Go to previous article
Go to next article
Return to 2005 Table of Contents
Presenter(s)
Jason Burke
Don Johnston Incorporated
26799 W. Commerce Drive
Volo, IL 60073
Phone: 847-740-0749
Word Study and spelling instruction are two of the most crucial pieces needed to develop solid language and literacy skills. The Word Study skills of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension are the 5 skills that the National Reading Panel, along with No Child Left Behind's Reading First Program, requires be taught explicitly and systematically. Spelling, traditionally viewed as an arbitrary skill, is being upheld more and more by literacy and linguistic experts as not only an accurate indicator of an individual's decoding ability, but also as a powerful component of teaching word-attack skills.
In this presentation participants will explore the scientific basis for the instructional approaches used to develop two integrated Word Study interventions-Simon S.I.O. and WordMaker. Developed in collaboration with Dr. Ted Hasselbring and Laura Goin (Simon S.I.O.) and Dr. Patricia Cunningham (WordMaker), these complementary interventions can be used to extend balanced literacy and 4-Blocks ® classroom instruction or to provide intensive remediation for students struggling more significantly. For included students with physical disabilities, participants will learn to apply universal design principals to provide an interactive learning experience and equal access to the curriculum/instruction. Educators will learn to adjust multiple supports to provide just the right amount of scaffolding required to meet the unique needs of each student.
Participants will be introduced to several low- and no-tech tools that facilitate pre-screening and accurate placement within each of the programs. Lesson plans, extension activities, letter tiles, word cards and sentence strips are included to provide educators a "plug and go" experience and eliminate time-intensive preparation.
Participants will review teacher and reporting options for setting student preferences and collecting data. Assessment and portfolio tools have been included for the purpose of monitoring progress and creating comprehensive student portfolios.
Finally, participants will discover how to integrate these two technologies with each other as well as extend their use and implement with additional reading and writing technologies
Go to previous article
Go to next article
Return to 2005 Table of Contents