Jerry Draws
JERRY DRAWS Wit & Wisdom® Grade 1 Module 1: A World of Books Set 3: Bringing Books to Life, Book 3 Literary Nonfiction Fundations® Focus Concept: Bonus Letters (ff, ll, ss, zz) 80% Decodable at Fundations® Level 1, Unit 6 85% Decodable with Recurring Content Words
Book Summary Jerry picks up his pen and fills the walls of his bedroom with his drawings. Although he loves to create stories, he struggles with reading and writing words. For him, the letters shift on the page, making it hard to learn. Jerry perseveres and uses his skill for drawing to help him focus. Today, Jerry continues to share his gift of storytelling with readers.
Teacher Note Consider modeling how to read Jerry’s name. Students may benefit from this additional practice. This text describes Jerry Pinkney’s experiences as a reader with dyslexia. According to the International Dyslexia Association, “dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language.” Pinkney notes that, in his experience, the letters shifted on the page. Researchers, however, have learned that dyslexia is a language-based learning disability and the degree of an individual’s difficulties with reading and writing fall on a continuum and also relate to the effectiveness of instruction or remediation that they have received. For more information on dyslexia, please consider visiting the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) website at dyslexiaida.org and Wilson Language Training at wilsonlanguage.com.
World Connection Jerry Pinkney, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), a group based in Switzerland that represents 75 countries, awards this honor every two years.
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