Do you ever go to the store without a list and walk out with a bunch of things you don’t need, only to realize you forgot to buy the one thing you needed?   How about when you receive an invitation in the mail and forget about the event until right before it starts?  

Uncover the crucial components of effective literacy instruction. Discover how weaving authentic literature into lessons enhances decoding skills. Learn to balance decoding work and text application in small groups, adapting to each group's unique needs. Foster daily exposure to real books, promoting silent reading and read-aloud sessions for a comprehensive literacy approach.

Executive Functioning (EF) skills are skills we use every single day, but often don’t realize we are using them.  For example, when you make your lunch in the morning, you are planning a meal for later in the day.  When you sit quietly in class or at work, you are exhibiting self-control.  Most of our daily activities can be tied back to executive functioning in some way.

It can be really difficult to hit all the core components of a lesson when you are trying to wrangle your small groups or hold the attention of your 1:1 students. One of the best ways to get massive results without the overwhelm is to have organized binders and materials where you can hold all of your intervention activities for your students. We have a streamlined process we use for every student so we aren’t living in a constant state of overwhelm.

So here at Ascend, we LOVE all things fall. As you can probably guess we were so excited to be able to throw some Halloween activities into our mix. Most of the students we work with really struggle with phonological awareness and while we have phonological awareness built into our lessons we know that some of our students need extra practice with it. So we have some fun phonological awareness practice activities for you.

Discover how to handle students struggling with reading and spelling concepts. Learn when to explain concepts differently, review with engaging games, or move on. Find the balance between building a strong foundation and progressing effectively in intervention. Don't let students get stuck - adapt instruction for optimal learning outcomes!

The wonderful thing about this very simple game is that you can use it in so many different ways depending on the skill you are trying to target. It's also truly NO PREP. If you don't have this grid it's so easy to just write out the tic-tac-toe lines on a whiteboard or piece of paper and students love this game.

Far too often we see children waiting until the night before a test to start reviewing, causing undue stress. By getting into the habit of chunking (breaking down the workload into smaller, more manageable pieces) you can not only help your child get through their tests now but also set up better study habits for the rest of their lives.

Discover six explicit strategies for teaching comprehension effectively to struggling readers. From creating mental movies to predicting outcomes, explore concrete methods to enhance understanding. Learn how to scaffold comprehension skills and foster metacognition for lasting comprehension success!

Explore effective comprehension strategies for beginner readers. Learn how to engage young learners with interactive reading using authentic literature. Discover key questions to enhance comprehension skills: What, Why, How, Predictions, and Moral of the Story. Foster early metacognitive skills and promote a love for reading!

Now that school is back in session, we are getting this question quite frequently. There is a long answer (which we will begin to get into) but the short answer is that it is complicated but not impossible to get help for your struggling student from the school if you know the right questions to ask.

We wanted to walk you through the steps of getting the help you know that your child so desperately needs. Because this can be a complicated process we decided to break it down in the same way we break tasks down for our students.

So we know that teaching students spelling rules in a systematic and cumulative (organized and building on itself) approach is the best way to make meaningful spelling gains. However, even with the best instruction we often see skills fall apart when they need to be applied at a higher level.

Empower students with learning disabilities to become independent learners! Explore the journey of developing intrinsic motivation and building positive relationships. Unlock the potential for self-discovery, embracing unique learning styles, and fostering strengths. Middle school becomes a crucial phase for cultivating skills that extend beyond interventions, paving the way for a lifetime of confident, independent learning. Dive into the transformative approach advocated by Barbara McCombs to create a supportive learning environment.

Parents and teachers often mention that it is hard for their dyslexic child or student to follow directions. There are many possible reasons for this and causes can overlap.

The most common reason could be a weakness in one or more learning micro-skills.

Micro-skills are the foundation of learning. We tend to think of intelligence as one specific thing.

Discover why Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) are ideal for dyslexia support! Explore how SLPs excel in phonology, sound-symbol knowledge, morphology, syntax, and semantics—essential elements of strong reading intervention. Join the team in empowering struggling readers!

Discover the importance of early intervention for dyslexia. Learn how identifying signs in preschoolers can lead to life-changing outcomes. Early support can transform struggles into successes, paving the way for improved reading and academic confidence.

Discover the key to unlocking consistent growth in reading intervention: engagement. Dive into creative strategies to make learning exciting, turning dry material into dynamic games. Move beyond traditional worksheets and explore interactive methods that keep students connected and excited about learning!

There is a lot to providing high quality reading instruction. One of the most important pieces we always want to focus on is providing explicit decoding strategies. Research indicates that explicit instruction is one of the best ways to support our students’ reading ability!