Supporting the Struggling Reader: Dyslexia in the Prepared Environment

with Gina Polly Applegate

Supporting the Struggling Reader: Dyslexia in the Prepared Environment

In this workshop, Gina Polly Applegate, C-SLDS, FIT/OGA, will guide teachers, administrators, and specialists through an overview of dyslexia, including how to screen for it, identify students who may be at risk, and support them in the classroom. Participants will take a closer look at critical areas of literacy: phonological awareness, phonics, morphology, oral reading fluency, spelling, writing, and editing. Through hands-on analysis of student writing samples, attendees will learn how to be diagnostic and prescriptive in their instruction. Participants will leave with practical strategies that are essential for students with dyslexia and beneficial for all learners.

Objectives:

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

  • Understand dyslexia and other reading-based learning differences

  • Recognize early signs of dyslexia and know when and how to screen for risk

  • Apply phonological awareness and phonics strategies to support decoding in a Montessori setting

  • Support spelling, writing, and editing in ways that meet the needs of dyslexic learners while benefiting all children

  • Use morphology (prefixes, roots, and suffixes) to strengthen vocabulary and comprehension

  • Build oral reading fluency through repetition and expressive reading

  • Integrate dyslexia-informed practices using existing Montessori materials and lessons

Gina Polly Applegate

Gina Polly Applegate is a 6–12 AMI-trained guide with over 20 years of experience in AMI schools, having worked in both lower elementary and upper elementary, as well as in administration. She is a Certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Specialist (C-SLDS) through the Center for Effective Reading, an affiliate of the International Dyslexia Association, and a Fellow-in-Training with The Orton-Gillingham Academy, preparing to train, supervise, and mentor other educators in the Orton-Gillingham approach. She currently serves as Director of Inclusion and Support at Austin Montessori School and as an elementary consultant for AMI/USA. Her passion for supporting children with dyslexia in Montessori deepened after her youngest son was diagnosed with dyslexia.