Expert Q&A

What are some strategies to help a student understand what the question is demanding?

My son will be 10 in two months and can’t read and can barely do simple addition and subtraction. What can I do?

Frequently we encounter students in the 4th grade and above who have huge gaps in their literacy skills and are two or more grade levels behind academically. How do we teach these students foundational literacy skills, word recognition, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension and what materials/resources do you recommend that do not seem babyish?

Could you send me some current research which indicates that a sustained reading program benefits adolescent readers? We are having trouble in our high school with staff who do not feel that there are any benefits to the 20 minutes of sustained reading we do weekly with our students.

How has our understanding of assistive technology evolved over time?

What is your perspective on Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?

I have a student who knows his sounds and can blend them, but when he reads, he will begin the sound but complete the word with an incorrect word that begins with the same initial sound. He does this when he sounds the word out phoneme by phoneme. Any suggestions for interventions?

What would you do with a child who really struggles to get words down on a page?

What are some classroom strategies that utilize underlining?

I am curious if you have any suggestions for helping low SES and ESoL students to read when they have no books at home, and their parents don’t have time or don’t value the importance of practicing reading?