Episode description

From October 7, 2022

In this episode, we talk with former balanced literacy teacher and parent, Missy Purcell. She authored a blog post titled Dear Balanced Literacy Teacher.

Missy writes, “According to Nancy Young’s ladder of reading, roughly 10-15% of kids can figure out reading out with this type of instruction, but my child, who would later be diagnosed with dyslexia, would never be able to become a proficient reader with any version of balanced literacy. He, according to Young, like 85% of students, benefit from or need systematic explicit instruction that follows a scope and sequence with fidelity to become proficient readers and writers.”

We want to normalize the idea that most kids CAN learn how to read with structured literacy instruction. 

Resources

• Dear Balanced Literacy Teacher 
• Looking for Heroes: One Boy, One Year, 100 Letters 2nd Edition
• These resources from the International Dyslexia Association are helpful to spread the word on social media about October as Dyslexia Awareness Month! 

We answer your questions about teaching reading in The Literacy 50-A Q&A Handbook for Teachers: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading That Keep You Up at Night.

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