Dyslexia: A Toolkit

A comprehensive guide to managing dyslexia

Reading

Dr. Elfrieda Hiebert has a completely free website with literacy materials! Visit Dr. Freddy Hiebert at textproject.org

One of our favourite resources is her collection of 80 non-fiction articles (approx. upper elementary level). They come in 5 (discreet) levels of difficulty. Each is a one-page, non-fiction article with colour photos. You can find the FYI for Kids! Articles and  more here.

Recommended Reading

Check out these informational resources for clinicians:

• Take a look at the International Literacy Association Journal Access Page.

• Semantic maps (or graphic organizers) are maps or webs of words. The purpose of creating a map is to visually display the meaning-based connections between a word or phrase and a set of related words or concepts. Semantic maps help students, especially struggling students and those with disabilities, to identify, understand, and recall the meaning of words they read in the text.
  There are many technology tools that can help students create semantic maps (including thinking maps, mind maps, bubble maps, and concept maps). You might want to check out:

  • Webspiration

  • Bubblus

  • Gliffy

  • Glinkr

  • Creately

  • Diagrammr

  • Mindomo

• In addition, many websites (including those listed below) provide information about different types of graphic organizers that you can use as a starting point as you customize your instruction to meet your students’ needs.

  • Education Place

  • Holt Interactive

  • Enchanted Learning

  • ThinkPort

• 7 Steps to model and teach students to use think alouds to support comprehension.

• Reading apprenticeship
  Definition: Reading Apprenticeship is an approach for improving students’ comprehension by using specific strategies learned in the classroom as taught by the teacher to his or her student apprentices.
  Philosophy: The goal of the Reading Apprenticeship approach is to assist students in becoming more competent readers of both academic and recreational materials. Strategies are used by students for “Making Thinking Visible” by writing what they think while they are reading.

• An informative website to help teachers understand anxiety in students. This website is intended as a resource for teachers and pre-service teachers. It does not replace a trained professional.

• This site provides teachers/parents with list of books about anxiety in children.

• The Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) is a multidisciplinary research center at Florida State University. FCRR explores all aspects of reading research: basic research into literacy-related skills for typically developing readers and those who struggle, studies of effective prevention and intervention, and psychometric work on formative assessment.

• This peer reviewed study emphasizes that ignoring teachers as a salient contributor to the classroom environment represents a missed opportunity to promote children’s potential in school and their success in life.