In March 2023, Park City READS collaborated with Park City Film to show a private screening of the new documentary about the illiteracy crisis in America titled, The Truth About Reading. As the film’s tag line states – “it’s an invisible crisis, hiding in plain sight.” The film highlights a few people who learned to read as adults and interviewed many well-respected experts about the importance of bringing the “science of reading” into both teacher preparation programs and classroom reading curricula. Following the film, PC READS hosted a wonderful panel discussion including local educators, professionals and parents.
Information about this documentary, including the trailer and upcoming screenings is available at: The Truth About Reading.
Teaching (and Learning) Reading IS Rocket Science: Guest Speaker, Louisa Moats
In October 2022, Park City READS hosted literacy expert, Dr. Louisa Moats, lead author of LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling). Dr. Moats gave two presentations diving into the science of reading and explaining how this body of research guides the way reading, language and writing are taught. Her work in this area spans decades and has received international acclaim.
On Thursday, October 6th, Dr. Moats gave a free community presentation entitled, Teaching (and Learning) Reading IS Rocket Science at the Newpark Resort. She shed light on some surprising facts about how children learn to read, addressed what goes wrong when children have difficulty, and shared insights into the approaches to instruction that are most likely to be successful for all children. The following day, Dr. Moats led a professional development session for Park City School District K-3 staff to kick-off their LETRS training.
“We were very proud to host Dr. Moats in Park City. Her landmark research and lectures are considered the gold standard in literacy education,” said Park City READS Executive Director Elissa Aten. “Her body of work is the foundation that ensures reading instruction is effective for all students. In the literacy world, Dr. Moats is a superstar. I’ve had the pleasure of hearing her speak at national conferences, so it was a thrill to offer this opportunity to parents and educators in our community.”
College Planning Presentations: Guest Speaker, Elizabeth Hamblet
In October 2021, PC READS invited Elizabeth Hamblet to Park City to give two presentations on college planning for students with IEPs and 504 Plans. As the author of From High School to College: Steps to Success for Students with Disabilities, Elizabeth’s knowledge is extensive and PC READS was grateful for the opportunity to host her in-person.. The topic of Elizabeth’s first presentation, which was focused on families, was Why They Change and What is Commonly Available (Or Not). The Park City High School Lecture Hall was full of students from grades 9-12 and their parents, who greatly appreciated her expert advice. The following day, professionals and educators joined Elizabeth for a virtual presentation (hosted from Park City) on Educational Evaluations: How to Make Reports More Helpful for Students Headed to College. Visit her website, ldadvisory.com, to learn more.
PC Reads serves up a live Gin and Phonics benefit
Read about our 2022 spring fundraiser, Gin & Phonics. We’ll be honoring our 2022 Elevating Literacy Award recipient, Alane Gaspari. Alane is an Interventionist at Parley’s Park Elementary School. The event also features PCHS ’99 & Artist, Chad Starling.
Switching Letters, Skipping Lines: Troubled and Dyslexic Minds
This essay was written by Hayden Miskinis, a 12 year old from Epping Middle School in Epping, NH. It was one of the top three winners in the middle school category of the New York Times Annual Student Editorial Contest.
Literacy: The Forgotten Social Justice Issue
EXCERPT: Yes, Black lives matter. But in the context of schools, as educators, as people who claim that their life’s work is for Black, brown, and disenfranchised children, we can not fully proclaim that Black Lives Matter until Black literacy does.
Prioritizing Educator Knowledge through Grassroots Activism
Inspiring article by Maria Murray, CEO and President of The Reading League.
EXCERPT: I received numerous emails from previous students once they began teaching. Their inquiries confirmed that even if knowledge of the science of reading is taught in university classes, it will likely melt away if the schools in which graduates are hired do not embrace it.
How ‘Reading Instruction’ Fails Black And Brown Children
By Natalie Wexler, author of The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America’s Broken Education System – and How to Fix It
EXCERPT: When it comes to reading, what works is a simultaneous mix of two things at early grade levels: systematic instruction in phonics, and starting to build the kind of knowledge students will need in high school and beyond. What doesn’t work is what schools have been doing: giving a token nod to phonics while encouraging kids to guess at words, and scrapping social studies and science to focus on illusory reading comprehension skills.
Every Child Is Unique… and Every Child Has to Learn the Same Skills
“It is simply not true that there are hundreds of ways to learn to read… when it comes to reading we all have roughly the same brain that imposes the same constraints and the same learning sequence.”
— Dr. Stanislas Dehaene, Reading in the Brain (2009)
Our Dyslexic Children – 2020 – Full Film
Definitely an important and worthwhile film to watch!
10 Signs of a Decoding Problem
This article has a comprehensive list of signs for parents (or teachers) to consider if a child appears to be struggling with reading. Signs include skipping words, misreading words, and guessing at unfamiliar words.
Schools Face Challenge of Teaching Reading in Proven Way – And Now in a Pandemic
Some states are leading the way in providing teacher training based in the science of reading. Let’s hope more follow this path!
Riccards: Twenty Years After the National Reading Panel, It’s Time for a Reading Rights Movement
Rushing to Fill the Gaps Coronavirus Has Widened
More great resources for distance-learning! These resources are not specific to struggling readers; however, all parents might find helpful information in the links about working on reading at home, including reading passages to use at home – some even offer passages in Spanish.
How to Handle IEPs During the Coronavirus Crisis? Some Expert Advice
EXCERPT: Education Week interviewed three experts—a special education attorney, an attorney who represents school districts in special education disputes, and a professor who studied special education law for decades—to find out what advice they have on handling IEPs during the global pandemic.
During the discussions, three common themes emerged. Schools should: provide services to students as soon as possible; worry more about making progress than following the letter of the law; and understand that much of federal law wasn’t written with online education in mind.