Kristin Sinclair

ALT New Resource How Can Caregivers Spark Early Literacy? Young readers need to develop two important early literacy skills: the ability to recognize the sounds in spoken language the ability to see a letter and connect it to a specific sound Through everyday activities, caregivers play an important role in helping children build these early reading skills. To make this everyday learning easier, the Spark Early Literacy Hub provides free resources that caregivers can integrate into their daily routines.

ALT What is the Spark Early Literacy Hub? On the IRRC’s new hub, you can access: An eLearning module: Supporting Your Child's Early Word Recognition Skills Learn about the early literacy skills your child needs to become a strong reader. Access activities you can incorporate into your family’s daily routines to build these skills.

ALT What is the Spark Early Literacy Hub? On the IRRC’s new hub, you can access: An interactive application: Letter-Sound Spark Learn letter shapes, names, and sounds with our Letter-Sound Cards. Tap any card to hear the letter sound. Play an interactive matching game, pairing letter sounds and names with their corresponding shapes.

ALT What are typical writing speeds for students? When assessing handwriting, a rate score represents the number of legible letters produced by the student per minute. There are general reference points for the average number of correct letters formed per minute on copy tasks completed by typically developing students in Grades 1-9 (Graham et al., 1998).

ALT Grade Level 1 = 19 Average Letters per Minute Grade Level 2 = 34 Average Letters per Minute Grade Level 3 = 47 Average Letters per Minute Grade Level 4 = 63 Average Letters per Minute Grade Level 5 = 72 Average Letters per Minute Grade Level 6 = 85 Average Letters per Minute Grade Level 7 = 100 Average Letters per Minute Grade Level 8 = 115 Average Letters per Minute Grade Level 9 = 118 Average Letters per Minute Additional recommendations for handwriting scoring can be found within our Handwriting Assessments Administration Guides! https://irrc.education.uiowa.edu/lifter

ALT The Intersection of Dyslexia, Struggles With Reading, and Mental Health Mental health is a concern for children with dyslexia and something teachers and caregivers should be aware of. Supports for children with dyslexia like individualized instruction, explicit instruction aligned with the science of reading, and assistive technology, are important. However, mental health should not be overlooked in the process. Using a wholistic approach will support children with dyslexia and other reading disabilities in making gains in their ability to read and write.

ALT Iowa Reading Research Center Free Webinar Evidence-Based Handwriting Instruction and Assessment Sep 23, 2025 4:00 p.m. Shawn Datchuk IRRC Director Register Now

ALT Iowa Reading Research Center A young boy sits in a hammock, reading a book.