The long u sound is really two sounds. Sometimes u says its name, as in music and cube. Sometimes it says /oo/, as in tube and food. That is what makes long u the most complex of the long vowels to teach. Last up in my long vowel series, here is each of the eight…
Long e words are quite tricky to teach because there are so many different ways to spell the long e sound and there aren’t any rules or generalizations. With long e spellings, students must practice and be exposed to the words until they have mastered them. I’m going to break down each of the eight…
Long a is another tricky sound to teach because it has many different ways to spell it. Long a has eight spellings, and only a couple of them follow a reliable generalization.` I’m going to break down each of the eight ways to spell the long a sound to help you understand and teach long…
The long i sound can be tricky to teach since it has several different ways to spell it. But with a handy word list, plan of action, and some fun activities you’ll have a much easier time teaching long i words and your students will thank you. The long i sound is the sound i…
The long o sound can be represented in five different ways: o as in go, o_e as in phone, oa as in boat, ow as in snow, and the less common oe as in toe. Learning these patterns is an important step in building strong reading and spelling skills. In this blog post, we’ll explain…
Teaching long vowel sounds can be challenging, but with the right strategies, you can help your struggling readers achieve fluency. Whether you’re a reading teacher or a homeschooling parent, understanding and effectively teaching these sounds is crucial to your students’ reading development. In this post, I’m breaking down long vowel sounds (or long vowel words)…
Learn all about the consonant le syllable, including how to teach it using multisensory methods that follow the science of reading. You can find all my syllable posts here. And you can read The 6 Types of Syllables here, where I explain what a syllable is, how to count syllables, and go over the 6 syllable types. What…
Continuing with my syllable series, learn what a vowel team syllable is and how to teach it using multisensory methods. You can find all my syllable posts here. And you can read The 6 Types of Syllables here, where I explain what a syllable is, how to count syllables, and go over the 6 syllable types. What is…
It’s time to ditch word walls for sound walls. Sound walls are based on the science of reading, and are an excellent way to explicitly teach phonemes. They are highly effective, especially for struggling readers, and make a lot more sense than word walls. Sound walls can be used in primary grades and with older…