If you’ve been meaning to build your SOR knowledge but the school year never gave you the space, this is your window. A report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute found that only 52% of K-3 teachers say their classroom instruction reflects the science of reading. Only 2% said their preservice program is where they…
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…
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…
Phonemic awareness can feel like one of those things you should be doing more of, but it’s not always clear how to do it well, or where to fit it in. With so much to cover in a day, it’s easy to make small missteps that can slow down your students’ reading progress. The good…
A Guide for Teachers to Identify and Fix Reading Mistakes in Real Time Decoding is a key skill for early readers, but mistakes are part of the learning process. Some errors are small and self-corrected, while others reveal gaps in phonics knowledge that need attention. By paying close attention to the types of errors students…
How Teaching Prefixes, Suffixes, and Root Words Builds Stronger Readers When we think about teaching early reading skills, phonics and decoding often take center stage. While these are essential, there’s another powerful tool that helps students become stronger readers: morphology. Morphology is the study of word structure—how words are formed using prefixes, suffixes, and root…
Teaching students to recognize tricky words that don’t follow regular phonics rules can be a challenge. When words don’t play by the rules, they need extra attention to help them stick. That’s where the heart word method comes into play, and I have found that flashcards and slides are very handy. These mapped out cards…
Setting up effective reading groups can transform your classroom by providing targeted instruction that meets your students’ unique needs. However, getting started can feel overwhelming. This guide will walk you through each step, from assessing your students’ skills to planning engaging lessons and monitoring progress. By focusing on skill-based grouping aligned with the science of…
One of the most comment questions or concerns I see is teachers and parents worrying about how to teach the 44 phonemes. After years of focusing on the 26 letters, what do we do with this info about 44 phonemes? And how does this fit into our literacy lessons? In this post, I explain what…