NHIDA
serving the dyslexic community
in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont
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Spring 2020 Newsletter --
Edited by J. Beaton, D. Vincent, N. Kring-Burns
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President's Message
A
re you concerned that you may not get a seat at our next conference?
You should check out our new plan to give our NHIDA members the chance to register before anyone else. On February 12, I sent an email to all current branch members. If you are a branch member and did not receive it, you might want to update your contact information or check the status of your membership. Please reach out to Hannah Sturm at the national IDA offices:
hsturm@dyslexiaida.org
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NHIDA and Nashua Community College
present
PHocus on PHonology – The Why, What, and
How of Phonological Instruction
Friday, April 3, 2020
7:00-9:00 PM
at Nashua Community College
505 Amherst St, Nashua, NH
Free and open to the public. No advance registration.
(2 professional development hours for educators)
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Dr. Carol Tolman
Carol Tolman, Ed.D, was awarded a doctorate in Educational Psychology with a concentration in literacy and has been a consultant at the state, district, and school levels for over 15 years. Prior to earning her doctorate, Dr. Tolman was a classroom teacher and Special Educator with more than 25 years of experience in public schools at the elementary and secondary levels. She spent 12 of those years designing and implementing an innovative, exemplary reading clinic for academically challenged middle and high school students.
In addition to spearheading many successful, long-term literacy initiatives throughout the country, Dr. Tolman has published Working Smarter, Not Harder: What Teachers of Reading Need to Know and Be Able to Do and The Relationship between Teacher Knowledge and Effective RTI: When We Know Better, We Do Better (IDA Perspectives).
Carol is co-author of LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) Presenter’s Kits, co-author of LETRS Modules 1, 2nd Edition, co-author of LETRS Module 10, 2nd Edition, and co-author with Dr. Louisa Moats of the LETRS 3rd Edition series of text and on-line supports for teachers of reading and spelling. Dr. Tolman has presided over the LETRS Leadership Board, created LETRS Onine, and provides LETRS Trainer of Trainer (TOT) workshops to prepare others for the rigorous study involved in becoming a Certified Local LETRS Trainer.
Dr. Tolman has presented internationally in China and Australia and is passionate about the importance of empowering teachers with the knowledge necessary to impact change for all children.
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5K Race to Support Dyslexia in Maine
Saturday, April 25, 2020
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The Parent Information Center
presents
Wrightslaw Special Education Law
and Advocacy Conference
with Pete Wright, Esq.
Thursday, April 2, 2020
Sky Meadow Country Club
6 Mountain Laurels Drive
Nashua, NH 03062
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Volunteer Help Wanted
The NHIDA Board of Directors, serving New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine needs your help. We are looking for a skilled WordPress developer, designer, and enthusiast to help us with our website. Do you have these skills or know someone that does? Want to make a difference in the "world" of dyslexia? Please contact Brenda Peters at
nhida.bpeters@gmail.com to discuss this opportunity to volunteer and/or join the board.
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NHIDA's 2020 Fall Conference
The Impact of Handwriting & Spelling:
Why They Matter & How to Teach Them
with
William Van Cleave
and
Dr.
Jan Wasowicz
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William Van Cleave
, is an educational consultant and nationally recognized speaker, whose specialties include morphology and written expression.
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Dr. Jan Wasowicz
, PhD, CCC-SLP
has
more than 30 years of experience as a language, literacy, and learning specialist. She has worked with students who have language-based reading, writing, and spelling problems in a variety of educational settings, including public schools and private practice.
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Friday, September 25, 2020 in New Hampshire
Puritan Conference Center
Hooksett, NH
Saturday, September 26, 2020 in Maine
Keeley's Banquet Center
Portland, Maine
8:15 AM - 3:00 PM
Registration opening soon!
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A New Hampshire school official said Maria
would grow out of her reading problems
By Dale Vincent
CONCORD: When Maria was struggling to learn to read in school, the principal at her Concord elementary school attributed the problem to her rapid physical growth.
“She’s so tall,” the principal said, telling Maria’s mother: “I bet when everything catches up, Maria will be just fine. She’s so smart!”
The woman also said: “What we’re doing is the best that can be (done).”
Draper’s mother disagreed. She knew her daughter had a problem with reading.
Maria knew it too. She tried her best. “I am someone who likes challenges,” she said. “But I didn’t like reading,” she said.
Maria also knew she needed more help than the school was providing. It wasn’t a matter of intelligence, because Maria memorized stories read to her. “My mom said I was flying under the radar,” she said.
Maria said school was tough with an undiagnosed learning disability. “I felt embarrassed and ashamed,” she said.
Reading was tough enough, but cursive writing was a nightmare. “Each day we’d learn three letters,” said Maria, "and have to do worksheets at home each night."
“The straight lines would get wiggly and fall off the page,” she said.
By the time Maria was in third grade, in a class of 33, Maria’s mother had reached the limit of her patience.
click to continue
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Lucy Calkins in the News:
Lucy Calkins, creator of Units of Study for Teaching Reading (Reading Workshop model) pushes back against "phonics-centric" people labeling themselves the 'science of reading'
Experts Review is Strongly Critical
of Lucy Calkins' Materials
apmreports: by Emily Hanford, January 27, 2020 Experts say widely used reading curriculum is failing kids: Review finds Lucy Calkins' materials don't align with the science of reading.
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Retired NHL player and Stanley Cup winner,
Brent Sopel, advocates for dyslexia
Brent Sopel, a retired NHL player, realized he had dyslexia after his daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia. He established a foundation to help children and adults with dyslexia. He is working with the US House of Representatives caucus on dyslexia to improve teacher education. The goal is to increase teacher understanding of dyslexia as well as provide appropriate instruction for kids with dyslexia.
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Principal shares his journey
learning about the science of reading
from the lens of a building leader
This quick-read article is a great one to share with administrators in your school. The author clearly and concisely lays out the reasons to embrace the science of reading when teaching kids to read.
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Problems teachers encounter when
teaching reading comprehension
Nancy Wexler, author of
The Knowledge Gap
, discusses the problems with how teachers try to teach reading comprehension. This article discusses the importance of increasing children’s knowledge in a variety of topics as a way of increasing reading comprehension. We see the negative impact when working with children who have limited life experiences and exposure to basic ideas often taken for granted. It is hard to comprehend when reading if the background knowledge is lacking.
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Book Review
by Sue Morbey
Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and
Overcoming Reading Difficulties
by David A. Kilpatrick, Ph.D.
John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2015.
Dr. Kilpatrick uses well-established scientific findings to present solutions to our literacy crisis, challenging those entrenched in traditional ways of assessing, preventing, and overcoming reading difficulties.
He laments that the science of reading has been convincing for many years yet is not well known. This seems to drive his determination to make the research and its implications clear and compelling.
While designed for comfortable reading and quick reference, this is a heavy read as well. The reader becomes intrigued by the concept of orthographic mapping (see explanation at conclusion) and learns about it by digesting the information in a cumulative way. Chapter four can focus on it because of the background information provided in the first three chapters.
Look for some uncomfortable truths and new knowledge.
Kilpatrick makes a helpful distinction between word identification (figuring out words) and word recognition (effortless and automatic) with important implications for test and program producers, evaluators, and teachers.
Evaluators will understand how scientific findings point to the importance of an assessment of phonemic awareness, that the omission of phonemic awareness within their assessments can lead to under identification and sometimes over identification of word-level reading problems. Those devoted to particular reading tests will pay attention to revealed flaws that they may have suspected but not incorporated in their interpretations.
Teachers are asked to rethink the relative weights within their reading programs of phonics, vocabulary instruction including the popular inclusion of morphology, and language instruction. Everyone pushing for more phonics in the classroom will need to absorb Kilpatrick's discussion about too much phonics sometimes and the need for more phonemic awareness instruction often.
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Now Enrolling
Orton-Gillingham Certified Dyslexia Practitioner Training
Rochester, New Hampshire
Are you interested in becoming an Orton-Gillingham certified dyslexia practitioner? The Children’s Dyslexia Centers – Seacoast Learning Center in Rochester, NH has openings in the April 2020 cohort. Our multi-sensory structured language education training includes 70 hours of instruction and 100 hours of supervised practicum. Training sessions will be held from 8:30-3:30, at the Center, on the following Saturdays: April 4, May 2, June 6, September 12, October 3, December 5, January 9, 2021 and February 6, 2021. Trainees begin their practicum experience during our summer tutoring session (July 7 to August 13) working with one student at our Center under the mentorship of an experienced dyslexia practitioner. In the fall, trainees work with 2 students on Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday with a range of start times. This training is offered for FREE but spaces are limited.
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Stern Center Professional Learning - Vermont
Literacy Champions Symposium
WEBINARS
featuring Louisa Moats, Ed.D., and Nancy Mather, Ph.D.
prerecorded from Fall 2019 symposium
Orton-Gillingham: Robust Vocabulary
Friday, 03/13/2020
Stern Center for Language and Learning
Williston, Vermont
Wilson Language Training
Stern Center for Language and Learning,
Williston, Vermont
Monday, 04/06/2020 - Fundations Level K
Tuesday, 04/07/2020 - Fundations Level 1
Wednesday, 04/08/2020 - Fundations Level 2
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Video Presentations by Dyslexia Experts
The Three Cueing Systems and Related Myths (September 2019)
Presented by: Dr. Heidi Beverin-Curry, VP for Professional Development at
The Reading League
This past October, some of us made the trip Harvard Medical School in Boston for a very worthwhile conference with leading literacy experts. Below are the links to presentations by all the speakers, including Dr. Louisa Moats.
The Dyslexia Foundation presents
Understanding Spelling, Orthography, and Their Links to Reading (
October
2019)
Kenneth Pugh, Ph.D.-"The Neuroscience of Orthographic Processions and Spelling"
Kate Nation, Ph.D.-"New Frontier in Orthographic Processing and Spelling Theory"
Kenn Apel, Ph.D.-"Contributions of Morphological Awareness to Reading and Writing"
Louisa Moats, Ph.D.-"How Spelling Supports Reading Instruction"
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Conference video featuring Dr. David Kilpatrick
David Kilpatrick
, NHIDA's highly popular 2019
conference speaker,
delivered the following presentation at
Reading in The Rockies, Vail, Colorado (2017)
The Nature of Reading Development, Reading Difficulties, and Effective Instruction
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Educational Podcasts
for Educators and Parents on Dyslexia
Amplify: Science of Reading Podcasts:
Early Literacy and the The Science of Reading: Conversation with Caroline Strom
Tim Shanahan,
literacy expert, discusses what middle school reading instruction should look like.
Emily Lutri
ck
,
a PreK-5 Curriculum and Dyslexia Coordinator, examines the facts and fictional myths of dyslexia,
how early is too early to screen for dyslexia, how to identify the signs and risk factors of students of all ages. and what educators and parents can do to help students.
Conversation with author
Lois Letchford,
author
of
Reversed: a Memoir.
The author shares her son's struggle with dyslexia. At the end of first grade, her son is diagnosed with a low I.Q. She discusses the highs and lows of their journey and his recent achievement of obtaining a Ph.D. from Oxford University.
Dr. Tim Rasinsky,
expert on
reading fluency,
discusses the importance of fluency instruction as it correlates to word recognition and automaticity and the the bridge to reading comprehension.
Dr. Rasinsky provides suggestions for parents and teachers to develop fluency. He reminds us that "Speed is the consequence of automaticity-automaticity is not the consequence of speed."
Emily Hanford,
education reporter,discusses what motivated her to do a trilogy of educational podcasts on dyslexia and her big takeaways from that experience.
Hanford also discusses feedback she has received regarding concerns that educators may become overwhelmed and turned off to the information on the need to change reading instruction.
Tiffany Hogan
,
Shelley Gray and Mary Alt
"
See Hear Speak
Podcast":
Working Memory and Word Learning in Children with Dyslexia and DLD and in Bilingual Spanish-English Speakers
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Orton Oak
status is conferred upon
individuals who have been IDA members
for 25 years or longer.
NHIDA is grateful to its
Orton Oaks
and to these other long-term members for their steadfast commitment to the organization
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Teen go cart champion raises thousands for students with dyslexia
Meet Elliott Cox, a middle schooler with dyslexia, who has used his passion for go cart racing, to raise thousands via his charity,
Driving for Dyslexia.
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SAVE the DATE!
2020 IDA National Conference
Gaylord Rockies, Colorado
November 12, 2020-November 15, 2020
More info coming soon!
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Are you a teacher, parent, individual with dyslexia, professional, school, or other organization?
Become a member of IDA today!
The benefits of membership vary
according to membership level,
Are you a service provider?
Become a member at the professional level and have your name/business included in NHIDA's provider list.
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2020 NHIDA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
NHIDA's Board of Directors consists of up to 15 individuals who serve on a volunteer basis for 2 or 3 year terms. Members of the Board are guided and assisted in their work by former Directors who serve on the Advisory Board
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2020 Board Officers:
President
: Aileen Cormier, Milford, NH
Vice President
: Brenda Peters, Londonderry, NH
Treasurer
: Karyn Hubbard, Acton, ME
Secretary
: Elizabeth Paul, Concord, New Hampshire
2020 Members at Large:
Jayne Beaton, Amherst, NH
Bebe Casey, New London, NH
Dale Vincent, Concord, NH
Heidi Zollman, Strafford, NH
Jennifer Dysart, Hampden, ME
Brittany Lovejoy, Enosburg, VT
Nancy Kring-Burns, NH
Susan Hourihan, South Berwick, ME
Rebecca Nelson-Avery, NH
Anne Eaton, Concord, NH
Advisory Board:
Anne Ehret, Arlington, VT
Beth McClure, Canterbury, NH
Caryl Patten, Feeding Hills, MA
Michael Patten, Feeding Hills, MA
Melissa Farrall, St. Albans, VT
Claudia Golda-Dominguez, Hudson, NH
Renee LeCain, Sandown, NH
Sue Morbey, Amherst, NH
Shannon Dixon-Yandow, Essex Junction, VT
Michelle Stinson, Hanover, NH
Sue Lurgio, Merrimack, NH
NHIDA
P.O. Box 3724, Concord, NH 03302-3724
(603) 229-7355 (to leave a message)
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