I Love Being Wrong

I Love Being Wrong

For some people, saying the words, “I am wrong,” might be incredibly difficult. But for me, saying or thinking the words excite me. I am energized by learning something that contradicts what I previously thought.  Is that odd to admit? As organizational psychologist, Adam Grant said in his podcast and in his new book, Think…

Orton Gillingham Lesson-Part 2
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Orton Gillingham Lesson-Part 2

In the first part of an Orton Gillingham lesson we practice phonemic awareness, blending, and letter-sound correspondence. After that, it is crucial that students review and reinforce previously learned skills.  The student must also learn new information and practice this new skill in their reading and writing. Concepts taught and reviewed cover ALL strands of…

Structured Literacy Instruction
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Structured Literacy Instruction

Structured literacy is getting a lot of well-deserved attention. Researchers in the areas of reading, psychology, speech and language pathology, neuroscience, and education all agree. Although there may be more than one way to TEACH reading, there is only one way that the human brain LEARNS to read. The majority of students learn to read…

Myths About Phonics Instruction
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Myths About Phonics Instruction

PHONICS INSTRUCTION There are long-standing myths about phonics instruction. Keeping these myths alive (and thus keeping phonics instruction from our students!) undermines a student’s reading acquisition. As educators, we must constantly look to the current research and adjust our instruction accordingly. Remember, although there are many different ways to TEACH reading, science continually reminds us…

Decodable Books- What are they and why should we use them?
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Decodable Books- What are they and why should we use them?

The debate is over. Reading words by attending to all of the letter-sound correspondences is how our brain learns to read efficiently. This is not new science, nor is it a pendulum. This is over 40 years of research. The science tells us that students need to focus on the letter-sound correspondences (word reading) to…

What is Orton Gillingham?
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What is Orton Gillingham?

Orton Gillingham is not a program. It is an approach to teaching literacy in a direct, explicit, multisensory, structured, sequential, diagnostic, and prescriptive manner. Educators most often use this approach to support students who struggle with reading and spelling. WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF ORTON GILLINGHAM?: The name “Orton Gillingham” comes from two pioneers of…