RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT

Word Mapping Tools

Beginning: K-2
Decodable Texts

Sound boxes–also known as Elkonin boxes (Elkonin, 1973) are a great way to support children’s brains as they practice orthographic mapping. In this download, we offer you a variety of templates to support ongoing use of sound boxes to make the abstract work of aligning phonemes and graphemes more concrete and lock words into long-term memory. (From Shift 4 in Shifting the Balance; 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Upper Elementary Classroom.)

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Blending Magic

Make blending easier to teach and easier for students to understand with visual tools designed for decoding success.

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Heart Word Success

Teach high-frequency words in a way that sticks using routines grounded in orthographic mapping.

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Ready to take word-level decoding to the next level?

Blending Magic transforms simple word lists into purposeful routines that connect decoding with writing, vocabulary, and language comprehension—helping students become confident, connected readers and writers.