The 6 syllable types are the backbone of decoding longer words. Once students know them, they can look at an unfamiliar word, spot the pattern, and predict what sound the vowel will make instead of guessing. That skill is what separates a reader who stalls on purple from one who splits it and reads it….
Learn what a closed syllable is and how to teach it in this second post of my syllable series. In this series, I share how to teach students the syllable rules and patterns using multisensory methods. If you missed the first post, you can read The 6 Types of Syllables here. There I explain what…
With dyslexia being estimated as occurring in 1 out of 5 students in a typical classroom, you might be looking for some effective dyslexia interventions and programs. Before explaining strategies you can use to help dyslexic students, you should really understand dyslexia. It is a language-based learning disability that will require a multisensory, structured language…
In this post, I share my favorite phonological and phonemic awareness strategies and activities for struggling readers. Phonological awareness is the first step in learning how to read and spell. Phonological awareness refers to the ability to hear and manipulate sounds (can be syllables, onset, rime, or phonemes), while phonemic awareness refers to the ability…
If you’ve read my blog before you have seen me mention multisensory learning. It’s something I came across years into teaching that I wish I had learned about from the beginning. Multi sensory learning has been the most effective way to teach my struggling learners, especially those with dyslexia. There are a number of successful…
Teaching students with dyslexia to read involves very different methods than the traditional reading programs used in most classrooms. Effective phonics instruction is key to remediating reading difficulties and using a systematic synthetic phonics program is best. But first I’ll go over each type of phonics method to help you see why they are inadequate…
In this post, I share my favorite multi-sensory learning activities for L blends, along with a set of multi-sensory L blend worksheets and activities. It’s no surprise that I love to use a variety of multi-sensory activities when teaching letter blends. Multi-sensory learning is the cornerstone of the Orton-Gillingham method. Struggling learners simply learn best…
Digraphs are another area many of my students struggle in. They either have trouble pronouncing them or they struggle to see the digraph as one sound and continue to verbalize both letter sounds when reading. Some students really struggle to visualize digraphs as one sound and will continue to sound out each letter in a…
If you work with students with reading difficulties, then you likely have students who struggle with b and d reversal or other letter reversals. I have learned several strategies in the last few years that have really helped my students overcome b and d confusion. There are lots of worksheets on letter reversals but most…