Book Bums

Newsletter – Recognize – July 29, 2022

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Hello Book Bums families! How has your summer reading been going? Have you made time for you and your children to enjoy books? I hope some of your reading time has been spent reading aloud to your kids, no matter their age. This week in the newsletter Dr. Christy reaches into her teacher toolbox to […]

Activities

Phonemic Awareness, Rhyming Words

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It’s important that beginning readers recognize the sounds in their speech. We have a code-based language. Before we draw kids’ awareness to the letters that represent sounds, it makes sense to ensure that kids can hear, identify, and even manipulate the sounds in words the words they will soon read and spell.

Alphabet

Your First Day Back in the Primary Classroom, 2021

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Since it’s usually crazy returning from a break and getting back into those classroom routines, this is the perfect time to try something new—something that can absolutely transform your students’ reading and spelling skills. Day 1, Back in the Classroom On the very day you arrive back in your classroom, please set aside 15 minutes […]

Book Bums

Day One, No More Playing Small

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1-1-21 I have a lot of friends and loved ones who are passionately chasing their dreams. Some sell cookies. (You go, girls!) One is making his mark on the fashion industry, while another is building his business in the world of golf. One is honing his computer skills to better serve within his place of […]

Phonemic Awareness

It Can Get Lonely When You’re Implementing Explicit, Systematic Phonics

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e time they reach third grade, sight words are not enough. Word Family associations are not sufficient to support the sophisticated demands of “at grade level” reading in third grade. There are no pictures. Word structures have become more complex. All of the tools provided by the typical greater Cincinnati early childhood classrooms have left many children ill-equipped.

Alphabet

It’s More Than Just A-B-C’s

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When thinking about teaching kids to read, what comes to mind? Chances are, you think about the alphabet. We teach kids that catchy tune, slap some letter magnets on the fridge, and drag out the alphabet puzzles. That’s a great start! But what kids really enjoy is getting your feedback about how they’re doing with […]

Phonemic Awareness

Say No to Guess and Go!

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Every parent in my school community knows about sight words. They may be called star words, snap words, or something else, but we know what they are. Early childhood classrooms feature from 25 to more than 100 words students must know on sight by the end of the school year. That\’s not a problem-the fluent […]

Phonemic Awareness

Tear Down the (Word) Walls

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My husband and I had a flat tire, and both of our phones were dead. (Note to self: Next overnight camping excursion- Bring phone chargers!) And, we had no spare tire. When a police officer stopped to ask if we needed help, we could not recall a single phone number of someone who could lend […]

Phonemic Awareness

How Words Work

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After about 28 years of working with kids, striving to teach them to read and spell well, I’ve learned this: Our language is complicated . . . But it is teachable. We’ve all (if you’re reading this) learned to navigate the rough terrain of crazy word spellings, pronunciations, meanings, and usages. But, could you explain […]

Phonemic Awareness

Say No to Word Families

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Teaching kids to read? Do not use word families. Here\’s the problem: Let\’s say we have a teacher who is spending a whole week focusing on /at/ words. You know- hat, mat, fat…  Next thing you know, the children see the words hated, mating, and father, and what children were taught is hindering them, not […]