dyslexia – The Literacy Brain

Developing the Reading Brain Connections is Hard Work!

The brain has elasticity or the ability to grow new connections and prune unused connections. This is an easier task for younger individuals, when their brain has a greater degree of elasticity. No matter the age growing new or different connections or routes of communication between the different parts of the brain for effective reading is usually very tiring. When a person has dyslexia, this impedes the process.

In his book The Teacher Who Couldn’t Read, John Corcoran (2008) describes living a life similar to a prisoner with no way to escape or get out for good behavior. In his 40s John stumbled upon or was talked into trying a program called, Lindamood Bell. He hesitated because no one else had been able to break through and help him learn the skills necessary to read.

Even though he read at about Grade 2, he had wholes or gaps in the necessary tools he needed to effectively read at Grade 2. He first began meeting with his instructional team at Lindamood Bell for four hours a day, after a week he moved his instruction time to six hours a day. He describes his plunge into intense therapy-training like a soldier readying himself for war. John states, “at times my shirt would be soaking wet as I strained to learn the new techniques. I never worked so hard at anything in my life, and I never felt so good” (Corcoran, 2008, p. 201).

John describes that his journey of learning how to read began with phonemic awareness (oral language), learning how to better manipulate sounds of words. He was lacking the phonemic awareness skills that many educators take for granted as this is usually acquired before students enter formal education. Once those skills were learned, he began learning the names of letters and their corresponding sounds. Instructors assisted John in learning how the movements of his face and mouth helped him to create the sounds of the individual letters, letter diagrams, and words.

He noted that part of his issue was a lack of correct sound linkage. Meaning his brain did not accurately connect the right oral sounds with their corresponding letter(s). He lacked sound discrimination skills that are necessary to distinguish between different sounds associated with each letter. He stated that nearly a third of individuals who possess normal hearing “do not have fully developed auditory conceptual ability” (Corcoran, 2008, p. 204). This skill is necessary for decoding words into the individual sounds and their corresponding letters. He noted that he had to use his senses of hearing, seeing, touching, and moving to accurately absorb the skills necessary to read.

After about three weeks, he began to feel the prison walls tumble as “the task went from being hard, physical labor to a fun learning activity” (Corcoran, 2008, p. 203). “I felt my own transition from being physically and mentally exhausted to being relaxed and confident” (p. 203). He began to unmask his deception of not knowing how to read, no longer feeling the need to manipulate his environment to protect himself.

After one month of instruction or 100 hours of treatment in the Lindamood-Bell Learning Process, John “gained 10 years in word-attack skill” (Corcoran, 2008, p. 206) moving from Grade 2 to Grade 12; “three years in word recognition” (p. 206) moving from Grade 5 to Grade 8; and “a year and a half in spelling” (p. 206). His therapy also increased his ability to follow oral directions and his reading comprehension skills.

The Lindamood Bell Program was developed in the late 1960’s to teach students with unreliable auditory perceptions known as Auditory Discrimination in Depth (ADD). The program teaches “students to perceive sounds in isolation and in context and how to produce them” (American Federation of Teachers, 1999). They have other programs such as Lindamood Phonemic Sequencing Program (LiPS), which focuses on reading and spelling. “Combining phonics with auditory discrimination in depth (LIPS) program is what I will call the Complete Intensive Systematic Phonics Learning System” (Corcoran, 2008, p. 209).

Each student is unique having different genetic and environmental factors that may affect students’ ability to learn how to read, making accurate diagnose of individual student learning needs a challenge.

Identifying dyslexic or literacy deficit students during grades Pre-Kinder – 2, when an individual’s brain in more flexible, decreases the dollars to educate and rehabilitate individuals during their teens and adulthood. Identifying them can be tricky! Many states have passed laws making dyslexia a learning disability and many districts have now adopted the necessary assessments to diagnose these students. The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) defines dyslexia as:

“a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge” (Adopted by the IDA Board of Directors, Nov. 12, 2002).

Classic dyslexia or developmental dyslexia is acquired through one’s genetics. These students are usually identified though their lack of phonological process skills. They rely on different parts of the brain to process written words. These students work twice as hard to process written words. This type of dyslexia was first discussed in research during the 1800s. Another type is dyscalculia, which affects an individual’s ability to effectively process math equations. Another type of dyslexia is dysgraphia—a student’s ability to learn how to process information into written language. There are programs outside of public education that can effectively diagnose and treat individuals of dyslexia. I encourage individuals to choose programs that are Orton-Gillingham based and endorsed by IDA.

“A good builder, like a good teacher, uses the best tools and material available, which includes a plan and blueprint” (Corcoran, 2008, p. 210).

References

Corcoran, J. (2008). The teacher who couldn’t read. Kaplan, Inc.American Federation of Teachers (1999). Lindamood-bell reading intervention program. Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/article/ lindamood-bell-reading-intervention-program

Dyslexia and The Teacher Who Couldn’t Read

Individuals are not naturally designed to read. Individuals must develop and refine the “right” brain connections to efficiently process written language. Efficiently is defined as fluently reading written words and gleaning the writer’s intended message. A person’s brain adds, subtracts, and reorganizes read information to develop and refine the highways of connection to process written language. The reading brain connections for most individuals will develop without much fanfare or grit. These individuals are genetically programmed to develop brain connections that communicate with many regions of the brain to process written language.

Individuals who have developmental dyslexia do not develop the same communication routes to effectively process written language. Their brain works twice as hard to process and develop more efficient processing routes for written language. Many dyslexic students seem to be at grade-level or above, because of their good oral language skills. But oral language uses different brain routes than written language to comprehend what is said. Students that are diagnosed or show strong signs of dyslexia usually need direct, explicit, systematic instruction to learn how to read.

This means that for approximately 10-20% of individuals the task of learning how to read is very laborious, making the task at times uninteresting. These students often look for an escape-daydreaming, bathroom, drink, irritate their neighbor, etc. These students are also often labeled as an attention problem, lazy, undisciplined. Making the process of learning how to read engaging, a want to participate in the process usually eases the process of gaining reading skills for dyslexic students.

Many states now have educational laws in place to better assist students with dyslexia and other students struggling to acquire literacy skills. These laws are dependent on those seeing that the laws are put into motion and sustained. The motion and sustainment are dependent on the educators present at each educational site. Many educational sites now have systems to better identify and accommodate students who might have dyslexia. The hope is that no student will have to face the “private prison” that Mr. Corcoran, author and literacy advocate, had to face.

John Corcoran describes, in his 2008 book The Teacher Who Couldn’t Read, his journey of how he learned to read in his late 40s. He invented his own survival methods to navigate a literate world. He managed to muddle, navigate his way through layers and years of education to become a social studies and English grammar teacher. Most individuals didn’t know he couldn’t read or write above Grade 2 or possible they ignored his lack of literacy skills. John states “I began a 40-year battle inside my own private prison” in Grade 2 (p. 20). He describes middle school as a battlefield (p. 47). John wrote, “I felt like I was in a maze at a carnival, only this wasn’t fun. I had six 45-minute classes, six teachers, and a list of classrooms I couldn’t find. I didn’t have any friends and I couldn’t read the schedule or figure out what door to open” (p. 48). By high school I felt “dumb, ignored or dismissed by teachers, evasive, polarized by literate and illiterate camps, angry, and confused” (p. 66). John became an expert at deception, as his parents didn’t seem to know that he couldn’t read either. His father was a teacher who “had degrees or college credits from six different institutions of higher learning and read books like kids eat popcorn” (p.79).

John began the agonizing work of developing more efficient brain connections to process written language at age 48. He is severely dyslexic. Dyslexia is known to jump around in the family trees, depending on the mix of genetics. Dyslexia can jump generations and show up in families of distant dyslexic relatives. Dyslexia doesn’t skip socioeconomic levels or race. More about how he developed the brain connection to become literate in my next blog.

References

Corcoran, J. (2008). The teacher who couldn’t read. Kaplan, Inc.

Alphabetic Principle

Our brain is not prewired to read, so we must “train” our brain through instruction and practice. This will develop the connections necessary to process and read printed words. But reading the words is not enough, as one must have meaning attached to the words to comprehend what the words mean. The comprehension component of reading begins at birth, when a person begins to attach sounds to meaning. Learning how to read the symbols or words begins when a person attaches pictures to sounds. Some will learn the name of each individual alphabet letter by accident, most will need to be explicitly taught what each letter is called. This can be tricky as some letters can stand for several different sounds and the sounds of the individual letter can change when they are combined with other letters. Individuals begin learning about letters, letter sounds, and the sounds of combining letters into words as they learn how to speak or communicate orally. This is called phonemic awareness.

Students are typically taught one letter and one sound at a time, before adding or talking about the other sounds an alphabet letter may make. This may seem laborious for some, but very necessary to build an adequate, firm foundation in which to develop fluent reading and comprehension of the written words. Letter-sound correspondence taught using action or movement can lessen the strain. Students should see the letter in print as they are saying the sound. It is also helpful for students to write the letters as they say the letter’s sound. There are programs or video clips that can be used to reinforce and practice letter-sound correspondences. Learning letter-sound correspondences increases students’ ability to decode and encode written words based on the individual sounds of a word.

Students who are dyslexic will often take longer to learn letter-sound correspondences as their brains are initially wired differently. Their brain connections typically develop differently from most individuals. This is also why some dyslexic individuals tend to be labeled as dumb, lazy, etc. A dyslexic brain works overtime to develop new connections between the different parts of brain necessary to process written words into meaning. This often makes students tired or overwhelmed. Students need a safe learning environment to explore the relationships of sounds and letters, without ridicule, as they develop efficient reading highways in their brain.

The University of Oregon (2009) wrote and published an article at reading.uoregon.edu that discusses the concepts and research of alphabetic principle and its components. The article defines alphabetic principle as two parts, alphabetic understanding and phonological recoding. Alphabetic understanding or sound-letter correspondences is the second pillar of structured literacy, which I defined in an earlier blog as the knowing of the relationship(s) between phoneme(s) and grapheme(s). This knowledge gives students a tool to allow them to be self-starters, to begin sounding out (decoding) and spelling (encoding) words on their own. Learning to read is a very complex, interdependent process that takes time and practice.

Structured Literacy Supports All Learners-Dyslexic, ESL

Structured Literacy Supports All Learners: Students At-Risk of Literacy Acquisition—Dyslexia and English Learners

Abstract

Learning to read is a complex endeavor that requires developing brain connections. The brain connections for reading written words begins forming during the development of oral language. The maturing of oral language and reading instruction continue the growth of the necessary brain connections to read and write. Structured Literacy instruction helps to develop and strengthen brain connections for reading and processing written language. Structured Literacy encourages educators to teach the essential literacy foundational skills during the pre and primary school years, so students have a better chance of achieving and maintaining proficiency in literacy.

This article was published in the Texas Association for Literacy Instruction Yearbook, Volume 7, September 2020, Chapter 5, p. 37-43, downloadable at http://www.texasreaders.org/yearbooks.html.

Advantages of Being Dyslexic

Dyslexic individuals will show similar traits in the classroom as they are learning to read and write. Many dyslexic students struggle when they learn that the pictures that they have been developing into stories actually already have words that they must read. Many will try to camouflage this transition; the camouflage will become apparent as students are held accountable for the words on the page. The signs of dyslexia are there during students’ pre and primary school years. Testing for phonology and comprehension has become more prevalent during the primary years, which lends to earlier intervention to ease the movement from oral language to written language. The amount of the book exposure and student environment in and out of the classroom will usually change the symptoms and the intervention process. Most dyslexics will become accomplished and earn a solid income. Some of the more prevalent advantages of being dyslexia are noted below.

Not visible to most. Classmates cannot usually visually see their “disability.” Unfortunately, this can also be a disadvantage.
Curious. Dyslexic individuals are usually curious. I have a friend that began experimenting with how items fit together and thought it might be okay to take the screws out of the seat that held up his highchair. Needless to say, that experiment came to crashing end. His mechanical curiosity led to rebuilding engines during his elementary school years.
Innovative and Creative. Dyslexic individuals are usually innovative and creative. While your discussing how to use the pencil sharpener, dyslexics maybe trying to understand how the mechanisms within the pencil sharpener work and how they can improve the model. Many will know how to fix the pencil sharpener without any prior knowledge of how a pencil sharpener works. Many will create or modify items to suit their needs, as stated by Gavin Newsom, Governor of California, “There’s a creative energy to our approach which I’ve taken to politics to be bold and upfront on issues. I’m not cautious, I’m not reckless, but I’m happy to take risks and that’s big part of being dyslexic” (Griggs, 2020, p. 3).
Kinesthetically Wired. Dyslexic individuals usually see through their hands—kinesthetically. They have the natural urge to touch and feel things, as it helps them put the item in their long-term memory and to contemplate how it works, what it’s for, etc. Dyslexic individuals build pictures through their hands. In addition, most need movement to keep the brain fresh with oxygen.
Picture Thinkers. Dyslexic students are usually picture thinkers. Many dyslexics have a photographic memory that can rewind an event. Many dyslexic students will not feel the need to take notes, but can recall most of the information discussed. They recall vocabulary words in pictures. The pictures usually become attached to the words that describe the picture. Sir Jackie Steward stated, “My dyslexic strength is attention to detail. When your attention to detail is good you notice things other people don’t see as important, but these little things make all the difference.”
Think outside the box. They have the ability to think or analyze things from different angles than others without dyslexia. This lends to innovation and creativity in design and problem solving,
3-D vision. Many dyslexics have the ability to see an object in 3-D. They can usually spin the object around and use this information to analyze the object. This also lends to a sharper peripheral vision.
Self-starters. Many are self-starters. Individual environment will play a role in whether they use their skill of being a self-starter. In the book, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, the parents gave their son the freedom and a safe environment to be a self-starter. He went on the develop windmills out of the scraps/trash pile, which led to his country having the ability to pump water to grow crops and not be dependent on rain water.
Perseverance. Many will endure their mistakes or trials before accomplishing their goal. Many have very thick skin that allows them to endure the ridicule and numerous retries to better themselves and others. Again, a person’s environment will play a role.
Good Oral Language Skills. Many will have exceptional oral language skills. This was a major identifier of dyslexia in the late 1800s, early 1900s—student could have an intelligent conversation, but not be able to read the words in a book that corresponded with the conversation. Many had, had an adequate education—most thought sitting in a formal school setting was a waste of their time. Many probably experienced what Philip Schultz felt and described in his book, My Dyslexia, “He looked and spoke only to her, as if I were invisible. It was the way I felt in school, listening to the teacher talk only to the other children, as if she didn’t think I would understand what she was saying, as if it was a waste of time talking to me” (p. 32).
Can Learn. Dyslexics can learn how to use their prior knowledge of oral language to read and write. Most will need systematic, explicit instruction to become average readers and writers. Many will need this type of instruction to just hang-on or gain basic literacy skills. Some will be able to absorb their rich environment to learn how to read. This often takes different partnerships of teachers, parents, and community individuals, like tutors. This will depend on the severity of the dyslexic symptoms and the individual’s environment.

References

Davis, R. (1997). The Gift of Dyslexia. New York, NY: The Berkley Pub. Group

Griggs, K. (2020). 5 Reasons Why Dyslexics Make Powerful Changemakers. LinkedIn post published May 30, 2020.

Kamkwamba, W. & Mealer, B. (2015). The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. New York, NY: Puffin Books.

Schultz, P. (2011). My Dyslexia. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Co.

Dyslexia, Gift of Words

The original thought was that all dyslexic students were highly intelligent, but struggled at processing written language. Many individuals with dyslexia taught themselves how to read, usually during their adolescent and adult years (Hinshelwood, 1917). Students with a lower IQ were usually placed in special education or deemed mentally retarded. Today, with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) we know that any student at any level of intelligence can have dyslexia. Educators like Gillingham and Stillman (1956) believed that students can be screened to learn who has dyslexia and receive instruction targeted at their particular learning needs during the primary school years. Many states now have educational laws recognizing dyslexia as a learning disability. Some dyslexic students will still fall through the cracks of getting the proper supports. Many dyslexic students adopt the notion that they are stupid. Although, most are gifted. Dyslexic individuals usually think outside of the box. They can usually visualize an object in 3-D and spin-it-around. The types of supports students receive within their environment usually determines their literacy outcomes.

The following palindrome poem was written by a 10-year-old dyslexic student in Rebecca Brown’s classroom and posted on Twitter, February 27, 2019.

Dyslexia by AO

I am stupid.

Nobody would ever say

I have a talent for words.

I was meant to be great

That is wrong.

I am a failure.

Nobody could ever convince me to think that

I can make it in life.

Now read up⇑

More Instructional Support Strategies for Dyslexic Students

Individuals with dyslexia have brain processing issues, because their brains did not initially develop the same highways and byways to process written language. But many dyslexic students will have fluid oral communication skills. This may be why it has taken many years for society to recognize dyslexia as learning disability. Some students you will not recognize as dyslexic, others will jump up and down dyslexia. Boys tend to be diagnosed or show higher signs of dyslexia as they seem to squirm louder than girls.

Dyslexic students usually work twice as hard to learn how to read than the average student, as they are developing new brain connections. Teaching all students using rich Structure Literacy curriculum and instruction can reach most students. Taking brain breaks or moments of rest can the increase student motivation. My thought is that any students who is struggling to learn how to read and write should be supported in the process. Each dyslexic student will need different types of supports to develop the necessary highways and byways, as student environment plays a role in the brain development process. The earlier the intervention or supports are put into place the higher chance the student has to overcome the risk of literacy acquisition. The following dyslexic instructional strategies can be effective for any student at-risk in literacy.

Use highlighters or a marking code. A highlighter is a tool that students can use for various tasks. Students can use them to highlight important information that they may need for future tasks, such as writing or reading comprehension. Highlighters can be used to note different parts of texts, such as topic sentence, detail, conclusion, parts of a sentence, etc. Students can use different colors to signify different types of information. Students can also use boxes, circles, underline, stars, etc. to note the same things when different colored highlighters are not available. This technique is helpful to teach/model students by highlighting different parts of written language. This technique can also assist early writers in proof reading their writing.
Read the passage or words aloud at any volume. When students read the passage aloud, they are involving both their hearing and visual senses. Most dyslexic students already have good oral communication skills—they can effectively process heard information. Reading the passage aloud usually allows them to better comprehend the passage. In addition, students are using their visual sense to build or strengthen their brain connections for reading using just their vision. Whisper phones are a way for students to read written words aloud and not disrupt their fellow classmates. Some students will grow out of the need to use both their visual and hearing to comprehend the passage, while others will need to occasional use both senses.
Listen and follow along at grade-level. Students listen to a book on tape and read it with the tape or follow along. This is a good tool for students who can orally comprehend at grade-level, but not read the words and comprehend at grade-level. This strategy allows students to be exposed to grade-level information and it helps them to build and strengthen brain connections for reading to comprehend at grade-level. This strategy should be used along with other strategies to increase student achievement level. This strategy has been used for many years to teach primary students how to read. Students listen to an oral reading of a book or passage and follow along. Some of the computer programs have books or passages that can be read as the words are highlighted, but students need to follow along.
Discussing information read. Developing an environment where all students feel safe to share is key for the success of this strategy. Each student can bring their background/environment knowledge to the discussion. Many dyslexic students have strong backgrounds of knowledge and good oral communication skills. Discussing the read information can assist students in expanding their lexicon or student knowledge about a topic. Student discussion(s) can also increase their information processing highways and byways. This instructional strategy can also assist students in retaining the information read. This strategy can also strengthen student ability to communicate orally.
Encourage their interest, passion. When possible allow students to choose their topic of study. This usually increases engagement and intrinsic motivation. Some students will still “battle” the assignment or parts of the assignment. I usually use science topics during the primary and elementary school years to increase student engagement in a task. Most students can find an animal, insect that stirs their intrinsic motivation to read and write about. The topic can be narrowed, to a particular aspect of the animal.
Assistance in copying words from the board. Some dyslexic students struggle in copying words from the board or from a distance. This could be due to vision issues, which is usually an additional issue—not dyslexia. I usually lend them my notes or ask another student to assist them. Most can copy from a paper that is placed right next to the paper that they are writing on. Interactive word walls are excellent tools for students who struggle in copying from the board.

References

Gillingham, A. (1956). Remedial training for children with specific disability in reading, spelling, and penmanship. Massachusetts: Educators Publishing Service, Inc.

Hinshelwood, James. (1917). Congenital word-blindness. London: H.K. Lewis.

Instructional Support Strategies for Dyslexic Students

This post will reflect more dyslexic or at-risk instructional support strategies that assist classroom management to allow for literacy instruction and acquisition to take place.

Typically, there are, on average, three to five students in every classroom that are dyslexic. Dyslexia is an inherited gift that can be passed down generation to generation or skip a generation or sibling within a natural family. Dyslexia is also culturally blind. Boys tend to be diagnosed or show higher signs of dyslexia as they seem to squirm louder than girls. My thought is that any students who is struggling to learn how to read and write should be supported in the process. The earlier the intervention(s) or support(s) are put into place the higher chance the student has to overcome the risk of literacy acquisition.

The dyslexic instructional strategies discussed below will usually also increase the literacy achievement rate of English Second Language (ESL) students. Students diagnosed with dyslexia and students who are at-risk of literacy acquisition are often overwhelmed. These strategies usually decrease the anxiety and allow students to fully focus on the lesson or task at hand, which allows students to begin developing or strengthening brain connections to increase fluidity of their literacy skills.

Use a different colored folder for each subject of study. This is easier to orchestrate in Grades 3 and up, but can be accomplished in younger grade classrooms. The different colored folders should help students to find what they need a little faster than rummaging through their desk or cubby for their reference material or assignments. This also takes away some of the anxiety of remembering where it might be.
Post the schedule for each day. All students like to know how their day may unfold. This strategy is important for all grade levels. The schedule should be visible so that all students can view it from their seats, this usually increases student engagement. Schedule changes are hard for all students, especially students who are struggling to keep up academically. My schedule usually will show the time and topic. Sometimes I will include the actual name and details of the assignments. This will depend on your group of students and how you wish manage your classroom. It is also good to note future upcoming events. Developing and posting a schedule can also assist the teacher in lesson preparation.
Develop a routine. Routine is closely related to the schedule. The routine is what usually happens at the same time every day or on a set day of the week. The routine may include scheduled bathroom breaks, snack, and topic focused classes, like PE or tutoring that take place outside of the regular classroom. Routine helps students to stay engaged in the topic at hand, as they do not have to worry about when, where, and how lunch or snack may take place.
Develop reminders for you or the student(s). The strategies that you may use for the reminder may be different with each group of students. I tend to set alarms and at times backup alarms in the classroom if something has to be accomplished by a certain time, such as library time or students who need to go to another classroom. I also like to write assignments and due dates on the board. I also remind students to turn in their assignment or projects. Students can also serve as a reminder for other students. Students may have daily planners that they can use to write down the assignments and due dates. If students are overwhelmed with the assignment, they may need a one-on-one follow-up to accomplish the task.
Give brain breaks. A brain break allows the brain to relax from the intensity of learning or practicing of a skill. All students usually need brain breaks, especially dyslexic or students at-risk of grade level achievement. The type and length of a brain break may differ with each student. Some students may enjoy reading, while others may need to stretch. Breaks that include movement of more oxygen to the brain usually increases engagement in the classroom. Many teachers include brain breaks into their normal schedule; some students may need more.
Set goals. Goals can be established for various reasons, such as writing for 10 minutes or staying in their seat during instruction. Ideally, students should be involved in the process of setting the goal(s). This can be accomplished through conversation. It is good to write down the goal and to have discussions about the movement towards the accomplishment of the goal. This saves later arguments and misunderstandings. You may have to set goals based on your observation of student ability, such as once you finish this worksheet you may draw for 10 minutes. Some teachers give brain breaks as incentives for working or accomplishing a goal.

My next blog will focus more on instructional literacy strategies for dyslexic students.

Book Review-The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

This is a book review of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. This is an example of a book that would be good to use during book clubs or a whole classroom group study.

Science in general has always been a fascination of mine, this may have stemmed from my childhood in rural America living on a ranch. However, I have used science as a catalyst over the years to teach literacy. I have yet to find a student who is not curious about something within science. When I was looking for a book about STEM education the book, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, jumped off the shelf at me. The title screams STEM education. STEM Education is learning about subjects within the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. STEM education is taught through an integrated approach; one that offers hands-on and relevant learning experiences. The book is non-fiction and suggested for ages 10 and up or about Grade 5.

The book is about a boy, William Kamkwamba and how his creativity brought life-long changes for the small nation of Malawi, Africa. The book, written in first person, recalls how his family adjusted their lifestyle to survive during a famine. William describes the setting and culture of Malawi. He also describes the effects on humanity during a famine. He discusses how he recognized the need to develop ways to overcome the lack of rain that caused the famine. William describes how he used exploration to develop a contraption to collect and reissue electricity. He also describes the resources and individuals that helped him to obtain his goal of providing water year-round.

Structured Literacy Teacher, Instructional Knowledge

Structure Literacy Teacher (SLT) is a fairly new label, developed by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA), to describe the most effective form of instruction for students identified dyslexic. This type of instruction is also effective for English Second Language (ESL) learners and for other students at-risk for literacy acquisition (Baker et al., 2014; Gersten et al., 2009). Structured literacy instruction should include following instructional principles:

systematic instruction, taught in logical order—builds upon prior knowledge
students should learn the foundational or prerequisite skills of the current lesson
explicit instruction, direct—clearly explained and teacher modeled
scaffolded instruction to match student abilities, providing exact temporary support
interactive discussions about the “new” task
multiple opportunities to practice the new task or skill
monitoring of student achievement through observation, interaction, and formal assessment

Structured literacy instruction includes six pillars or parts of literacy development—oral and written. Structured literacy instruction should begin with Pillar 1, as each is dependent on the previous pillar(s).

Pillar 1 is phonology, the study of spoken sounds (phonemes)—rules of how sounds are encoded, such as why these sounds follow this pattern to form this sound(s). Individuals should have phoneme awareness skills before learning how to read. This is the ability to hear, identify, and manipulated individuals sounds in spoken words. Phoneme awareness is part of phonological awareness. Phonological awareness is the ability to process and manipulate letter sounds, rhyming words, and segmenting of sounds within words. The study of phonology usually increases student ability to spell, pronounce, and comprehend written words.

Pillar 2 is sound-symbol correspondences or the relationship(s) between phoneme(s) and grapheme(s). This may be referred to as phonics instruction that teaches predictable or the constant rules of sound-symbol correspondences to produce written language. At this stage students learn one-on-one correspondence, for example the written letter B represents this phoneme or sound. It is important to note that some letters are represented by more than one sound, depending on the origin and spelling of the word. Students begin decoding and encoding words as they begin to learn the sound-symbol correspondences. Student knowledge of the phoneme(s) and grapheme(s) relationships usually increases student ability to read, comprehend, and spell written language.

Pillar 3 is syllable knowledge, the understanding of the different types of syllables. Syllable knowledge increases the accuracy of language pronunciation and comprehension. Syllable knowledge also increases student decoding and encoding skills. The English language has six major types of syllables that are described in the following chart.

Type of syllable	Example
CVC	cat, log, bit, set, cut
Final e	kite, bone, bake, cute
Open	me, sky, be/gan, mu/sic, fe/ver
Vowel Diagraph	oi-soil, oil; ee-sleep, keep; ea-beat, leak; oa-boat, road; oo-zoom, smooth
r-controlled	ar-car, start; ir-girl, swirl; er-her, flower; ur-fur, burn; or-fork, corn
Constant-le	marble, puddle, bugle, maple, little

Pillar 5 of structured literacy instruction is syntax or the study of sentence structure. The principles that dictate the sequence and function of words in a sentence. These principles are also referred to as the mechanics, grammar, and variation of a sentence. Pillar 4 is morphology that is the study of the smallest units of meaning or morphemes. Morphology focuses on how parts of meaning fit together to form words and new meaning. Word analysis helps students to learn the meaning(s) of morphemes and how the word parts conclude its meaning. Word analysis also increases student background knowledge, which increases student ability to comprehend written passages.

The more common parts of a sentence.

Parts of a sentence	Definition	Examples
Verb	describes the action	bark, ran, call, like
Adverb	modifies a verb, helps to clarify or further define a verb	warmly, quiet, loudly, today, outside
Noun	person, place or thing	house, dog, car, book
Adjective	modifies a noun, adjusts the meaning or further defines the noun to clarify meaning	beautiful, dark, old
Article	determiners, modifies and precedes a noun	a, an, the
Preposition	usually precedes a noun and in relation to another word in the clause	at, in, on, with, for, about, of, after
Conjunction	connecting words, they connect clauses and sentences	and, but, if

Pillar 6 of structured literacy is semantics or study of the meaning of words, symbols, and units of words. A person’s lexicon stores the meaning of words, symbols, and units of words—vocabulary. People begin to develop their lexicon at birth. Individuals attach meaning to tones of sound. These meanings are adjusted as individuals are introduced to new tones or meanings. Individuals transfer the meaning of tones (voice) to symbols (print) as they learn how to read and write. To better understand words and groups of words teachers often use concept maps to examine the definition of a word. Students identify the related synonyms and antonyms of the word. Students often identify or attach pictures to a word or groups of words. Semantics assist in attaching inferred meaning to written and oral verbiage. Semantics can include morphology.

You can find details about becoming a certified Structured Literacy Teacher on the IDA website.

References

Baker, S., Lesaux, N., Jayanthi, M., Dimino, J., Proctor, C.P., Morris, J., Gersten, R., Haymond, K., Kieffer, M.J., Linan-Thompson, S., & Newman-Gonchar, R. (2014). Teaching academic content and literacy to English learners in elementary and middle school (NCEE 2014-4012). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), Institute of education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications_reviews.aspx.

Gersten, R., Compton, D., Connor, C.M., Dimino, J., Santoro, L., Linan-Thompson, S., & Tilly, W.D. (2009). Assisting students struggling with reading: Response to intervention and multi-tier intervention for reading in the primary grades, a practice guide (NCEE 2009-4045). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), Institute of education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/practiceguides/.

Tag: dyslexia

Developing the Reading Brain Connections is Hard Work!

Alphabetic Principle

Structured Literacy Supports All Learners-Dyslexic, ESL

Advantages of Being Dyslexic

Dyslexia, Gift of Words

More Instructional Support Strategies for Dyslexic Students

Instructional Support Strategies for Dyslexic Students

Book Review-The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Structured Literacy Teacher, Instructional Knowledge

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)