by Jan and Kari | Aug 13, 2023 | Blog, Phonics, Prompting & Feedback, Word Reading Instruction
We are glad you are here for this bonus blog as we reach the end (really!) of our six-part (turned seven-part) series on the ways that familiar prompts may or may not be good for students in the long run. As it turns out, some of the familiar prompts that we have...
by Jan and Kari | Aug 4, 2023 | Blog, Literacy Leadership, Phonics, Prompting & Feedback, Word Reading Instruction
Over the last several weeks, we have taken a close look at some familiar prompts–along with their Beanie Baby mascots–that are often used in an attempt to support students when they are stuck on a word. Our journey through these common prompts has been...
by Jan and Kari | Jul 20, 2023 | Blog, Fluency, Phonics, Prompting & Feedback, Word Reading Instruction
This is the fifth part of our series exploring how some of the ways we’ve been prompting readers can actually send them on unnecessary detours – or even worse, down dead-end roads – when it comes to developing reading fluency. If you’ve traveled with us...
by Jan and Kari | Jun 29, 2023 | Blog, High-Frequency Words, Phonics, Prompting & Feedback, Word Reading Instruction
This is our fourth installment in a 6-part series about how practices for supporting readers when they are stuck on a word can either help them find their way or potentially set up roadblocks in the future. So if you are wondering, “How can I help my students learn to...
by Jan and Kari | Jun 26, 2023 | Blog, High-Frequency Words, Literacy Leadership, Phonics, Prompting & Feedback, Word Reading Instruction
This post is our third in a 6-part series about how you can support readers who are trying to read a word they don’t know. Deciding how to prompt readers when they are stuck or uncertain is one of the most nuanced and critical jobs of literacy educators, and its...
by Jan and Kari | Jun 23, 2023 | Blog, High-Frequency Words, Literacy Leadership, Phonics, Prompting & Feedback, Word Reading Instruction
In our last blog, we used a map-reading metaphor to introduce Linnea Ehri’s phases of word learning (1987, 1995, 2002, 2005, 2017). Today we take that conversation a step further by l unpacking a specific (and in many cases beloved) prompt that we’ve relied on to...
by Jan and Kari | Jun 16, 2023 | Blog, High-Frequency Words, Phonics, Prompting & Feedback, Word Reading Instruction
It is summer! Perhaps you are traveling somewhere. While you probably rely on the little person inside your phone to tell you which way to go, we want you to think about how you navigate using a paper map–you know, like in the old days! In preparation for an...
by Jan and Kari | May 26, 2023 | Blog, General, Literacy Leadership
We think every day is the right day to celebrate the work of educators. So, for every single teacher committed to making our schools better places for kids, this one’s for you. Today, we celebrate educators. We celebrate those committed to finding more ways to make...
by Jan and Kari | May 18, 2023 | Blog, High-Frequency Words, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Word Reading Instruction
As more and more schools are making shifts to more brain-friendly practices, many have embraced the idea of marking certain parts of a high-frequency word with a heart, a star, or a surprise face. Chances are you have, too! And whatever the symbol you use, your...
by Jan and Kari | May 11, 2023 | Blog, Fluency, Word Reading Instruction
Listening to proficient readers, it is easy to assume that the word you hear them say is the word their brain is processing. From the outside-in, it just looks like their comprehension coincides with the words they are saying. But this is one of the places where...
