The Blog
Want to know how the Science of Reading applies to your classroom? Keep reading to discover what the research suggests, and how we should teach phonics and phonemic awareness to help all students learn to read.
- Phonics, Reading Research, Science of Reading
In my last post, we discussed orthographic mapping and why it is crucial for reading success. Theory is great, but what every teacher wants to know is this—how does it look in practice? In it’s simplest terms, we want to use activities that will help students focus on matching sound to print. Today, I want to talk about a variety
- Reading Research, Science of Reading
This year, I am entering my 11th year of teaching. I’ll never forget how confident I was that first year. I thought I knew EVERYTHING there was about teaching reading to my children. In reality, I’m still learning 11 years later. I’ve made a lot of mistakes along the way, but I know I’ve never stopped working as hard as
- Resources, Science of Reading, Teaching Tips
We’re about to move into our third school year of this pandemic. That means the children entering second grade have never known a “normal” school year. For some of us, it will be the first time we’ve set foot in a classroom in 18 months. As we go back to school, I know there’s a range of emotions—fear for
- Science of Reading
The final month of school, I’m so ready to be done. I’m mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. I put forth so much effort during the school year that by the time June comes around, I have nothing left. I literally can’t wait for that first week of summer when I have nothing to do and no alarm other than
- Book Reviews, Phonics, Science of Reading
I tend to talk too much, so let me get straight to the point. Every month or so, I’m going to do a book review for a book that I’ve found helpful on my journey towards the Science of Reading. I’ll keep it short, with minimal verbal floof on my part!How many times have you heard the words, “English doesn’t
- Science of Reading, Teaching Tips
I broke up with Lucy Calkins this year. I fully severed the ties when I threw my Art of Teaching Reading book into the garbage. I threw it into the trash at school, so I couldn’t dig through the garbage and rescue it. All of my blog posts so far have been aimed at giving tips, spreading information, and helping
- Science of Reading
Making the shift towards the Science of Reading can be overwhelming. If you are starting this on your own, without the support of your school and county, it can seem impossible. I mean, if it were really the best thing for kids, we’d all know about it by now right? I wish it were that simple. You want to
- Reading Research, Science of Reading
This was intended to be my first post when I launched my blog. As I began writing, though, I was overwhelmed with the idea. My apprehension came because this is just too important to mess up, too important to do half-heartedly. But today, I’m writing for those of you who, like me, are still overwhelmed sometimes with the Science of
- Science of Reading, Teaching Tips
I’ve started and stopped this first post several times. The idea of putting myself out there as some kind of expert in the Science of Reading is not only daunting, it’s just wrong. I’d like to start by saying I’m not an expert—I’m not a researcher, a published author, or a professor. I do not stand on the shoulders