This week I have the pleasure of welcoming John Walker to the Top Notch Teaching Community. John is one of the creators and trainers of the Sounds-Write program. Sounds-Write is a linguistic phonics program that teaches reading, spelling and writing. You can find out more about Sounds-Write by visiting their website: http://www.sounds-write.co.uk/. I also wrote… Continue Reading
When I first started my teaching journey I didn’t have a clue how to teach kids how to read and spell. I tried a bit of a mixed bag approach, mostly made up of whole language strategies. I used activities such as flash cards, mastery folders and look, say, cover, write, check. It didn’t feel like… Continue Reading
Are you after some fun reading games and spelling games to incorporate into your literacy program? Reading and spelling games are a fun and engaging way to help your students revise and consolidate what has been learned. I have found that using games is a great way to not only begin a lesson, but it’s… Continue Reading
In the last few weeks we’ve been looking at some of the essential skills children need in order to decode the English language. Specifically I’ve shared activities and ideas for teaching blending and segmenting. Today I’m going to share with you some of the ways I help students improve the essential skill of phoneme manipulation.… Continue Reading
Do you have students in your class who are doing okay with their reading, but they have so much trouble with spelling? And you’re not really sure what else you can do to help them improve their spelling? Don’t worry you’re not alone. I see lots of kids in the literacy clinic who are the… Continue Reading
Over the past few weeks we’ve been delving into books, reading and how we can better teach children to read and spell. We first looked at 17 amazing reasons to read, followed by decodable books and what they are and then a specific phonics program you can use to teach children to read and spell.… Continue Reading
Do you feel overwhelmed with knowing the best way to help your students with their phonics, so that they can become successful readers and spellers? You’re not alone. Each week I have a large number of people contact me asking for my help. It seems many of you want to implement a good quality synthetics… Continue Reading
Do you use decodable reading books with your beginning readers? Or with those students who are struggling? Unfortunately, many of the schools that I have worked in do not have any decodable books available to use with their beginning readers (or struggling readers). And I think in many cases the teachers are not actually sure… Continue Reading
There are numerous studies out there that share the benefits of reading. Some of those benefits include improved sleep, increased vocabulary and it helps to reduce stress. But what are some reasons for kids to read? How can we encourage children to pick up a book and read? When I asked my Little Miss 6… Continue Reading