The Power of Content-Rich Vocabulary Instruction

In this International Dyslexia Association Perspectives article, authors Tanya S. Wright and Susan B. Neuman explore the topic of content-rich vocabulary instruction. The article explains why vocabulary instruction is essential and what it is. It provides five meaningful ways to increase vocabulary instruction in the classroom, including how to create a vocabulary-rich environment, ways to…

The Fundamentals of Academic Vocabulary: Essential Concepts for Middle School Students and Their Teachers

In this International Dyslexia Association Perspectives article, author Jennifer Wells Greene defines academic vocabulary and discusses what makes it different from other types of vocabulary. The article outlines key priorities for word learning and provides several activities to promote vocabulary acquisition in the classroom.

Evidence-Based Vocabulary Instruction for English Learners

In this International Dyslexia Association Perspectives article, author Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan highlights considerations for multi-lingual learners around vocabulary instruction and provides evidence-based instructional practices to support their progress. The article explains the need for morphological instruction and support for middle school students and outlines special considerations for language development for multi-lingual learners.

The Role of Complex Sentence Knowledge in Children with Reading and Writing Difficulties

In this International Dyslexia Association Perspectives article, Dr. Cheryl Scott and Dr. Catherine Balthazar, discuss the research about sentences as a unit of oral and written language.  They discuss sentence complexity, how to identify students at risk for syntactic problems, and intervention practices to support these students.

Distinguishing Between Difference, Disorder, and Disadvantage: Cultural Considerations for Diverse Readers

In this PaTTAN Literacy Symposium webinar, Dr. Lakeisha Johnson examines the differences between African-American English and mainstream American English and the relationship between oral language skills and African-American students. She discusses assessment and treatment practices that are culturally responsive. Dr. Johnson outlines the issues with confusing a linguistic difference with a linguistic disorder and provides…

Teaching Spelling: An Opportunity to Unveil the Logic of Language

Moats emphasizes the importance of spelling knowledge and language understanding in literacy development in this article. It highlights that spelling is not just about memorizing letters but involves various language aspects like pronunciation, spelling, meaning, and grammatical structure. Good spellers possess comprehensive mental images of words, while poor spellers may lack accuracy and completeness. Moats…