by Jan and Kari | Mar 2, 2024 | Blog, Literacy Leadership, Phonemic Awareness
We all know that teachers, not programs, make the difference when it comes to effective instruction. Scientific research bears out this idea that teachers matter more than programs, especially when it comes to beginning reading (Bond 1966; Readence & Barone 1997)....
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 | 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 | Apr 28, 2023 | Blog, Decodable Texts, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Prompting & Feedback, Word Reading Instruction
We love it when educators ask for something to simplify their busy lives, and we can find a way to make it happen! Since our Fall 2022 blog series highlighting our structured (but flexible) Phonics Lesson Template, we’ve had a number of people ask if we could offer an...
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...
by Jan and Kari | Nov 11, 2022 | Blog, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Word Reading Instruction
After our last blog series exploring each component of our Explicit Phonics Lesson Template, we knew we had to revisit one component in particular: Explicit Skill Practice. In our initial post about this lesson component, we looked at the focused skill practice from...
by Jan and Kari | Oct 7, 2022 | Blog, Decodable Texts, Fluency, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Word Reading Instruction
We’ve all had them! The kind of days when you just need to call a teacher friend on the way home from school to talk to someone who just “gets it.”This is your person! The one who offers a listening ear, offering empathy, and encouragement. And the great thing about a...
by Jan and Kari | Sep 29, 2022 | Blog, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Word Reading Instruction
This week, we help students develop trust. Trust?! YES, trust! Students will take the skills they’ve learned in the first two components of our Explicit Phonics Lesson Template and put them together in one orchestrated action. The Blending section of The Template...
by Jan and Kari | Sep 15, 2022 | Blog, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics
Let’s get reeeeaaadyy for a warm-up! No, not that kind of warm-up! The phonemic awareness warm-up portion of the Explicit Phonics Lesson Template won’t have you breaking a sweat, but it WILL support your students while they exercise their phonological processors! Last...
