Teaching Teens Who Struggle With Reading: What Can Help

Even when they’ve mastered the basics, kids who struggle with reading can feel new frustration as they move up in school. They might have trouble making sense of the more difficult texts they encounter in middle school and high school. But research tells us there are approaches that help. Here are a few, from our partners at Understood.   https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/partnering-with-childs-school/instructional-strategies/teaching-teens-who-struggle-with-reading-what-can-help?utm_campaign=partner&utm_source=rrockets&utm_medium=email

IDA Releases New Fact Sheet on the Knowledge and Practice Standards

The IDA (International Dyslexia Association) Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading (Knowledge and Practice Standards) provide a comprehensive research based framework that articulates what all reading teachers and specialists should know and be able to demonstrate to teach reading successfully to all students. The focus of the Knowledge and Practice Standards is the structure of language and its component systems, their connections to design and delivery of instruction, and the complex nature of skilled reading. Such knowledge is critical in teaching those with dyslexia and other struggling readers, but all students can benefit from the Structured Literacy approach.  http://www.interdys.org/ewebeditpro5/upload/KnowledgeAndPracticeStandards1214b.pdf

Ky. school incorporates dogs into its special-education program

An elementary school in Kentucky recently launched a weekly program in which students with disabilities read to dogs to help build reading and sensory skills. By reading to the dogs, students gain sensory experiences and learn to transfer their reading skills from the classroom to different settings, special-education teacher Leah Smith said. "It builds a diversity of what they know and how they know it," she said. The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.) (tiered subscription model) (11/18)
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20131119/ZONE10/311200030/Cedar-Grove-students-gain-confidence-by-reading-dogs?nclick_check=1

Strategies for screening, teaching students with dyslexia

Strategies such as creating multisensory lessons and using text-to-speech technology can make literacy lessons more accessible for students with dyslexia, Sally Bouwman writes in this blog post. Bouwman, a U.K. lead teacher for dyslexia who teaches at ARK Schools in London, notes that her schools screen all 6- and 7-year-olds for dyslexia, and staff are trained to recognize signs of the disorder. "We encourage all our schools to build dyslexia expertise among their staff," she writes. The Guardian (London)/Teacher Network (5/20) http://www.guardian.co.uk/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/may/20/teaching-dyslexic-children-signs-observations-advice

New E-Book Tools for Kids with Print Disabilities

 

Bookshare recently introduced two new online tools to help kids with print disabilities connect with books. Web Reader allows kids to directly open books with a browser without requiring them to download the book or use separate software. It also lets readers adjust font size, colors and display format, and takes advantage of Google Chrome's features that allow students to read books multi-modally, with word-by-word highlighting and text-to-speech capability. Bookshelf allows readers (or their teachers) to organize selections by any system they choose. Teachers can download the year's reading list for multiple students at once.  http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2013/02/k-12/bookshare-launches-new-ebook-tools-for-kids-with-print-disabilities/

 

New program seeks to include dyslexia in literacy initiatives

Two advocacy groups -- The Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation and The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading -- have come together for an initiative called "Don't 'Dys' Our Kids," which seeks to include dyslexia screening and interventions in broader literacy efforts, reporter Christina Samuels writes in this blog post. The groups are advocating for early screenings to identify the learning disability and more training for teachers to reach struggling readers. Education Week/On Special Education blog (2/27)  http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/speced/2013/02/disability_literacy_groups_uni.html

Ways to help struggling readers understand more complex material

Having a strong reader read aloud with a student who struggles with decoding can help the latter reader access the higher-level materials, literacy coach Marisa Kaplan writes in this blog post. "Raising our expectations is a good thing, and being in tune to what students need can help us pinpoint exactly where our expectations should be," writes Kaplan, who offers additional tips and online resources to help teachers give struggling readers access to works required by the Common Core State Standards. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Education (2/8)

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■Books for individuals who are blind offer support for other disabilities

Students at Toyon Elementary in San Jose, Calif., who have trouble decoding print are finding help in the form of accessible digital books that were originally created for individuals who are blind. The books have an operating system that reads the text aloud and offers audio-based reference points. "All of my students have really high comprehension, and they get it," special-education teacher Tammy Irvine said. "They just can't access the print." KQED.org (1/3)   http://www.kqed.org/news/story/2013/01/03/113850/tool_designed_for_blind_students_proves_useful_for_others_too?category=education

Neb. teacher uses color to help students process visual information

Using colored overlays while reading text is helping some elementary-school students with visual perception disorders at Ansley Public Schools in Nebraska learn to read. Teacher Nancy Gould is certified to screen students for scotopic sensitivity syndrome, which affects how the brain processes visual information. Screening determines which color would help improve students' visual distortion. "It's not some magic pill, but can be one piece of the puzzles for struggling readers," Gould said. Kearney Hub (Neb.) (12/15) http://www.kearneyhub.com/news/local/ansley-teacher-helps-turn-reading-sensitivity-into-success/article_5b779a86-4691-11e2-9bd9-001a4bcf887a.html

■Teachers can help students with dyslexia find success in writing

There are four traits of students who have dyslexia that teachers should know, and teach their students about to help them succeed in the classroom, writes educator Patrick Wilson in this blog post. Students who have dyslexia may have a hard time organizing and writing down their thoughts, so Wilson advises teachers to demonstrate to students how to talk out their thoughts first before trying to express themselves through writing. "A teacher's ability to offer clarity on the student's condition and offer a strategy to become successful could be life changing for so many dyslexics," Wilson writes. Edutopia.org/Patrick Wilson's blog (10/26) http://www.edutopia.org/blog/4-things-about-dyslexic-brain-patrick-wilson

For Parents: Reading Tips for a Good School Year

This bilingual tip sheet, also available as a pdf, outlines 10 things that parents can do at home to help their child have a good school year. Share these tips at parent night and conferences!

Tip Sheet in English: http://support.weta.org/site/R?i=yJJ8cvqi6kcwOdVj_lIW_A
Tip Sheet in Spanish: http://support.weta.org/site/R?i=lZ0V48TZBKBXJdAGTKePDQ

Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten through 3rd Grade.

This guide presents a set of evidence-based practices that teachers and other educators can use to successfully teach reading comprehension to young readers. The expert panel review indicates that students who read with understanding at an early age gain access to a broader range of texts, knowledge, and educational opportunities, making early reader comprehension instruction particularly critical. The guide also describes the evidence that supports the practices and gives examples of how they can be implemented in the classroom. The practice guide can be downloaded from the COI website, http://centeroninstruction.org/resources.cfm?category=reading&subcategory=materials&grade_start=0&grade_end=3#308.