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Showing Readers How to Navigate the Phases of Word Learning (Bonus): The Power of Teaching Readers to Try Alternate Sounds

Showing Readers How to Navigate the Phases of Word Learning (Bonus): The Power of Teaching Readers to Try Alternate Sounds

by Jan and Kari | Aug 13, 2023 | Prompting & Feedback

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...
Showing Readers How to Navigate the Phases of Word Learning (Part 6): The Power of Teaching Students to Blend Words

Showing Readers How to Navigate the Phases of Word Learning (Part 6): The Power of Teaching Students to Blend Words

by Jan and Kari | Aug 4, 2023 | Prompting & Feedback

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...
Showing Young Readers How to Navigate the Phases of Word Reading (Part 5): The Downsides of Asking Children to Search for Chunks in Words

Showing Young Readers How to Navigate the Phases of Word Reading (Part 5): The Downsides of Asking Children to Search for Chunks in Words

by Jan and Kari | Jul 20, 2023 | Prompting & Feedback

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...
Showing Young Readers How to Navigate the Phases of Word Reading (Part 4): Why Skipping the Word Is Problematic

Showing Young Readers How to Navigate the Phases of Word Reading (Part 4): Why Skipping the Word Is Problematic

by Jan and Kari | Jun 29, 2023 | Prompting & Feedback

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...
Showing Young Readers How to Navigate the Phases of Word Reading (Part 3): Why Looking at the First Letter of the Word Isn’t Enough (even when “read” correctly)

Showing Young Readers How to Navigate the Phases of Word Reading (Part 3): Why Looking at the First Letter of the Word Isn’t Enough (even when “read” correctly)

by Jan and Kari | Jun 26, 2023 | Prompting & Feedback

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...
Showing Young Readers How to Navigate the Phases of Word Reading (Part 2): Why Looking at the Pictures Isn’t as Helpful as We Thought

Showing Young Readers How to Navigate the Phases of Word Reading (Part 2): Why Looking at the Pictures Isn’t as Helpful as We Thought

by Jan and Kari | Jun 23, 2023 | Prompting & Feedback

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...
Showing Young Readers How to Navigate the Phases of Word Reading (Part 1): A Journey Through Ehri’s Phases

Showing Young Readers How to Navigate the Phases of Word Reading (Part 1): A Journey Through Ehri’s Phases

by Jan and Kari | Jun 16, 2023 | Prompting & Feedback

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...
Shifting the Balance:  Answers to Some Important Questions

Shifting the Balance: Answers to Some Important Questions

by Jan and Kari | Aug 5, 2021 | Beyond the Book, General, Literacy Leadership, Prompting & Feedback

The work we do is driven by a deep respect for and belief in teachers and children. Our goal is to share our admiration for teachers while also supporting substantive change by making information accessible. We actively practice attuning to both the technical and...
A Message to Literacy Educators from Jan and Kari

A Message to Literacy Educators from Jan and Kari

by Jan and Kari | Aug 1, 2021 | Beyond the Book, General, Literacy Leadership, Prompting & Feedback

Dear Literacy Educator,Our little book, Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Balanced Literacy Classroom, is just that–a little book. Short. Easy to read. Accessible.Most importantly, it is an invitation to balanced literacy...

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