Elementary teachers and other educators are working on Progress Report Cards. They will soon be calling or emailing you, in advance, to let you know that your child may be struggling and will have the “Progressing With Difficulty” box ticked off in the Language box on their Progress Report. Many educators will have shared this news already if your child has scored low on a screener or a diagnostic assessment. Screeners are used with all students and then a diagnostic assessment is used to narrow down the focus with students who have not done well on the screener. For example, a grade 1 Acadience or Dibels screener shows that a child is struggling with sound and symbol correspondence, “b” says /b/ or “s” says /s/. The Core Phonics or locally developed diagnostic assessment shows the educator that the child needs helps specifically with “w” and “y” as well as short vowels. This helps the educator determine where to begin. Maybe a grade 2 student does not blend sounds together to make a word on a screener. For example, when they blend /c/ /a/ /t/ they don’t say the word cat or they get stuck at /c/ /a/ and don’t pronounce /t/. The diagnostic assessment will show the educator whether it’s all sounds or just a few. It may only be stop sounds or continuous sounds.
Educators will identify your child’s areas of need and that is where I can be of help. I have 100 hours of Orton-Gillingham Academy training, so I know how to target your child’s area of weakness. I can create a plan to help them get what they need in a 1:1 online environment, whether they need support in reading, spelling or writing.
If you get the call from your child’s teacher or educator indicating the screener or diagnostic assessment shows your child is “Progressing With Difficulty,” connect with me and we will set up an individual plan to get your child the support they need.
I would like to share some information and resources about Dyslexia from the International Dyslexia Association, Ontario.
Definition
Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological 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 the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.
Characteristics of Dyslexia in Oral Language
Children learn to speak before they learn to read. If you notice a delay in some of these characteristics, consider talking your family physician, a pediatrician or a speech and language pathologist.
*Late learning to talk
*Difficulty pronouncing words
*Difficulty acquiring vocabulary or using age appropriate grammar
*Difficulty following directions
*Confusion with before/after, right/left, etc.
*Difficulty learning the alphabet. nursery rhymes or songs
*Difficulty understanding concepts and relationships
*Difficulty with word retrieval or naming problems
Effective Instruction – Structured Literacy
Instruction that is supported by research is explicit, systematic, and cumulative. In other words, there is a plan; the instruction is structured. This evidence-based approach integrates listening, speaking, reading, and writing. That is, the instruction incorporates all aspects of literacy. This instruction embodies and defines Structured Literacy. Structured Literacy emphasizes the structure of language, including the speech sound system (phonology), the writing system (orthography), the structure of sentences (syntax), the meaningful parts of words (morphology) and the relationships among words (semantics), and the organization of spoken and written discourse. The integration of listening, speaking, reading, and writing makes this instruction multisensory. The ultimate goal of Structured Literacy is the development of deep levels of comprehension and expression and lifelong reading and writing habits. Although all aspects of this instruction are essential for students with dyslexia, this instruction also enhances the reading and academic achievement of all students.
I was so fortunate to have many wonderful teachers when I went to school in the 1970s and 1980s (Yes, I was born way back in the 1900s.) My favourites were Mrs. Ruplen in Grade 3 as well as Mrs. Fleming and Ms. Axford in high school. I attended high school in a K-13 education centre, which held many, many great experiences for me but o, including to have some teachers 4 or 5 years during grades 9 to 13. My high school was not set up on a semester system. We took had 9 subjects,. Teaching was my career choice from as early as grade 3, so I usually enjoyed school, most of the time.
In the early 1990s I began working as an educational assistant. From that time on, I was blessed to work with some wonderful colleagues, many of whom are now friends. I learned from principals, teachers, educational assistants, early childhood educators, office administrators and caretakers. Every year and every classroom helped me grow as an educator.
During World Teachers’ Day we celebrate and acknowledge teachers. Thank you for everything you have done, are doing and will do!
