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Dr. Sam Bommarito interviews Kate Gladstone about her new book Read Cursive Fast. 

As my readers know, I am often on Twitter discussing various literacy issues. I try to talk with a variety of folks with various literacy views. Kate Gladstone was one of those people. She has a compelling personal story. As you will find out in the interview, she is Dyslexic and Autistic. Among her problems was her inability to read and write things written in cursive. She was able to develop things that let her succeed in learning to read and write cursive, despite any problems being posed by those conditions. Her book Read Cursive Fast outlines the innovative things she did to help both her handwriting and her ability to read cursive. The book is a valuable resource for children and adults with similar problems. Here is a brief biography of Kate:

Here is the YouTube interview:

Here is the interview discussion. Topics are time stamped:

Various Resources from Kate

Link to order Read Cursive Fast (publishers detail page)  LINK

Link to ReadCursiveFast.com (contains related articles by Kate, supplementary materials to enrich and add to the contents of the book, reviews of the book open brackets with link to the site of the reviewers], and more) LINK.

Link to “Oops, I Forgot How To Read Cursive” by Kate Gladstone LINK

Link to “When the ‘Different’ Learner Meets Cursive” by Kate Gladstone LINK 

Link to “Handwriting and the Autism Spectrum” by Kate Gladstone (published in AUTISM SPECTRUM NEWS for April 2022) LINK

Distributors of Kate’s other current products:

        SuperStyluScripTipTastic Pen — from Therapro LINK

         TriOn customizable pencil grips —from The Therapy Shoppe LINK

          — and from National Autism Resources (NAR) LINK

         Stage-Write Raised-Line Handwriting Paper in 6 sequenced formats —from Therapro LINK

TO CONTACT KATE ABOUT HANDWRITING INPUT/OUTPUT ISSUES (remediation, instructional design and recommendations, curriculum selection consultation, disability-related handwriting issues, ESL-related handwriting issues, and adult/professional handwriting issues) — e-mail Kate@ReadCursiveFast.com and make sure that your subject-line includes the word “help” (NOT case-sensitive)

For Kate’s other handwriting endeavors: HandwritingThatWorks.com LINK.

Dr. Sam’s Blogs for the Start of the new School year– As the new school year begins, I am continuing to arrange for additional interviews with authors of some of the many professional books that have been published lately. I’m trying to arrange to talk to authors from various points of view about literacy.

As indicated last week, in addition to these interviews, I will post a blog about my plans for my push-ins this fall at the school where I serve as a pro bono reading consultant in grades K-3. I’ll be teaching two full days a week, doing large group, small group, and individual sessions. I hope that talking about what I’ll be doing will allow readers to see how I adapt my instruction to the many ideas I’ve gotten from my lifelong search for common ground and common sense. After that, I arranged for an interview with the mom of the student I worked with this summer. She is a speech & language teacher. We will explore how the two of us together were able to help her daughter, who is now going into 4th grade, overcome her problem of word guessing. So, as we begin the new school year, I hope this blog will provide you with a great deal of interesting and useful information.  Hope everyone is having a great start to their new school year!

Happy Reading and Writing.

Dr. Sam Bommarito, aka the centrist who uses ideas from all sides to inform his teaching

Copyright 2022 by Dr. Sam Bommarito. Views/interpretations expressed here are solely the author’s view and do not necessarily reflect the views of any other person or organization.

P.S. If you found the blog through Facebook or Twitter, please consider following the blog to make sure you won’t miss it.  Use the “follow” entry on the sidebar of the blog.

Dr. Sam Bommarito interviews Dr. Paul Thomas about what policymakers should know about the Science of Reading.  

Last year Paul Thomas was a featured speaker at LitCon. He spoke on the topic SOR- It’s not settled, and it’s not simple. I interviewed him about that LINK.  This year he is again a LitCon featured speaker. He is building on last year’s topic. He will discuss what policymakers should know about the Science of Reading. I predict Paul’s new session will be clear, compelling, and backed up by an extensive research review. It will be one of the “must-see” events at LitCon.  Before talking about the current interview, let’s learn a little bit about Paul:

Now it is time to have a look at the interview. Here are the topics we discussed. They are time stamped.

Here is the YouTube interview:

• Paul has a new edition of his book. Here is a LINK.

• Link to Paul’s video about his upcoming LitCon speech. LINK
• Here is another book by Paul.  Critical Media Literacy and Fake News in Post-Truth America

• Link to LitCon 2023 conference. LINK
• Link to Paul’s blog post How to Navigate Social Media Debates about the “Science of Reading” LINK

Note: This blog post allows you to download a very useful PDF on this topic

• Link to my blog defending Reading Recovery, including data that shows RR works. LINK

Dr. Sam’s Blogs for the Start of the new School year– As the new school year begins, I am continuing to arrange for additional interviews with authors of some of the many professional books that have been published lately. Next week I’m interviewing Kate Gladstone about her new book, READ CURSIVE FAST.

As indicated last week, in addition to these interviews, I will post a blog about my plans for my push-ins this fall at the school where I serve as a pro bono reading consultant in grades K-3. I’ll be teaching two full days a week, doing large group, small group, and individual sessions. I hope that talking about what I’ll be doing will allow readers to see how I adapt my instruction to the many ideas I’ve gotten from my lifelong search for common ground and common sense. After that, I arranged for an interview with the mom of the student I worked with this summer. She is a speech & language teacher. We will explore how the two of us together were able to help her daughter, who is now going into 4th grade, overcome her problem of word guessing. So, as we begin the new school year, I hope this blog will provide you with a great deal of interesting and useful information.  Hope everyone has a great start to their new school year!

Happy Reading and Writing.

Dr. Sam Bommarito, aka the centrist who uses ideas from all sides to inform his teaching

Copyright 2022 by Dr. Sam Bommarito. Views/interpretations expressed here are solely the author’s view and do not necessarily reflect the views of any other person or organization.

P.S. If you found the blog through Facebook or Twitter, please consider following the blog to make sure you won’t miss it.  Use the “follow” entry on the sidebar of the blog.

Jill Speering talks about her book Rubies in the Rubble– An interview conducted by Dr. Sam Bommarito

Jill Speering’s book, Rubies in the Rubble, is part memoir. It also gives valuable information about Reading Recovery. The memoir part talks about her struggles to overcome her early childhood experiences, including being physically and mentally abused. It is an inspiring tale of one person overcoming the odds. The informational part of the book tells the gripping story of how she got a very successful Reading Recovery program in place for the city of Nashville and how local politics eventually resulted in the program being discontinued.

LINK TO THE BOOK (available in paperback & on Kindle)  LINK

ABOUT THE BOOK & Its AUTHOR (Highlights of Jills remarks about herself & book)

Jill Speering has written an interesting, insightful, and honest memoir of her life. She endured an abusive childhood, where she was not only physically abused but also mentally belittled, insulted, and constantly told she was inadequate and useless. Her early school experiences continued the pattern of insult, instilling in her a sense that she was stupid and unable to learn. But she began to find support and a positive sense of self after she failed the fifth grade and attended a new school where she found the love and encouragement of teachers who helped diminish her negative self-image. This experience began to open her eyes to the importance of supportive teachers.  As a result, she began a life of activism for public education, holistic education, and support for disenfranchised children. 

Jill pursued teaching as a career, soon discovering her gifts as a reading teacher to underprivileged and under-supported students like herself. She became a renowned teacher and Reading Recovery Teacher Leader, and her impact on schools in her district was legendary.

Of particular interest in this compelling memoir is her journey of self-discovery and finding the rubies in her life. Her insights into the politics of teaching, school administration, and school boards are extremely perceptive. This author shares her transformation of resilience and faith in oneself. Jill’s story will inspire you. 

After retiring from teaching, her activism continued when she made the decision and was elected to serve on the Metro Nashville Board of Education, overcoming obstacles from big money and powerful business. Although some businessmen and women were opposed to educators serving on the board of education, Jill knew that the voice of educators is paramount to a thriving school district and success for all students.

In the book, Jill also tells the tale of what happened when a new director of schools took over & eliminated the highly successful Reading Recovery program in her district. Speering led a campaign to dismiss this director of schools, a campaign that adversely affected her health and personal life. The school board eventually bought out the director’s contract. Unfortunately, the Reading Recovery program has never been reinstated.

A review on Amazon:

“Not since Educated by Tara Westover have I been so captured by a book. From the author’s first words, “I hated my father for 39 years,” to her last sentence, she touches hearts and enriches minds with her story of triumph over the trying circumstances of her life. Once you begin to read, you will not be able to put Rubies in the Rubble down. Jill Speering’s book should be required reading for all educators.”

Here is the YouTube podcast of the interview:

Here is the interview discussion. Topics are time stamped:

A draft copy of Jill’s advice to teacher leaders and other advocates of Reading Recovery

Link to my blog defending Reading Recovery, including data that shows RR works. LINK

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE FB PAGE JILL CREATED. IT IS A CLOSED GROUP DESIGNED TO LET READING RECOVERY TEACHERS SHARE INFORMATION & IDEAS ABOUT RR. (Also, be sure to follow Jill on Twitter @jillspeering!)

(Jill turned management of the site over to others. The site continues to grow. It now has over 6000 members)

LINK

Dr. Sam’s Blogs for the Upcoming School year- As the new school year begins, I am continuing to arrange for additional interviews with authors of some of the many professional books that have been published lately. Next week I’m interviewing Paul Thomas. Paul is one of the most knowledgeable people I know on the whole issue of SOR & the “Reading Wars.” He will be a featured speaker at LitCon 2023, has a new edition of his book coming out, and is about to publish an important white paper about the topic of SOR & the reading wars. I’ve also arranged for an interview with Tim Rasinski in September. He will talk about his new book Artfully Teaching the Science of Reading.  

In addition to these interviews, I will post a blog about my plans for my push-ins this fall at the school where I serve as a pro bono reading consultant in grades K-3. I’ll be teaching two full days a week, doing large group, small group, and individual sessions. I hope that talking about what I’ll be doing will allow readers to see how I adapt my instruction to the many ideas I’ve gotten from my lifelong search for common ground and common sense. After that, I arranged for an interview with the mom of the student I worked with this summer. She is a speech & language teacher. We will explore how the two of us together were able to help her daughter, who is now going into 4^th grade, overcome her problem of word guessing. So, as we begin the new school year, I hope this blog will provide you with a great deal of interesting and useful information.  

Happy Reading and Writing.

Dr. Sam Bommarito, aka the centrist who uses ideas from all sides to inform his teaching

Copyright 2022 by Dr. Sam Bommarito. Views/interpretations expressed here are solely the author’s view and do not necessarily reflect the views of any other person or organization.

P.S. If you found the blog through Facebook or Twitter, please consider following the blog to make sure you won’t miss it.  Use the “follow” entry on the sidebar of the blog.

Julia B. Lindsey talks about her new book Reading Above the Fray– An interview conducted by Dr. Sam Bommarito

For those of you who are looking for a professional development book that gives you research-based routines for developing decoding skills, I think you will really like Julie B. Lindsey’s new book Reading Above the Fray. It’s a nuts-and-bolts kind of a book, written by a teacher for teachers. As you can see from her bio below- Julie began as a Kg-1 teacher. Subsequently, she worked on advanced degrees. Her work cumulated in a Ph.D. Her doctoral chair was Nell Duke (who provided an excellent foreword for the book). The book is part of Scholastic’s collection of books around the topic of Science of Reading. Links to her book and additional information about Julia now follow.

LINK TO THE BOOK (Scholastic Website) LINK

ABOUT THE BOOK (taken from the Scholastic Website)

Dr. Julia B. Lindsey’s evidence-based routines help young readers decode words efficiently so they can spend more energy on comprehending-and enjoying-what they read! You’ll find:

1. Need-to-know essentials of how kids learn to read.

2. Principles of high-quality foundational skills instruction.

3. Teacher-approved instructional “swaps” to improve early reading instruction.

Dr. Lindsey addresses content learning, culturally responsive practices, and the importance of engaging readers from the start.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Julia B. Lindsey, Ph.D., a former kindergarten and first-grade teacher and self-proclaimed “phonics nerd,” works with teachers, district personnel, curriculum developers, and nonprofit groups to translate foundational reading research into practice. While completing her doctoral studies at the University of Michigan, she developed a free decodables book program in collaboration with Boston Public Schools. She is the author of Reading Above the Fray: Reliable, Research-Based Routines for Developing Decoding Skills..  

Here is the YouTube podcast of the interview:

Here is the interview discussion. Topics are time stamped:

I hope you found the interview as informative as I did. Here are the book excerpts that Julia referred to in the interview:

Chart from page 40 (Question 2)

Chart from Page 133 (Question 4)

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT JULIA B. LINDSEY’S WEBSITE-

BEYOND DECODABLES

(You can download free books- rich in meaning & geared to teach specific decoding skills)

LINK

Dr. Sam’s Upcoming Summer Blogs- In the next few weeks, I am continuing to arrange for additional interviews with authors of some of the many professional books that have been published lately. I’m planning to talk to Tim Rasinski, among others. I hope to carry out those interviews before the new school year begins. Also, near the end of summer, I hope to talk to you about my plans for my push-ins this fall at the school where I serve as a pro bono reading consultant in grades K-3. I’ll be teaching two full days a week, doing large group, small group, and individual sessions. I hope that talking about what I’ll be doing will allow readers to see how I adapt my instruction to the many ideas I’ve gotten from my lifelong search for common ground and common sense. In the meantime:

Happy Reading and Writing.

Dr. Sam Bommarito, aka the centrist who uses ideas from all sides to inform his teaching