Literacy and Dyslexia Specialist Teacher & SpLD Assessor, School SENCo and ADHD Specialist
Syllables are one of the foundational building blocks of language and literacy. They are the sounds or beats that make up words, and understanding how they work is essential for young children as they develop their reading and speaking abilities. In this blog post, we'll explore what syllables are, how to separate them using mouth... Continue Reading →
The term “punctuation” refers to the marks used in writing to separate sentences and their elements, and to clarify the meaning of sentences. Punctuation marks give us cues that help us know how to say what we’re reading out loud, and they make written and printed text – like books and magazines – come alive... Continue Reading →
Metacognition is the way we understand or think about our own thought processes. This mode of self-aware thinking goes beyond experiences and emotions to investigate how we think about situations and why. With that new awareness, we can reframe our thinking to adapt to new situations and emotions. Metacognition in the Classroom In the classroom, metacognitive skills allow students to... Continue Reading →
What is a syllable? The dictionary definition for a syllable is: “a unit of pronunciation having one vowel sound, with or without surrounding consonants, forming the whole or a part of a word.” You can also think of syllables as single, unbroken sounds of a spoken word. Sometimes syllables are referred to as the “beats”... Continue Reading →
What is a Schwa Sound? Not only is it fun to say, schwa is actually derived from Hebrew. Schwa refers to the most common vowel sound in the English language. Schwa is the sound a vowel makes in an unstressed syllable and is represented by the phonetic symbol /Ə/ (like an upside-down, reversed e). Not... Continue Reading →
1. Dyslexia is a language based difficulty Dyslexia does not effect vision and it has zero impact on intelligence! Dyslexia is a language based difficulty which impacts the way our brain processes written language. A dyslexic child struggles to read because they have difficulty identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and... Continue Reading →
WHAT DO WE TEACH IN STRUCTURED LITERACY? We know that phonics instruction is critical to supporting all students including those with dyslexia and other reading disabilities but the problem is - it’s NOT ENOUGH. Latest research shows that we are missing the mark on language development and the role that syntax, vocabulary, morphology and comprehension... Continue Reading →
These have been a game changer for my 1-1 and small group literacy intervention sessions. Boom Cards essentially are interactive, self checking task cards that can be assigned to 1 student or a whole class to complete. Have you discovered Boom Cards yet? It get better! Students success is also collected on the activity so... Continue Reading →
Adapted Learning 