reading struggles and self-esteem

RAISE STUDENTS’ SELF-ESTEEM AND LOWER THEIR ANXIETY

Help students see their strengths with these practical lessons and tools that are designed for flexibility in your schedule, whether you work one on one with a child, in a small group setting or in a classroom setting. Complete a lesson each day,  a lesson each week, or part of a lesson each day, whatever schedule works best for you.

During each fifteen-minute lesson, students will:

  • Meet a fun and relatable character that emphasizes a strength of people with dyslexia (Rosie the Resilient, Ivan the Innovator, and Carl the Connector).

  • Read and discuss a children’s book about that strength.

  • Highlight their own personal strengths by adding them to a Strengths Bubble Map.

  • Hear an inspirational story about a person with dyslexia from Brilliantly Dyslexic by Liz Trudeau.

  • Have the opportunity to extend their learning through additional resources and activities.

Along with these guided lessons, Brilliant Strengths includes extensive lists of children’s literature to get students excited about reading and recommended resources on dyslexia, brain and executive function, and ADHD.

connecting and dyslexia

To make the strengths more concrete to students, Nicki worked with illustrator Paul Trudeau to create characters for each strength so students could make meaning of the strength and make an association with the strength. Students have been overheard saying comments like, “You’re not giving up, just like Rosie” or “I love to invent! I’m like Ivan!”

resilience and dyslexia

Illustration by Paul Trudeau
©2022 Brilliant Strengths by Nicki Winter

Rosie the Resilient

Rosie the Resilient demonstrates the strength of “resilience,” which is to keep going even when something is hard, even when you make mistakes and even when you’re afraid.

innovative and dyslexia

Illustration by Paul Trudeau 
©2022 Brilliant Strengths by Nicki Winter

Ivan The Innovator

Ivan the Innovator demonstrates the strength of “innovation,” which is to create, invent, and see things in a different way; to “think outside the box.”

anxiety and dyslexia

Illustration by Paul Trudeau 
©2022 Brilliant Strengths by Nicki Winter

Carl The Connector

Carl the Connector demonstrates the strength of “connecting,” which is to show kindness, to work with others,  communicate well with others.

Copyright ©2022 Brilliant Strengths by Nicki Winter. All Rights Reserved.