This year, I decided to attend the OGA Conference live and in person. I won’t do that again.
Reason 1: I had to take time off from the school where I work and cancel a few private clients.
Reason 2: Between the flight, hotel, transportation, food, and the event itself, it was super expensive.
Reason 3: Although I enjoyed meeting my fellow, Dawn, and a few other professional acquaintances I know from online groups, it was difficult to break into established social circles.
Reason 4: Some sessions were incredibly boring, and I didn’t want to be rude to the speaker by leaving.
So, for all those reasons, I’ll stick to participating online going forward.
Highlights: Best Sessions and Key Takeaways
Keynote Speaker
“There is a difference in the (dyslexic) brain before their first lesson.”
This was a reminder that every decision we make—even before formal instruction begins—matters. It’s also why early screening is essential. When we screen early and universally, we catch a wide range of reading challenges before they become roadblocks.
Are the screeners perfect? No. Some students may be over-identified. But they give us valuable starting points. According to current research, the three strongest indicators of reading difficulty are:
- Phonological awareness
- Rapid automatized naming (RAN)
- Letter identification
Free, high-quality screeners—like Acadience or DIBELS—help us intervene earlier and more precisely.
Grammar Instruction Through Sentence Combining
Speaker: L. Dreyer
- Sentence combining teaches students to engage with syntactically mature sentences.
- Use “Because, But, So” (BBS) to connect two ideas:
Examples:
- The dog wagged his tail. The dog was happy.
→ The dog wagged his tail because he was happy. - I was cold. I got my coat.
→ I got my coat because I was cold. - It is sunny now. It will rain later.
→ It is sunny now, but it will rain later.
- Students begin to internalize grammar—not just where commas go, but how ideas connect.
- Adjective combination:
It’s a climb. The climb is easy.
→ It’s an easy climb. - Appositives vs. Relative Clauses
Appositives can be confusing and are best taught after Grade 3.
- Appositive: “My dog, a golden retriever, loves to swim.”
- Relative Clause: “My dog, who is a golden retriever, loves to swim.”
Appositives don’t always need to come at the beginning. - Split infinitives? You can.
📚 Book Recommendation:
Sentence Mastery by Bruce Sadler
20 Gentle Cindy Activities
Speaker: Dawn Nieman
Of course I had to attend Dawn’s session! I’m so glad she was my fellow. When she talks, I listen.
A few fun takeaways:
- Draw a matching picture from a sentence
- “A large gem was in the cage.”
- “The huge gerbil was on the stage.” - Finish the sentence using a sentence stem
Example:
“Since the stage is so large, ________”
If a student replies with something unclear like “he fell off,” ask clarifying questions to guide them into building a clearer, more connected sentence. - Add an adjective to a given noun
- The rusty hinge
- The squeaky hinge
- The golden hinge
Focusing on Fluency in the OG Lesson
Speakers: R. Brown (FIT/OGA), T. Hawks (FIT/OGA)
Fluency is more than just speed.
We ask students to read with expression not for style points, but to support comprehension. Fluency results from comprehension.
Important reminder: Don’t expect dramatic fluency gains week to week.
- Typical growth = 1 word correct per minute (WCPM) per week
- Over 16 weeks, a typical increase would be 16 WCPM
- With learning differences, slower growth is normal. The goal is growth, not perfection.
Leveled reading accuracy ranges:
- Independent: 95–100%
- Instructional: 90–94%
- Frustrational: Below 90%
If a student misses more than 1 in 10 words, the text is too difficult to build fluency—it can lead to frustration.
Quick decoding corrections:
- “Lice” for “slice”? Prompt: “That’s a blend—read that blend.”
- “Sip” for “ship”? Prompt: “That’s a digraph—what sound does that make?”
Tools: Rapid recognition charts (fluency chart generators can help)
The Amazing Dyslexic Brain
Speakers: Diane Miller & Angie Bryant
This session clarified a common debate:
Is dyslexia a medical diagnosis or an educational one?
Medical side:
Only professionals like psychologists, neurologists, or speech-language pathologists can officially diagnose dyslexia.
Educational side:
Diagnosis must follow appropriate instruction. You can’t confirm dyslexia without first ruling out poor instruction or lack of exposure.
This is often called the “response to instruction” component of evaluation. Before diagnosis, we need:
- Clear signs of reading-related difficulties (e.g., decoding, fluency)
- Evidence that the student received appropriate instruction
✅ Conclusion: Dyslexia is both a medical and educational issue.
Common Dyslexia Myths and Truths
Myth: Dyslexia doesn’t exist; the child just needs to try harder.
Truth: Dyslexia is real, with unique brain profiles supported by imaging and research.
Myth: No signs until school.
Truth: Early signs include speech delays, rhyming issues, sequencing difficulty, and family history.
Myth: It’s a visual problem (e.g., writing letters backwards).
Truth: It’s a language processing issue, primarily phonological—not visual.
Myth: People with dyslexia can’t read well.
Truth: They can become strong readers, often with more time and specialized support.
Myth: If a child can read, they’re not dyslexic.
Truth: Dyslexia can also affect spelling, writing, and oral language.
Myth: They’ll outgrow it.
Truth: Dyslexia is lifelong. Early intervention makes a big difference.
📚 Recommended Reads from This Session:
- Brain Rules – John Medina
- Ignite Student Learning – Judy Willis & Malana Willis
- The Dyslexic Advantage – Brock & Fernette Eide
Thanks for reading!
Have questions about the sessions or want to know more about how to apply these ideas in your practice? Feel free to reach out or leave a comment below.
