How Important Is Handwriting Instruction?
Handwriting is a hot topic among educators at the moment. What with technological advancements, core curriculum requirements, the need to prepare students for standardized testing..
R U Serious?
With the average teenager sending about 6 texts per waking hour, it is becoming the most common form of communication, and many fear that it is destroying spelling skills. However, recent research shows that “textese” doesn’t affect traditional spelling in students with high phonological awareness. It is this skill that allows texters to create and decode abbreviations like gr8, 4evr, and 2moro…
Summary of Findings from the President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education
In 2001, President Bush ordered the creation of the President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education. The Commission held hearings and meetings throughout the nation and listened to the concerns and comments from parents, teachers, principals, education officials and the public…
Why Handwriting Matters
Recent research is showing that handwriting practice is still viable in the electronic age. Though many view handwriting training as a nostalgic ritual, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows that the act of writing is a stimulant to the brain…
Ever seen a “bird can”?
I was working with one of our students on reading when I discovered anew just how confusing words can be.
Avi (age 7) and I were working on a pyramid story, which gives the students practice in looking at one new word at a time with the end goal of building reading fluency and speed. It looks something like this: