One of the early signs of dyslexia is reading failure. Even with research-based phonics instruction, dyslexic kids struggle to read. Without phonics instruction, however, dyslexic children may not …
Spelling and Phonics Student Writing Sample
Did you know you can analyze a student's writing sample and get a lot of information on what phonics sounds she needs to work on? In this blog, I'll take a closer look at spelling and phonics by …
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Advocating for your Struggling Reader
Maybe your child is near the end of first grade. You see that he doesn’t know how to decode many single-syllable words like “bland,” “cope,” “strain” or “leap.” He struggles to read even beginning …
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Systematic and Explicit Phonics Instruction
Systematic and explicit phonics instruction is the most effective method for teaching children how to read. The reading and cognitive science research prove that systematic, explicit phonics is …
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Explicit Phonics vs Implicit Phonics
Research is conclusive. Explicit phonics instruction is the most effective, reliable way to teach a child to read. Explicit means the instruction is direct. The child does not have to "guess" at words …
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Steps for Correcting Reading Errors
When a child makes reading errors frequently, perhaps the text is not at his level. Once you have a leveled text, make sure you: Let your student make the error. Do not give the student any hints. …
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Free Decodable Books PDF
Decodable books allow kids to practice sound-by-sound reading skills. Are you looking for free decodable books pdf? You've come to the right place. Throughout this post, I'll offer links to free …
Teaching Spelling in K-3
Kids should learn how to spell while they are learning how to read. Spelling is encoding, while reading is decoding. The two skills are linked, and gains in one area can facilitate gains in the other. …
Kindergarten Letter Tracing- Animal Theme
Kindergartners learn how to write letters by tracing them and by practicing on k-1 paper. Kids can work on letter tracing while they learn to read short vowel books like the following: For …
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What is Long o?
Long o is a first grade phonics sound. Kids learn the first long o sound when they learn o_e as in hope. Typically, educators teach the o_e sound with other silent e sounds: a_e as in make, e_ as in …