Our Inclusive Learning Activity Bank (ILAB) offers a variety of adaptable resources for teachers, designed to help students with special educational needs, including those with dyslexia. In this blog post, we highlight eight practical activities from the ILAB specifically adapted to support students with dyslexia. These activities aim to make learning more accessible and enjoyable for our students, ensuring that everyone can participate and succeed in the classroom.
1. Display and say
To recycle vocabulary, introduce a ‘word of the day’ or a ‘word of the week.’ Place it in a frequently visited area of the classroom, such as above the door. Each time a student passes by, they must say a sentence using that word.
2. Model it
Give the students some modelling clay and ask them to form the letters of the target vocabulary words. Then suggest that they make a small sculpture to represent the word.
3. Mirror reading
Read a line from the story and ask other students to read aloud after you. This will help students with their pronunciation and can also help them associate words with emotions that they can express verbally.
4. I read, We read, You read
Teach the new vocabulary before starting to read the poem. Begin by reading a line or section of the poem. Next, the class should read the same line or section together. Finally, each student reads the verse or fragment. We suggest repeating this process with the rest of the poem.
5. Whisper reading
Read the poem and ask the students to read it, but whispering the words quietly to themselves.
6. Buddy reading
Each student should work with a partner, taking turns reading verses or sections of a poem.
7. Contribution cards
Together with your students, agree on some signals for when they want to read aloud or contribute in some other way, and for when they don’t understand something. For example, each student can use different coloured cards to indicate what they want (or don’t want) to do, placing them face up on their desk.
Supporting students with dyslexia does not have to be complicated or require expensive materials. Small adjustments and creative strategies, such as those we have seen, can make a big difference in their confidence and participation. At Milton Education, we know that every class is diverse and that every student learns differently. That’s why our Time Travellers series includes the Inclusive Learning Activity Bank (ILAB): a comprehensive guide to adapting activities for students with dyslexia, ADHD, autism, anxiety, visual, hearing or motor impairments. With ILAB, each activity comes with alternatives and practical suggestions so that everyone can enjoy and progress in the classroom. Discover more about Time Travellers and access ILAB to bring inclusion to your English classes in a simple and effective way.