Over the past couple of years, I’ve written a number of posts about teaching phonics or word study in Kindergarten, first, and second grade. For today’s post, I created a “collection” of these links for you so that you can easily find what you need! I also made note of posts that have freebies! Best…… Continue Reading
Do your students confuse their short vowel sounds? Maybe they substitute e for a? Or i for e? Or just need more practice in general?! The short vowel sounds can be so tricky, especially for students who have certain accents. In the South, where I live, sometimes the e and i sound exactly the same!!…… Continue Reading
The English language is a little crazy. I mean, just read these words: through, tough, though, thought. Same spelling pattern, four different sounds! 😱 But. As weird as our language can be, it’s also predictable and consistent in many ways. In fact, did you know that there are only 6 different types of syllables in…… Continue Reading
Teaching phonics in Kindergarten is unique because our students grow and change so much during the school year! As a result, the way I deliver my phonics instruction changes throughout the year too. So I wanted to share with you a “big picture” guide that takes you through the entire Kindergarten year, showing you how…… Continue Reading
When I found out that I had to take a Spanish linguistics course in college, I was pretty annoyed. Linguistics sounded mind-numbingly boring, and…it kinda was. 😛 But what I didn’t know is that—years later—that course would actually help me become a better reading and phonics teacher! Let’s back up a little. My undergraduate majors…… Continue Reading
Looking for some fun rhyming games and activities for your students? This post has 5 ideas AND freebies for you! Idea #1: Act out rhyming action words Read one of the below sentences aloud to students (with emphasis on the two rhyming words), have them repeat the entire sentence with you, and then have them…… Continue Reading
Kindergarten is all about teaching the letters, right? Well…maybe. What if you have students who come in already reading? Or what if you have a combination—some readers AND some students who don’t know how to write their names yet? 😳 Since some students attend preschool (and/or have at-home literacy experiences) and others don’t, it’s very easy…… Continue Reading
Do you have any students who are struggling to remember the letter sounds? In this post, I’ll share some strategies that have helped my own students! Photo Credits:Â 5 second Studio, Shutterstock Give Phonological Awareness Skills a Little Extra Attention Phonological awareness is the awareness of the sounds that make up spoken language. It’s different…… Continue Reading
Do you want your students to apply their phonics learning to their writing? I know I do! And I also know that this doesn’t happen easily for all students. In today’s quick post, I want to share a free tool with you—a template for a word part dictionary. Relatively recently, I started having my students…… Continue Reading
When your students are doing independent word work activities, are they reading the words? So many times, I’ve noticed that unless I’m standing right there, reminding my kids to read their words, word work turns into something silent and passive! For example, students might be making words with magnetic letters, using word flashcards as a…… Continue Reading
