The research field of Dyslexia is constantly changing. We are learning much more about how to improve the educational opportunities for our children with Dyslexia. I am constantly researching Dyslexia and want to help you learn more about it, as well as the new breakthroughs in the field. In many ways it is not a disability, just a different way of learning. Breakthroughs are being made constantly in this field and I will try to keep you updated.
Classroom Updates and Parent Notes
March 9th
Congratulations to our Super Spelling Bee participants! Everyone that went did such an awesome job and had a great time. Many prizes were won and I know you all love your medals! You can wear them to school all this week to show off what a great speller you have become! Also, the newspaper will be running a story featuring the Bee so stay tuned for more information on how to have your photo in the paper!!!!
January 3rd
Dear Parents,
As you know, our MTA spelling bee is coming up on Saturday, March 8th. I have sent home a packet with words you can practice each day with your child to help him/her do well at the bee. These are spelling rules that we are using daily in class as well. So, even if you chose not to participate in the Spelling Bee it is essential to your child’s success that you practice these spelling rules at home together. Please understand that the words will be taken from every page (and rule) that is enclosed in your child’s packet. Also, some of these exact words will be used, but these are only sample words from the rules they know. You can probably think of other words that will go along with each rule as you go. I would try to cover all of these pages by the time of the bee. I would also suggest taking one page a week to work on and review previous words occasionally. I will also be rewarding the children for their spelling practice that is done at home so please remember to sign their Spelling Bee Practice sheet for them. They will return it each Friday for their reward.
Each student is placed according to their individual mastery level and these pages cover what your particular child should know. Spelling, of course, causes real problems for many M.T.A. students, so please take a little time each day to help your child. We will be working here at school too, although I will work more with the rules than with the specific words on these pages. We really need your help, as I only have each class for 45 minutes each day and during that short time, we have to cover reading, spelling, and handwriting. It's just not enough time to practice as much as we should. We want this to be a great learning experience and a successful day for everyone. Remember, everyone will receive a medal for the Bee if you have signed up. They will not be competing against each other. Essentially, they will be competing against themselves. Many gold medals It can be a positive time that you get to spend with your child and a great way to show them that you value their education.
There will be more specific information coming later about times and such, but feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Enjoy!!!
Mrs. Ryherd, MTA
November 13th
Dear Parents,
Just a reminder that Friday is the last day to turn in Spelling Bee Registration Forms and the $5.00 registration fee. If you need a new form I have extra that the children can have. The Spelling Bee will be held at Briarhill Middle School on Saturday, March 8, 2008 in Highland Village.
This is only for MTA students and is set up to be a low-stress, fun day that will allow every student to feel successful. Each student will be spelling at his/her own level. It is a great way to meet new people, practice spelling skills, and have a good time!
Parents are encouraged to come and share the day with your child. You can spend some quality time with your child and at the same time, send the message that you feel learning is important and support them in their efforts. I’m sorry that we have to sign up so far ahead of time, but it takes a long time to get this all organized and set up. We need to know how many to expect. I hope that we will have every MTA student from Creekside there on that day.
I do need to have these yellow registration forms back by November 16th along with the $5.00 registration fee. This fee helps to pay for the medals and prizes that each child at the Spelling Bee will receive. Also, if you choose to order a T-shirt, please include the additional $10 for that. We will be working on designing a T-shirt over the next few Fridays. Only children who are registered for the Spelling Bee will be able to submit their design. A committee will then pick someone’s design from those submitted to be used as the official T-shirt for this year.
Please support our program and your child by spending a few hours that Saturday morning with us and your student. Those who have gone in the past can tell you that it is a lot of fun and everyone walks away feeling like a winner, with their medal in hand. I am enclosing the registration form. If you have any questions, please feel free to call or contact me.
Thanks for all you do!
Mrs. Ryherd, MTA
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October 26th
Dear MTA Parents:
Each year the MTA Department of Lewisville ISD sponsors a special spelling bee that is exclusively for our MTA students. Students are given the opportunity to apply spelling rules and procedures which they have learned in their MTA classes. They participate at their own levels, and each one is a medal winner.
The annual spelling bee is a highlight of the year for the students as well as the teachers.
Even though the bee is not until Saturday, March 8, 2008, preparations are already underway. Committees are hard at work in order to plan the best MTA Spelling Bee ever!
While students are waiting to participate in their session of the bee, they have opportunities to win prizes through various drawings. Prizes include coupons, toys, stuffed animals, gift certificates, etc. For their participation, students are also rewarded with goodie bags full of various small items. As one might imagine, the drawings and the goodie bags are very important to the participants!
Most of the items obtained for the drawings and goodie bags are from generous donations of parents, teachers, and community businesses. Therefore, we would like to invite you to help us make this a great spelling bee by donating items. Let your imagination be your guide. No donation is too large or too small!
Please contact your student’s MTA teacher (Mrs. Ryherd (ryherdt@lisd.net) if you are interested in participating in this worthy cause. He/she will be able to provide you with any additional information.
Thank you for your generosity and support. The children and we appreciate it.
Respectfully,
The MTA Spelling Bee Donation Committee
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October 6th
The Dyslexia Program of LISD will be holding our 8th annual Spelling Bee on Saturday, 3/8/2008 at Briarhill Middle School. Further information and registration forms will be sent home at the end of October. The registration forms are due back by November 16th. Students can also enter a T-shirt design contest if they choose to. These T-shirts that are personally designed by an MTA student will also be available for children to buy so that they can wear them to the Spelling Bee.
Thanks for all your support at home.
Mrs. Ryherd
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September 13th
Parents,
I hope your year is going well so far. It has been wonderful in M.T.A. Your kids are so great to have! I just wanted to let you know that starting next week the children will be able to win extra prizes in M.T.A. for their reading done at home. I have sent home the reading log that they will bring each Friday to get their reward. This is not homework... it is just for fun. I am really trying to stress that reading is meant to be fun. Have them choose any book they want, even if it seems too easy. Make it STRESS FREE - if they can't get a word - you can read it for them. Library books are perfect because it is usually a subject that they are interested in. Just have fun with this and make it quality time.
Thanks for all your support at home.
Mrs. Ryherd
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August 30th
Welcome back to the 2007-2008 school year! We are anxious to get started and excited about the plans that we have for this year. Thank you for getting supplies for your student. Being organized is a big help when we only have 45 class minutes!
In addition to the regular M.T.A. instruction, we will be piloting a new program, Dyslexia Research Curriculum, from Texas Scottish Rite Hospital that will “enable students with dyslexia to achieve and maintain better sight word recognition, reading fluency, reading comprehension as well as aid in the transition from a therapy setting to ‘real world’ learning.” This curriculum contains the five components of effective reading instruction supported by the National Reading Panel research and mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act.
The Dyslexia Research Curriculum “has incorporated the first 300 words from Fry’s Instant Word List. This list contains the most commonly used words in written English, ranked in frequency order.” “The 300 new instant words and their common variants make up 65% of all the words in any textbook, newspaper, or writing sample in English. It is impossible to achieve fluency in reading or writing unless these words are known ‘instantly.’”
We will be implementing daily practice using the Instant Word Practice Book in addition to the regular MTA curriculum. The goal is to promote accuracy and automaticity in reading. Automaticity is defined as “accurate and effortless word identification at the single word level.”
Our goal for this year is to complete the first 200 words! Each week students will be assigned a list of ten (10) words. The words will be introduced on Monday. Daily class practice will be Tuesday through Friday. Homework will be given on Tuesday through Friday evenings. Each evening students will have a list of words, phrases or sentences to practice. Students need to practice a minimum of five (5) minutes each evening with an adult. (Please keep in mind the goal is accuracy and automaticity not speed.) After your child has completed five (5) minutes of practice, please sign the list. The student should bring the practice sheet to school the following day. The cycle will repeat on week two. The cycle continues on the third week which is a review week where students practice the lists from the two prior weeks.
Mrs. Trisha Ryherd, MTA
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Conferences and Seminars
___________________________________________
Here are some helpful websites:
Developmental Dyslexia:
Through the Lens of Cerebrodiversity
http://www.thenewgrange.org/dr_sherman/cerebrodiversity/cerebrodiversity.html
International Dyslexia Association
http://interdys.org
P.O.D.S.
Parents of Dyslexic Students
http://www.lisd-pods.org
Dyslexia the Gift
http://www.dyslexia.com/links.htm
National Reading Panel
http://www.nationalreadingpanel.org
Proactive Parent
http://www.proactiveparent.com
Reading Rockets
http://www.readingrockets.org
National Institute for Literacy
http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/pfr.html
Learning Disabilities Association of America
http://www.ldanatl.org
National Center for Learning Disabilities
http://www.ncld.org
LD Online
http://ldonline.org
Other Resources:
Association of Higher Education and Disability
c/o University of Massachusetts-Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA 02125-3393
Phone: 617-287-3880
Fax: 617-287-3881
Website: http://www.ahead.org
Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities
1200 New York Ave., #300, Washington, DC 20005-1754
Phone: 888-478-6463
Website: http://www.aboutld.org
Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), Division of Learning Disabilities (DLD)
1920 Association Dr., Reston, VA 20191-1589
Phone: 888-232-7733
Website: http://www.TeachingLD.org
Council for Learning Disabilities
P.O. Box 40303, Overland Park, KS 66204
Phone: 913-492-8755
Fax: 913-492-2546
Website: http://www.cldinternational.org
Hello Friend/Ennis William Cosby Foundation
P.O. Box 4061, Santa Monica, CA 90411
Website: http://www.hellofriend.com
LD OnLine
Website: http://www.ldonline.org
Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA)
4156 Library Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15234-1349
Phone: 888-300-6710
Alt. Phone: 412-341-1515
Fax: 412-344-0224
Website: http://www.ldanatl.org
National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD)
381 Park Ave. South, #1401, New York, NY 10016
Phone: 888-575-7373
Alt. Phone: 212-545-7510
Fax: 212-545-9665
Website: http://www.ld.org
Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D)
20 Roszel Road, Princeton, NJ 8540
Phone: 800-221-4792
Alt. Phone: 609-452-0606
Fax: 609-987-8816
Website: http://www.rfbd.org
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