by Melinda | Jan 11, 2021 | Literacy
Word work is just what it sounds like—students actively engage in working with words. It sounds simple, but word work activities encompass a lot: Working with phonics sounds or patterns Learning high-frequency words Practicing reading, writing, and spelling words...
by Melinda | Dec 7, 2020 | Literacy
Does your literacy center need a refresh? I know you’re always updating materials to match particular areas of learning and to make sure students have enough to do. Sometimes it’s helpful to step back and look at your materials with fresh eyes to see what you might...
by Melinda | Nov 9, 2020 | Literacy
Phonemic awareness is being able to recognize and manipulate individual phonemes in words. Phonemic awareness is tied closely to reading, so it’s essential for kids to develop phonemic awareness. One way to develop phonemic awareness is to practice the skills of...
by Melinda | Oct 26, 2020 | Literacy
Are you collecting phonics progress monitoring data because you have to — or are you making the most of it? A good progress monitoring process makes data collection easy and efficient, but it goes beyond data collection sheets. You need a simple, consistent way to...
by Melinda | Oct 19, 2020 | Literacy
When we talk about words, we spend a lot of time on reading skills like segmenting and blending and on spelling, but meaning matters. Developing vocabulary through classroom vocabulary games and other vocabulary activities helps students master word meaning to support...
by Melinda | Oct 12, 2020 | Literacy
Sound walls, word walls … do you use them and what’s the difference? You may be more familiar with word walls, but sound walls are gaining attention as a useful teaching tool. If you don’t have either, we have tips for setting up sound walls. We also have ideas for...