Get Teaching Tips and Effective Literacy Resources for the Primary Grades
Here at The WISE Owl our mission is to help young readers develop DECODING STRATEGIES FLUENCY WRITING SKILLS to flourish as skilled readers for life.
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teaching tips for primary teacher
The Magic of Elkonin Boxes: 20 Ways to Use Them
Elkonin boxes are a powerful visual tool grounded in Science of Reading for building phonemic awareness, phonics skills, and early decoding abilities. By segmenting sounds (phonemes) into boxes, students develop a stronger understanding of sound-symbol relationships. I have blogged about
Speech Bubbles: Writing Fun with Quotations
One of the most exciting moments in young writers’ development is when they begin to give their characters a voice. Literally! Adding dialogue to their writing brings stories to life and helps students deepen their understanding of character, story structure,
Teaching Phonics: 38 Words You Need to Know Now
Teaching phonics has seen a resurgence in importance over the last few years. From the Sold a Story podcast by Emily Hanford to The Right To Read movie to Lexia LETRS Training and professional development sessions all over the country
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Learn about 4 square writing with a Lesson on me!
At its most basic, 4 square is a template for writing. It asks the student to move from topic (center box) to details (top to bottom, left to right). It can be differentiated and easily scaffolded.
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Hi! I'm Cathy,
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The WISE Owl
Hello and Welcome to Cathy Collier’s The W.I.S.E. Owl. I am a Reading Specialist and Literacy Advocate for more than 30 years. BUT I was born to be a teacher. I have been blessed with two very supportive sons who make life tons of fun. I am a teacher, talker, trainer, and passionate presenter. I’d love to talk about Reading and Writing for the Emergent Learner with your class, your school, your division, or your council. Invite me!
