Resources
Iowa Reading Research Center: An Explanation of Structured Literacy and a comparison to Balanced Literacy
This post explains the two most common approaches to literacy instruction, how they differ, and why Structured Literacy is the more promising means of preventing reading difficulties… “Investigations of Structured Literacy go back decades and offer evidence that class-wide implementation of the approach can produce results comparable to costly one-on-one interventions for all students, including those with reading disabilities (Center & Freeman, 1996). The sections that follow describe the kinds of lessons that would be taught in classes implementing the preferred approach of Structured Literacy and how those lessons would be organized…”
The Collaborative Classroom: A Conversation about the Science of Reading with Dr. Louisa Moats
“The body of work referred to as the “science of reading” is not an ideology, a philosophy, a political agenda, a one-size-fits-all approach, a program of instruction, nor a specific component of instruction. It is the emerging consensus from many related disciplines, based on literally thousands of studies, supported by hundreds of millions of research dollars, conducted across the world in many languages. These studies have revealed a great deal about how we learn to read, what goes wrong when students don’t learn, and what kind of instruction is most likely to work the best for the most students.” - Dr. Louisa Moats
The Literacy Nest
This blog from an Orton Gillingham instructor has many structured literacy resources and supplies, games and more.
Wrightslaw
Know your child’s rights under federal law. From the I.D.E.A. (Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act) to F.A.P.E. (the I.D.E.A. mandates that every child has the right to a “Free and Appropriate Public Education” a.k.a. FAPE) and Wrightslaw website has a wealth of resources for understanding your rights under the law.
The Kastner Collection: Tools, Resources, Research
A great collection of documents, tools, resources and research aligned with the Science of Reading.
Decoding Dyslexia
Find your local chapter of Decoding Dyslexia, a parents-led, grassroots movement for dyslexia.
Shanahan on Literacy: How to Knock Down 5 Strawman Arguments Against Phonics
The more you become involved in the world of advocacy for evidence-based Structured Literacy reading instruction, the more you’ll start to hear some push-back in the form of several common, but ill-conceived arguments against phonics. Tim Shanahan is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he was Founding Director of the UIC Center for Literacy, and in this post on his blog, Shanahan on Literacy, he dismantles the arguments against phonics one by one, with facts, science and statistics. Read it, absorb it, make it a part of your very fiber!
The International Dyslexia Association
The I.D.A. has great resources if you want to learn more about dyslexia, find local resources in your area, learn more about Structured Literacy, read the latest news around dyslexia and become more involved with advocacy.
Dyslexia Resources in your Area
The International Dyslexia Association has a great directory of resources in your area.
Understood.org
Understood.org is an incredible resource to gain a better understanding about learning and thinking differences such as dyslexia and ADHD.
Decoding Dyslexia Massachusetts
This site has a useful guide to help parents of children with dyslexia understand more about the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (I.D.E.A.) and how to use it to make sure your child’s IEP reading intervention is evidence-based.
University of Oregon Center on Teaching & Learning: Advancing Teaching and Learning through Research
The Center on Teaching and Learning (CTL) is a world-class research center at the University of Oregon that uses scientific evidence and research-based practices to advance teaching and student learning.
Developing Sound Sense: a free research and evidenced based phonemic/phonological awareness curriclum!
Developing Sound Sense is a completely free phonological & phonemic awareness curriculum that includes a comprehensive scope and sequences with 12 progressive modules and 110 sequenced lessons, video demonstrations for every lesson and free downloadable materials.
Developing Sound Sense is direct, explicit, systematic, research-based and fun! Designed for individual or small group instruction, this free phonological and phonemic awareness curriculum is appropriate for pre-readers from preschool through early elementary school and struggling readers who need phonological and phonemic awareness support.