Starfish Throwers Monthly Newsletter

“Books are a uniquely portable magic.” ~Stephen King

I remember as a child anticipating the magical months of summer stretching out in front of me… if only the end of May and the last day of school would get here faster! As a teacher, I sought to keep these last weeks of school meaningful for my students. Often, I would explore new types of literature and writing with them. It seemed best to keep passages and assignments short, a practice that kept all of us actively engaged even as we were counting down the days until summer break started. Instead of writing off the month of May, I encourage you to find these meaningful activities to do with your students; this can become a special time for you to share with them.

-Nadine

Congratulations! The following have recently completed their Intro practicum:

LaDonna Fortune

Tarese Hammes

Michelle Johnson

Maria McManamey

Kim Smith

Connie Young

You are changing the lives of our most precious starfish!

Upcoming dates to remember:

MAY

11 Garden Party at Botannica – please join us! 6:30 p.m.

17 Dyslexia 101, 5:30

22 Lecture Series: ADHD, 6:30

31 Study Skills, 9:00

31, June 1 Reading Readiness, 9:00

31, June 1 Semple Math, 9:00

JUNE

4-15 Introductory Alphabetic Phonics, 8:30 daily

4-15 Advanced Alphabetic Phonics, 8:30 daily

18-22 Advanced Extension Alphabetic Phonics, 8:30 daily

18-22 Multisensory Reading and Spelling, 8:30 daily

21 Multisensory Grammar, 9:00

21 Dyslexia 101, 5:30

22 Intro Workshop 1, 9:00

28, 29 Reading Readiness, 9:00

29 Intro Workshop 2, 9:00

JULY

6 Intro Workshop 3, 9:00

9 Preschool Language and Literacy, 9:00

9-20 Introductory Alphabetic Phonics, 8:30 daily

9-20 Advanced Alphabetic Phonics, 8:30 daily

13 Multisensory Grammar, 9:00

19 Dyslexia 101, 5:30

20 Intro Workshop 4, 9:00

23-27 Multisensory Reading and Spelling, 8:30 Daily

24 Lecture Series: Accommodations, 6:30

25, 26 Reading Readiness, 9:00

27 Intro Workshop 1, 9:00

AUGUST

6, 7 Semple Math, 9:00

9, 10 Reading Readiness, 9:00

10 Intro Workshop 2, 9:00

17 Intro Workshop 3, 9:00

24 Intro Workshop 4, 9:00

24 Preschool Language and Literacy, 9:00

28 Simulation, 6:30

Alphabetic Phonics Training in 2012:

INTRODUCTORY AP        

June 4-15, 8:30-4:30, daily

July 9-20, 8:30-4:30, daily

November 5-16, 8:30-4:30, daily

Intro Workshop 1: June 22, July 27, 9:00-12:00

Intro Workshop 2: June 29, August 10, 9:00-12:00

Intro Workshop 3: April 13, July 6, August 17, 9:00-12:00

Intro Workshop 4: April 20, July 20, August 24, 9:00-12:00

ADVANCED AP        

April 9-20, 8:30-4:30, daily

June 4-15, 8:30-4:30, daily

July 9-20, 8:30-4:30, daily

October 1-12, 8:30-4:30, daily

Adv Workshop 1: September 7, November 2, 9:00-4:00

Adv Workshop 2: January 24, 2013 and April 4, 2013, 9:00-4:00

ADVANCED EXTENSION

June 18-22, 8:30-4:30, daily

As always, call or email any time you have questions or want to enroll for an event.

From 100+ Ideas for Supporting Children with Dyslexia

by Gavin Reid and Shannon Green

Idea 35            Sequencing the Story

Sequencing can be difficult for people with dyslexia. A series of illustrations showing the sequence of events can be a good visual lead in to a story. The sequence can be done with numbers or letters. It is usually better, however, to draw the sequence – using stick figures – or to obtain pictures from the book, if available.

            Draw a row of boxes. The pupil will have to fill in each box with a part of the story so you can decide on the number you need. You can start with only two – one for the beginning of the story and one for the end. Then gradually increase the number of boxes to develop the story sequence. Eventually you may want to aim for eight or ten boxes.

            As an additional prompt you can put a cue into each box to show the kind of information that is requires; for example, the name of the main character or a key word in the plot, or you can provide more detailed curs depending on the level of the pupil’s understanding. The pupil can complete the boxes with pictures and a short caption. It is sometimes an idea for the pupil also to put in the page numbers in case he wants to go back and check the information. This can also provide a guide to the sequence.

Check it out…

www.guysread.com is a site run by author Jon Scieszka (The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, Squids will be Squids, Guys Write for Guys Read, and many other books). Books that guys will enjoy are recommended by other guys, a nice way to entice reluctant male readers into the world of books.

www.gigglepoetry.com has a treasure trove of poetry reading and writing activities for a variety of ages. Bruce Lansky encourages playing with language while teaching about rhythm and poetry forms.more specifics in the area of day-to-day instruction.