Angie Gajewski: Literacy Specialist

Love my students!

✨ Just found this and had to share… This is a UFLI Foundations vocabulary resource and it’s SO helpful for understanding how vocabulary fits into structured literacy.

It’s not about random word lists.

It’s about intentionally teaching word meaning alongside decoding.

💡 Think: • connecting meaning to the words students can read
• building vocabulary through explicit instruction
• supporting comprehension from the start
Perfect for K to 2 and intervention.

Saving this one 🙌

https://ufli.education.ufl.edu/foundations/vocabulary-resources/

Politicians and policy
✅ Create laws about disability supports
✅ Enforce Civil Rights law (or were designed to enforce- if you have not read up on DoEd and their lack of doing this, I recommend you looking into it)
✅ Determine resource allocation
✅ Shapes public discourse

So naturally, when the President of the United States says people with learning disabilities, specifically dyslexia, shouldn’t be president, and that basically dyslexia (and other LDs) means someone has a low IQ…. Yes- that impacts the disability community.

It is enraging because:
1) It’s not true, learning disabilities are not the same as how smart or capable someone is
2) It was ableist and further stigmatizes disabilities, specifically learning disabilities and dyslexia, but especially intellectual disability
3) Kids (and adults) with learning disabilities can hear the POTUS say this, and feel less than, or not capable of achieving goals- when they are!

And before you comment, no, I’m not saying any disabled person could be POTUS, just like not any non-disabled person could be POTUS. The problem is saying someone shouldn’t be president solely because of their disability 🤮

The Wanderer Memorial Jekyll Island…first time seeing this. A sad part of our history, but I’m glad they made this a memorial area. https://www.jekyllisland.com/history/sites/wanderer-memory-trail/

They know. Even in Kindergarten. Even in Grade 1.
They see their peers picking up books with ease.

They want to read.
If they could, they would.

Struggling readers are not unmotivated.
They are not lazy.
They are not choosing this.

Cozy corners, book fairs, and assemblies create excitement. But none of that replaces the ability to actually read the words on the page.

That is not a motivation issue.
That is an instruction issue.

When we provide explicit, systematic sound to print instruction and enough practice to build automaticity, we give them access. And access is what makes a love of reading possible. 📚

Halloween jokes coming your way! 👻 Share these with your students to spark some spooky laughter.

👇 🎃 Full list of 200 Halloween jokes + free slideshow linked in comments.