This session is available due to a gift from the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation. They have created the Joey Moss Literacy Centre for Excellence which will enable the Edmonton Down Syndrome Society to expand its literacy program within the geographic region that reaches from Red Deer, Alberta through to the North West Territories.
Workshop Titles:
Main Session: Whole Child Reading: Teaching Learners with Down syndrome and Other Developmental Delays
Worker Bee 1: How to Modify Trade Books + Create Lotto Games
Worker Bee 2: How to Create Personal Books + Personal Pages
Main Session: “Whole Child Reading”
Giving tools that are immediately useable by attendees, Monica and Sharla lead the audience through an effective plan to teach reading to learners of any age with Down syndrome or other developmental delays. Information given is relative not only to Down syndrome, but to other diagnoses as well, e.g.: ASD, PDD-NOS, etc. With the goal of reading success achieved through “Going in through the heart and teaching to the brain,” they cover in detail the most effective methods, materials, and motivation guidelines.
Topics covered include: current best practice, the optimal order of learning to read, sight word learning, phonemic awareness, teaching nonverbal children, teaching older non-readers, errorless testing techniques, how to engage motivation, the Fast Flash method, comprehension tips, and hands-on coaching for creating personal books, personal pages, lotto games and modifying trade books.
Worker Bee Session Goals:
• Worker Bee 1: To help attendees modify the trade book they have brought (e.g., “Step Into Reading” books from Random House, available at any “Mart” store) with instructions on completing the book at home on computer. To walk through exercises in modifying those books for different reading levels and interests. A lotto game prototype will also be created.
• Worker Bee 2: Will walk attendees through the creation of a personal book and personal page for their child/student. The storyboard for the book is completed in the workshop, ready for actual creation on computer later. Attendees learn through listening to audience participation as well.