Mark Seidenberg said, “Parents who deliver their children to school on that momentous first day of kindergarten, proudly starting them on the venerable path to education, make a big mistake: they assume that their child’s teacher has been taught how to teach reading.” That sounds like an offensive statement made by one who’s criticizing some […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
If you’re listening to your young reader read aloud—which you absolutely should be doing, nearly every day— and s/he stops to look up toward the ceiling, you might have a problem to address. Here it is: Readers who are looking up are either 1) trying to remember the word or 2) they are praying that […]
Are You Speaking Your Child’s Love Language? Dr. Gary Chapman says that each of us has a preferred love language- a way in which we best receive the love of those around us- a way that best speaks to our hearts. Some of us feel loved when someone shares quality time with us. Others feel […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]