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Our world surrounds us with text in myriad of forms and for many purposes. Fluent readers may not even notice, but for students who struggle with the printed word, many parts of life that seem simple to others are a puzzle to them. We read for information, communication and pleasure, but children who are struggling are at risk of giving up altogether. This impacts not only their education, but the rest of their lives. Everyone doesn’t need to read Shakespearean sonnets or translations of Plato, but people should be able to read a news headline or understand directions on a pill bottle.

The words “special education” used to evoke images of contained classrooms of children that were removed from the general school population. Often riding in separate buses, eating lunch in their classrooms and generally differentiated from the school community, these children were naturally stigmatized. That system, while well-meaning, offered students who were already challenged little hope for success or even integration into society.

Learning to read and write is one of the most complex and essential skills a young child will be faced with. Virtually all subsequent education is dependent upon the acquisition of working vocabulary and reading fluency. It can also be the most challenging and rewarding task for educators to teach this primary foundation of future learning. Dolch sight words are a list of the most common words used in the English language and Essential Skills has developed a sight words program that teaches this list in addition to other common words using engaging online activities designed to strengthen students’ reading skills.

Reading intervention is, in a nutshell, extra help for struggling readers. It can take many forms. Ideally, the need for intervention will be spotted early, in pre-school or kindergarten, but if necessary, it can be introduced when troubles come up in later elementary years. Research based reading intervention programs such as those provided by Essential Skills can pinpoint areas of literacy that need to be targeted and offer the tools to achieve success.

For many of us, reading is as effortless as seeing. We are constantly surrounded by and absorbing text without even thinking about it. Warning signs, advertisements, instructions, text messages – we are inundated by textual information, often without even being aware of it. Many children struggle with skills we take for granted. Learning to read can be a complicated task, and so much later learning depends on the fluency of a student’s literacy skills. Essential Skills offers a wide assortment of reading programs for schools that can help children foster a mastery and enjoyment of reading.

Recently, we have all seen our educational institutions shift curriculum delivery models as necessities dictate. These uncertain circumstances can be challenging and confusing for parents, children, and teachers, all of whom are scrambling to find something that works. Happily, Essential Skills provides a range of online educational software to help to maintain a stable and consistent learning experience. There are numerous benefits to good online educational software for schools.

RTI (Response to Intervention) is a process used to shift educational focus away from identifying students as “learning disabled” toward the delivery and evaluation of targeted instruction. This process is designed to provide struggling students with a specific course of action to help them succeed.

This has been a very different and challenging time for those involved in education. Parents are scrambling to find childcare options and wonder how they can successfully supervise their child’s learning. Children may be confused by the uncertainty of the future, lonely without their friends, or miss the structures and routines of the classroom. Teachers are suddenly flung into a very different mode of delivering lessons. Most people would agree that remote learning is not a substitute for the in-class “whole child” experience. Fortunately, Essential Skills offers a complete suite of elementary reading programs online that will ensure classroom consistency, engaging and challenging lessons, and reliable monitoring of progress.

What is Phonemic Awareness?

To find the answer, we should first understand what phonemic awareness is. It is basically the recognition that language is created by combining smaller units of sound known as phonemes. As young children learn to speak, they may not recognize the fact that words are not usually one sound but a combination of smaller sounds. Because spoken language tends to be fluid, kids will often hear words and even phrases as a single auditory experience (“gimmeeahug” rather than “give me a hug”). Phonemic weakness has nothing to do with intelligence but frequently results in a reading or writing impediment. A Phonemic awareness program implemented at an early stage in language development can help to lessen these affects.

What is Phonemic Awareness?

To find the answer, we should first understand what phonemic awareness is. It is basically the recognition that language is created by combining smaller units of sound known as phonemes. As young children learn to speak, they may not recognize the fact that words are not usually one sound but a combination of smaller sounds. Because spoken language tends to be fluid, kids will often hear words and even phrases as a single auditory experience (“gimmeeahug” rather than “give me a hug”). Phonemic weakness has nothing to do with intelligence but frequently results in a reading or writing impediment. A Phonemic awareness program implemented at an early stage in language development can help to lessen these affects.