Words are the fabric of our lives; they are the basis for critical analysis and creative thought; they give a richness to our communication, both written and spoken; they help us make decisions and solve problems. Words bring us joy through reading, singing, writing, talking, acting and playing.
But what about those who struggle with words, unable to read or write or spell? What about the fabric of their lives?
Today, September 8th, is International Literacy Day and I ‘d like to tell you about a program making a real difference to struggling readers, particularly those with dyslexia or serious difficulties with reading and/or written language. It’s called A Different Way In Reading Center, a not for profit organization, offering a NO COST after school program using Alphabetic Phonics, a multisensory structured language instruction (combining eyes, ears, muscles and voice) taught by clinically trained teachers. Interestingly enough it was founded three years ago on September 8th.
What exactly is dyslexia and how does Alphabetic Phonics help? According to teacher, Kathy Jensen, “People with dyslexia can’t figure out what the word says from what they can see. Students have to be taught how the language works for reading and spelling. They need to learn the letters and letter combinations and how each of them sounds in words. Subsequently we move on to the work of breaking long words into consistent pieces – the syllables, and then we teach each of the consistent pieces needed to learn the English language. We teach through reason, not rote memory. We teach them the reason reading behaves the way it does.”
The Center, based in Schenectady, NY, serves the Capital District area. Students are served one-on-one or in small groups, meet 1 hour three times a week. Both parents and students alike must make a 3 year commitment to the program.
Kathy provided these sample sentences to help you get the picture. Try your best to figure out what they say. Meybi riedong os nut es iesy es wi thonk. Vuwils can bi triechiruas.
For more information about the center please click on the FAQ page or contact the center at firstname.lastname@example.org or 518-945-8842
A literacy tip of the hat today to my friends at A Different Way In Reading Center, The Dictionary Project and The Literacy Site for the difference you make.