Educational Inspiration

Thousands of students across Oklahoma are participating in reading screenings this week.  The Oklahoma Reading Sufficiency Act requires that all students in grades K-3 be screened to determine if they are reading at or below grade level.  Oklahoma provides a list of approved screenings and one of the most utilized is called DIBELS.  You may hear teachers refer to "dibeling week" or they may use it as a verb as in "We dibel'd your child." So, what is this DIBELS? DIBELS is an acronym for the literacy screening called D ynamic I ndicators of B asic E arly L iteracy S kills.  DIBELS is not an in-depth diagnostic test, just a screening and it takes about 10 minutes.  The screen is given three times, usually at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year.  The screening aims to determine the student's overall literacy health.  It answers the question, "Is this child at-risk for reading difficulties?"   Depending on what grade your child

I recently composed a short video about my favorite wordless book, Flora and the Flamingo .  It got me thinking about all the great wordless books out there not being recognized enough as tools for reading.  Most people think that wordless books are for babies.  The truth is, these books are amazing tools for teaching important literacy skills to children of all ages such as vocabulary, sequencing, and comprehension.  Plus, they are super fun.  So let's talk a bit about wordless books and what to do with them. If you are using wordless books with very young children, these books are a great way to begin modeling correct handling of books and the different parts of a book.  For instance, you can point out and name the cover, the title of the book, and the spine of the book.  Show your child the title of the book and where the author's name is located.  Before you start the book, explain that you will start at the beginning, then read the middle, and finally you will rea

The field of speech-language pathology has evolved significantly from the traditional picture most people have of a professional helping someone to speak.  The contemporary speech-language pathologist, or SLP, works with children on areas related to listening, comprehension, reading, and spelling, in addition to the traditional roles of speaking, or articulation. As research continues to build, the important relationship between language and reading becomes more apparent.  Oral language is the foundational skill for learning to read and because SLPs are language experts, seeking the help of an ASHA certified SLP is a great first step if your child is struggling with beginning reading. Children with reading difficulties typically have some kind of language difficulties as young children.  These can range from very subtle to more severe.  If you are seeing early warning signs of dyslexia such as difficulty with rhyme or trouble learning letter sounds or names, talk to an SLP about la