Phonics Brain-Friendly Ways to Teach Sight Words Did you know that there are 109 words in the English language that account for 50% of written English in Read More »
Phonics Making Sense of the Science of Reading vs. Balanced Literacy Conversation Not long after I started teaching in the late 1980s, literacy educators were involved in a “reading war”. For those too Read More »
Homemade I Spy Game: Fun With Phonics Last week was exhausting. We are no longer knee-deep in a pandemic–it’s more like chest-deep with no end in sight. Read More »
Spelling Developmental Spelling Stages Children progress through spelling stages on their literacy journey. J. Richard Gentry lists these five stages of development: Stage 1 Read More »
Spelling Invented Spelling Invented spelling has become a dirty word in many circles. For this reason I prefer the following terms to describe Read More »
Spelling Developmental Spelling Inventory J. Richard Gentry developed a developmental spelling inventory, sometimes called the “monster test”, which is an easy way to determine a child’s Read More »
Spelling Personal Word Wall Word walls are great tools for teaching vocabulary, high-frequency words, and word patterns. It is often a challenge to get Read More »
Phonological Awareness Elkonin Sound Boxes I have found this technique to be extremely effective with my young spellers who have not developed full phonemic awareness. Read More »