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Thank you IDA Georgia! Thanks to a generous grant from IDA Georgia, REAP is providing 160 public school teachers with advanced training in Structured Literacy to better support at-risk students. REAP will provide REAP-trained teachers with extra tools to boost reading skills in economically disadvantaged students, English language learners, and those with dyslexia and other learning challenges. These trained teachers are already making gains with ALL their students and this advanced training will give them even better ways to support at-risk students.

1. Phonological Awareness Workshops
This workshop is valuable for Pre-K and Kindergarten teachers.

2. Word and World Knowledge Vocabulary Modules
All students need explicit vocabulary instruction. It’s absolutely critical that second-language students and economically disadvantaged students get the word and world knowledge necessary to catch up to their peers.

3. Morphology Workshop for 3rd-6th grade teachers
This training is important for teachers in grades 3-6 who are limited in the amount of time they can spend on reading instruction.

Just in time for gift giving, REAP now has its very own shop on CafePress. We have a variety of items in five fun, colorful designs to celebrate our Train | Teach | Read campaign. The shop features something for everybody:

• Mugs, travel mugs and shopping/tote bags
• Shirts for women, men, teens and kids
• Mousepads, magnets and stickers

So buy some cool stuff and support REAP at the same time! The profits from every purchase go to support our teacher training programs.

Visit the REAP Swag Shop: www.cafepress.com/readingisessential

Re-posting a great video from a conference on Dyslexia and Talent. It shares small snippets from the stories of several successful and talented people who happen to be dyslexic.

Video: Dyslexic Advantage – What You May Not Have Heard About Dyslexia

“The number one concern that I hear from educators is lack of time, particularly lack of instructional time with students,” says Nell K. Duke, Ed.D., Professor, University of Michigan. “I encourage you to scrutinize your use of instructional time minute by minute. If a practice is used because we’ve always done it that way or because parents expect it, it’s especially worthy of a hard look.” Her article on edutopia.org outlines some familiar practices that can be ineffective or even counter productive:

• Looking up words on lists
• Prizes for reading
• Weekly spelling tests
• Unsupported independent reading
• Taking away recess.

Read the article on edutopia.org

Some REAP followers have asked to come see our summer work in person. We’re very excited that this summer we’re working with 60 teachers in our Educator Level Training and 20 teachers in our Advanced Training. Even better, we’re serving 80 students in our Summer Reading Camps!

“I’m Brent Sopel, former Stanley Cup Champion of the Chicago Blackhawks. School was a nightmare for me. It was literally the last place I wanted to be. The only good thing for me was that at my school there was an outdoor rink.” Brent Sopel grew up with reading issues. Now he helps kids so they don’t have to go through what he did.