A Suggestion for Helping Teachers Help Students
In 1983 the National Commission on Excellence in Education declared America a “Nation At Risk.” We still are. The country has had almost a decade
TOPICS OF INTEREST
Hints for Implementing the Program
About Fluency
[This article was carried over from the previous issue because of interest in this subject.] Fluency is often a significant issue for struggling readers. Over
Dive In and Have Fun
If the Stevenson program is new to you, you are probably taking it in small doses to get used to it, particularly since it is
Free Support Always Available
A new school year is well underway, and if you work with struggling readers, there are bound to be new challenges. Perhaps you have different
How Are Your Students Enjoying Their Frosting? Sometimes Review Can Enhance the Taste.
can be tricky. If your students find this transition very difficult, one strategy you can employ is to review lessons shortly after you have moved on. For example, you
Solutions to Tough Reading Problems
Although many teachers use the Stevenson Reading Program simply because it is an effective and enjoyable way for beginning students to learn, many others have
Starting Stevenson? Don’t Forget the oa Friends Online Y
You are starting a new school year, and many of you will be starting new students in the Stevenson Program. Some of you will be
Struggling Readers and Multisyllable Words
In phonics instruction, students progress from combining a few letters into a few words to combining more letters into more words. Along the way a
Hot Topics in Reading
Common Core Standards and the Struggling Reader
In the Spring of 2013, we wrote an article about some of the teaching issues that arise when struggling readers encounter the Common Core Standards. Of course, we are
Common Core State Standards and the Stevenson Program
A national movement has been underway for several years now with a with a perfectly reasonable goal: to develop common core educational standards that will
Dangerous Rumor About Phonics
At two different workshops last spring, we heard a teacher say that research has shown that if a child does not learn to read using
Economics, Reading Intervention, and the Stevenson Program
Recent Article from Spring 2010 – Installment 2: Some Practical Points Some public school systems have suffered much more than others from our national economic
Huge Issues, Strange Logic and Common Sense – an editorial
As usual, educational policy makers are hard at work trying to solve our biggest educational problems with big concepts. In recent years we have all
Learning Problems, Teaching Problems
Struggling readers come in many varieties, but we can safely say that they have one thing in common: they don’t easily learn to read in
New Laws – ESSA Takes Over for NCLB
Do you know your ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act)? Or do you not even want to know what the latest from Washington is? Either way,
PAL Materials Add Special Touch
The Stevenson Program is much more imaginative than your standard phonics instruction, but our lessons still need to center on reading text, spelling words and
The Third Grade Reading Guarantee – A Few Suggestions
Ohio will institute a policy for the 2013-2014 school year that requires third grade students to be reading at a predetermined level on the Ohio
Some Things to Smile About
A Happy Story
We recently visited an excellent special education teacher we know in a Las Vegas elementary school, and heard a wonderful story. This teacher is experienced
Comprehension Issue
Teacher: What are you reading? Pupil: I don’t know. Teacher: But you’re reading aloud! Pupil: But I’m not listening!
Humor From a Large Child
A linguistics professor was lecturing his class: “In English a double negative forms a positive. In some languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative
Humor From a Small Child
A very active, five year old girl was often told by her parents that she was “full of beans.” One night her father told her
Our New Favorite Saying
A good friend of ours and an excellent practitioner of the Stevenson Program, Cheryl Davila, created the following statement for the close of her e-mails: “If a child
PAL Materials Add Special Touch
The Stevenson Program is much more imaginative than your standard phonics instruction, but our lessons still need to center on reading text, spelling words and
Wisdom from Students
– Never trust a dog to watch your food. – You can’t hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk. – Don’t pull
Assessment
Assessing the Situation – Again
Recent Article from Spring 2010 – Installment 1: Hints about Assessing Student Progress in the Stevenson Program If you Google the phrase “reading assessment,” you
More Stevenson-Specific Assessment Tools for Beginning Green Level
We recently posted a large group DIBELS-like assessments that use Stevenson stories. They were created through the Intervention Central Website. We are grateful to Sally Kovar
New Assessment Tool for Overlapping Strategy Now On Web Site
We recently posted a new, simple assessment tool that you can use with students who are following the Overlapping Strategy. This strategy is an approach to
Readbability Levels and Other Numbers
When you are trying to evaluate students, numbers help. You need some objective ways to measure progress. You can’t run a class-room, a school or
All Topics of Interest
A Happy Story
We recently visited an excellent special education teacher we know in a Las Vegas elementary school, and heard a wonderful story. This teacher is experienced with the Stevenson Program, and
A Suggestion for Helping Teachers Help Students
In 1983 the National Commission on Excellence in Education declared America a “Nation At Risk.” We still are. The country has had almost a decade of “No Child Left Behind”,
About Fluency
[This article was carried over from the previous issue because of interest in this subject.] Fluency is often a significant issue for struggling readers. Over the years there have been
Assessing the Situation – Again
Recent Article from Spring 2010 – Installment 1: Hints about Assessing Student Progress in the Stevenson Program If you Google the phrase “reading assessment,” you receive more than 43 million
Common Core Standards and the Struggling Reader
In the Spring of 2013, we wrote an article about some of the teaching issues that arise when struggling readers encounter the Common Core Standards. Of course, we are not the only ones to
Common Core State Standards and the Stevenson Program
A national movement has been underway for several years now with a with a perfectly reasonable goal: to develop common core educational standards that will apply nationally, rather than have