Reading and the Brain

A User’s Guide

Grades 7-12

Developed by Ida Hatley, Judith Lerner, and Sara Buckerfield

Why am I here?Shouldn’t I already know how to read by now?How can I be smart and still have a hard time

with reading?Why is it twice as long as a regular English

class?Why does the teacher want me to read the same

words over and over?Why do some of the activities seem like they’re

for little kids?Why should I do it?

Has anyone with a big reading problem ever been a success?

You are not

alone.About one in every four students in

middle school and high

school has a difficult time reading and

understanding their books.

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Scientists have been working to understand why some students can’t read well.

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This is an fMRI machine.

Scientists use it to see how the brains of different people work when they are reading.

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The test

doesn’t hurt and

there are no

needles or side effects.

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This is an fMRI image of the brain of a good reader

reading words.

Arrows point to the red

parts of the brain that are working the

hardest.

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Because of the new

fMRI technology, scientists

have discovered

that the brains of

struggling readers and the brains of

strong readers work differently.

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These differences

DO NOT have

anything to do with

intelligenceor a hole or

defect in the

structure of the brain.

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The brains of good readers and struggling readers both look structurally normal.

The differences are in the way the brain communicates.

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Warning!The next slides are not of fMRI

images--instead they’re really

actual human

brains!

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These parts are working when a good reader is

reading:

word analysis

area

word form area

word analysis

area

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This part is doing most of the work when a struggling

reader is reading:

word analysis

area

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Furthermore, struggling

readers use different

circuits and pathways to

read.

The wrong part of the

brain tries to do the job of

reading.

So it takes the person much

longer to read!

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Struggling Readers ChecklistReading is hard

and rarely fun.Spelling is terrible.Handwriting might

be sloppy.Answering the

questions after you read is really difficult.

Reading out loud in class is your worse nightmare.What’s a student to do?

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PRACTICE READING!fMRI brain images show that the brain learns by practicing. It can

actually get “rewired”!

The same way you practice to:

learn a dance move

kick a soccer ball

play a musical instrument

shoot a basketball

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With the right intervention class and practice, your brain begins

working— all the right parts!

So roll up your sleeves and get to work!

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And Remember to Hug Your Teacher!

“Teachers can do what

neurosurgeons cannot by causing neural systems to become altered

and more effective by the correct application of

evidence-based intervention programs.”

--Sally Shaywitz, M.D

Spring, 2006

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What are the parts of the Language! reading

program?

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Phonemic Awareness

Recognition of sounds in words Manipulation of sounds in words Even in high school, phonemic

awareness must be present for a student to read well.

Watch Phonemic Awareness in Action:

www.teachlanguage.com/PA_drills/

Password: language

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Phonics

The link between the sound and the letter.

Failure to understand the link between sound and letter is the most robust predictor of reading failure.

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Decoding The ability to

sound out words Allows a person

to read any unfamiliar word, not only words that have been memorized.

Note: The brain can not hold in memory all of the words in English.

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Fluency Training Fluency is the

speed and accuracy in which you read.

To improve in fluency you have to practice….A LOT!Speed

Matters!

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More parts of LANGUAGE!

Spelling Vocabulary Grammar Reading

Comprehension Speaking Writing

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That’s a lot of

activities...that’s why Language! takes up so

much of your school time every

day.

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There are lots of famous and successful people

who have struggled with reading.

You might have heard of some of them...

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Albert Einstein: Regarded as the most important scientist of the 20th

century

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Thomas Edison:

American inventor

and businessm

an

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Nelson Rockefeller: Businessman, Governor of New York

and Vice-President of the United States

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Pablo Picass

o: Artist

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Edward

James Olmos

:

Actor

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Magic Johnson

:

Basketball

superstar

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Carl Lewis: Track and field

athlete

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John Lennon:

Singer for The Beatles

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Whoopi Goldberg: Actress and comedian

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Jewel: Singer and poet

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Tom Cruise: Film actor and producer

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Jay Leno: Comedian

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Dav Pilkey:

Childre

n’s book

author

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You WILL learn to be

a better reader!

You can get there—it just takes

longer.

Language! will help.

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References

Shaywitz, S. (2003). Overcoming dyslexia: A new and complete science-based program for reading problems at any level. New York: Random House.

Wolfe, P. & Nevills, P. (2004). Building the reading brain, preK-3. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press.

Greene, J.F. (2005) LANGUAGE! The Comprehensive Literacy Curriculum. Longmont, Colorado: Sopris West.