This blog post shares my interpretation of Structured Literacy and how I have applied it in my classroom and tutoring….
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Happy Halloween! đđť Letâs talk about something thatâs been haunting English spelling for centuries⌠GHOST LETTERS!Did you know that many of the letters we call silent today werenât always silent?Long ago, the k in knee, the w in write, the g in gnaw, and the b in lamb were actually pronounced! Over time, pronunciation changed, but the spellings stayed. Those letters are like little ghosts of sounds from the past! đťSome of these spelling patterns have fascinating connections to meaning.đť kn: Notice how words like knee, knuckle, knit, and knife relate to joints or sharpness. đť wr: Many words beginning with wr involve twisting, turning, or bending. Think about how wrist, wring, writhe, wrench, and wreath relate to twisting.)đť gn: Words like gnaw and gnash share a connection to biting or grinding. Even a gnat is an insect that bites! đť mb: These words have another interesting story! While the b in lamb was once pronounced, the b in words like thumb and numb was added to the spelling later, likely because of the influence of other words. (Source: etymonline.com)Of course, these arenât ârulesâ that we should apply to every word. Theyâre fascinating patterns and interesting tidbits though! So these sounds may be gone, but the letters are still haunting our spelling! đťHappy Halloween! đIf youâre interested in learning more about words and how to integrate morphology, phonics, vocabulary, and grammar, comment BEYOND.
When we teach spelling, are we just teaching students to put letters in the right order? Thereâs so much more to it! English spelling is influenced by both sound and meaningful structure. Words are made up of meaningful parts called morphemes. And when students begin to recognize those parts, they start to understand WHY words are spelled the way they are.One way we can help students notice this is by âspelling outâ a word. When we spell a word aloud, we can help students notice how that word is built. Instead of just naming each letter, we say the letters in a way that highlights the wordâs structure. (Check out the examples on the slide.)Michelle and I are so passionate about bringing morphology into our literacy instruction. đ Thatâs exactly the kind of teaching we explore inside our Beyond Phonics Club.We created this community to help teachers connect the pieces of literacy instruction, from phonics and spelling to morphology, vocabulary, and beyond. We have videos, a growing library of lessons and student materials, and monthly community calls. Teaching reading doesnât stop at phonics, and neither should our professional learning!đ Want to join us? Comment BEYOND and weâll send you the details!
When you think of dyslexia, what comes to mind? đ¤A common misconception is that itâs mixing up letters or reading words backward. But those arenât the signs we should be looking for!There are signs we might notice in a studentâs reading, spelling, writing, and even before they start learning to read.And dyslexia doesnât look the same in every child! It exists on a continuum, with varying degrees of difficulty and different patterns of strengths and weaknesses.So what should we do when we notice these signs?Screeners like DIBELS and Acadience can help us identify students who may be at risk for reading difficulties. From there, we can dig deeper to understand exactly where a student is struggling and what instruction they need.And remember, we donât need to wait for a dyslexia diagnosis to begin providing targeted intervention!The more we understand what dyslexia can look like, the better equipped we are to recognize students who may need extra support. đSave this one to refer back to! Want a copy? Comment DYSLEXIA and Iâll send the link to this free download along with a few others.
If youâre looking for a quick reference guide and visuals like this one to post around your school, comment âdyslexiaâ and I will send you the link to a free resource. Every October, we talk about dyslexia awareness, but awareness is just the first step. What truly changes outcomes is understanding how to teach, support, and empower these students day to day.Students with dyslexia process language differently, so reading requires intentional, structured instruction that helps build the pathways fluent readers use automatically.If youâre looking to learn more: đ Casey Harrison đŚThe Dyslexia ClassroomÂŽď¸ has a wonderful new book full of insight and practical guidance. đOvercoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz is a must-read!đ§ Listen to Michelle Sullivan ⢠Science of Reading ⢠Literacy Podcast October podcast series on dyslexia awareness.đ Visit your local Decoding Dyslexia chapter to connect with advocacy and resources in your state.đĄ Explore The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) website for definitions, fact sheets, and training opportunities.
Your students know the phonics skillsâŚso why are some of them STILL struggling? Maybe they can read the simpler words, but things start to fall apart as the words get bigger.Maybe they know a phonics pattern during the lesson, but youâre not seeing it transfer to their reading and spelling.Maybe they can decode the wordâŚbut have no idea what it means.Or maybe YOU can see where your students are getting stuck, but youâre not always sure what to point out or say in the moment.Thatâs exactly what weâre talking about TOMORROW. đJoin us for our FREE Masterclass! Weâll show you how understanding just a little more about how words actually work can change what you notice, how you respond when students get stuck, AND help you do more with the literacy instruction youâre already providing.And yesâthis is for Kâ5. đđ
September 30â¨â° 7 PM ETâ¨đť Live on Zoomâ¨đď¸ 100% FREETag a teacher friend who needs to come with you! â¤ď¸Comment JOIN and weâll send you all the details!Logos Literacy Academy ⢠Beyond Phonics Club ⢠Morphology Sarah Paul | Science of Reading Michelle Sullivan ⢠Science of Reading ⢠Literacy Podcast
