READING FAQ’s
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How can I tell if my child has dyslexia?
According to the International Dyslexia Association, dyslexia is a neurological condition caused by different wiring in the brain. The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity defines dyslexia as “an unexpected difficulty in reading for and individual who has the intelligence to be a much better reader. Get more dyslexia facts in our E-book.
What methods do you use to teach literacy?
Dyfference Makers Academy utilizes methods based on The Science of Reading. The Science of Reading is an evidence-based approach for teaching foundational literacy skills, called Structured Literacy.
Structured Literacy teaches students the tools to decode unknown words and does NOT rely on meaning for decoding. Instead of relying on whole word memorization (as other methods of teaching literacy), we will be teaching phonics and decoding strategies that will empower students with an exponential effect, giving students a strong foundation to be successful at decoding any word. While there are many different approaches to teaching structured literacy.
“If a child memorizes ten words, then the child can read ten words. However, if the child can learn the sounds of ten letters, the child can read…
- 350 three-sound words
- 4,320 four-sound words
- 21,650 five-sound words”
Kozloff, 2002
Just knowing this alone shows how effective and efficient Structured Literacy can be to everyone.
Dyfference Makers Academy incorporates the following concepts in a structured, sequential order:
Dyfference Makers Academy starts by learning the sounds for a, t, c, m and the words at, cat, mat, tat, Mac, associated with these letters.
- Comprehension: Constructing meaning from text; the ultimate goal of reading
- Fluency: The ability to read text with accuracy, at an appropriate rate and with prosody
- Vocabulary: The body of words and meanings one must understand to comprehend text
- Phonemic Awareness: Being able to manipulate the smallest unit of sound
- Phonology: The study of sounds in spoken words
- Sound-symbol (orthography): How to map sounds (phonemes) to letters (graphemes)
- Syllables: Knowing the types of syllables and how to divide words into syllables
- Morphology: The study of base words and affixes (prefixes and suffixes)
- Syntax: The set of principles that defines the order of words, clauses and phrases to form a proper sentence
• Semantics: Understanding the meaning of words and sentences
Do I have to sign a contract for the Dyfference Makers Academy?
No, there is no contract for Dyfference Makers Academy. The credit card on file will be billed monthly. If you want to cancel your subscription, please email [email protected].
How is the program set up?
Being a parent of a child with dyslexia can not only be expensive, but can take a lot of time out of an already busy schedule. Our program can be completed anywhere you have internet access and either a computer, tablet or smartphone. You can create your own schedule according to your student’s needs and time constraints, but we recommend no fewer than 2 days a week of Academy lesson work. We have provided Lesson Plan examples for 2, 3, 4 and 5 days a week.
What is the duration of the Dyfference Makers Academy?
The amount of time needed to complete our program depends mainly on the level of the student’s needs. For example, if you were able to complete a lesson each week, following a spring and fall semester schedule, it should take approximately 2-3 years to complete. This is inline with most other programs, including in person tutoring sessions.