Maya’s Book Nook is a website created by Speech-Language Pathologist Dr. Lakeisha Johnson. The Behind the Book section houses a bank of materials to accompany a diverse, culturally relevant children’s book. Equally useful for both parents/caregivers and educators, these handouts include target vocabulary words, as well as questions to support dialogic reading to build language comprehension.
Children’s books reflect the attitudes in our society about diversity, power relationships among different groups of people, and various social identities (e.g., racial, ethnic, gender, economic class, sexual orientation, and disability). The visual and verbal messages young children absorb from books (and other media) heavily influence their ideas about themselves and others. Depending on the…
Dr. Lakeisha Johnson, Speech-Language Pathologist, highlights the importance of shared book reading with diverse, culturally relevant texts in this PaTTAN webinar.
The Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Right to Read inquiry concluded that running records and reading level assessments have not been effective in identifying students who need additional support or in providing teachers with accurate information to guide instruction. We now know that there are more effective ways to understand student reading skills and ensure that…
This document shows a sample schedule for a language block in grade 1 or 2.
It can be challenging to navigate the many subtests that can be used in universal screening! Skilled reading involves the integration of many subskills. This chart can be used to identify the most pressing need for instruction. For older students – start at the top and work your way down to find the lowest barrier…
This book is a fantastic resource aligning closely with much of the new Ontario Language Curriculum and reinforcing how assessment can inform our instruction and interventions in order to best help students succeed in literacy. It’s valuable learning for classroom educators, those working in coaching/consulting roles and those in special education. While targeting skills typically…
This excellent, reader-friendly book helps bring the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework to life in the area of literacy, with 10 success factors to help elementary schools get results with MTSS. Success factors include “Group by Skill Deficit”, “Monitor Progress with an Appropriate Assessment”, “Use Intervention Time Wisely” and “Invest in Professional Development”. This…
The Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Right to Read Inquiry recommended that the province implement universal early screening using evidence-based tools to reduce bias and support equity. As Ontario educators and boards collectively learn more about screening, several common questions have emerged. This document aims to provide clear language that systems leaders can use to respond…
Dr. Tim Odegard addresses myths around dyslexia, sharing his lived experience as a person with dyslexia. His powerful message encourages people with dyslexia to “shatter the myths and live the realities.”
This document shows a sample schedule for a language block in the junior or intermediate grades.
This document shows a sample schedule for a 110-minute language block. It’s important to note that this schedule should shift across the school year to better meet students’ changing needs. For example, focus may shift more to multisyllabic word reading and spelling.
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