In the latest blog post in this series, Guest blogger, Faith Borkowsky discusses her observations and recommendations for any school district considering the transition to a Science of Reading based instruction practice. The importance of choosing a science-based reading program that is coupled with high quality, carefully aligned decodable books and resources and backed with…
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Bridging phonics and phonemic awareness to build proficient readers
Phonemic awareness and letter-sound knowledge are the biggest indicators of how well a child will learn to read in the first two years of school. Yet phonemic awareness and letter-sound knowledge are NOT the end goal. Our end goal will always be proficient readers. To reach that end, we must work to instruct children on…
Read MoreThe role of decodable and leveled texts
I’m a reading girl, but let’s talk math. If you were teaching long division to your students, what does that practice look like? Are you giving children 2 division, 4 multiplication, 18 addition, and 2 simplifying fraction problems (even though they’ve never seen them) for a challenge? Of course you aren’t! In math, ample amounts…
Read MoreCutting Illiteracy: Decodable Books at the Barbershop
So often in the past, I have had parents sit in my reading tuition lessons observe their child, a struggling reader, learn to read. With a structured phonics program and decodable books that support it, the child begins to decode words independently. At first it is laborious and some children may need a great deal…
Read MoreHow to improve spelling: Five simple ways to improve kids’ spelling skills
Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard the phrase “some kids are just poor spellers.” I’ve got both hands and feet raised over here. Children are not destined to be poor or great spellers. All children can grow in their spelling, but we have to make sure we are giving them the proper instruction…
Read MoreWhat is the role of decodable texts?
As conversations about effective literacy instruction continue in schools and on social media, questions about the definition, use, and purpose of decodable texts inevitably arise. I’ve even heard these books described as a “battleground”. I recently watched a presentation on literacy to the school committee in a local district, where phonics teaching is currently layered…
Read MoreLynbrook leads the way on Long Island
Over the years, it has become apparent that the Reading Workshop/Guided Reading model of instruction, popular in U.S. schools, does not produce the results promised. Special Education numbers have increased, and many children get labeled, unnecessarily, as having a “reading disability.” It is undoubtedly a huge undertaking to put the brakes on and start fresh.…
Read MoreThe Homeschool Resource Room reviews Phonic Books
More and more parents are choosing to homeschool their children rather than sending them to a traditional public or private school. There are many reasons why a family may choose to homeschool, some of which include dissatisfaction with the educational choices available, different philosophies, be that educational or religious, and the belief that their child…
Read MoreAligning decodable books with your phonics program
Regardless of which program or approach to teaching phonics we use, teaching phonics systematically means we follow a particular scope and sequence with its own logic for introducing sound-symbol correspondences and spelling patterns. Many teachers are coming to recognize that when children are given reading material with words that match what they have been taught,…
Read MoreBooks to engage and motivate older, struggling readers
Older, struggling readers often have gaps in the their phonics knowledge. They find alternative spellings particularly confusing. Many suffer from low self-esteem so offering them decodable materials that are age-appropriate is vital. Vital because if the reading materials can engage the disaffected reader, his/her motivation to try and read will grow. Without motivation it is…
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