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 | Mar 9, 2024 | Blog, Decodable Texts, Literacy Leadership, Prompting & Feedback, Word Reading Instruction
Talk of decodable texts is everywhere these days. And if you’re like many educators we know, you might be working to sort through the hype to make sense of it all. We’ve written a lot about decodable texts—exploring their significance, selection criteria, creative...
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 Katie Egan Cunningham, Jan Burkins, Kari Yates | Dec 10, 2023 | Blog, Fluency, Knowledge Building, Literacy Leadership, Meaningful Independent Practices, Strategy Instruction, Vocabulary, Word Reading Instruction
Last week, we shared the first part of our two-part Q&A series about how the newest Shifting the Balance 3-5 book that we wrote with Katie Egan Cunningham came to be. Today, we will continue to explore common questions readers have about the newest Shifting the...
by Katie Egan Cunningham, Jan Burkins, Kari Yates | Dec 3, 2023 | Blog, Fluency, Knowledge Building, Literacy Leadership, Strategy Instruction, Vocabulary, Word Reading Instruction
Q: Want to learn more about the newest Shifting the Balance book, which explores 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Upper Elementary Classroom? A: Keep reading because today’s blog is Part 1 of a 2-part Q&A series that answers some common questions...
by Jan and Kari | Aug 26, 2023 | Blog, Fluency, Knowledge Building, Literacy Leadership, Strategy Instruction, Vocabulary, Word Reading Instruction
While it’s true that most of the conversation about literacy practices these days seems to focus on the earliest grades, there is plenty of confusion and uncertainty about literacy instruction for older students, too. In Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the...
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...
