The Complexity of Letter Formation

• Letter formation is the foundation for literacy development. This is because practicing letter formation helps students with shapes and sounds of letters, which is important for foundational reading skills.

• Students also need fine motor skills in order to accomplish appropriate letter formation. Good letter formation needs good fine motor skills.

• Writing by hand engages the parts of the brain that enhance memory and learning. When students are writing the letter and saying the sound, we're helping them make the sounds stick.

• One study found a significant correlation between letter recognition and handwriting fluency in students who were practicing their letter formation and had handwriting fluency. This proves that children who practice writing letters become more familiar with their shapes and sounds.

• Another study showed that explicit instruction in letter formation is effective. As educators, we need to guide students through the correct strokes, use correct visual aids, and even teach students chants so they can understand how to write each letter.

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

The Birth of Alphabet Quest

• During the pandemic, I was asked to leave my literacy coaching role and teach kindergarten. When I went back to the classroom, I discovered that we were in desperate need of speeding up and enriching how we learned our alphabet.

• My time in the classroom was what birthed a really fun and effective idea I had: Alphabet Quest! Alphabet Quest is the idea of teaching the alphabet in an intense, systematic (and faster) way.

• I returned to my literacy coaching role and introduced Alphabet Quest to my co-workers.

• Instead of teaching one letter a week and spending 26 weeks inside the alphabet, Alphabet Quest was designed for children to learn their alphabet and letter sounds in only 5 weeks' time.

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

All About Melanie Brethour:

• Full-time elementary resource teacher in Montreal, Canada and also a parent to a child with severe dyslexia.

• Passionate about dyslexia and the science of reading, specifically supporting parents through navigating the dyslexia journey.

• Her son was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of nine. This influenced her to learn more about dyslexia and how she could support both her son and her students.

• Founded Decoding Dyslexia Quebec, which raises awareness about dyslexia and gives support to educators and parents.

• Her passion resides in sharing resources and information for parents, teachers, and all educators so that those with dyslexia can feel supported.

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

All About Megan & Laura from Developing Readers Academy:

• Both taught in the same intervention room at a school in Minnesota.

• After looking at their end-of-the-year data, they realized their students simply were not making progress.

• Megan and Laura then went through LETRS and Orton Gillingham training to sharpen their skills.

• After that, they devoured every single SOR training and resource they could!

• When they implemented these practices, they instantly saw results in their intervention room.

• Megan and Laura wanted to ensure all kids were being given the resources that they need in order to be successful readers - not just the ones in their own small intervention room.

• So they started sharing ideas on Instagram and realized how fun it was to share structured literacy approaches and the magic of the science of reading.

• From there, Developing Readers Academy was born.

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

All About Jake Daggett:

• Began teaching in 2015 and mostly has taught in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade classrooms.

• Recently took a new role as Foundational Literacy Director at a school in Milwaukee.

• Loves sharing ideas about the science of reading, especially about how we can make it fun and engaging for students.

• Focuses on the rhythm and movement in literacy classrooms.

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

All About Wiley Blevins:

• Author, travel-lover, and expert in all things literacy.

• Comes from a history of grandparents who were illiterate - books were not a part of his everyday life. It was these limitations that encouraged him to perform well in school and learn to read.

• When he began teaching, he didn't know how to teach reading, so he had to do his own mini studies in his classroom.

• This led him to graduate school at Harvard where he learned how children learned to read.

• His educational journey led him to work with and learn from people like Jeanne Chall, Marylin Adams, and Louisa Moats.

• With their expertise, he took their research and knowledge and applied it to his own classroom, made it practical, tested out nuances, and talked about how we can better help our students.

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

Full Show Notes Here

All About Dr. Stollar:

• Former Vice President for Professional Learning at Acadience Learning Inc.

• Part-time assistant professor in the online Reading Science Program at Mount St. Joseph University.

• Founding member of a national alliance for supporting reading science in higher education.

• Support educators to learn about and implement the science of reading.

• Consults and helps other teacher programs to align programs to reading research.

• Has an online membership community called The Reading Science Academy where she supports educators to learn about the science of reading and implement it in their various educational roles.

What does MTSS stand for?

MTSS:

• …stands for Multi-Tiered Systems of Support.

• …is first and foremost a framework for putting into place things that we know about reading research.

• …uses data to make decisions that allow schools to eliminate barriers to student reading success.

• For example, we know that reading problems can be prevented for the vast majority of students primarily through the way we teach reading for the first time in the classroom. Research also tells us there are effective ways to intervene for the students who have difficulty with reading.

• …is all about making decisions as a team at a variety of levels within schools (district, school, grade) that will allow the educational system to get all students reading. Everyone can become a reader, but they're not going to do so with the same type or amount of instruction.

• …is made up of three tiers: Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3. These are tiers of instruction and intervention.

• …is set up to be a continuum of instructional supports that are available to every student from day one of kindergarten. It's the school's job to get the system of supports in place. Each school will have its own way of doing this - think of these tiers as customized to the needs of the school community, its students, and its resources.

• …and the science of reading aren't separate - they're joined together. They are not separate initiatives. Let's think about MTSS as the delivery system for what's in the reading research.

• ..is a model where each and every student is considered (from accelerated to struggling).

Check Out Dr. Stollar:

• Website: https://www.readingscienceacademy.com/

  • https://www.readingscienceacademy.com/#section-1591199462991

• Check out her MTSS course, plus her Reading Science Academy membership!:

• Instagram: readingscienceacademy

• YouTube: @readingscienceacademy

• Email: [email protected]

Let's talk assessments and get straight to the point: We can't have meaningful, effective instruction without assessments. If instruction is the sail of a boat, assessments are the winds that drive and guide it. Before we can teach effectively, we need to know the needs of our students as well as their capabilities. Let's chat!

Assessments are important because they:

• identify strengths and weaknesses

• Inform instruction

• track progress

• guide intervention

• support differentiation

• inform curriculum planning

Tools and Resources

• Check out my Phonics Quick Checks for the best starting place! They are easy to use and, yep, you guessed it - quick!

• Check out my Phonemic Awareness Screener for free!

• My Phonics Screener for Units 2-4 assesses both decoding and encoding.

• Also check out my Letter Name/Sound Check (5 Word CVC).

Remember that reading is not a race - it's a journey. When we embrace ongoing assessments in our classroom as well as data-driven instruction, we can ensure that we are delivering the best possible instruction to our students - no matter where they are.

Full show notes here!

The Importance of Phonics Instruction

Phonics instruction, which teaches the relationship between sounds and letters, is a fundamental component of reading development. To ensure effective phonics instruction, teachers must follow a well-designed scope and sequence. When it comes to choosing or creating a phonics scope and sequence, there are many things we should consider.

In this blog post, we'll explore the importance of choosing and following a phonics scope and sequence by drawing insights from current research. Understanding the significance of this structured approach to phonics instruction can lead to improved reading outcomes for our students. So let's dive in!

Full Show Notes Here

In this episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Heather O'Donnell

• Former special education teacher who worked with kids with autism

• Dyslexia practitioner through Wilson Reading System

• Structured literacy dyslexia interventionist

• Started tutoring practice called New Paltz Multisensory in September 2018

  • Works with students not only with dyslexia but also with kids with special needs, autism, and children who are in self-contained classrooms.

• Passionate about reading and writing instruction and loves watching kids' confidence soar

Full Show Notes Here