"I
was so impressed by the presentation-the easy going format, the
"dynamic" way in which the information was presented, and the
immediate practicality and usefulness of the information. Thank-you!!!"
Tracy
C.
Parent and Grade One Teacher
"You are an excellent speaker: enthusiastic,
fast paced, informative, and interactive with the audience. I tried
some of the games this morning, and the kids LOVED them! Thank-you
so much."
Gita W.
Teacher, Prince of Wales Public School
Barrie ON
"Super presentation all around! Well put
together. Well delivered. I hope all teachers in the system can
take part."
Karen S.
Teacher and mother of three "Very
enthusiastic! How do you do it?! I wish my children could be hooked
on learning by a teacher like yourself. I am a teacher myself and
I learned so much to take back to my classroom! Thank-you!"
Joanne M.
Teacher and mother of three "This
is a workshop that gave us different routes to apply reading skills.
If we could have it two to three times a year, what a benefit it
would be for both parents and teachers. Thank-you for your time
and energy."
Shannon R.
Teacher and mother of two
"I thoroughly enjoyed (Martha’s) enthusiasm and (her) great
ideas! Thank-you!"
J. Magloughlen
Grade three teacher "Although
I am a teacher and I am familiar with phonemic awareness, etc.,
it was so helpful to hear Martha talk about it, refresh my memory,
and give me practical, new ideas."
Tammy S Teacher and mother of two
"Fast-paced, full of practical ideas, relaxing atmosphere,
loads of information. This workshop was excellent!"
Sue B
Teacher and mother of three
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Who
is the founder of Sound Readers™?
 Sound
Readers™ was founded in 1997 by Martha Kovack (formerly
Petrie), an experienced elementary school teacher from
Ontario, Canada, who has a passion for motivating teachers
to keep their minds open and stay informed about what
evidence-based reliable and valid research says about
beginning reading instructional methods. She challenges
educators to implement methods that have consistently
been shown to make learning to read easier, more efficient,
more effective, and more motivating for both students,
and their teachers.
Martha specializes in helping educators teach skills outlined
by the National Reading Panel1
through multisensory approaches demonstrated to help individuals
with dyslexia and other learning disabilities to gain
literacy skills. Martha is renowned for her energetic,
knowledgeable, and practical workshops that inspire teachers
to implement what they have learned with enthusiasm.
Martha is the author of the "Sound Readers™
Multisensory Structured Language (MSL) Reading Program.
Hired mainly by principals, school boards, Ontario Early
Years Centres, childcare centres, nursery schools, libraries,
and literacy organizations, Martha has now presented over
700 early literacy workshops to more than 10 000 teachers
and parents throughout Ontario. Her charisma and knowledge
generate great waves of enthusiasm wherever she goes.
Martha is currently the Early Literacy Specialist with
the Ontario Early Years Centres in Simcoe County. She
is the mother of two teenaged boys and has an obvious
passion for making learning to read easier, more effective,
and fun!
Why the name "Sound Readers™"?
 Our
language is based on a 3000 year-old alphabetic system.
A different letter or group of letters can represent every
sound that we make when we speak. Most children develop
the ability to hear and play with all of the sounds in
our language by the end of grade one. However, over 25%
of children do not, even though they are surrounded by
good literature, have a high I.Q., are read to on a daily
basis, or have been exposed to systematic or direct phonics
instruction. Research has proved, over and over again,
that the ability to hear and play with the sounds in SPOKEN
language is a pre-requisite for learning to read. Thus,
what better name for our company than "Sound Readers™"
since playing with sounds makes for sound little readers?
To learn more about how and why we must play with the
sounds in words, click here.
Teachers, parents, professors,
and literacy coordinators have praised Martha's workshops
and efforts:
"Your energy and expertise are a dazzling combination"
Dave Page, Family Literacy Cordinator, Frontier College,
Toronto
"As a parent and a grade one teacher, this workshop
was revitalizing and refreshing!"
Colleen Johnstone, Penetanguishene, ON
"Very enthusiastic! How do you do it? I wish my children
could be hooked on learning by a teacher like you. I
am a teacher myself and I learned so much to take back
to my classroom!"
Joanne McLaurin, Parent
"Thank-you
for one of the most thoughtful, provocative, reassuring
and inspiring letters I've ever received...It's so rich
in content and insights... I'm convinced that if all
teachers were as informed, intellectually curious, and
dedicated as you, we would be much, much closer to our
goal of worldwide literacy."
Dr. John J. Pikulski, Ph. D., Professor of Education
Development, University of Delaware, and President of
the International Reading Association '97-`98
1National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development (2000).
Report of the National Reading Panel. Teaching Children
to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Schientific
Research Literacy on Reading and its implications for
Reading Instruction (NIH Publication no. 00-4769). Washington,
DC: U.S. Government Printing Office).
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