25 Must-Have Tools for Learning Specialists, Educational Therapists, and Literacy Tutors

1. Locating and Correcting Reading Difficulties

by Ward Cockrum and James L. Shanker

If you’ve just started working with a struggling reader and you’re not sure where to begin, this is an essential tool in your literacy toolbox. You can use a variety of informal assessments to pinpoint a student’s area of difficulty. The book also includes activities to build up those skills. I especially like to use this book to measure progress in phonics, multisyllable decoding, and sight word acquisition. (www.baytreeblog.com/difficulties)

2. Seeing Stars Letter Cards

I use these cards to teach kids sound-symbol correspondence (i.e. learning the sounds that letters make). They’re sturdy enough for daily use. (www.baytreeblog.com/vccards)

3. Seeing Stars Decoding Workbooks

Once kids have cracked the alphabetic code, they need tons of practice decoding. These workbooks are divided into six levels based on word length. I find workbooks #2 and #3 most useful. The first workbook includes CV/VC words with just two sounds, the second workbook includes CVC words with three sounds, and the third workbooks include CVCC/CCVC words with consonant blends. I like to use these words as a jumping off point for phonemic and orthographic awareness activities. (www.baytreeblog.com/seeingstarsworkbooks)

4. Quick Reads

Once kids are decoding accurately, they need to apply their skills. The Quick Reads program includes short passages that can be used for repeated reading and other activities that build reading fluency. I like that the articles are grouped by topic so that students get many exposures to topic-specific vocabulary. (www.baytreeblog.com/quickreads)

5. Unlocking Literacy: Effective Decoding and Spelling Instruction

by Marcia K. Henry

New to teaching reading? Not sure how to best help a struggling reader? This is THE book for you. Henry shows how children learn to read and how to best teach literacy. She focuses on morphology (the meaning system) and orthography (the writing system), which are two vital, but overlooked, layers of language. The 100-page appendix of prefixes, suffixes, and bases is worth the price of the book alone. This is an invaluable resource, especially for teachers of children in the intermediate grades. (www.baytreeblog.com/unlockingliteracy)

6. REWARDS

by Vicky Vachon, Mary Gleason, and Anita Archer

Anyone who’s offering you a silver bullet for solving reading problems is probably selling snake oil. However, this inexpensive, accessible program is probably the closest thing to a decoding cure-all. Here’s why. Each lesson includes explicit, structured practice with:

1. a vowel pattern
2. decoding a single syllable words with that vowel pattern, and
3. a multisyllable decoding strategy.

Students are taught to identify common prefixes and suffixes, so they can successfully read multisyllable words. I’ve seen kids’ reading ability grow by leaps and bounds. The intermediate version is for children in grades 4-5. The standard version is appropriate for middle school students, high school students, and adults. (www.baytreeblog.com/rewards)

1. The Checklist Manifesto

by Atul Gawande

Ok, this book actually has nothing to do with writing or teaching. It could still transform how you teach writing! Harvard Medical School Professor Atul Gawande details how simple checklists help professionals successfully complete complex tasks. Writing is arguably the most complex task students perform in school. Modify a task that feels unmanageably difficult by involving students in making checklists. Watch their writing improve before your eyes; and, most importantly, before their eyes. (www.baytreeblog.com/checklist)

2. Dragon Dictate

If you’re working with students of any age who confess that they hate writing, explore how easily and legibly they write. If handwriting is tough, most students will grow to dislike the entire writing process. You can circumvent these difficulties by using dictation software like Dragon Dictate. It takes some finesse to train the program and a good quality microphone. This is not a quick or cheap fix, but it can significantly improve a student’s experience with writing. (www.baytreeblog.com/dragon)

3. Ginger

Another common reason kids dislike writing is that they’re embarrassed or frustrated by their spelling mistakes. Ginger is a free program you can use to help students who make spelling mistakes. Ginger’s more effective for kids with dyslexia than a standard Spellcheck. Unlike Spellcheck, Ginger was designed to help with severe spelling errors. For example, Ginger changes “chould i add anything” to “Should I add anything?” (www.baytreeblog.com/ginger)

4. Inspiration

This is a great tool for kids who have disorganized writing or who lose their train of thought while writing. Inspiration is a visual tool for brainstorming. The best feature is that it syncs up with your word processing program; this helps students transcribe their outline into their first draft. That’s what I call efficient! Kids will need explicit instruction and modeling to use this tool effectively. (www.baytreeblog.com/inspiration)

5. Powerful Writing Strategies for Students

by Karen Harris, Steve Graham, Linda Mason and Barbara Friedlander

This book introduces an instructional writing technique called “Self-Regulated Strategy Development.” Each chapter includes a specific strategy, lesson plans, and blackline masters for expository and narrative writing. This book is a huge time saver for teachers, educational therapists, and tutors. (www.baytreeblog.com/writingstrategies)

6. Time Timer

One of the biggest reasons kids “hate” writing is that they feel overwhelmed by the task. Other kids may grossly overestimate how long writing tasks will take. Help them break down writing projects into smaller chunks and then estimate how much time each task will take. Finally, encourage students to set the Timer for the allotted time. Watch the worries melt away. (www.baytreeblog.com/timetimer)

1. Teaching Reading Comprehension to Students with Learning Difficulties

by Janette Klingner, Sharon Vaughn, and Alison Boardman

If I had to recommend just one book on reading comprehension, this is the one! Written by researchers, the book covers assessment, vocabulary instruction, and effective instructional techniques. Great for elementary, middle, and secondary teachers. (www.baytreeblog.com/teachingrc)

2. Six-Way Paragraphs

by Walter Pauk

This is a great tool for reinforcing expository comprehension skills. Each short passage is paired with factual, inferential, and vocabulary questions. Each book includes five different levels, broken down by grade level. (www.baytreeblog.com/6way)

3. Jamestown Critical Reading

These books are simply fabulous. Interesting, engaging real-life stories with comprehension questions that make kids think. You couldn’t ask for anything more. If you read enough of these books, you’ll never run out of conversational tidbits to share at parties! (www.baytreeblog.com/jamestowncr)

4. Visualizing and Verbalizing

by Lindamood-Bell

Some kids benefit from explicit instruction in how to create “mind movies.” I like to start off a session with one short paragraph from these workbooks. It’s also a great tool to support language development. These workbooks are an important supplement to any reading comprehension program. (www.baytreeblog.com/visualizingverbalizing)

1. Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching

by Anita Archer and Charles Hughes

When I first read this book, I said, “I could have just read this book instead of going to graduate school!” Seriously, this book is essential for any educator. You’ll learn how explicit instruction can help all students succeed. The book includes practical suggestions on how to design lessons, organize and deliver your instruction, and provide appropriate, independent practice. (www.baytreeblog.com/eeteaching)

2. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

by Carol Dweck

What if our praise actually demolishes student motivation? Stanford social psychologist Carol Dweck’s seminal research shows how two different types of belief systems impact children’s enthusiasm for learning, their love of challenge, and their ability to persevere. Her suggestions are practical and easy to use. A must-read for every educator and parent! (www.baytreeblog.com/mindset)

3. The Optimistic Child: A Proven Program to Safeguard Children Against Depression and Build Lifelong Resilience

by Martin Seligman

Do you have students who beat themselves up over tiny mistakes? Or do you know kids who struggle to bounce back from setbacks? Martin Seligman, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, offers concrete advice to help kids cultivate a more resilient mindset. Children learn to recognize negative events as temporary, contained, and external to themselves. (www.baytreeblog.com/optimisticchild)

4. Smart but Scattered and Smart but Scattered Teens

by Peg Dawson and Richard Guare

These are must-have books for anyone who works with kids who need help getting organized, staying focused, and completing work. In this practical book, the authors tackle common challenges for kids who have weak executive functioning. There are lots of actionable strategies in each chapter. (www.baytreeblog.com/smartscattered)

5. The Whole Brian Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind

by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson

This little book is a quick read and packed full of practical advice. It features twelve different strategies for helping kids thrive in the face of common childhood challenges. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. “Connect and Redirect: Connect emotionally, redirect logically.”
2. “Name It To Tame It: Taming emotions through storytelling.”
3. “Let The Clouds of Emotion Roll By: Teaching your kids about temporary feelings.”

The cartoons and illustrations are engaging too! (www.baytreeblog.com/wholebrainchild)

1. The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan

by Ben Foss

This book is hands-down my favorite book to share with parents about dyslexia. The book focuses on how to help identify children’s strengths, foster resilience, and build social support. Best of all, Ben Foss writes from experience – he has dyslexia! (www.baytreeblog.com/dyslexiaplan)

2. The Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential of the Dyslexic Brain

by Brock L. Eide and Fernette F. Eide

Have you ever noticed that many children with dyslexia are gifted storytellers, inventive builders, and amazingly creative? The Drs. Eide explore the four areas where individuals with dyslexia often shine, discussing the benefits and challenges for kids with these learning styles. Vignettes from successful adults with dyslexia are sure to inspire. (www.baytreeblog.com/dyslexicadvantage)

3. Overcoming Dyslexia A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Reading Problems at Any Level

The author, Dr. Sally Shaywitz, co-director of the Yale Center for the Study of Learning and Attention, knows dyslexia. This book includes some of the best information on what we know, right now, about the neurological underpinnings of dyslexia. (www.baytreeblog.com/overcomingdyslexia)

4. Teaching Students with Dyslexia and Dysgraphia Lessons from Teaching and Science

by Virginia W. Berninger and Beverly J. Wolf

This book successfully melds information from scientific studies and classroom lessons to show how to teach kids with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and oral and written language learning disability. If you’re not familiar with Virginia Berninger and you work with children who have working memory deficits, you need to read this. (www.baytreeblog.com/teachingstudentswithdyslexia)