by Jan and Kari | Oct 12, 2024 | Blog, Phonics
It’s surprisingly common to find upper elementary students who still need help with foundational spelling patterns, like short vowel sounds in closed syllable (CVC) words. But with older kids, not only is time of the essence—they need to catch up without missing out...
by Jan and Kari | Sep 1, 2024 | Blog, Decodable Texts, Phonics, Word Reading Instruction
It’s surprisingly common to find upper elementary students who still need help with foundational spelling patterns, like short vowel sounds in closed syllable (CVC) words. But with older kids, not only is time of the essence—they need to catch up without missing out...
by Jan and Kari | Apr 13, 2024 | Blog, Decodable Texts, Language Comprehension, Phonics, Vocabulary, Word Reading Instruction
Systematic and Explicit Phonics Instruction is a big deal, but . . . Everywhere we go these days, teachers are working hard to provide more explicit and systematic phonics and word study instruction. This is part of an effort to ensure that the students get...
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 | 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...
