Case Study: Turning Around a Year 6 Struggling Reader in 20 Weeks

In January, I introduced the profile of a Year 6 student with significant red flags in reading and writing fluency. Despite near-perfect phonological awareness and basic letter/sound knowledge, his non-word reading and spelling were highly insecure, indicating trouble connecting sound to print. His initial Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) was a concerning 35 WPM with only 88% accuracy (well below the 121–146 WPM benchmark for his age), and his writing was essentially one run-on sentence.

My approach was intensive and multi-layered, tackling gaps quickly:

1. Gaps in Phonics/Spelling Rules

2. Morphology (for multisyllable words and vocabulary)

3. Writing Craft (starting with sentence structure)

Teaching this student, mostly via Zoom, has been an absolute pleasure. After consistently addressing insecure phoneme/grapheme correspondences, introducing prefixes (like un- and re-), and explicitly teaching sentence types and punctuation, the results after just 20 weeks are gratifying.

While his reading speed still has room to grow, his accuracy is now nearly perfect, and his pace and confidence are rising steadily. We’ve been able to move past the soundpack entirely to focus on advanced morphology and specific types of paragraph writing (e.g., compare/contrast). This journey shows that with targeted, structured intervention, remarkable progress is possible, quickly building mana and confidence for older students.

Recently, I’ve had a lot of older students join me who are struggling with reading and spelling... Up to the beginning of last year, I would be going over the same phoneme/grapheme correspondences in addition to spelling rules. I found that I was getting really stuck on this.

Morphology is the study of meaningful word parts, like prefixes, suffixes, and base words. It explains why musician and magician both end in -cian, and how sign, signature, and signal are all connected. For many of my older learners, especially those with dyslexia or other learning differences, morphology has been a total game-changer.

Did you know TikTok can be more than just dance trends? Over the past year, I’ve been creating short, practical tutorials on phonics, spelling rules, and writing skills. These bite-sized videos make literacy learning accessible, fun, and easy to fit into your day. No TikTok account required.

Helping children move beyond “It was fun” can feel tricky, but conjunctions make it possible. By turning sentence practice into a family game with homemade dice, learners can experiment with endings like and, but, because, and so. Practising orally first builds confidence and creativity, easing the frustration of writing while strengthening sentence skills in a playful way.

Curious about what I listen to when I head out for a walk? I keep my list of podcasts small but powerful—shows that inspire me as a literacy tutor, business owner, and lifelong learner. From literacy deep-dives like Melissa and Lori Love Literacy and Reading Road Trip to thought-provoking conversations on work and personal growth, here are my go-to listens that keep me learning, laughing, and reflecting.

Explore why picture books about dyslexia belong in New Zealand classrooms. Celebrate neurodiversity, foster empathy, and equip teachers to build inclusive learning environments.

Working memory is like your brain’s notepad – it holds and manages information for short periods of time. For many people with dyslexia and other learning differences, this “mental workspace” can feel limited, making it harder to follow multi-step instructions, stay organised, or remember what comes next. Understanding how working memory works – and its impact beyond the classroom – is key to supporting learners in school, at home, and even in the workplace.

Unlock a deeper understanding of dyslexia. This post demystifies the IDA's definition, explaining key terms and shedding light on why individuals with dyslexia process language differently. Gain insights into the challenges and the incredible potential that can be realised with the right support

Learn how Cognitive Load Theory helps teachers reduce overload, support dyslexic learners, and create classrooms where all students thrive.

Discover how interleaving strengthens reading, writing, and spelling in structured literacy. Practical examples and tips for teachers.

In this post, I will talk about the declining rates of writing in New Zealand and pose some questions to think about the reasons why. I will then look at my own anecdotal data on where the majority of gaps lie in writing with my students. We will then look at where you could start in order to build your own knowledge about teaching writing.

In this blog post, we will deviate slightly by looking at The Simple View of Writing through a Dysgraphic and Dyslexic lens. In this post, I hope to provide insights and knowledge so you may make informed decisions about students who need additional support with writing before it’s too late.

This week, we will look at some of the theory behind writing. The Simple View of Writing (Berninger et al., 2002) is a theoretical framework focusing on Writing being the end result of two sets of skills, namely Text Generation and Transcription.

In this blog post on writing, I look at the complexity of writing and its significance in various aspects of life, including education and career success. I explore the definition of writing and talk about the importance of mastering this essential skill.

This week I wanted to reflect on not always getting it right. It’s pretty challenging to get everything right all the time, even with the best tools at our disposal!

Invented spelling refers to the early attempts made by young children to spell words based on their own judgments and understanding of phonetic principles. It can occur as children begin to explore and develop their understanding of written English, using their knowledge of letter-sound correspondences to represent words in their own way. This is a good thing, as this process allows children to actively engage with spelling and language, and gradually develop their understanding of English orthography. Invented spelling in a nutshell, is children's early attempts to bridge the gap between spoken language and written text, demonstrating their emerging literacy skills and readiness for formal spelling instruction.

In this blog post, I'll briefly explore strategies for working with dyslexic students while preserving their sense of intelligence and capability. As educators, it's crucial to acknowledge and honor the mana, or inherent dignity and worth, of dyslexic students throughout their learning journey.

A daily practice for any of the students who come through my door and sit down with me for literacy tutoring is to write the date in full. Initially, it’s time-consuming for many students; however, as they begin to build automaticity with this task, the time once taken soon disappears. Why do I do this? Quite simply, the task of writing the date in full can be a teachable moment on so many levels.

A big part of my teaching practice during the lessons I teach is review. In fact, in most lessons, the new concept is only presented in the final 15 minutes of a 50-minute lesson. The rest is a review of previous skills taught. Review is so important, as it plays a big role in strengthening previous knowledge and enhancing recall. Research suggests that daily review aids in effortlessly recalling words, concepts, and procedures, thus contributing to expertise development through consistent practice.

Assessment is the process of collecting information, and it can allow us to understand more about the progress of an individual. Assessments support to identify strengths and challenges, and from that, conclusions and recommendations can be reached.

A literacy assessment therefore is the process of collecting specific information in regards to literacy through various screening tools, to understand the strengths and challenges an individual has in the area of literacy. In this case, literacy means reading, writing, and spelling.