75th Anniversary of IDA

The 75th Anniversary of IDA (International Dyslexia Association) was a stellar event. I had the chance to catch up with old friends and make many more new ones. The beautiful women pictured above are all leaders of the Western Region branches of IDA. I have been very honored to serve as their liaison for the past three years as the Western Region Representative. We all dressed up on Saturday night for a Gala Celebration. Seven Legacy Awards were given out to IDA celebrities like Dr. Reid Lyon, one of the leading experts in reading research.

My booth design got a facelift this year with graphics by Sierra Gondrez. The center of each wheel has the image of a book. The focus is to start with a book and then use the content and context to work on the domains of language (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics) as well as other areas that support literacy such as decoding, executive functions, written language, reading comprehension strategies, creativity, and even articulation (for my SLP friends). 

I was thrilled that so many people stopped by to talk about decodable books for older readers and spin the wheel to win a free digital resource. I gave away 5 different online activities to promote the activity books I designed to accompany my HOT ROD series (Higher Order Learning through the Reading of Decodables). I will be highlighting these activities and more starting in January of 2025 in my newsletter, so sign up HERE if you are looking for free digital resources or just want to learn more about decodable books.

I had a blast connecting with other authors of decodable books in the exhibit hall. Top right is Jill Lauren, creator of the Whole Phonics series and her illustrator, Darren McKee. Bottom right is Elise Lovejoy, creator of Express Readers. Bottom left are Christian and Noemi, the husband and wife team from Canada who are the creators of Wacky Tat books.

 

In celebration of their 75th Anniversary, IDA has made a special 75th Anniversary Issue of Perspectives on Language and Literacy. Use the QR code above or click HERE for access. This helpful and practical publication is typically only available to members of IDA. 

Last but not least, because it ends TODAY, the IDA Speaker Showcase Online Auction ends tonight at 11pm. Check it out and fine a speaker for your next conference. I am one of the featured speakers. 

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Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of IDA

The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) is celebrating its 75th anniversary by offering a FREE Special Anniversary Edition of their highly acclaimed publication, Perspectives on Language and Literacy. You may read the entire Anniversary Edition online HERE. Watch for the downloadable PDF coming soon.

Josh Clark, Chairman of the Board at IDA says, "We are excited about this issue and hope that it will help stakeholders and educators better understand and explain why implementing high-quality Structured Literacy instruction is so important. We thank the experts who have dedicated their time to creating these articles with the mission of building a common language and framework around Structured Literacy, which will bring awareness, answer questions, and pave the way for effective literacy instruction across the country."

Read the full press release HERE. 

There are so many great thought leaders represented in this publication speaking on so many important topics, but the one that really popped for me was the article about creating equity through literacy. 

In "Inclusivity and Excellence: Why Structured Literacy is Essential to Safeguard Student's Civil Rights" Kareem Weaver states, "Calls for equity without ensuring that systematic, direct, explicit instruction is provided, open the door for bias and assumption to enter into the classroom." p. 30

Equity is such a hot topic. We hear a lot of information in the media these days about equity. The authors in the Special 75th Anniversary Edition provide a road map for how to get there by empowering children through literacy:

You may join IDA via the MEMBERSHIP page to support the mission of this important organization. Special discounted teacher memberships are only $50. Advocate and parent memberships are only $40. That is less than the cost of one small mocha latte per month. Join Today! 

Whether or not you decide to join, be sure to explore the many free resources at https://dyslexiaida.org/ such as the Advocacy Toolkit and the downloadable Fact Sheets.

On a separate but related note, leaders from IDA branches across the country met in Baltimore for strategic planning March 15-17 to support the IDA sharpened vision of  "Structured Literacy for every child in every classroom across the nation and around the world." 

While in Baltimore, I stopped by the Edgar Allan Poe Museum before I left to do a little research for my upcoming decodable book, The Raven Remix: A Mash-Up of Poe Titles. Watch this blog for Poe Trivia from my museum visit. Stay tuned for a special poetry writing activity coming in April.  Sign up for my newsletter HERE to keep up with book news.  Read my March 11 post about Poe's Irish Heritage.