by Jan and Kari | Feb 4, 2024 | Blog, High-Frequency Words, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Word Reading Instruction
Elkonin Sound Boxes: What They Are & How to Use Them Phonemic awareness serves as the foundation for a child’s journey into the world of literacy, and Elkonin boxes offer a powerful tool for nurturing this crucial skill. In this post, we will explore Elkonin...
by Jan and Kari | Jan 21, 2024 | Blog, Fluency, High-Frequency Words, Word Reading Instruction
Do We Really Have to Know the Difference Between Sight Words and High-Frequency Words? If you’re like us, you’ve likely used these two terms – high-frequency words and sight words – interchangeably. But to really understand the brain science of word...
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 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 | Mar 20, 2023 | Blog, Decodable Texts, High-Frequency Words, Literacy Leadership, Word Reading Instruction
In the last couple of blogs, we’ve unpacked these three questions about decodable texts: Who really needs decodable texts, anyway? What is a decodable text, really? How many decodable texts do I need? If you missed those posts, you can catch up here and here. As...
by Jan and Kari | Jan 27, 2023 | Blog, Decodable Texts, Fluency, High-Frequency Words, Knowledge Building, Language Comprehension, Literacy Leadership, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Prompting & Feedback, Strategy Instruction, Vocabulary, Word Reading Instruction
Last week, we shared 5 adjustments that can help you bring small-group instruction for early decoders more in line with your other shifts to early literacy instruction. If you missed it, you can find that post here. We hope that you have taken some time this week to...
by Jan and Kari | Jan 20, 2023 | Blog, Decodable Texts, Fluency, High-Frequency Words, Knowledge Building, Language Comprehension, Literacy Leadership, Meaningful Independent Practices, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Prompting & Feedback, Strategy Instruction, Vocabulary, Word Reading Instruction
What about small-group instruction? What changes in light of new learning? What stays the same? If you’re like many of the educators we work with, questions like these are top of mind as you consider shifts to more brain-friendly literacy instruction for early...
