PSJA Learning Support/504/Dyslexia
February 2024
Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) Unit 3 Training
Volume 1, Unit 3: Teaching Beginning Phonics, Word Recognition, and Spelling
On February 27th and 28th of 2024, two cohorts consisting of Collaborative Learning Leaders, Reading Coaches, Special Education Teachers, District Reading Interventionists and Dyslexia Strategists participated in LETRS Unit 3 Training.
Thanks to the TEA Grant that was awarded for this training, Learning Supports 504 Dyslexia was able to provide teachers with safety mirrors, counting chips for phoneme manipulation, dry erase boards/erasers, headphones, alphabet mats and other supplies for delivery of structured literacy instruction.
Teachers were in good spirits as Ann Brooks, facilitator for LETRS, reviewed theoretical models, and focused on code-emphasis instruction. As the day progressed participants delved deeper into orthography, Ehri's Phases of word reading, and how to create lesson plans before enthusiastically participating in mock instructional activities for targeted and effective phonics instruction.
If you would like to learn more about Structued Literacy or Dyslexia, please click on the button below to access Fact Sheets from the Interantional Dyslexia Association.
Berta Palacios Panther Literacy Café
1st- 5th Grade Panther Scholars Literacy Café Experience.
In efforts to promote a love for reading and motivation for reading intervention and Lexia students, Mrs. Jeanette Mijares, IB coach, and Mrs. Dalia Garcia, Reading Coach/dyslexia interventionist, collaborated to create a Literacy Café where students role played.
Prior to the Christmas break, students in small reading groups received a folder with a menu of short stories they were asked to practice so they could read to their peers upon returning to school. This allowed them to take ownership of their reading while building fluency, confidence, and motivation.
Stories were listed on menus and "patrons" were allowed to select their story à la carte. Intervention and Lexia students were extremely excited as they showcased their skills and read to their peers. For many it was exhilirating to step into the role of being reading leaders for friends in their class.
This project helped boost the love for reading while peers benefited from activities that helped with listening and comprehension skills, as demonstrated when listeners illustrated the storyline on their place mats.
Dalia Garcia and Jeanette Mijares are proud to say that the love for reading endures as students anxiously anticipate the next Literacy Café activity that will showcase their reading skills. It is wonderful to see our students become empowered to read while helping others learn.