
or email Tamara at tamara.cella@everyonereading.org

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Professional Development Opportunities

Wilson and Everyone Reading are offering a series of virtual workshops on:
Wilson Reading System, Fundations, and Just Words.
More information and registration links can be found at this link:

Wilson/Everyone Reading Courses

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Structured Literacy: The Science of Reading for All Readers (1.5 CTLE Hours)
Date/Time: Tuesday, October 10th, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Cost: $25

In this 90-minute session, participants will learn students’ skills to become skilled readers, including practical ways to implement these evidence-based methods in the classroom.

This session is ideal for teachers of K-2 students and any teacher with struggling readers in their classroom. Parents can also benefit by learning literacy-based terminology and strategies for support at home.

Register here: Structured Literacy: The Science of Reading for All Readers

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Prescriptive Instruction: Using Assessments Strategically (1.5 CTLE Hours)

Date/Time: Tuesday, October 24th, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

Cost: $25

If a child struggles with phonics, is the issue really phonics – or do we need to look back at their phonemic awareness skills? If a student can’t comprehend, is it truly a comprehension issue, or do they struggle with word recognition or vocabulary? This 90-minute session looks deeply at how to use assessment to get to the root cause of our readers’ struggles to be able to provide them with targeted instruction that helps them soar. We’ll also talk about effective small grouping and how to support our secondary students.

This session is ideal for parents, teachers, administrators, tutors, and anyone who wants to give students the most effective support in their literacy acquisition.

Register here:  Prescriptive Instruction: Using Assessments Strategically

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What about Writing? (1.5 CTLE Hours)

Date/Time: Tuesday, November 14th, 6:30 -8:00  p.m.

Cost: $25

Do your children struggle to transfer their reading skills into their writing? Do you struggle to fit writing lessons into an already-packed literacy block as a teacher? Parents, do you struggle to get your child to sit down and start an essay or writing piece? In this 90-minute session, we’ll explore the three main skills required for students to be effective writers and how to develop these skills in an already full day (both in school and at home!)

Register here: What about Writing?

We begin this month with the story written by Nicole, a current college Junior who was diagnosed with dyslexia during her freshman year of college:

I would sit in class, unable to read the words on the page. I had a lot memorized and worked hard at trying to memorize all that I could, but I depended a lot on my peers, teacher explanations, and my reasoning skills to get by. I could make connections through their talking, so it always seemed like I understood. The truth is, from 6th grade until my freshman year of college, I didn’t read anything. If I couldn’t find a way to listen to a book, I didn’t bother with it.

At some point in high school, I remember having to act out a play. I cut class that entire week to avoid having to read my part in front of the class. At that point, I didn’t know how to explain to my parents or teachers that I really couldn’t read. Instead, I suffered the consequences of cutting class.

When I was a senior in high school, I was shocked I had made it this far and was just looking forward to being free. I was 17, I still struggled to read. My self-worth was non-existent, and I just felt dumb. Why was I unable to do something that everyone else around me could do?

I never once considered that college was for me. But the summer after graduation, I felt like I had to do something. I found a local community college with an adult literacy program and enrolled. The teacher there was amazing, and for the first time in my life, she asked if I had ever been tested for dyslexia. It is cliche, but in that instant, my life changed. She walked me through the process of getting tested and cried with me when I got my diagnosis.

I cried because it felt like a weight had been lifted, and everything I had been through finally made sense. I also cried because I wasted so much time hiding and going unnoticed by those who should have helped me.

I enrolled in college the following year. I’m going to be a teacher. I am learning so much about how to teach reading in ways that were not available to me as a child. My goal is to make sure that no student makes it out of my classroom without being able to read or without the support to help them.

We all owe this to every single child.

Nicole’s story is not uncommon, but it is one that needs to be heard over and over again. Over the next 30 days, we’ll share stories, resources, and insights that will empower educators, parents, and communities to better support dyslexic students on their educational journeys.

If you have a story you’d like to share with our community, please reach out to Tamara at tamara.cella@everyonereading.org!

____________________________________________________________________________________

Volunteer with Everyone Reading!

If you are interested in volunteering with Everyone Reading, please fill out the attached form: Tutor Interest Form

____________________________________________________________________________________

Professional Development Opportunities

Wilson and Everyone Reading are offering a series of virtual workshops on:
Wilson Reading System, Fundations, and Just Words.
More information and registration links can be found at this link:

Wilson/Everyone Reading Courses

————-

Structured Literacy: The Science of Reading for All Readers (1.5 CTLE Hours)
Date/Time: Tuesday, October 10th, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Cost: $25

In this 90-minute session, participants will learn students’ skills to become skilled readers, including practical ways to implement these evidence-based methods in the classroom.

This session is ideal for teachers of K-2 students and any teacher with struggling readers in their classroom. Parents can also benefit by learning literacy-based terminology and strategies for support at home.

Register here: Structured Literacy: The Science of Reading for All Readers

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Prescriptive Instruction: Using Assessments Strategically (1.5 CTLE Hours)

Date/Time: Tuesday, October 24th, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

Cost: $25

If a child struggles with phonics, is the issue really phonics – or do we need to look back at their phonemic awareness skills? If a student can’t comprehend, is it truly a comprehension issue, or do they struggle with word recognition or vocabulary? This 90-minute session looks deeply at how to use assessment to get to the root cause of our readers’ struggles to be able to provide them with targeted instruction that helps them soar. We’ll also talk about effective small grouping and how to support our secondary students.

This session is ideal for parents, teachers, administrators, tutors, and anyone who wants to give students the most effective support in their literacy acquisition.

Register here:  Prescriptive Instruction: Using Assessments Strategically

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What about Writing? (1.5 CTLE Hours)

Date/Time: Tuesday, November 14th, 6:30 -8:00  p.m.

Cost: $25

Do your children struggle to transfer their reading skills into their writing? Do you struggle to fit writing lessons into an already-packed literacy block as a teacher? Parents, do you struggle to get your child to sit down and start an essay or writing piece? In this 90-minute session, we’ll explore the three main skills required for students to be effective writers and how to develop these skills in an already full day (both in school and at home!)

Register here: What about Writing?

Here are some things for parents to consider before the first day or before we get too far into the school year:

• Organize all of your student’s paperwork. School policies, handbooks, IEPs, school calendars, etc. Whether online or paper copy, know where it is so it can easily be accessed throughout the year.

• If your child has an IEP, read it over. Make sure any services that are required are planned for.

• If your child has a 504, ensure any agreed-upon accommodations are in place.

Review IEP/504/assessment documents with your child’s current needs and abilities in mind. Should there be any observed regression in their existing skills or behaviors, share them with the IEP team. Conversely, if your child was enrolled in an intervention program and has made academic gains over the summer, communicate this information to your child’s teacher and IEP team members.

Communication is key at the beginning and throughout the year. Reaching out to your child’s teacher and any service providers right at the beginning of the year is helpful. During this conversation, set up a communication plan. A communication plan will ensure you won’t be surprised during parent-teacher conferences or report card time.

The beginning of the year brings all kinds of jitters for everyone – but taking just a few moments to prep will get your children and families set up for a successful year.

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Professional Development Opportunities

Structured Literacy: The Science of Reading for All Readers (1.5 CTLE Hours)
Date/Time: Tuesday, October 10th, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Cost: $25

In this 90-minute session, participants will learn students’ skills to become skilled readers, including practical ways to implement these evidence-based methods in the classroom.

This session is ideal for teachers of K-2 students and any teacher with struggling readers in their classroom. Parents can also benefit by learning literacy-based terminology and strategies for support at home.

Register here: Structured Literacy: The Science of Reading for All Readers

————-

Prescriptive Instruction: Using Assessments Strategically (1.5 CTLE Hours)
Date/Time: Tuesday, October 24th, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Cost: $25

If a child struggles with phonics, is the issue really phonics – or do we need to look back at their phonemic awareness skills? If a student can’t comprehend, is it truly a comprehension issue, or do they struggle with word recognition or vocabulary? This 90-minute session looks deeply at how to use assessment to get to the root cause of our readers’ struggles to be able to provide them with targeted instruction that helps them soar. We’ll also talk about effective small grouping and how to support our secondary students.

This session is ideal for parents, teachers, administrators, tutors, and anyone who wants to give students the most effective support in their literacy acquisition.

Register here:  Prescriptive Instruction: Using Assessments Strategically

————-

What about Writing? (1.5 CTLE Hours)
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 14th, 6:30 -8:00  p.m.
Cost: $25

Do your children struggle to transfer their reading skills into their writing? Do you struggle to fit writing lessons into an already-packed literacy block as a teacher? Parents, do you struggle to get your child to sit down and start an essay or writing piece? In this 90-minute session, we’ll explore the three main skills required for students to be effective writers and how to develop these skills in an already full day (both in school and at home!)

Register here: What about Writing?

We’re excited to kick off our professional development series with the three courses listed below. These courses are geared towards both teachers and parents in the spirit of the collaboration we need to help our students succeed. Please let us know if you have questions, and we can’t wait to see you on Zoom!

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What is Dyslexia?

The International Dyslexia Association defines dyslexia as “A language-based learning disability. Dyslexia refers to a cluster of symptoms that result in people having difficulties with specific language skills, particularly reading. Students with dyslexia usually experience difficulties with other language skills, such as spelling, writing, and pronouncing words. Dyslexia affects individuals throughout their lives; however, its impact can change at different stages in a person’s life. It is referred to as a learning disability because dyslexia can make it very difficult for a student to succeed academically in the typical instructional environment, and in its more severe forms, will qualify a student for special education, special accommodations, or extra support services.”

Another important thing to note about dyslexia is that it affects about 20% of the population and represents about 85% of all learning disabilities.

What is phonemic awareness or phonological awareness? Why is it important for struggling readers?

The simple answer is that phonological awareness is a blanket term that describes the ability to hear and manipulate the sound structure of language. This is where readers work with sounds at the word, syllable, and phoneme levels. Phonological awareness usually begins before a child reaches school and focuses on rhyming, counting syllables, and recognizing how many words are in a sentence. Phonemic awareness is the advanced strand of phonological awareness and focuses on hearing, identifying, and manipulating individual sounds (or phonemes) in spoken words. Before children are able to read, they need to develop an understanding of how sounds work.

Phonemic awareness is vital for struggling readers. According to the National Reading Panel, it is considered to be one of the strongest predictors of reading success. Without understanding sounds or how they work in words, readers will rely on memorization or other strategies to figure out words on a page. This makes reading increasingly difficult as words become more challenging.

What else do readers need to know in order to be successful?

As per the National Reading Panel (2000) findings, the 5 pillars of effective literacy instruction encompass five vital aspects: phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. These elements are connected, working together to strengthen each other.

Phonological Awareness: This involves recognizing and manipulating the sounds of spoken language. It includes skills like identifying rhyming words, breaking words into syllables, and understanding the individual sounds (phonemes) within words.

Phonics: Phonics involves the relationship between sounds (phonemes) and the letters or letter combinations (graphemes) representing those sounds. It teaches individuals how to decode words by understanding the sound-symbol correspondence.

Fluency: Fluency refers to the ability to read with accuracy, speed, and expression. Fluent readers can decode words quickly and effortlessly, allowing them to focus on comprehension and meaning.

Vocabulary: Vocabulary is the set of words that a person understands and uses in their language. A strong vocabulary is crucial for understanding what is read and effectively expressing oneself in writing.

Comprehension: Comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading. It involves understanding and making meaning from written text. Skilled readers can analyze, interpret, and connect ideas presented in the text.

These five pillars are interconnected and essential for developing proficient reading and writing skills. Effective literacy instruction often involves addressing each of these components balanced and systematically.

What is the difference between an evidence-based and research-based curriculum or intervention?

While they are similar in nature, they have subtle differences in their connotations:  A research-based curriculum or intervention is one that was developed based on the latest research and scientific theory. So, while it was built on research, the program was not tested independently to evaluate its effectiveness. To call a program or practice evidence-based, researchers must have studied the impact of the program in a controlled setting. Testing and evaluation have been done to prove its effectiveness. Evidence-based programs also must undergo a peer-review process to determine the validity of the findings.

When evaluating curricula or interventions for struggling readers, we want to choose something evidence-based because it’s been proven to work.

Do you think we should add anything to our next installment of the “ABCs of Literacy Acquisition”? Email me at tamara.cella@everyonereading.org and let us know!

Professional Development Opportunities

IMSE’s Comprehensive Orton-Gillingham Plus

Tuition: $1,500

August 14 – 18, 2023 (virtual)

More dates are available at IMSE.com

Course Description: The IMSE Comprehensive Orton-Gillingham Plus Course and Program is 30 hours of a hands-on, interactive, and personalized class that provides a complete understanding of IMSE’s enhanced Orton-Gillingham method, the essential five components to literacy, and the tools necessary to apply it in the classroom. After participating in this accredited Structured Literacy course, teachers will understand the structure and foundation of the English language and the research behind the science of reading. Educators will have a basic knowledge of how to assess and teach students in all three tiers of RTI, as well as students with dyslexia. Participants will evaluate and teach students in phonological skills, phonics/word recognition, spelling, writing, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. This course includes an asynchronous component for fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The Comprehensive OG Plus course is appropriate for teachers whose students are emergent and beginning readers and readers struggling with word recognition. This course also includes an asynchronous component that shares research and strategies for teaching and assessing fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Upon completing this course, teachers can purchase two graduate credits.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE!

Over the last two weeks, we’ve focused on what teachers and parents can do to help support the acquisition of reading in dyslexic students. It would be remiss not to discuss the emotional support that can be provided in school and at home. As always, these suggestions simply scratch the surface to give a starting point for support.

The fact is difficulties in learning to read can lead to children feeling embarrassed, frustrated, or acting out inappropriately to avoid reading tasks.

One of the first things we should do is recognize their strengths. Are they great at math? Sports? A scientist? A wonderful helper? Celebrate it all to help build up that self-esteem.

We can also build self-esteem by listening to their concerns, even (and especially) when the feelings come from a negative place. I’m sure we’ve all heard, “I can’t do it.” “This is too hard!” Those feelings, even though they are negative, are valid. So we need to accept them and offer support. “This is really hard, but let’s take our time and figure out how to work on it together” is a great response. This way, we’re not diminishing their feelings. We’re validating and offering a solution.

Something else that helps children is realizing that they are not alone. The International Dyslexia Foundation of Ontario has a lot of great ideas here, including videos and books that might help children of different ages feel inspired and more secure.

The last thing we can do is become familiar with best practices in literacy instruction to learn to support our kids in school and at home. If you’re reading this post now – you’re already in the right place, as we will keep sharing information and strategies every week!

Professional Development Opportunities

ASPDP Course: Teaching Vocabulary All Day, Every Day (One P-credit via DOE for additional $45; 15 CTLE Hours)
Saturday & Sunday, August 5 and 6, 2023
9:00am – 5:00pm

This workshop will address this simple view of reading by providing instructional strategies in three of the five pillars of reading: phonological awareness, phonics, and vocabulary because mastery of those pillars leads to proficiency in fluency and comprehension as well. It will concentrate on building a foundation of word recognition skills and enabling teachers and students to build a large and varied working vocabulary and strategies for acquiring new words. It will specifically address the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students whose language comprehension may not match the demands of the school system. Those needs include activities that include and validate the students’ language and experience, as English is constantly being enriched by language and experiences that are not “standard.” Participants will embrace the idea of expanding vocabulary, not substituting one word for another. They will discuss and practice strategies for using students’ vocabulary to enhance their own.

Participants will learn a variety of quick and easy activities and drills to teach phonological awareness and phonics effectively and efficiently. They will also learn to teach vocabulary formally and informally, using morphology, syntax, and context clues, explicit instruction, and correct practice in targeted words, and by embedding vocabulary development into every activity during the school day.

Participants will also practice designing quick and effective assessments, which, instead of diagnosing students’ deficiencies, will reinforce skills taught and measure the impact of that instruction on students. To learn more and register, please click here!

IMSE’s Comprehensive Orton-Gillingham Plus

Tuition: $1,500

August 14 – 18, 2023 (virtual)

More dates are available at IMSE.com

Course Description: The IMSE Comprehensive Orton-Gillingham Plus Course and Program is 30 hours of a hands-on, interactive, and personalized class that provides a complete understanding of IMSE’s enhanced Orton-Gillingham method, the essential five components to literacy, and the tools necessary to apply it in the classroom. After participating in this accredited Structured Literacy course, teachers will understand the structure and foundation of the English language and the research behind the science of reading. Educators will have a basic knowledge of how to assess and teach students in all three tiers of RTI, as well as students with dyslexia. Participants will evaluate and teach students in phonological skills, phonics/word recognition, spelling, writing, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. This course includes an asynchronous component for fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The Comprehensive OG Plus course is appropriate for teachers whose students are emergent and beginning readers and readers struggling with word recognition. This course also includes an asynchronous component that shares research and strategies for teaching and assessing fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Upon completing this course, teachers can purchase two graduate credits.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE!

This week’s post focuses on a question I received last week.

If you teach or have a student who is in middle or high school and struggles with reading, you may see it identified in their lack of comprehension. But the fact is many older students who struggle with comprehension also struggle with reading at the word level.

The reasons for this are too many to list, but a key culprit (aside from many students not getting evidence-based reading instruction in lower grades) is that around third grade, education shifts from teaching kids HOW to read to make them read to learn content. If there’s a student who isn’t caught up with their phonics – they’re going to continue to struggle in 3 grade and beyond.

In the classroom and at home, we can do all of the things to help improve comprehension, like giving vocabulary, building background knowledge, etc. – but if a student hasn’t cracked the alphabetic code, those strategies are tough and not as useful as we’d like.

If a student is struggling with decoding and encoding, we need to be able to get these students back down to word study. Here’s a great resource that explains what that could look like in older classrooms.

As a former teacher, I know a tremendous issue is time. WHEN can you possibly have the time to work on these foundational skills when you need to teach content?

Transitions: before the students line up, ask a phonemic awareness or phonics questions before they can get online.

Differentiate homework: Give some students less content reading, and provide activities that allow them to focus on foundational skills.

Small Group Instruction: this is king when it comes to needing to differentiate severely. I’d recommend a whole group lesson on grade level, talking about content/text/etc. and then breaking students up into small groups to complete their tasks. You can work with your kids who need you most several times a week.

Again, these newsletters simply scratch the surface of what students need and how we can help. They won’t solve all of the problems, but I hope they do give you a place to start.

If you have a question you’d like answered in this space, please send me an email, and I’ll add it to an upcoming post!

Professional Development Opportunities

ASPDP Course: Teaching Vocabulary All Day, Every Day (15 CTLE Hours)

This workshop will address this simple view of reading by providing instructional strategies in three of the five pillars of reading: phonological awareness, phonics, and vocabulary because mastery of those pillars leads to proficiency in fluency and comprehension as well. It will concentrate on building a foundation of word recognition skills and enabling teachers and students to build a large and varied working vocabulary and strategies for acquiring new words. It will specifically address the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students whose language comprehension may not match the demands of the school system. Those needs include activities that include and validate the students’ language and experience, as English is constantly being enriched by language and experiences that are not “standard.” Participants will embrace the idea of expanding vocabulary, not substituting one word for another. They will discuss and practice strategies for using students’ vocabulary to enhance their own.

Participants will learn a variety of quick and easy activities and drills to teach phonological awareness and phonics effectively and efficiently. They will also learn to teach vocabulary formally and informally, using morphology, syntax, and context clues, explicit instruction, and correct practice in targeted words, and by embedding vocabulary development into every activity during the school day.

Participants will also practice designing quick and effective assessments, which, instead of diagnosing students’ deficiencies, will reinforce skills taught and measure the impact of that instruction on students. To learn more and register, please click here.

——–

IMSE’s Comprehensive Orton-Gillingham Plus

Tuition: $1,500

August 14 – 18, 2023 (virtual)

More dates are available at IMSE.com

Course Description: The IMSE Comprehensive Orton-Gillingham Plus Course and Program is 30 hours of a hands-on, interactive, and personalized class that provides a complete understanding of IMSE’s enhanced Orton-Gillingham method, the essential five components to literacy, and the tools necessary to apply it in the classroom. After participating in this accredited Structured Literacy course, teachers will understand the structure and foundation of the English language and the research behind the science of reading. Educators will have a basic knowledge of how to assess and teach students in all three tiers of RTI, as well as students with dyslexia. Participants will evaluate and teach students in phonological skills, phonics/word recognition, spelling, writing, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. This course includes an asynchronous component for fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The Comprehensive OG Plus course is appropriate for teachers whose students are emergent and beginning readers and readers struggling with word recognition. This course also includes an asynchronous component that shares research and strategies for teaching and assessing fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Upon completing this course, teachers can purchase two graduate credits.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE!

This week I had a conversation with a few teachers about what support looks like in the classroom for students with Dyslexia. They were familiar with Tier 2 and 3 supports, but they wanted specific strategies to do with the whole class to help students feel supported. These strategies are dependent on grade level and are by NO means exhaustive, but they are a good starting point:

Phonemic Awareness Activities: Phonemic awareness involves the ability to identify, isolate, manipulate, and blend individual phonemes — the smallest units of sound — in words. When starting out, having students identify rhyming words, having students break up words into their smallest units of sound (What are the sounds in cat?) and then moving towards phoneme deletion (say cat, now say cat without the /c/), addition (say cat, now add /s/ at the beginning), and substitution (say cat, change the /c/ to a /b/.)

Dyslexia Reading Well has a great resource on the 44 phonemes of the English language.

Alphabetic Principle: Letter-sound correspondence, or the relationship of the letters in the alphabet to the sounds they produce is a key component of learning to read. To teach letter-sound correspondence, work with a few sounds at a time by teaching each letter of the alphabet and its corresponding sound. For each letter-sound relationship, instruction should include naming the letter or letters that represent the sound, and it should associate a picture cue of an object with the target sound to help students remember the relationship between the letter and the sound (i.e., apple A /a/).

The Florida University Literacy Institute has a great resource on the sequence to teach phonics.

Syllable Types: Teaching students syllables is a great strategy for helping students chunk long words into more manageable parts. There are six main types of syllables, and this article from Reading Rockets is a great starting point.

Morphological Awareness: Morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in language. These units include root words that can stand alone as words, prefixes, suffixes, and bound roots, which are roots that must have a prefix or suffix added to become a word. A few different ways to teach morphemes across grade levels are through word sorts and word building.

The University of Western Ontario has lots of info here!

In the fall, Everyone Reading will be offering professional development sessions on these strategies and more – to help you and your students this year!

Professional Development Opportunities

thinkSRSD “How to Teach Writing” – August Session

This course will enhance how you teach writing (and close reading) based on the latest advances in the science of writing. thinkSRSD equips students with the strategies and discrete skills (word and sentence level) needed to write independently and effectively. It demystifies what effective writing looks like and how to produce it with its comprehensive, easy-to-use system. The approach has been proven to work in studies that meet the most rigorous research quality and outcomes. You’ll learn to help your students write better at the word choice, sentence formation, and paragraph genre levels so they can use their voice to share their messages with the world and improve it.

The course costs $395 and consists of 3 online classes from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Aug 3, 10 & 18. You will have access to eLearning modules that you will complete over 6 hours between the course meeting dates. You will also receive a book with a step-by-step lesson plan. The registration deadline for the June course is Wednesday, July 26. This course is also eligible for CTLE credit. To learn more and to register, please click here.

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ASPDP Course: Teaching Vocabulary All Day, Every Day

This workshop will address this simple view of reading by providing instructional strategies in three of the five pillars of reading: phonological awareness, phonics, and vocabulary because mastery of those pillars leads to proficiency in fluency and comprehension as well. It will concentrate on building a foundation of word recognition skills and enabling teachers and students to build a large and varied working vocabulary and strategies for acquiring new words. It will specifically address the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students whose language comprehension may not match the demands of the school system. Those needs include activities that include and validate the students’ language and experience, as English is constantly being enriched by language and experiences that are not “standard.” Participants will embrace the idea of expanding vocabulary, not substituting one word for another. They will discuss and practice strategies for using students’ vocabulary to enhance their own.

Participants will learn a variety of quick and easy activities and drills to teach phonological awareness and phonics effectively and efficiently. They will also learn to teach vocabulary formally and informally, using morphology, syntax, and context clues, explicit instruction, and correct practice in targeted words, and by embedding vocabulary development into every activity during the school day.

Participants will also practice designing quick and effective assessments, which, instead of diagnosing students’ deficiencies, will reinforce skills taught and measure the impact of that instruction on students. To learn more and register, please click here.

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IMSE’s Comprehensive Orton-Gillingham Plus

Tuition: $1,500

August 14 – 18, 2023 (virtual)

More dates are available at IMSE.com

Course Description: The IMSE Comprehensive Orton-Gillingham Plus Course and Program is 30 hours of a hands-on, interactive, and personalized class that provides a complete understanding of IMSE’s enhanced Orton-Gillingham method, the essential five components to literacy, and the tools necessary to apply it in the classroom. After participating in this accredited Structured Literacy course, teachers will understand the structure and foundation of the English language and the research behind the science of reading. Educators will have a basic knowledge of how to assess and teach students in all three tiers of RTI, as well as students with dyslexia. Participants will evaluate and teach students in phonological skills, phonics/word recognition, spelling, writing, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. This course includes an asynchronous component for fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The Comprehensive OG Plus course is appropriate for teachers whose students are emergent and beginning readers and readers struggling with word recognition. This course also includes an asynchronous component that shares research and strategies for teaching and assessing fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Upon completing this course, teachers can purchase two graduate credits.

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