Recently in my local Ontario Facebook mom group, there were over a hundred comments in response to a parent who was concerned her child was struggling in reading. She was worried he wasn’t progressing as he should, and she didn’t know what kind of tutor would be right for her child. She needed cost-effective options with a…
Effective teaching strategies to improve reading comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, spelling, and writing. All across North America, teachers are being asked to implement a structured and explicit approach to reading and writing instruction. It is a period of great transition, and teachers have not had the benefit of being students and learning in this structured approach,…
“Praise should not be treated as a rationed item. A child with dyslexia will receive their fair share of criticism.” -Dr. Sally Shaywitz In order to make students with dyslexia or learning disabilities feel seen, validated, and motivated, their painstaking effort taken in almost every subject area in school must be recognized by their teachers….
Why Grades 1 and 2 are crucial for adult success.
Summer break is absolutely a time for kids to enjoy the sunshine and take a break from the academic demands of school. However, research shows that summer learning loss can have a significant impact on a child’s reading development, particularly for those in grades 1-3. So why are grades 1-3 particularly significant for reading development,…
At The Reading Specialists we are very obsessed with the skill of blending and how necessary it is for a child who is learning to read. Often when developing the skill, teachers will say the speech sounds for cat – c – a – t, and most students will hear those sounds and put them…
“The dyslexic brain is wired differently. It’s not better or worse, it’s just different. And if you understand that, then you can understand that dyslexic people can still achieve great things.” Dr. Harold Koplewicz
As parents, we want to help our child learn to read. A solid foundation in reading helps our kids build on it quickly in all subjects and it also helps our kids feel confident in their abilities. But your family is busy, you have many responsibilities, you need to make the most of the limited…
Understand that print is a code for sounds and take the mystery out of what reading is…and what it isn’t. What is the Alphabetic Principle? The true foundation of reading is something called the alphabetic principle. It is a vital aspect of reading and writing. This is the idea that our letters are symbols that…