Reading and the Brain

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Reading and the Brain

• A Users Guide
• Grades 7-12

Developed by Ida Hatley, Judith Lerner, and Sara
Buckerfield
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Why am I here?

• Shouldnt 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 theyre
  for little kids?
• Why should I do it?
• Has anyone with a big reading problem ever been a
  success?

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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 cant 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 doesnt 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
  theyre really
• actual
• human
• brains!

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These parts are working when a good reader is
reading
word analysis area
word analysis area
word form 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 Checklist

• Reading 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.

Whats 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.teachlangu
age.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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Thats a lot of activities...thats 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 EdisonAmerican inventor and businessman
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Nelson Rockefeller Businessman, Governor of New
York and Vice-President of the United States
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Pablo Picasso 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 LennonSinger 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 Childrens book author
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You WILL learn to be a better reader! You can
get thereit 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.