This handy site provides various graphic organizers you can use with your reading selections. They are available for download and as printables in either Word or PDF formats.

This handy site provides various graphic organizers you can use with your reading selections. They are available for download and as printables in either Word or PDF formats.

I just wanted to share some great teaching tips for dealing with At-Risk students.

This site lists a lot of resources for special education teachers ... for help with reading and writing and more.

For teachers who are looking for new activities to get students more involved in reading and writing at home, here are a handful of suggestions.

Journal Writing Every Day: Teachers Say It Really Works! This article lists benefits for journal writing with special education students.

This helps teaching to use guided reading with students with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

"Seven Strategies to Teach Students Text Comprehension". It's always nice to have a quick go-to guide for quick tips.

This offers everything you need to teach students feature article writing and informational reading. It even includes lesson plans.

This is an activity to help with writing skills for middle schoolers. It's a great way to have fun while learning. It can be used in the classroom or at home.

 http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/read180/pdfs/Hasselbring_and_Goin_technology_literacy_professional_paper.pdf

This article from Scholastic is meaningful to me because in general, older students seem to receive little remediation for reading and spelling skills unless they qualify for special education services. With illiteracy being pinpointed as a major factor behind poverty and crime, shouldn't more reading programs be offered in secondary school? Studies show that literacy-promoting activities can help overcome such factors. The article tells how computer-based literacy programs can help.

In this generation most teenagers are very receptive to using technology to obtain reading help. Described is an intervention for middle school and high school struggling readers that does just that. With the use of a technology-based program called PLL (Peabody Literacy Lab) older students can become fluent readers. This integrated media program was developed over several years and researched with secondary students who had a history of struggling with reading. It mediates instruction in word recognition, decoding, and spelling, as well as the comprehension of text passages. It helps students develop phonological awareness and orthographic reliability. Instruction is presented via a video anchor using topics that are interesting to this age group. An animated tutor guides the student and provides feedback using a digitized human voice. The program tracks individual student progress and adjusts the instruction accordingly.

As teachers, I feel we must remember that reading help is also needed in upper grades. Many older students are poor readers, and unfortunately, the effects of illiteracy are proven to hinder their futures. I think computer-based programs, like PLL, can afford older students the instruction and practice they need to become fluent, capable readers. The research described in this article proves that PLL does motivate and challenge such students.

I also have this book at home as a professional resource. I enjoy referring to the ongoing assessment material in the book. Great review Kevin!!!!

http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Breakthrough-Secrets-Turning-Tuned-Out/dp/0743289617/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1328620537&sr=1-2-catcorr

The Motivation Breakthrough: 6 Secrets to Turning On the Tuned-Out Child is a well written resource guide for teachers who wish to figure out how to motivate their students. Parents can learn from the guide as well, but the author primarily addresses educators who seek to improve relations with their students and figure out how to help them work to potential. Richard Lavoie is a consultant and a lecturer with over thirty years of experience as a teacher and an administrator at special education facilities. He explores strategies and techniques that are proven to inspire children to learn. He outlines strategies that will be most effective in igniting the interest and eagerness of kids, especially given their different needs. He outlines several different ways that children are motivated to do their best work. He teaches of the six Ps to motivate children. Some seek praise; others seek prizes, power, projects, or prestige. Some are people-oriented and are motivated when they work with people. Six different chapters address the various motivating factors and how they can be identified and used in the classroom. Personal accounts from Lavoie's years as a teacher allow us to see how he has put his lessons into practice.
I appreciate the way that Lavoie challenges teachers to find out what motivates their students, even those students with special needs or who are classified as difficult. He encourages parents and teachers to work together to spark any child to reach his/her full potential. He covers learned helplessness, internal vs. external locus of control, and other concepts that explain the keys to motivation. All in all, this book has much to offer both parents and teachers. I would recommend it to colleagues, especially colleagues who work with special needs students. I have already purchased this book as a personal and professional resource.

I own this book in my collection too Scott. I love the works of Richard Lavoie. The special education field is a rewarding one, and with more insight we teachers can help students with a variety of problems including social issues.

This is the website I used for my Journal #2 material. The strategies outlined in my journal are under the Reading Fluency title.

 http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Breakthrough-Secrets-Turning-Tuned-Out/dp/0743289617/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1328620537&sr=1-2-catcorr The Motivation Breakthrough: 6 Secrets to Turning On the Tuned-Out Child, author Richard Lavoie, is a well written resource guide for teachers who wish to figure out how to motivate their students. Parents can learn from the guide as well, but the author primarily addresses educators who seek to improve relations with their students and figure out how to help them work to potential. Richard Lavoie is a consultant and a lecturer with over thirty years of experience as a teacher and an administrator at special education facilities. He explores strategies and techniques that are proven to inspire children to learn. He outlines strategies that will be most effective in igniting the interest and eagerness of kids, especially given their different needs. He outlines several different ways that children are motivated to do their best work. He teaches of the six Ps to motivate children. Some seek praise; others seek prizes, power, projects, or prestige. Some are people-oriented and are motivated when they work with people. Six different chapters address the various motivating factors and how they can be identified and used in the classroom. Personal accounts from Lavoie's years as a teacher allow us to see how he has put his lessons into practice. I appreciate the way that Lavoie challenges teachers to find out what motivates their students, even those students with special needs or who are classified as difficult. He encourages parents and teachers to work together to spark any child to reach his/her full potential. He covers learned hel

Vocabulary building is valuable, not only for second-language learners but also for many clients we serve, from young children with developmental delays to older stroke survivors and every age between. Check out these free online pictures of vocabulary words, picture dictionaries, flashcards, games and activities, and more. Kuster, J. M. (2011, November 1). Building vocabulary with online tools. A S H A Leader, 16(13), 2. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA272738779&v=2.1&u=lom_saginawvsu&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

Since my goal is to be a special education teacher I figure I'd make that the focus of my article search. This particular article is meaningful because it lists specific strategies to help the student with a reading disability. The first strategy listed is to encourage reading by finding reading material that the student enjoys. Reading material they want to read will help to improve reading comprehension and fluency because the student won't feel forced to read something they are not interested in. Keeping a graph of the student's reading progress helps to motivate them to improve their reading skills by making it a challenge. Also readers who struggle can track with their finger or a ruler in order to keep their place and their focus. Sounding out stumble words is a strategy to use when the student is struggling with a particular word. A strategy that I have never thought to use before is to record the student reading so they are able to listen back and judge their own fluency. For secondary students, have them keep a word journal notebook. They can record the words they get stuck on when reading and then study them. Lastly, using reading games is a great strategy for any age group. Even high school special education students enjoy a game of Scrabble, and playing word games improves their reading skills. The bottom line is to make reading fun for all students, and especially for readers with disabilities.