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An educator measures a student's reading progress while he reads aloud.

May 23, 2019

Measuring Reading Progress

Accuracy: Educators should use a range of word lists for sight words and multi-syllable words. Sight words give the educator a sense of automaticity with those words whereas multi-syllable words provide insight into decoding strategies and recognition of morphemes. Oral Reading Context Fluency (Accuracy, Smoothness, Rate, Intonation & Expression): Educators can provide students with a

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Elementary students are writing independently at their desks.

May 5, 2019

Creating Richer Personal Narratives: Creating Positive Student Outcomes in Middle School Special Education:

Each year, I do a personal narrative writing unit with my seventh grade students. There have been years where I’ve received some really moving, thoughtful narratives…. and years where a student tells me the only event he can think of to write about was the time he accidentally shaved off part of an eyebrow. (Yes,

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Apr 25, 2019

Vocabulary Instruction Strategies and Activities: Study Skills in Early Elementary School

Vocabulary instruction is a vital part of teaching The more students understand vocabulary, the more they will be able to understand what they read, what they hear, and how they speak. I was reminded of the need for explicit vocabulary instruction during a study skills course that I took with Landmark Outreach. After taking the

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A middle school student writing a full page of text.

Apr 25, 2019

Tackling Text Structure: Creating Positive Student Outcomes in Middle School Special Education

Working with Author’s Purpose As testing season rapidly approaches, I’ve begun to target my focus on specific reading skills that come up often in standardized testing, but always with an eye on how I can use these skills to also improve my students’ writing. Reading and writing, of course, go hand in hand, so I

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Students eagerly participate in a classroom lesson.

Apr 23, 2019

Promoting Student Interest and Motivation

On the other hand, students under stress or faced with a perceived threat are known to show decreased interest and motivation. The human brain is wired for survival, and, when presented with a perceived threat, the brain will transform into a reflex survival response. Students under stress or  faced with perceived threats may relate to

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An elementary student reading an informative text.

Mar 21, 2019

Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension requires the seamless integration of multiple skills beyond just decoding words accurately. In order for students to comprehend the information that they read, a variety of factors must be intact. First, students must understand the structure of the language they are reading, including grammar, syntax, and figures of speech. Students also need to

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A middle school student is taking notes surrounded by books and a folder.

Mar 19, 2019

How to Teach Point of View: Creating Positive Student Outcomes in Middle School Special Education

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has made this mistake. “Rewrite the chapter from another character’s point of view,” I instructed my students a few years ago, feeling good about this creative, more interesting variation of writing a chapter summary. After collecting their work, I sat down to read their stories and immediately

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A classroom analog clock surrounded by post it notes indicating the time in increments of five minutes.

Mar 19, 2019

Teaching Time Management: Study Skills in Early Elementary School

Another big take away that I have learned and been able to implement into my substantially separate second grade language-based classroom is the importance of explicitly teaching time management skills. Many students can learn to tell time accurately at this young age, but the actual concept of the passage of time is a very challenging

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Elementary student practices vocabulary words in structured exercises with support from teacher.

Feb 28, 2019

Vocabulary Instruction

While researchers have noted the importance of expanding vocabulary knowledge, research also suggests that students with language-based learning disabilities are not reading as much as their typically developing peers. In order for students to truly comprehend written material, they must know 90-95% of words on the page. According to the Texas Reading Initiative, a student who

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Free Resources for Educators

Learn about recent research and explore instructional strategies to support your students with SLD.

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