English Rules that help us read and spell (there are always exceptions to these rules, so we teach the rule and also teach the exceptions):

C or K Rule--How do we know when to use c or k at the beginning of a word?  "Curvy C goes with curvy a, curvy o, curvy u. Straight K goes with straight I, straight E, straight Y." (examples: cut, cap, cot, kid, Ken)

FLOSS Rule--in a one-syllable word, with one short vowel, if the word ends in F, L, S, and sometimes Z = DOUBLE IT!! (examples: kiss, will, off, buzz)

FLOSS exceptions--gas, bus, if... and any word that ends in a hard s like is, has, was

-CK Rule--use -ck at the end of a one-syllable word with one short vowel (examples: sack, luck, peck)

English words don't end in i (use y in one-syllable words), u (must have a silent e), v (must have a silent e), and j (will either be spelled -ge if there is a long vowel before the g or -dge if there is a short vowel). (examples: try, by, blue, cue, have, give, cage, budge)

Soft C and G Rule--c and g say their "soft sounds" when followed by e, i, and y (examples: cycle, pace, circle, germ, gym)

Soft c & g exceptions--get, give, gift...

-TCH Rule--use -tch at the end of a one-syllable word with one short vowel (examples: witch, crutch, latch)

-tch exceptions--there are exactly 4: rich, such, much, which

Hard S Rule--when s is surrounded by vowels, it says its "hard sound" and can also sound like z when at the end of words (examples: muse, raise, his, was)

-DGE and -GE Rule--English words do not end in j, so if you hear the /j/ sound at the end of a word it is spelled 2 ways: -dge if there is a short vowel before it (examples: badge, fudge, ridge) or -ge if there is a long vowel before it (examples: cage, huge)

Welded Sounds--four (all but e) vowels are used in welded sounds, which are three letters "welded together". -ing (sounds like a long e), -ang (long a), -ong, -ung, -ink, -ank, -onk, -unk (examples: sing, sang, song, sung, think, thank, honk, hunk)

11 Facts About Dyslexia from Dosomething.org 

1. Dyslexia is the most common learning disability. Individuals with this medical condition have difficulty in the areas of language processing.[1]

2. 1 in 5 people suffer from dyslexia.[2]

3. About 70 to 85% of children who are placed in special education for learning disabilities are dyslexic.[3]

4. Dyslexia does not reflect an overall defect in language, but a localized weakness within the phonologic module of the brain (where sounds of language are put together to form words or break words down into sounds).[4]

5. People with dyslexia are usually more creative and have a higher level of intelligence.[5]

6. Those with dyslexia use only the right side of the brain to process language, while non-dyslexics use three areas on the left side of the brain to process language.[6]

7. Children have a 50% chance of having dyslexia if one parent has it. And a 100% chance if both parents have it.[7]

8. Dyslexia ranges from mild to severe. Around 40% of people with dyslexia also have ADHD. And those with dyslexia use about 5 times more energy to complete mental tasks.[8]

9. Dyslexia is not a disease so there is no cure. It’s a learning disability that includes difficulty in the use/processing of linguistic and symbolic codes, alphabetic letters representing speech sounds or number and quantities.[9]

10. Dyslexics do not “see” words backwards. The “b-d” letter reversal for example is mainly caused by deficits in interpreting left and right.[10]

11. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 15% of the population has dyslexia.[11]

1. PBS. "The Facts About Dyslexia . A Primer on Dyslexia." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Accessed April 28, 2014. ↩︎

2. Dyslexia Center of Utah. "Facts About Dyslexia." Dyslexia Center of Utah. Accessed April 28, 2014. ↩︎

3. A to Z of Brain, Mind and Learning. "Dyslexia Facts." Dyslexia Online. Accessed April 28, 2014. ↩︎

4. Dyslexia Center of Utah. "Facts About Dyslexia." Dyslexia Center of Utah. Accessed April 28, 2014. ↩︎

5. Dyslexia Center of Utah. "Facts About Dyslexia." Dyslexia Center of Utah. Accessed April 28, 2014. ↩︎

6. Binda Dyslexia Center. "Facts About Dyslexia." Binda Dyslexia Center. Accessed April 28, 2014. ↩︎

7. Binda Dyslexia Center. "Facts About Dyslexia." Binda Dyslexia Center. Accessed April 28, 2014. ↩︎

8. Binda Dyslexia Center. "Facts About Dyslexia." Binda Dyslexia Center. Accessed April 28, 2014. ↩︎

9. Dyslexia Center of Utah. "Facts About Dyslexia." Dyslexia Center of Utah. Accessed April 28, 2014. ↩︎

10. Dyslexia Center of Utah. "Facts About Dyslexia." Dyslexia Center of Utah. Accessed April 28, 2014. ↩︎

11. Dyslexia Help. "Debunking the Myths about Dyslexia." University of Michigan. Accessed April 28, 2014. ↩︎

People with dyslexia have trouble reading at a good pace and without mistakes. They may also have a hard time with reading comprehension, spelling, and writing. But these challenges aren’t a problem with intelligence.  Some experts believe that between 5 and 10 percent of people have it. Others say as many as 17 percent of people show signs of reading challenges.

People with dyslexia don’t outgrow it. But there are teaching approaches and strategies that can help them improve their reading skills and manage the challenges (from understood.org).

If you are concerned that your child is dyslexic, take the time to check out this website for signs to look for at any age level: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dyslexia/symptoms-causes/syc-20353552

 This website is full of useful information about dyslexia: https://dyslexiaida.org/fact-sheets/

Feel free to contact me any time if you are worried about your child's progress with assessments or daily activities in school: mziegler@goddardusd.com