Over the past few decades, researchers have argued that teachers could achieve important language and literacy goals by teaching a variety of strategies to their students. The National Reading Panel (2000) concluded that teachers should provide explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. However, many teachers are not sure how to go about teaching these strategies, or they may feel that they do not have the time to do so. In this article, we will provide some tips on how teachers can teach strategies effectively and efficiently. We will also discuss some of the challenges that teachers may face when teaching these strategies. Students learn about themselves, their cognitive abilities, and how to interact with people from...
Enrollment in the 2022 live run of my course, Homeschooling with Purpose, ends tonight, Fri Oct 21! If you feel lost and/or lack peace in your homeschool, Colleen Kessler, Pam Barnhill, and I would love to be your confident-boosting guides, helping you get your groove back before the holiday season arrives. Sign up before midnight tonight – we can’t wait to welcome new members next week! Weekend homeschool links: When it Feels Like You’re Going Backward Why I Still Read Aloud to My Teens and Tweens How to Avoid the ‘Curse of Knowledge’ as You Teach Creative Skills Will Be Crucial to the Future of Work 3 years ago on the blog: Why is it so hard to trust the...
Surprisingly, 15-20% of the population has a language-based learning disability and over 65% of those are deficits in reading. Often, these go undiagnosed as students, parents, and teachers simply think the child is not a good reader, is lazy, or is disinterested. Thankfully, the International Dyslexia Association sponsors an annual Dyslexia Awareness Month in October aimed to expand comprehension of this little-understood language-based learning condition. What is Dyslexia? Dyslexia is a condition that affects people of all ages, male and female equally, and causes them to mix up letters and words they read making what for most is a joy-filled act challenging and frustrating. “Dyslexia refers to a cluster of symptoms, that result in people having difficulties with specific language skills, particularly reading....
As the textbook and curriculum industry has grown, contrived texts have become more and more common in the classroom. While contrived texts have their purpose, experts say that authentic texts are essential to creating strong readers. In this post, I’ll share specifically about what authentic texts are, how they are beneficial, and how you can add them to your existing curriculum. What are authentic texts? When I first heard the term authentic texts, I was a little confused. What does that mean? Aren’t all texts authentic? An authentic text is a “real world” passage or story written purely to inform, entertain, persuade, etc. A contrived text (textbook, leveled reader etc) was written for the purpose of teaching students how to...
When it comes to reading, most people can identify a book (often one they read in adolescence) that changed the way they think. Stephen King has cited William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, which he encountered when he was twelve years old. He described it as, “The first book with hands—strong ones that reached out of the pages and seized me by the throat.” We don’t even have to take his word for it. Elements of Lord of the Flies permeate King’s books, which reveal the innate potential in kids for both good and evil. When we say that something changes the brain, there are two ways that a change might manifest. The first is a transient alteration. The majority...
