Bonnie Feeney, a dyslexic mother and Jen Petrich, her PhD neuroscientist daughter discuss dyslexia from a unique perspective—one of from a journey of personal discovery and the other from studying brain science. Hear how their journeys came together, enriching both their lives. 

Learn the difficulties that dyslexics confront within and beyond the classroom. Dyslexics share more than a diagnosis and supporting them requires more than just a reading intervention. They deserve our respect and understanding. 

For decades, Bonny experienced biases and judgments that included narrow instruction that didn’t develop her interest in language. Jen became a neuroscientist not to help her mother, but to understand neurodiversity and find methods that support students broadly. Bonny began to listen in on Jen’s tutoring sessions with students and realized that this type of word and sentence inquiry made sense to her. 

Bruce Howlett’s Seven Layers of Literacy Approach:

ReadingShift.com
Literacy Dr website:

https://www.theliteracydr.com

D.O.T.S. course info and registration:

https://www.theliteracydr.com/pd/dots

Wednesdays with Literacy Dr (free drop-in) info and registration:

https://www.theliteracydr.com/drop-in

Literacy Dr videos:

https://www.theliteracydr.com/videos

List of Resources for Further Learning:

https://cb29367d-4ec0-40b5-af0b-a46966ed9d5a.filesusr.com/ugd/2c8fa0_47cff29b89e34ae2bcf16d59670de2d7.pdf

“Just thinking about grammar and syntax raises my anxiety.” Whether you share that reaction or you just feel shaky on some aspects of writing and sentence structure, you aren’t alone. Such a complex topic is not mastered in a one-and-done class. Yet it takes intellectual courage to become a student again and not to give up, especially when we are already acknowledged experts in our professions. In these days of mandated curricula, it isn’t easy to step out of the paradigm that currently dictates how education unfolds; but these two educators, Rebecca and Meghan, have found that it is still possible to create a community of true scholarship with your students—whether youths or adults.

Meghan Hicks talks about “The Boy’s Writing Group” where her teenage students uncover the power of written communications and self-expression.  The Boys learn to review and revise their sentences as a group, discovering how writing gives them a voice to express their thoughts, ideas and feelings. Unlocking the power of sentences enriches students and teachers’ lives This is particularly important in the age of limited interest in book reading, mindless Internet scrolling, social media and AI.  

You can contact Meg at [email protected] or visit the Think~Write~Read Community 

You can contact Rebecca at [email protected].

“Spell what you mean, not just what you hear,” is researcher and speech pathologist Kim Murphy’s advice to students. While spelling instruction often focuses on pronunciation, spelling-meaning instruction makes so much more sense to students and their teachers. Graphemes (letter patterns) and morphemes, the meaningful core of every written word, spell words in predictable and consistent ways, even as their pronunciation shifts.  

Joined by Peter Bowers, creator of Structured Word Inquiry, Kim shows that yes, English spelling is complex, but it doesn’t have to be confusing. In fact, students enjoy learning spelling-meaning connections, as they make sense and are easier to memorize and recall accurately when writing. 

Kim and Pete also explain why spelling lists pale in comparison to morphological word sums and matrices, which organize the spelling of words around a common base. As a bonus, Kim shows how spelling-meaning connections benefit reading comprehension.  [email protected] ReadingShift.com

 Kim Murphy:

Contact Kim at The Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center in Richmond, VA. 

Perfetti, C., & Stafura, J. (2014). Word knowledge in a theory of reading comprehension. Scientific Studies of Reading, 18(1), 22-37. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2013.827687

Free access link https://www.lrdc.pitt.edu/perfettilab/pubpdfs/WordKnowledge.pdf

This article describes the Reading Systems Framework, in which the lexicon, or word knowledge, is a central connection point between word identification with reading comprehension. Aligned with the Lexical Quality Hypothesis (Perfetti, 2007; Perfetti & Hart, 2002), the lexicon is seen as a ‘pressure point’ in the reading system.

Murphy, K.A., & Justice, L.M. (2019). Lexical-level predictors of reading comprehension in third grade: Is spelling a unique contributor? American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 28(4), 1597-1610. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_AJSLP-18-0299 

Free access link https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1052&context=cdse_pubs

This study examines the contributions of lexical-level skills to reading comprehension, and whether spelling adds anything unique to the prediction of reading comprehension. Spelling was scored using binary (correct-incorrect) and non-binary (partially correct) methods. Results showed that spelling uniquely predicted reading comprehension, above and beyond the contribution of word recognition and vocabulary combined when scored using Correct Letter Sequences. This highlights the importance of including assessment of spelling skills when evaluating children for reading comprehension difficulties.

Murphy, K.A., & Diehm, E.A. (2020). Collecting words: A clinical example of a morphology-focused orthographic intervention. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 51(3), 544-560.  https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_LSHSS-19-00050

This paper describes a morphology-focused orthography intervention for children with word-level reading and spelling difficulties, using Structured Word Inquiry. Results comparing pre- and post-test scores showed that children improved in reading and/or spelling, and that their largest gains were in spelling affixes correctly. The study supports the use of interventions that integrate morphology with orthography and phonology to improve children’s literacy skills. 

Language issues are a surprisingly common source of reading, spelling and writing difficulties. Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is impacting students in your classrooms and offices. Listen to Speech-Language Pathologists Kathleen Love and Beth Coppoc Gunshor as they share about observing, supporting and teaching students with language challenges, including DLD. They provide practical methods that boost oral and written language abilities using word and sentence activities rooted in meaning. Find out the importance of showing students how words are built from meaningful parts (morphemes), as well as how to unravel complex sentences so they make sense. Walk away with a better understanding of how to support the language needs of students. 

Bio description & links

Kathleen’s newsletter shares her latest musings about literacy, provides access to a ton of free curated resources, and alerts people to community events. More information about her course for literacy interventionists, Using Morphology in Literacy Intervention, can be found here. She also shares regularly and freely at Instagram and on Facebook, and her website is raincityreading.com. There you’ll also find her morphology merchandise shop with shirts and wall calendars!

Beth can be reached through her website, and also found on Instagram or Facebook. She has t-shirts and stickers for sale that are related to Structured Word Inquiry.

Three experienced teachers show how to get even your most resistant students to become fascinated by words and sentences. They explain how to turn memory-draining spelling homework into an activity that enriches vocabulary, sight word mapping and provides a deep understanding of how words are constructed. If morphology and the English spelling system doesn't make sense to you and your students, they will by the end of the podcast. 

Mary Beth, Lisa and Skot explain how structured word inquiry, a method developed  by Peter Bowers, gets students deeply involved in investigations of a word's spelling, meaning and history. They describe how students with reading and behavior problems become fascinated by word investigations that significantly boosts their reading, spelling and comprehension abilities. 

Too many reading methods don't emphasize the importance of sentence writing and comprehension, which limits their students literacy abilities. Mary Beth, Lisa and Skot explain how sentence investigations excite students as much as word inquiry. Understanding how sentences are composed of phrases reveals its meaning. Drawing students' attention to the relationships between words and phrases significantly boost comprehension--and interest, too.

Skot Caldwell worked for more than 25 years in “high needs” public schools in Kingston, Ontario. After annually reinventing his “spelling” program and having found nothing really effective, he met Pete Bowers and joined him on a learning journey through Real Spelling and the development of Structured Word Inquiry. His students became “Word Scientists” happily investigating language. 

https://smallhumansthinkbig.wordpress.com/category/word-inquiry/ [email protected]

 Lisa Barnett is a literacy-focused educator with over 30 years of experience in general and special education.  She is the founder and director of Empower Learning Center where she tutors privately, consults, and trains educators worldwide in English orthography. She is the author of Vocabulary & Morphology using Structured Word Inquiry. There is a wonderful For the love of Literacy Podcast about this very practical book. 

Links to Lisa & Katie’s book, SWI resources, dyslexia resources, blog about SWI & more. Lisa offers a few workshops, too. 

           LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/empowerlc 

           Website:  https://www.seethebeautyindyslexia.com/elc.html

           Blog:        https://barnettsbuzzingblog.edublogs.org/

           Email:      [email protected] 

Mary Beth Steven is a retired teacher whose teaching took a dramatic turn once she discovered Structured Word Inquiry. Mary Beth offers two online classes, Bringing Structured Word Inquiry into the Classroom and Getting a Grip on Grammar. Information can be found in the tabs at her blog, Mrs. Steven’s Classroom Blog (https://mbsteven.edublogs.org/ ).  She sells interactive books  for teaching grammar, SWI and a book of dramatic scripts to enhance teaching grammar and morphology in the classroom!

Mary Beth YouTube Channel with over 200 videos demonstrating what SWI and grammar teaching . (https://www.youtube.com/@MaryBethSteven) 

Would you like to:

• understand how the English spelling system, or orthography, can be taught in so it makes sense to students and teachers, alike? 
• integrate morphemes, the meaningful core of every word, into your reading, spelling and vocabulary instruction? 
• Alternatives to memory and attention demanding practices like sight word spelling, syllable types, and spelling rules? 

In this episode, Sue Scibetta Hegland, author of Beneath the Surface of Words, chats with Liisa Freure—founder of Fundamental Learning and an elementary, ESL, and special education teacher—about the fascinating, complex, yet logical system behind English spelling. Both passionate advocates for Structured Literacy, Sue and Liisa talk about why teaching spelling can be even more challenging than teaching reading, and how understanding the spelling system can strengthen literacy for all students. Using engaging examples, they show how exploring the structures and interconnected meanings of words can capture students’ interest, improve comprehension, and help them become confident readers and writers.

Sue Hegland:

Website: Learning About Spelling -Spelling Always Makes Sense

Beneath the Surface of Words - The Book

 Amazon (US)

Kendore Learning (U.S.)

Amazon (Canada)

Select Educational Supplies  (Australia)

Silver Eye (Australia)

 Liisa Freure – Fundamental Learning

Sue Scibetta Hegland began her career doing research and instructional design, but that changed in 2003, when she learned that one of her children is dyslexic. Trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach to literacy instruction, she has been studying and teaching about often overlooked aspects of the English orthographic system since 2014. Sue is a former school board member, serves as Editor-in-Chief for IDA’s Fact Sheet publications, and is the founder of the website LearningAboutSpelling.com. Sue is the author of the book Beneath the Surface of Words: What English Spelling Reveals and Why It Matters.

Liisa Freure is the founder of Fundamental Learning, an organization dedicated to teaching the structure of the English language clearly and meaningfully. She has taught Kindergarten through Grade 8, ESL, and Special Education. Holding a Master’s in Education, Liisa has extensive experience in professional development, curriculum design, and provincial assessments. She trained with the Orton-Gillingham Academy, where she became an Accredited Training Fellow.  Liisa has held leadership roles with the International Dyslexia Association Ontario Branch, including serving two terms as President, and currently serves on the IDA’s Fact Sheet Editorial Board. Her&a

A wonderful plan for teachers, starting with five-year-old students on up to secondary school, to create a community of students who love exploring language, starting with the written and spoken word.

Based on Ann Whiting and Lyn Anderson's beautiful books, A Field Guide to Words and A Year in Words. Children learn how the English spelling system, or orthography, works and how it is the foundation of reading, spelling and writing. Children learn to explore the three components of the spelling system, morphology (meaning), phonology (pronunciation) and etymology (history). They learn to build morphological matrices using word sums (con + struct + ion) as well as how to analyze the graphemes (letter or letters) that write morphemes. Handwriting instruction is woven into writing lessons. 

Language lessons are integrated into other areas with a strong emphasis on the words and concepts needed to understand science. Hearing how they weave the cycle , for example, across the curriculum will inspire you. 

Lyn Anderson and Ann Whiting 

BeyondtheWord International Consultancy

Caught in the Spell of Words

Do you know how English spelling really works? Go beneath the surface of words to find the connections between orthography (spelling system) and morphology, the meaningful core of every word in every language. While sound-symbol relationships in English are variable the spelling-meaning relationships are consistent. 

Jennifer Petrich and Brad Johnson are dedicated to advancing their students’ language, literacy and cognitive growth.  depth of understanding of words and how they function in sentences and beyond. Their book, Investigating English Spelling: An Interactive Guide to Understanding How English Spelling Works, is a great entry point for diving deeply into words. While the topic of language and literacy is complex Jen and Brad make this world of words immediately accessible for all. 

Dr. Jennifer Petrich works with students who have learning challenges, including dyslexia, specializing in those with attention issues, sensory-seeking behaviors, phonological working memory issues, deficits in executive functioning, and autism. She also offers training in scientific word study, based on orthographic linguistics, that benefits both neurodivergent and neurotypical learners. Dr. Petrich started teaching children and adults with dyslexia over 30 years ago but has been interested in reading and dyslexia since childhood due to having multiple family members who are dyslexic. She earned her PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. She is currently the co-director of Literacy Dr, LLC.
   
Bradley K. Johnson works with students with learning challenges and provides professional development for teachers. He has worked in the field of education for almost 25 years. He holds an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and has his administrator's license. While working as a classroom teacher and an instructional coach, Brad found his true passion in developing lessons that helped underserved populations access literacy and math instruction. In his roles as professional development specialist, curriculum director, and adjunct professor, he has coached and provided professional development to hundreds of teachers working with urban and minority populations and students with language-based learning disabilities. Brad's search for "what works" has included executive functioning, metacognition, mathematical reasoning, and social-emotional learning. In addition to currently working with students, he is also the founder of One Step Now Education.

Literacy Dr October event: https://www.theliteracydr.com/swievent

Investigating English Spelling: Order at Amazon https://a.co/d/hCvMPw7

Literacy Dr website:  theliteracydr.com

Literacy Dr’s Facebook: https://facebook.com/LiteracyDr 

Brad’s website onestepnoweducation.com 

Brad’s newsletter: newsletter.onestepnoweducation.com

 Literacy Dr drop-in: https://www.theliteracydr.com/drop-in

Literacy Dr curricular modules: https://www.theliteracydr.com/sies

Literacy Dr D.O.T.S. class: https://www.theliteracydr.com/pd/dots

The High Frequency Word Project, is an explicit, systematic resource that teaches the 130 high frequency words using strategies that make them stick. Each of these critical words is taught on multiple levels, from sounds and spellings to the morphological meaning, and how they are defined in sentences. Each word is further defined using something new: linguistically-accurate and fascinating stories about high frequency words’ etymologies providing the missing link to explain the mysterious parts of their spellings. 

The second edition contains a complete program: content background information, a teaching guide, 130-word lessons, along with activities, games, and an assessment. The first edition student Study Booklets can still be found on the website for those who want ready-to-go activities and structured practice pages.

The High Frequency Word Project website: https://www.thehfwproject.com/

Purchase the book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/hPuUuJl

The High Frequency Word Project YouTube: www.youtube.com/@thehfwproject

Fiona Hamilton is the owner and director of Wordtorque. With 38 years of Australian and international educational experience, she has MEd degrees in Educational Administration and Literacy, plus Literacy Coaching certification. She provides educators with accurate information about English orthography and easy-to-implement teaching strategies. 

Words take fascinating journeys, twisting through history in meaning, pronunciation, spelling, and structure. Wordtorque brings that journey into classrooms, combining explicit teaching with inquiry so students truly understand words. They become word noticers who grow into word knowers - readers and thinkers with skills to explore connections, build vocabulary, and understand language deeply. 

Fiona collaborates on Engage with the Page and searchENGAGE with Angela Brienza and Lauren Hateley-Crowe. 

Engagewthepage is a regular free post on wordtorque.com highlighting picture books and showing the different concepts of word inquiry you can teach from each book.

https://wordtorque.com/category/engagewthepage/

searchENGAGE is the accompanying searchable database that includes over 300 picture books linking them with key orthographic features. It makes finding the perfect read aloud text to support your word study easy. Search by bases, affixes, graphemes, phonemes, word histories, and classroom connections. 

https://wordtorque.com/searchengage/

wordtorque.com

https://wordtorque.com/

Including 

https://wordtorque.com/workshops-menu/

https://wordtorque.com/classroom-visual-resources/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/fiona-hamilton-09222919

If you think you know how dyslexia affects children and adults please listen to this moving and uplifting podcast. Dyslexia causes confusion way beyond decoding. Roadblocks frequently arise during vocabulary, sight word and morphology development, and sentence construction. Often overlooked is how sentence structure and complex grammatical patterns can limit comprehension. . 

Marie Foley spend decades with undiagnosed dyslexia and ADHD. In this podcast, Marie reveals how she gained clarity and confidence about herself and written English by learning how words are built from morphemes and sentences from phrases. Her life was transformed by learning about spelling-meaning relationships and learning the functional relationships that words have grammatically.  Understanding how words function in sentences greatly improved her comprehension and writing ability. 

Marie studied Real Spelling and Structured Word Inquiry which brought clarity to written words. In her 50s, Marie began working with our second guest, Sara Lee, to understand how the words in sentences function together to create meaning. Sara turns grammar into a form of comprehension and a foundation for writing in the most gentle and clear way. 

Sara Lee is co-owner of Literacy Dr, a literacy intervention provider based out of Atlanta, Georgia, where she offers remediation and professional development in reading, writing, and grammar to a neurodiverse population of students. Sara holds a Masters in Applied Linguistics. Her background is in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Structured Word Inquiry, and orthographic study. She also co-hosts Writing in the Trenches, an online support community for those who teach writing. 

Marie Foley:
Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/703558627526950

www.mariefoleyreading.com

Sara Lee:
www.theliteracydr.com

[email protected]

Writing in the Trenches Writers’ Support group: email Sara