Shining a light on literacy, one letter sound at a time.
I'm a certified Reading Specialist and teacher with over 18 years of classroom experience. I live in a small town in western PA with my husband, two children, and dog.
My passion is teaching struggling readers how to read fluently and with confidence using an explicit, systematic, and hands-on approach.
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Working with me, your child will receive a customized reading intervention plan that targets any reading skills that have not been mastered, and systematically builds upon their foundational skills. Let's get your child on track and reading with confidence!
Hey there!
I'm Sue
Certified Reading Specialist and Master Teacher
STRUCTURED LITERACY
Strong readers are able to decode with automaticity. This means they are able to decode quickly, without sounding out each letter sound within the word before blending those sounds together. When students decode effortlessly, they are able to comprehend easily. A student struggling with decoding is wasting all of their brain power trying to sound out each word. Students are not able to comprehend or even catch their mistakes easily if all of their mental energy is spent decoding the words.
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Structured literacy routines are explicit and systematic. By explicitly teaching letter-sound relationships, students learn how to decode words accurately. Systematic means you are starting with simple concepts before moving on to more complex concepts. Lessons build upon the previously mastered skills and provide ample opportunities for students to apply and master the concepts they have learned.
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Structured literacy emphasizes accuracy and fluent decoding. The goal for my student learners is to read decodable text with 100% accuracy. I actually encourage my beginning readers to slow down and focus on that accuracy piece to help them develop the habit of decoding with accuracy. Once they are accurately decoding, we can work on increasing their reading rate.
Get to know me
MY STUDENTS WOULD DESCRIBE ME AS:
Kind, compassionate, silly, and very short!
THREE THINGS I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT:
Family, books, and coffee.
MY FAVORITE PLACE TO EXPLORE:
The aisles of any craft or fabric store!
A QUOTE I LOVE:
“I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a book.”
– J.K. Rowling
Lantern Literacy is here for you, all the way.
A child's confidence and self-esteem can be greatly affected if they struggle to read. Struggling readers may feel embarrassed, ashamed, or incredibly frustrated. The last thing we want is for a child to develop a negative self-image or to lower their confidence. Encourage your child and support their efforts. Learning to read is NOT natural, and many factors contribute to reading difficulty. Let's work to develop an individualized plan today.