As a certified structured literacy dyslexia specialist, I have been using an Orton-Gillingham approach to teach students of all ages for more than 20 years. I love sharing my knowledge and resources with other teachers and helping them learn more about structured literacy and the science of reading.
Quick Fall-Themed Activity + a little FREEBIE for you! 🍁
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Dear Reader, I don't know about you, but where I live, Fall is definitely in the air! 🍁 I managed to squeeze in a quick walk this morning between rain showers, and I stumbled up on a conker tree. (If you don't have these where you live, see the picture below!) I can't resist picking these up when I find them, and I always have a bowl in my house every autumn. Bonus: I've heard they repel spiders, but I don't know for sure if that's true. 🕷️ I just like them because they're pretty... As I picked up a few especially pretty conkers, I thought, "These would be perfect for word mapping!" 💡 And they were! They also make really great fidget toys, since they are so smooth and fun to hold. Acorns would also be great for this, but I didn't happen to walk past an oak tree today. 🤣 If you like this idea and want to try the word mapping mat above (plus a few other fun, fall- and Halloween-themed mats), just reply with the word "CONKER" and I'll send the mats for free. Happy word mapping! P.S.: What's your favorite "found" objects to use in literacy lessons? I'd love to know! LET'S CONNECT |
Step by Step Literacy
As a certified structured literacy dyslexia specialist, I have been using an Orton-Gillingham approach to teach students of all ages for more than 20 years. I love sharing my knowledge and resources with other teachers and helping them learn more about structured literacy and the science of reading.
Dear Reader, Last week, we talked about why handwriting still matters, even in a world of keyboards, tablets, and speech-to-text, and I promised I'd share more of what I'm learning in my dysgraphia workshop. Well, here's something that's been on my mind lately: How many times have you told a student to slow down and write more neatly? Or heard someone say: "He CAN write neatly when he wants to. He just needs to take his time!" Sound familiar? Well, here's the thing: Being able to form letters...
Dear Reader, A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about why spelling still matters in a world of spellcheck, speech-to-text, and AI. Well, apparently I’m on a mission to defend all the old-fashioned things…because today I want to talk about handwriting. 😂 We have keyboards. We have tablets. We have speech-to-text. So does handwriting really matter anymore? Yes, of COURSE it does! 💯 And here's why: Handwriting is not about beautiful penmanship or perfect letter formation. It’s about automaticity and...
Dear Reader, I've heard this more times than I can count: “Does spelling really matter anymore? We have spellcheck!” Believe me, I get it. Our students have spellcheck, predictive text, speech-to-text, Grammarly, and (dare I say it??) AI. 🤖 So why spend precious instructional time teaching them how to spell? Because spelling is about MUCH more than getting words right on paper. As you probably already know, reading and spelling are actually two sides of the same coin. When students learn to...