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DIY 5 Paragraph Essay Templates: A Creative, Metacognitive Tool

Although there is a common formula to writing a five-paragraph essay, students soon learn that each teacher has their own unique preferences. I can remember a teacher that didn’t allow students to use the transition, “on the other hand,” unless they had already used, “on the one hand.” Some insist on transitional sentences, others do not. Some want a student’s thesis statement in the middle of the introduction, while others want it at the beginning or even at the end. As a result, students have to adjust their writing to accommodate each new teacher. How can this be done? Help Your Students by Reviewing Your Expectations: At the beginning of the school year, it is important for each teacher to share his or her expectations, preferences and requirements so that each student can prepare for success from the very beginning. Provide a lesson and a handout that reviews the 5 paragraph essay. Make sure to discuss everything you want in your introduction, body paragraphs, and con...

Dyslexic Advantage Webinar on Multisensory Teaching for Students with Dyslexia

Dear Friends: I wanted to share a link to a free webinar on Multisensory Teaching. The hosts, Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide, the authors of The Dyslexic Advantage and The Mislabeled Child, are international experts on dyslexia and learning differences and they interviewed me as a guest speaker. This online event took place this August and you can view a youtube version of the webinar at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVXwqyxTbPs Cheers, Dr. Erica Warren Dr. Erica Warren is the author, illustrator, and publisher of multisensory educational materials at Good Sensory Learning and Dyslexia Materials . She is also the director of Learning to Learn and Learning Specialist Courses . · Blog: https://learningspecialistmaterials.blogspot.com/ · YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/warrenerica1 · Podcast: https://godyslexia.com/ · Store: http://www.Goodsensorylearning.com/ & www.dy...

Back to School Tools and Methods for Kinesthetic Learners

Some students can sit quietly at their desks while others seem to struggle to stay in their seats. This later group of learners may annoy the teacher or their peers by tapping their pencil, jogging their leg, fidgeting, leaning back in their chairs and asking for repeated bathroom and water breaks. Many of these students are kinesthetic learners and having to sit still and listen to a lesson is an uncomfortable battle that feels like trying to tie your shoes while in a straight jacket. What are Some Products that can Help Kinesthetic Learners at their Desks? Multi Sensory Brain Break Meditations Inflatable discs and wedges can offer your kinesthetic learners some movement while staying seated. These products can be placed on any seat and they allow students to move their hips and develop core muscles (see below for product link). Safeco, a furniture company, just came out with the Zenergy Ball Chair for older students and the Runtz for younger students. Both of these pro...

Early Detection of Dyslexia

Early intervention is key as it can remediate and work around upcoming academic difficulties. This is a very important approach for students with dyslexia. Recent reports suggest that dyslexia impacts 5-10 percent of the population. Now wouldn't it be wonderful if this condition could be detected before children learned to read? Weaknesses could be strengthened and appropriate teaching methodologies could be selected, making the process of reading successful the first time. This could save the educational system a fortune and these young learners could sail through elementary school with an intact self-esteem. MIT News Reported, on August 14th, 2013 that research suggests that brain scans may help to diagnose dyslexia. Differences in the size of the arcuate fasciculus, the brain structure that unites two language processing areas, is now detectable. To learn more about this and their continued efforts, CLICK HERE . If you are looking for remedial materials and solutions fo...

Mathemagic: Multisensory and Mindful Math Strategies Tailored for the Individual

Many students struggle with the steps required to complete mathematical problems. They may forget the concept, miss a step, mis-sequence the steps, misread a sign, or struggle with writing out or lining up the numbers. In fact, even if a student has understood and executed a problem with precision, it doesn’t mean that they will retain that information at a later time. So what can we do to help these students to encode, into long-term memory, the steps required to complete math computations? The 3 Key Components for Effective Math Instruction Click on the image to learn more Go multisensory: Integrate as many of the 12 Ways of processing as you can into your instructional plan: Visual, Auditory, Tactile, Kinesthetic, Sequential, Simultaneous, Reflective, Verbal, Interactive, Indirect Experience, Direct Experience, and Rythmic Melodic. To learn more about this click here Teach metacognitive and mindful strategies: Metacognition refers to the act of thinking about thinkin...

Back to School: Planning, Time Management and Organization Instruction

Many teachers can not fathom how apparently simple tasks such as using an agenda or turning in an assignment can be very difficult for some of their students. In fact, many students need comprehensive instruction and scaffolding to learn to plan, manage time, and organize. Executive functioning, which encompasses these skills is the last part of the brain to fully develop, and in actuality, does not reach maturation until students reach their early 20's. How Hard Can it Really Be to Plan, Manage Time and Organize? I have to admit, when I first started working with students that struggled with executive functioning, I was surprised how challenging planning, time management, and organization could be for some of my young, bright learners. What seemed to be clear and obvious was obscure, taxing and problematic for them. These Students are Often Misunderstood: Instead of compassion and strategies, students that have difficulties with executive functioning are often intimidat...

Teaching Metacognitive Skills: A Fun, Free Illustration and Download

Many students plod through schooling as passive learners and they rarely learn to take control of their own cognition. In contrast, others learn to be active participants in the learning process and develop metacognitive skills. Metacognition is the awareness of one’s own cognition or thought process and it involves higher order thinking that enables understanding, analysis and control. For many concrete learners, as well as those that struggle with attentional issues, this notion can be difficult to grasp. However, the process can be taught through visual aids, demonstrations, discussions, group work, and graphic organizers. In fact, the more multisensory the instruction, the greater the likelihood that all your students will master this skill. The Process: After a lesson or reading, I like to summarize important details, main ideas, and then I make connections by sharing my own thought processes. I explain to the students that I will be thinking aloud so that they can ...

Auditory Discrimination Deficits Can Result in Funny Misunderstandings

As a child, I was often teased by my silly misunderstandings of expressions, phrases, words and even lyrics to songs. Although my hearing was excellent, I struggled with auditory discrimination difficulties. As a result, I continually confused sounds that were similar and often misconstrued what people were telling me. For instance, after a year abroad with my family living in England, we returned to the United States and I entered the first grade. On the first day of school, when my teachers and peers detected my British inflections they asked me about it. To my dismay, my explanation resulted in laughter. When I got home I complained to my mother, with a big frown on my face, that the students and teachers had laughed at me. I just couldn’t understand why they chuckled when I told them I had an "English accident." One of my current students, Ben, and I are both members of what I like to call, “the dyslexia club.” For the two of us, the prima...

The Different Types of Dyslexia: Targeting Intervention

Although reading disorders were recognized back in the late 1800s, the term dyslexia didn't become a recognized condition until the 1970s-1980s. Since then, it has received an enormous amount of research and professional-based attention. However, many educators and clinicians are still mystified about how to best pinpoint the specific needs of each student with dyslexia. The primary underlying cause of this confusion is the fact that there are many cognitive weaknesses or deficits that can trigger a diagnosis of dyslexia. So much like a dartboard, if service providers continue to aim interventions at the wrong place, they may play a frustrating game and they will certainly never hit the bulls-eye. As a result, professionals have begun to propose subtypes that categorize dyslexics based on common symptoms, so individuals with dyslexia can be understood and service providers can target the needed areas of attention. What are the d...

Quick Individualized Solutions for Struggling and Dyslexic Readers

There is no single reading program or method that will address all the needs of struggling readers, because each learner has his or her own unique strengths and weaknesses. In fact, there are many cognitive processing weaknesses that can effect young learners and if you want quick and optimal results, it’s important to pursue a comprehensive evaluation. A good assessment will help uncover the areas of difficulty. Then educational professionals, such as an experienced reading specialist or educational therapist can focus on strengthening those specific areas of cognition. What Are Some of The Cognitive Processing Areas That Impact Reading? There are many cognitive processing areas that can impact reading. Here are the most common: Tracking: is the ability of the eyes to follow the movement of an object in motion or follow words across the page from left to right. Visual Synthesis – is the ability to pull the pieces together to create a visual whole. Visual Closure - i...

Sharing a Powerful Analogy used by Sir Kenneth Robinson

Sir Kenneth Robinson continues to inspire educators around the globe with his ideas for educational reform. He uses the following analogy in a recent Ted Talk entitled: How to Escape Education's Death Valley. To view the whole video, click on the link below. http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_how_to_escape_education_s_death_valley.html Cheers, Dr. Erica Warren Dr. Erica Warren is the author, illustrator, and publisher of multisensory educational materials at Good Sensory Learning and Dyslexia Materials . She is also the director of Learning to Learn and Learning Specialist Courses . · Blog: https://learningspecialistmaterials.blogspot.com/ · YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/warrenerica1 · Podcast: https://godyslexia.com/ · Store: http://www.Goodsensorylearning.com/ & www.dyslexiamaterials.com · Courses: http://www.learningspecialistcourses.com/ · Newsletter Sign-up:...

10 Easy Ways to Strengthen the Weaknesses Associated with Dyslexia

Dyslexia is the new, hot topic in education around the globe, and it is frequently featured in educational conferences, news articles, YouTube videos, and even movies. New estimates suggest that as many as 1 in 10 children have this difficulty, making it the most common type of learning disability. Although dyslexia is common, many with this condition remain undiagnosed. Furthermore, many others who have received this diagnosis don’t fully understand it and never receive the needed remediation. So, how can we help this underserved population? Here are some suggestions: 1. Because black text on a white background can be visually uncomfortable for many with dyslexia, provide them the option of using color overlays . You can make your own overlays by taking transparent, colorful pocket folders or report covers and slicing them into strips that can also be used as bookmarks. You can get a selection of tinted glasses that your students can use on sites like Amazon.com. The most pop...

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