Phonics & Reading Professional Development Books
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Phonics & Reading Professional Development Books

Summer is the perfect time to brush up on your teaching skills and learn about any new or updated teaching strategies. I’m sharing my top recommendations for professional development books for reading and phonics. I don’t know if you’re like me, but I love a good book on the latest research and recommendations for educators,…

How to Know What Reading Phase Your Child Is In

How to Know What Reading Phase Your Child Is In (Without Guessing or Testing)

And what to do next—without a curriculum or complicated assessments Teaching reading at home can feel like trying to hit a moving target.One day your child sounds out cat, and the next they’re guessing cheese from a picture. Are they behind? Are they in the “right level”? What are you even supposed to teach next?…

structured literacy - mother and daughter learning to read and write letters at home

Teaching Reading at Home? Here’s What to Focus on in Each Phase

Because not every child needs to practice sight words right now When you’re teaching reading at home, it’s easy to feel like you have to teach everything.Letters. Sounds. Sight words. Spelling rules. Fluency. Comprehension. But here’s the truth:Not every skill needs to be taught right now. The key to building reading skills that stick is…

word chains for phonemic awareness
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Why Word Chains and Ladders Belong in Every Phonics Lesson

Phonics practice doesn’t have to be flashy to be effective. If you’ve ever watched your students read “tap” as “pat” or write “slip” when they meant “flip,” you already know that hearing and working with sounds is one of the hardest things for early readers to master. That’s exactly why word chains and ladders belong…

no-prep phonemic awareness example

Simple No Prep Phonemic Awareness Routine for Daily Practice

Phonemic awareness is one of those skills that’s easy to overlook—especially when you’re short on time, juggling behavior, and trying to squeeze in a million things each day. But here’s the thing: just 5 minutes of consistent, targeted practice can have a big impact on your students’ reading growth. And you don’t need elaborate lessons…

fluency grids example

Fluency Grids 101: How to Build Word and Phrase Automaticity in Minutes a Day

Most struggling readers don’t need more guessing strategies or complicated routines.They just need short, focused fluency practice that actually sticks. That’s where fluency grids come in. These simple, no-fluff tools help students build speed and accuracy with words and phrases they already know, without the overwhelm of full texts or the pressure of a reading…

Boost Phonics Instruction with These Easy Phonogram Card Routines
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Boost Phonics Instruction with These Easy Phonogram Card Routines

If your phonics block feels a little stale or you’re noticing gaps in decoding and spelling, phonogram cards might be the missing piece. Phonogram cards give students repeated, structured practice with sound-spelling connections. They’re simple to use, easy to prep, and work for every setting—from whole group to centers. Let’s walk through practical, no-fluff routines…