Do you have a room or cupboard or shelf in your school that looks like the room of requirement? The room where the redundant, don’t know what to do with, don’t need for this cohort things go? Well, I need you to find that room and to go in search of treasure for your dyslexic students! Because I bet you have more dyslexic resources than you realise.
Just last week I was doing some consultancy work in a school where we were talking about what resources they needed to buy. Before we did any calculating to put together a proposal to get some budget I took the SENCO for a walk to the redundant resource area and just like the room of requirement we found so many treasures!
So here is a list of things to go in search of that are fab interventions, strategies and support for dyslexic children:
HATCHER SOUND LINKAGE
A ring bound book in an A4 red plastic folder.
This is a brilliant resource to develop phonological awareness, dead easy for TAs to administer and can easily be slipped into the day in 1 or 2 minute chunks.
ACTIVE LITERACY KIT
Turquoise Blue A3 cardboard folder.
A box filled with lots of mini books and activities. Short Sharp activities that can easily be delivered 1:1 in very short blocks. Focuses on alphabet, sequencing, phonological awareness and early spelling skill.
RAPID READERS
The BEST reading scheme I have come across.
Evidence based and doubles the rate of reading progress. Each book has a fiction and non-fiction element. Also has questions that develop phonological awareness, comprehension and spelling… PLUS it’s accompanied by BRILLIANT worksheets that consolidate and utilise dyslexic friendly approaches developing literacy acquisition.
STAREWAY TO SPELLING
A4 ring bound book.
A programme specifically designed to develop spelling skill! Works using dyslexia friendly approaches and consolidates these in dictation.
ALPHA TO OMEGA
A5 books and cards
A structured and accumulative spelling programme utilising multi sensory approaches!
BEAT DYSLEXIA
5 photocopiable books
Utilise multi-sensory approaches to developed early spelling skill and phonological awareness. Perfect for working in a small group.
SMART CHUTE
Red and yellow plastic contraption!
Comes with sets of cards that focus on different things from initial sounds, to syllables to complex vowel digraphs. Works by the contraption flipping the card so the child can self check if they are right.
STILE TRAYS and BOOKS
Small blue plastic trays with cream tiles inside that have blue, red and green triangles on.
There are a million books to go with this that focus on comprehension right through to literacy acquisition. These are great to build independence and consolidate learning.
So there you go… You never know you may have some of these gems in your school. If you don’t know… ask. Put a note on the staffroom wall and see if someone else knows and what others can find it know about. If you locate them and want to know how to use and deliver them drop me a line. I’ll help you!
There are so many under utilised resources in cupboards and shelves in schools. Let’s find them and start using them to make a difference.
I look forward to hearing about what you find in your room of requirement – I feel sure it will be magical!