Yvonna Graham talks about her new book- Dyslexia Tool Kit (What to do when phonics isn’t enough) Expanded Edition: An interview conducted by Dr. Sam Bommarito

I met Yvonna online and found her work fascinating. She is the mother of a Dyslexic child with a success story to tell. As you’ll learn in the interview, she developed ways to help her daughter and worked with her successfully. Her daughter now holds a Ph.D. In fact, her daughter is the co-author of this book. Her methods are based on research. Her way of presenting them is an easy-to-understand and easy-to-use format. That is the best of all worlds. Let’s find out more about Yvonna.

Biography: Yvonna Graham, B.A. Psych, M.A. Spec. Ed., taught reading for over 30 years. Her first student was her deeply dyslexic daughter, who was pronounced uneducable by the first-grade teacher.

Her daughter is now Dr. Alta Graham, computer scientist, composer, and co-author of Dyslexia Tool Kit. Alta’s insight into how the dyslexic brain learns uniquely informs this book. 

After founding Mumbling Marmot Tutoring in Durango CO, Yvonna used multiple methods to teach children and adults who failed to read when restricted to a “phonics only” approach. Dyslexia Tool Kit rejects the idea that everyone must learn to read in the same way and offers 27 diverse tools to try. A simple format that avoids technical language makes this book surprisingly accessible. Yvonna did not invent these tools; rather, she gathered them from a wide variety of research on dyslexia and simplified them for use by anyone who wants to teach someone else to read, using dyslexic strengths while avoiding anxiety, embarrassment, or fear.

Yvonna feels especially honored to have been interviewed by three of her literacy heroes: Dr. Marion Blank (Reading Kingdom), Fernette Eide (co-author of The Dyslexic Advantage), and most recently, Dr. Sam Bommarito (https://doctorsam7.blog/)

Yvonna also recommends the following resources for parents and teachers of dyslexic kids:

www.dyslexiakit.net

www.dyslexicadvantage.org

www.madebydyslexia.org

www.dyslexia.com

Here is the YouTube podcast of the interview:

These are the highlights of what we covered:

Here is a link to her book LINK:

Dr. Sam’s reflections about Yvonna and her work

Yvonna is not the first parent of a dyslexic child who went on to share with the world how they helped their child (for instance, LINK, LINK). In the introduction to the book, Yvonna and Alta remind us that “Dyslexia is a difference, not a disability.” I like Dr. Graham’s notion of replacing “in spite of” with “because.” It rings true for me. Because I have ADHD, my brain is wired differently. It gives me the ability to see connections that others don’t. It helps me understand the children I work with better. It is actually a gift, not a curse.

That said- I don’t want anyone to take the tag in the title (what to do when phonics isn’t enough) to mean that phonics is unimportant or should be ignored. When I in-service teachers, I teach them how to teach all forms of phonics. Most recently, I find myself strongly advocating the use of synthetic phonics first (for most kids). But what do you do if phonics isn’t working or isn’t enough? I’ve discussed the Australia reports (see the section under the Context heading) LINK. There are children for whom analytic phonics fails to have an impact. What do you do? In my opinion, this book gives you many things to do. I also see this book as a source of ideas for common ground. For instance, learning to track (match), reading together, spelling, word roots, and student-created stories are all things I do with my students. This book provides a good source of ideas that I believe we can all agree upon. Suppose we would start talking about what we agree on FIRST. In that case, I think some of the rancor and division that characterizes many literacy dialogues today could be replaced with genuine discussions about how to help all the kids. Dare to dream!

Dr. Sam’s Upcoming Blogs-  I anticipate I will continue to weigh in on the ongoing discussions generated by Emily Handford’s podcasts (in case you missed yesterday’s special edition podcast about Handford, here is a LINK.)In addition, I’m trying to line up new folks to interview. Those will include speakers at conferences at which I will be presenting (LitCon, Write to Learn, Mo Early Childhood) and folks with new books. So until next week:

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.

P. David Pearson speaks out about Hanford’s portrayal of Marie Clay: My take- Hanford has gotten things wrong (again).

(Note to readers- I usually post every Saturday morning. But this Facebook post from Dr. Pearson certainly merits a special edition. My regularly scheduled Saturday post will come tomorrow)

Introduction

Let me remind readers first of who P.D. Pearson is. He revolutionized the reading field with his 1983 introduction of the gradual release model LINK. Pearson also began the revolution in how we teach comprehension. He has written scores of articles published in top peer-reviewed journals and published numerous books, including one about the history of reading LINK, LINK. I noticed that book was absent from Hanford’s recently published “Top Twenty” books in literacy. More about that in future blogs. Right now, let’s look at what Dr. Pearson had to say.

LINK

I highly recommend that readers download the pdf and read it. To pique your interest, here are a few highlights from that document. I have bolded and italicized some things that I thought were particularly important.

” Again, Marie was ahead of her time—doing design-based research before we had a name for it.”

“Emergent literacy. Marie coined the term emergent literacy in her PhD thesis; more importantly, she enhanced our understanding of it enormously, both in Reading Recovery and her assessment work. When we utter the term, we usually mean to emphasize the idea that no matter how young, inexperienced, or novice you are as a reader and writer, there is a level at which, there is a task in which, you can demonstrate your emerging literacy competence. But I also like, as did Marie, the other end of the continuum—the idea that no matter how old, experienced, and expert you are as a reader or writer, there is always something more for you to learn—another book to read, another practice to master, another paper to write, or another word to learn. We are all emergent readers.”

“In teacher education, we began, in the late1970s and 80s, to champion the idea of the teacher as a reflective practitioner. Marie, in her famous “behind the glass” sessions—where a teacher in training and a teacher leader comment, in real-time, on the lesson enacted by a second teacher in training—figured out how to operationalize moment-by-moment real-time reflection about practice long before researchers in teacher education got there. This did not go unnoticed by colleagues. During my tenure at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign), Dick Anderson, Bonnie Armbruster, and Jan Gaffney developed adaptations of that model for our pre-service teacher education program. We see models of professional development come and go, that model in Reading Recovery stands the test of time. It endures because it is effective. …”

I sincerely hope the above highlights convince my readers that this document is a “must-read” and that they download and read the rest of it.

Pearson is certainly not alone in criticizing Hanford’s position.

Consider a recent edition of the Hechinger report:

Here is a link to the full report LINK.

Here is a key excerpt from that report (bolding is mine):

“But two recent academic papers, synthesizing dozens of reading studies, are raising questions about the effectiveness of these expensive education policies. A review of 24 studies on the Orton-Gillingham method, published in the July 2021 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Exceptional Children, found no statistically significant benefit for children with dyslexia. Instead, suggesting a way forward, a review of 53 reading studies, led by University of Virginia researcher Colby Hall and published online in September 2022 in Reading Research Quarterly, found that much cheaper reading interventions for children with a variety of reading difficulties were also quite effective for children with dyslexia.”

Hanford accuses some educators of selling a story. Yet, it seems she is selling a story herself. It is a story of how the methods she promotes are better than all that has come before. She claims it is time to replace the ineffective methods of the past. The only problem with her story is that, as P. David Pearson points out in his post, and as the Hechinger report indicates, she is simply wrong. Her story is only believable if you are willing to take the limited and limiting point of view about what reading is and if your review of the research is limited. In addition to the study just mentioned, a good place to get a complete overview is in this RRQ summary of the research LINK. Readers are also invited to consider the ideas of P.L. Thomas (that’s another book she omitted) LINK and the pushback from the Reading Recovery Community on what Hanford said about Clay LINK.

Hanford and others take the position that it’s all settled science and that they have the one and only true understanding of what the Science of reading is. I’ve pointed out before that not all researchers agree LINK. She also maintains that the current situation is all the fault of the failed practices of the past. Unfortunately, too often, the practices are labeled as failed because the evidence supporting them (and there is evidence supporting them LINK, LINK, LINK) is discounted and disregarded. That is a public relations ploy, not a serious discussion of research.  

Please consider my alternate explanation of why things aren’t what they should be:

It’s Not Settled Science or Rocket Science, and It’s Not Your Science, It’s Our Science: A Centrist’s Perspective on the Reading Wars. By Dr. Sam Bommarito

As a centrist LINK, I take the position both sides (all sides) have gotten some things right and that both sides (all sides) have gotten some things wrong. I’ve suggested that instead of talking about what we disagree on and letting dichotomies dominate the discussion, we should, instead, turn our attention to what works based on ALL the available research. We shouldn’t be using research to prove our way is right and that it is the one and only way. Rather we should be following the research to see where it leads. That last idea is one I got from Nell Duke. That kind of thinking guided Marie Clay. That’s the kind of thinking that guides P.D. Pearson. At the end of the day, I’m all for using research to inform our instruction, but I also favor looking at all the research and applying the same criteria for evaluating that research LINK. In his essay, David calls upon us to honor Clay’s memory and Clay’s legacy. The best way to do that is to follow ALL the research and see where it leads to next. I think Dame Marie would like that very much.

TOMORROW

As I promised earlier this week, I will be posting the interview of Yvonna Grahm and Alta E. Graham about their new book Dyslexia Tool Kit: What to do when phonics isn’t enough.

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 it to ensure you won’t miss future posts. Use the “follow” entry on the sidebar of the blog.

Let’s stop using strawmen in our analysis of reading methods and instead start looking for common ground. By Dr. Sam Bommarito

The great debate in Twitter land has heated up again this week. Some folks are back to the assertion that balanced literacy is the root of all evil, and we must get rid of all forms of balanced literacy. Really?

First, let’s explore the actual origins of the term balanced literacy. Here is what Shanahan had to say in his Oct 2014 blog  LINK:

“The term “balanced literacy” was coined by the late Michael Pressley. He even published a book on it, during the “reading wars.”  (my note- the book has gone through several editions. LINK)  Michael was a proponent of phonics (he was an author of the Open Court reading series at the time), but he wanted to heal the great divide between people like him and Whole Language advocates. He felt that we needed to balance the demands of the two groups.

He supported the explicit teaching of decoding but believed the Whole Language folks were right when it came to motivation. He took it that Whole Language was all about or mainly about getting kids interested in reading.

He didn’t see balanced literacy as simply a political compromise between two warring camps, but as an acknowledgment about what each group had right . ..”

So, Pressley developed the term Balanced Literacy to find common ground between the code emphasis and meaning emphasis groups doing battle with each other at the time. Pressley was not alone in these views. See what P.D. Person, creator of the literacy practice known as the gradual release of responsibility, had to say in a piece entitled Life in the Radical Middle LINK:

“…But reading theory and practice are not the only intellectual arenas in which I find myself attracted to embracing what others see as binary opposites. In educational research more generally, I find the debate about qualitative versus quantitative research about as compelling as the new phonics/whole language debate. I cannot imagine why any field of inquiry would want to limit itself to a single set of tools and practices. Even though I find both debates interesting and professionally useful, I fear the ultimate outcome of both, if they continue unbridled by saner heads, will be victory for one side or another. That, in my view, would be a disastrous outcome, either for reading pedagogy or educational research. (the bolding is mine). A more flattering way to express this same position is to say that I have always aspired to the Greek ideal of moderation in all things or to the oriental notion that every idea entails its opposite….”

In sum, back in this era, Pressley and Pearson, both legends in the literacy field, seem to be warning against viewing things as binary or jumping to conclusions by going to extreme positions in the binary. Fast forward to today, and you’ll find recent issues of the RRQ warning against that same kind of binary thinking. 

Recently SOME (not all) SOR advocates continue to view things as binary. The scenario they promote is balanced literacy vs. SOR. When pressed for their definitions of balanced literacy, they often avoid answers. Essentially their view is anything that is not SOR is Balanced Literacy. They blatantly ignore or discount places where the key practices that are the heart of Pressley’s vision of balanced literacy have been successful. When asked about showing studies comparing the two “sides,” they have been unable to produce such studies. They usually claim that there are no clear definitions of Balanced Literacy, so they can’t really draw a sample of districts using Balanced Literacy. Hmmm, huge red flag! Instead, in their comparisons, they take all districts not doing SOR and lump them into the category of Balanced Literacy. Defining balanced literacy that way turns it into the quintessential strawman. This is because instead of using districts doing something like Presley envisioned as Balanced Literacy ( LINK, LINK, LINK), they also include districts doing things badly, districts doing little or nothing, districts with no real plans- you get the idea. When comparing SOR to such a strawman, of course, SOR wins.

Here is a LINK to a recent analysis I did of the problem with looking at things that way. These graphics help to explain the key points I make in the blog containing the analysis.

The Rocket represents the SOR projects. The circle represents practices in all the districts around the U.S.

The second graphic shows the rockets (successful implementations of SOR) and the stars (successful implementation of Pressley style Balance Literacy), the yellow circles represent other successful programs, and the large grey areas (MOST OF THE GRAPHIC) represent districts not having a successful literacy program.  

This graphic clearly demonstrates that the real culprit in the lack of progress in reading instruction lies not with properly implemented SOR or Balanced Literacy. Rather it lies with districts who do neither or who do one or the other badly, or have no real program at all. Being a centrist and seeker of common ground, I see the real hope for the future as lying with districts that include elements of both in what they do (see the circle where the rocket ship and star appear together!).

I’m back to my mantra. “Let’s use common sense to find common ground”. Let’s recognize that what works with one child doesn’t always work with another. Let’s put a moratorium on talking about what’s wrong with “the other side(s) methods and instead ask- is there anything from the other side(s) ideas that I can use to help my kids when my preferred methods don’t work? In my original post about this four years ago, I called this creating a reading evolution LINK.

One clear example of how this might apply in real life is the recent events in Australia where children with several years of synthetic phonics are still making no progress LINK. As you explore the link, look under the heading Context. In this instance, SOR folks have something to learn from the Balanced Literacy folks. The SOR folks really do need to develop some answers to the question of what to do to help children for whom several years of synthetic phonics instruction have failed to work.  I think the answers to such questions lie with the successful implementation of some constructivist-based practices.

In the spirit of looking at things from both sides (all sides), let’s also recognize that many children seem to thrive on synthetic phonics and do badly if they aren’t introduced to that form of phonics first. Hmm. Sounds like the Balanced Literacy folks have things they can and should learn from SOR.

In sum, I am saying that both sides (all sides) have things they can and should learn from the other.

At the end of the day, let us remember who the real boss of this situation should be. It should be the kids. It should be the needs of the kids. It should be developing ways to deliver instruction that meet all their needs. I must agree with Pearson that “victory for one side or another… would be a disastrous outcome, either for reading pedagogy or educational research”. I’ll end by saying let’s try something that has never been tried in the whole history of reading. Let’s adopt a centrist position and use the best of both sides (all sides) to help the kids. Let’s stop the fighting. Instead, let’s start using some common sense and look for common ground. Let’s follow ALL the research and see where it leads. Dare to dream!

FUTURE BLOGS

In the coming weeks and months, I’m scheduled to appear at several conferences. These include LitCon, Write to Learn and Missouri’s Early Childhood Conference. I’m arranging to do interviews with several of the key speakers at those conferences. So there should be some interesting blogs forthcoming. To start with next week I’ll be doing an interview with Yvonna Graham about her book DYSLEXIA TOOL KIT.

Until then,

Happy Reading and Happy 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 it to ensure you won’t miss future posts. Use the “follow” entry on the sidebar of the blog.

An overview of the newly released issue of The Missouri Reader: Includes articles by Laura Robb & Timothy Shanahan

A blog entry by Dr. Sam Bommarito

As promised, the newest issue of The Missouri Reader is out. In this newest edition, several literacy folks give different points of view about the dialogue around the issues of teaching early reading.

As some of you may already know, I am the Co-Editor of this journal along with Glenda Nugent. The Missouri Reader has been around for over 45 years. It started as a “paper journal.”  Now we publish digitally. We have two issues each year. We are peer-reviewed, and our editorial board has many highly qualified people (see the journal’s sidebar on the Table of Contents page). We publish many articles by well-known experts in the reading field. However, we also encourage teachers to publish, especially action research, book reviews, and app reviews. The last page of each issue explains how to submit an article for review. We are an official publication of the Missouri Literacy Association. Missouri Literacy Association is an ILA affiliate. The journal runs on the JOOMAG ™ platform.  No special software is needed. Anyone with the link below can read the current issue for free.

https://joom.ag/OEVI

I want to also call your attention to another issue for you to explore. It is a poetry issue that was published in 2019. It is our most-read issue of all time (however, I am hoping that this current issue may claim that honor soon). The poetry issue contains TONS of innovative ideas about how to use poetry in the classroom. It was the brainchild of Missouri’s own David Harrison. He approached Glenda Nugent (my Co-Editor) and I about the idea of a special issue dedicated especially to poetry. We are so glad he did. Here is the link to that issue. Feel free to share it with other interested educators.

https://joom.ag/o1ta

Current members of MLA are sent an email giving them early access to the journal. Once members have had their early access, we then distribute The Missouri Reader to the general public using what we call the “word of cyberspace.” We ask our readers to share the links to the magazine with other readers. As a result, we are now read all around the world. So, if you like what you see in one or both issues, please share the links. They’re both free. University professors, feel free to share the links with your classes if you like.  THANKS!

You can help support The Missouri Reader by joining the Missouri Literacy Association- membership is open to all. Or you can donate to help fund the costs associated with publishing this well-respected journal. Here is a link where you can join or donate:

https://mla31.wildapricot.org/

Until next week,

Happy Reading and Writing

Dr. Sam Bommarito (Co-Editor of a peer-reviewed teacher’s journal)

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

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

Singing Our Way into Fluency: Dr. Bommarito’s blog today talks about an article he co-authored in Literacy Today

I was very excited when Ann Kay asked me about helping her write an article about brain research and music. Fast forward to the present, and I was even more excited to learn that the article had been accepted and published in Literacy Today. It appears in the October, November, December issue that was just released. Understand that Ann was the primary author and did the heavy lifting in writing the article. Tim Rasinski and I were co-authors and contributed some additional ideas and observations. Let’s look at a screen capture of the article’s first page. It will be followed by a link to read the entire article online.

Here is the link to use to read the entire article:

LINK

Summary of the Article

I begin the article by explaining how I use repeated readings with short reading passages, including poems and songs. In the article’s main body, Ann C. Kay explains how singing and other activities can help students develop their reading skills. A key quote is, “Auditory processing is a missing link to literacy.” She laments that many activities surrounding auditory processing have disappeared from current classrooms and playgrounds. She then gives many practical examples of how teachers and others can bring such activities back. Tim Rasinski, a major figure in the literacy world, finishes the article by tying this kind of literacy work to his ideas about the art and science of reading. I recently interviewed Tim and his colleagues about this very topic, LINK. Tim ends the article by saying, “We need to rediscover the importance of songs and singing for the reading curriculum and make it once more part of what we do in the preschool and primary grades.”

Additional Resources demonstrating the importance of music in helping students develop their reading skills

In the article, Ann gives ideas for further reading. In addition, please have a look at this interview I did with Ann and Nina Kraus, Ph.D., a scientist, inventor, and amateur musician who studies the biology of auditory learning. Dr. Kraus’s book, Of Sound Mind,  is a treasure trove of information about brain research supporting practices like Ann and I use. Here is a link to the interview

A new look at Brain Research Part Two- Additional information about the impact of music on reading fluency/prosody: A Video Interview by Dr. Sam Bommarito

The screen capture below is of the front cover of Dr. Kraus’s book.

Here is a link you can use to order the book: 

LINK

Link to Ann Kay’s Rock and Read Project: LINK.

Final Thoughts:

I remember a talk I heard long ago at an IRA (Now ILA) convention. Judy Blume was the speaker. She said something that has stuck with me over all these years. She said to remember that “reading is its own reward.” She was making the case that intrinsic rewards are superior to extrinsic rewards. Nowhere is that thought more important than in the discussion of how to teach reading. I want to stay on the path outlined by folks like Ann, Tim and my good friend Eric Litwin. Eric has made a powerful case for promoting the joy of reading through music LINK. I believe that learning to read should be intrinsically joyful. Using music to scaffold children into learning to read is a powerful idea that can make that happen. It is backed by a growing body of brain research pioneered by folks like Dr. Nina Kraus. As I suggested at the start of this blog entry, let us learn to sing our way into reading fluency.

Next Week

The Missouri Reader will be publishing its fall issue next week. As most of my readers know, I am the co-editor of that publication. So next week’s blog will discuss our newest edition. It includes articles from a wide range of views, including one from Timothy Shanahan and another from Laura Robb. So until next week:

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 it to ensure you won’t miss it.  Use the “follow” entry on the sidebar of the blog.

If You Only Knew: Letters from an Immigrant Teacher by Emily Francis- An interview conducted by Dr. Sam Bommarito

Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15 to October 15. It is a great time to learn more about the diversity of Hispanic and Latina experiences and cultures LINK. It is serendipitous that I was able to interview an up-and-coming Latina author about her new book, If You Only Knew: Letters from an Immigrant Teacher. The book is by Emily Francis. During the interview, Emily’s love of teaching and of, her students and her culture shine through. This book is a must-read for teachers and students alike. Here is a little bit of background about Emily:

Emily was born in Guatemala and came to the U.S.A. at the age of 15. As we read the book, we find out how Emily overcame the struggles of being an immigrant who at first spoke no English at all and how she became the person she is today. She is now married, a mother of two, and most of all, a teacher who cares deeply about her students. The depth of her caring is clearly demonstrated in her appearance on the Ellen Degeneres Show (see the links later on in this blog). Emily is currently an ESL teacher at Concord High School in Concord, North Carolina. Emily reports that her experience as an English language learner has given her a deep understanding of the challenges her current students must overcome to succeed. Her motto and focus are to INSPIRE students to “dream more, learn more and become more.”  Her book takes the format of a series of letters written by her to her students. The letters are inspirational. As you listen to the interview, please notice what she says about what her students learn from her story. Also, notice what she reports she has learned from theirs. The student quote I found the most compelling was, “My parents crossed the border so I could cross the stage.” There are many such inspirational stories in the book. Here is a link to the book. LINK.

What follows now are some time-stamped highlights from the interview and a link to the YouTube video of the interview:

Here is the interview as it appears on my YouTube channel:

Picture: Emily’s students

Other links about Emily:

Link to YouTube video about Emily, produced by WFAE 90.6 Charlotte LINK

Link to Emily’s appearance on Ellen Degeneres Show, including fellow immigrant Hamdy Ulukaya – founder and CEO of Chobani, donating $100,000 to her school’s backpack program. LINK

Link to Emily’s blog entry about her appearance on the Ellen Degeneres show LINK.

Link to Emily’s Blog LINK.

Link to Emily’s future presentations LINK

My Reflections about this book. This interview comes on the heels of my interview with Tim Rasinski and friends about their book Artfully Teaching the Science of Reading. One of the key things they talked about was motivation. This book provides that for readers, especially those who are also ESL students. As Emily’s motto says she wants to help her students “dream more, learn more and become more.”  What strikes me most about Emily is how she uses her own success as a model for her students with her main focus being to help them. View the Ellen Degnus show clip and her blog entry about that event as evidence of the power of the motivation she inspires.

Emily is a model teacher.  She says the important first step she takes as a teacher is to really get to know her students before she tries to teach them  As a matter of fact that was her key advice to beginning teachers. I advise all teachers to follow Emily’s example and not leave that step out.

I predict that teachers looking for a good book to use with their students, especially their ESL students, will find that this book is an excellent choice. I highly recommend its adoption and use.

Dr. B’s Future Blogs

As I mentioned last week, I had a long and productive conversation with Eric Litwin. He is an amazing author of children’s books (think Pete the Cat) and an expert in literacy for the youngest child. He is also the author of the book The Power of Joyful Reading. I hope to talk to him soon about his upcoming appearance at The Conference on the Young Years (CYY). The conference will be celebrating its 50th anniversary.  It is sponsored by DESE (Missouri Department of Education). The conference will be held March 9 – 11, 2023, at the Tan-Tar-A Conference Center in Osage Beach, Missouri.  Osage Beach is centrally located and easily assessable to folks from around the country. Here is a link to information about the conference LINK.

Also, in the month of October, the next edition of The Missouri Reader is coming out. It includes articles by Laura Robb and Timothy Shanahan. You won’t want to miss that one!. I have an article I co-authored coming out in Literacy Today. It is about using music to help teach reading. I’ll be blogging about both of those things. In addition, I am continuing to line up interviews with other literacy authors. So stay tuned- lots of good things coming up!

Happy Reading and Writing.

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

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

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