The Science of Reading might feel like a hot, new buzz word. All of this talk of heart words and word mapping might be a bit different from a balanced literacy approach you are used to. When you get down to it, the Science of Reading is not new at all. It’s simple researched based instructional practices. But, what about…
Decodable texts are necessary for strong reading instruction in all grades, but particularly in kindergarten and first. Students in these grades are still breaking the reading code, so it’s important for them to have texts they can easily decode using the letter sound knowledge they’ve developed so far. Here is how you can use decodable partner plays to help your…
R controlled vowels are in many common words that first and second grade students need to be able to read. R controlled vowels are vowels immediately followed by an r. The vowel sound changes and is influenced, or controlled, by the r. Understanding how r controlled words and syllables work is very important for students learning to read. However, sometimes…
Sight words are words that you just have to memorize because they don’t “follow the rules”, right? Actually, wrong! Many of us, including myself, have taught this for years. In fact, I was taught this as a student. However, this is just not true. The good thing is that the truth is this: sight words actually CAN be sounded out.…