3. Embed explicit instruction into grade-level curricula
To help teach word structure knowledge, Dr. Nelson recommends educators embed explicit instruction into grade level curricula to develop all students’ reading decoding, spelling, and vocabulary skills.
4. Make it fun, make it multi-sensory
“My encouragement to teachers is to play, teach your kids to focus on the fun of making rhymes with words,” said Nelson. She noted that this can work with both younger and older grades.
Also, sound-symbol association skills can be built by using a multi-modal, multi-sensory, multi-linguistic approach to make association automatic. This kind of explicit instruction is especially effective for students with dyslexia.
5. Emphasize writing
Nelson emphasized using writing instruction as a great way to get classroom teachers and special service providers working in the same space. They can work together using regular curricular assignments as context for students with literacy challenges.
Educators can merge teaching of writing processes with language processes through planning and organizing ideas, drafting, revising, proofreading and editing, and presenting and celebrating their work.
Nelson shared even more valuable tips for teaching students with literacy challenges throughout the edWebinar, which can be viewed at the link below.
About the Presenter
Nickola Wolf Nelson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, is Professor Emerita in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and former Director of the Ph.D. program in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences at Western Michigan University. She is the author of the book Language and Literacy Disorders: Infancy Through Adolescence, and first author of Test of Integrated Language and Literacy Skills (TILLS), as well as editor-in-chief of the journal, Topics in Language Disorders. Dr. Nelson’s research and publications focus on curriculum-based language and literacy assessment and intervention.
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The recording of the edWebinar can be viewed by anyone here.
[Editor’s note: This piece is original content produced by edWeb.net.View more edWeb.net events here.]
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