Background Knowledge & Literacy

Does Your Child(ren) or Student(s) Struggle With Reading? I’m So Passionate About Helping Kids Learn To Read and Spell, I Wrote A Book!

WHY DO I SUGGEST STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THE READING/SPELLING/WRITING BRAIN PROCESSES? Let’s talk about this phrase: “Knowledge is POWER.” Don’t you agree? The more students of any age know abour how a task is accomplished, it’s got to have a positive outcome. Children and parents alike are often confused and upset when things aren’t going well …

Does Your Child(ren) or Student(s) Struggle With Reading? I’m So Passionate About Helping Kids Learn To Read and Spell, I Wrote A Book! Read More »

Do YOU Worry About (Your) Kids (or Adults!) Who Struggle with Reading and Writing? I Worry Too, So I Called Upon Some Neurons!

My first book Calling All Neurons! How Reading and Spelling Happen will be published this spring! You will be able to find it on Amazon and all your favorite online book retailers too. SO I WROTE THIS BOOK…WHY? Well…. It is my belief that all children have the right to be taught literacy skillls. According to …

Do YOU Worry About (Your) Kids (or Adults!) Who Struggle with Reading and Writing? I Worry Too, So I Called Upon Some Neurons! Read More »

‘Tis the Season to be Give and Receive. Do Our Children Know How to Express Gratitude in Writing?? Let Me Show You How and Tell You Why!

Why Write a Thank You Note? A thank you note is simply an effective and simple way to show appreciation for the kindness of others in terms of generosity and support.. One can write a thank you note not only for gifts received (’tis the season), but also for any kind gesture including, but not …

‘Tis the Season to be Give and Receive. Do Our Children Know How to Express Gratitude in Writing?? Let Me Show You How and Tell You Why! Read More »

“It’s Just TOO MUCH Work!!”

For some students, even able ones, reading is just “too much” work. A little parable is then offered in support of teaching literacy skills efficiently, effectively, and in accordance with what we now know about how the human brain learns to read–in other words–aligned to The Science of Reading. HERE IS THE STORY — EVERYONE …

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What Do Parents Need to Know About Reading Fluency?

A question from a teacher this week prompted this article. The teacher writes:  I tutor a 9 year old student with a diagnosis of dyslexia. This student has been taught ‘the code’ (I take that to mean this student is familiar with most, if not many sound/symbol relationships). This student’s first or ‘cold read’ is …

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Happy New Year 2023: Looking Back to Look Forward

Nursery Rhymes, sometimes called Mother Goose Rhymes, have been in existence as early as the 14th century. They were sung and repeated to young children, even before much of the population was literate. And many of the authors of these rhymes are unknown. So what gives? WHAT ABOUT NURSERY RHYMES? Human beings, in many if …

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A Recipe for Literacy Success!

Since it is November with the holidays upon us all, a nod to cooking seemed appropriate to me.  What does cooking have to do with literacy development?  What can YOU do to ‘whip up’ successful literacy instruction whether you are a parent or a teacher or a teacher of teachers? Let’s start with this… I …

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Back to School ‘Literacy Acceleration Playbook’ for Parents, Teachers, and Leaders 

This month, I ‘teamed up’ with my colleague and friend, Dr. Kelly Moran. We share our thoughts on what parents can do to foster their children’s literacy development by likening the approach to a coach’s involvement in each individual athlete, as well as the team. DO SHARE with other parents, as well as teachers, school …

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Rejoice! We have made it to a New Year 2022!

This article features my colleague and friend, Dr. Kelly Moran, of Concord, OH. Enjoy the read, which looks ahead to the New Year 2022. Thanks, Kelly, for sharing your ideas, which thoughtfully and expertly illuminate the importance of reading for yourself and how to share the gift of reading with others. I agree with every …

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“On The First Day of Christmas, My Parent (and/or Teacher) Gave to Me…”

My singing voice can best be described as, well, ‘mediocre’. Despite my mediocre voice and my Jewish identity (therefore not celebrating the Christmas Holiday in any way throughout my childhood), I simply adored singing all those wonderful holiday songs, especially Christmas carols throughout my childhood. I even recall caroling door to door with friends as …

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