Word maps, also known as semantic maps or vocabulary maps, are effective tools for teaching vocabulary and writing for several reasons: Word or semantic maps are a great strategy to assist students in both understanding vocabulary and in using more descriptive words in their writing.…

My passion for teaching written language skills began in my undergraduate training in education and speech and language pathology.

It is important to have an understanding of the tiers of vocabulary. Recently I was working with a group of Providence College graduate students as we created a reading lesson plan using the story ‘Caps for Sale’ for students with autism spectrum disorder. As part…

The most important thing that parents can do to assist their children in education is to read to them.  Reading opens up new worlds to your child, stimulates their imagination, and exposes them to vocabulary that is not common in conversation. Reading promotes cognitive development.…

The concept of language is a difficult one. According to Bloom and Lahey, language can be defined as “a knowledge of a code for representing ideas about the world through a conventional system of arbitrary signals for communication”. Language is hard to describe but if…