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 Cathy Collier 2025

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

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Speech Bubbles: Writing Fun with Quotations CATHY COLLIER 2025

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,

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38 Words You Need to Know About Teaching Phonics Cathy Collier 2025

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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4 Square Writing Sample Resource

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. 

If this sounds like something you can use, join my WISE Owl community to learn more. I’ll send you this resource to get you started.

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Hi! I'm Cathy,
author of
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!