Teachers who teach families about The Science of Reading are doing kids a lot of good. Even if it’s just one school at a time. Who Is This Great Teacher? Meet Rosemary Shaver One day last fall, I received an email from a teacher named Rosemary. She asked if I had a Study Guide for […]
One Great Teacher + One Great Idea = Recipe for Change in the Right Direction Read More »
The Prelude The results of NAEP 2024 (National Assessment of Educational Progress-otherwise known as the ‘Nation’s Report Card) for grades 4, 8 and 12 are now available. The 2024 scores provide nationwide information in the areas of reading, mathematics, and grade 8 science. For the purposes of this article, I focus only on the reading
NAEP SCORES ARE ‘DOWN’ and ‘OUT’…WHY READ ‘Calling All Neurons!’ NOW? Read More »
Most recently, the release of the new NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress–often thought of as the Nation’s Report Card) scores reveals that our nation’s 4th and 8th graders’ reading and math scores remain dismal and have not risen since the past administration in 2022. The aftermath of the pandemic is real and our nation’s
Recently, I came upon a “not infrequently” posed question from a teacher on behalf of a ‘distraught parent’: “I work with a student whose parent was distraught after seeing the results of routine mid-year screening. As one can imagine, this student did poorly on the screening and reportedly has been diagnosed with dyslexia. The parent
A Parent’s Plea: How Can I Help My Child With Reading At Home? Read More »
Each year on December 21, 22, or 23, darkness envelops Earth’s Northern Hemisphere for a bit longer than normal. While what we now know to be the winter solstice has a straightforward astronomical explanation, early myths of why the solstice takes place also share insights into early civilizations’ steps into science. Science ATL Image by
Kids and Adults: Time to Chill Out Because Winter Solstice is Upon Us Read More »
What is GRATITUDE? Gratitude is far more than being simply ‘thankful’. According to Brian Tracy, a Canadian-American motivational speaker, these are the “4 A’s of Gratitude”: Professor Andrea Hussong of The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, believes in the NOTICE-THINK-FEEL-DO method of practicing gratitude: Any time of year is a good time to teach
Sharing GRATITUDE…a Timely Topic to Discuss with Families and Students Read More »
The new school year is now pretty well underway, so many students have been screened, tested, assessed–whatever your child(ren)’s school(s) wish to call it. Getting the results, as well as the ‘plans’ for literacy instruction can be confusing–if not a bit overwhelming. You will likely receive, or have received, paperwork with these terms, as well
What Parents Need to Know About Literacy ‘Words’-It Can Be CONFUSING!?#@ Read More »
Image by Lori Josephson “Dyslexia is not contagious. I go to tutoring. I love to read, write and draw. I am a normal kid like you.” This is what one of my former students wrote and shared with me perhaps in late second grade or early third grade, but certainly once I had taught her
October is DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH…Let Me Share a Story and a Perspective Read More »
It’s All About YOUR Perspective… Are you the giraffe looking down on your primary age kiddos? You then might see the top of this model’s hat, although I doubt it very highly. Are you looking at your students from all dimensions? Are you looking at your child(ren) face to face, especially if you are a
What Parents Need to Know About “New School Year’s Eve”… and The Wizard of Oz! Read More »
What’s Important to Know Today’s students achieve the most important task of schooling, that is, developing skilled literacy (reading and spelling) over the course of several years. It is often said that grades Kindergarten through Grade 3 are the years students “learn to read”, with the years from Grades 4+ the years students “read to