Language and Reading Study Group

November Meeting Recap

Our next study group meeting is fast approaching! My colleague Lyndsay and I are so pleased to offer a discussion group for Educators and SLPs interested in exploring the science of reading and the language basis of learning to read.

Sight Word Vocabulary

In November, a presentation by journalist Emily Hanford from APM (hosted by PaTTAN Literacy Symposium, June 2020) was assigned. You can find some of Emily Hanford's work here (and on Twitter @ehanford).

During our time, we discussed the role of “sight word vocabulary” and how this differs from traditional practice of teaching words “by sight”. We also discussed dyslexia, as a diagnosis and the challenges students with word-level reading difficulties face in schools, currently.

Universal supports and challenges around implementing these supports were mentioned. Norm-referenced data and screening measures to track progress and identify those at risk were also briefly discussed.

Measuring progress using non-traditional measures will be explored in December, as we take a close look at the role of phonemic awareness and the process of orthographic mapping in learning (and remembering) words when reading.

The Reading League

Towards the end of the meeting, Lyndsay and I mentioned the wealth of information The Reading League can provide to educators and SLPs who are interested in best practice and in the science of reading.

The Reading League offers webinars, conference presentations, and a number of other resources for those interested in helping children learn to read. We specifically mentioned The Reading League Journal as a publication to explore, noting papers and topics published in the journal are reviewed by reading scientists as well as teachers.

We would like to thank all of you who joined last month. The dedication and passion to explore the science of reading is exciting to see.

December Study Group Meeting

Our next meeting is December 9th at 7pm. If you are interested in joining us, please send a DM to @totallytalkingyeg or @myspeechlanguageliteracy and we will send the next webinar assignment and the meeting link.

Meetings are 60 minutes and there is no charge to attend.
Access to the webinars is free.
No previous experience with the scientific studies of reading or research interpretation is necessary.

We welcome Teachers, SLPs, and Educators who are interested in supporting students in the areas of reading and language.