Struggling Readers are in our classrooms. Not every student is on or above level, so we need to make sure we all our students are achieving. A little while ago I was fortunate enough to hear Jan Richardson speak about…
Let's face it, reading is hard. There are barriers each reader faces that can impede comprehension. (One of my biggest pet peeves is parents and teachers who say, "He can read anything you want, he just can comprehend it.") So…
Paint Chip on Speed Dial! What is it about paint chips? I am just drawn to them in the store like an ant to a picnic. I have posted about paint chips on my blog before, this is the link…
Expectations are the key to student success. If you believe it, they will do it. It's time to up the game. BUT, that doesn't mean changing the game. You know I'm a "process/product center" girl. I believe in centers where…
Coding and decoding are tools in a students tool belt...and I needed them. I talk a lot about students becoming decoders and readers. A LOT. I know I do, but I am so passionate about giving students the tools to…
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This post was originally written in the winter of 2016. At the time, we were using LLI for intervention purposes. I knew of the weaknesses (a clear scope and sequence of phonics and some books seemed "easier" and…
Reading fluency is not about reading words quickly, but it's about the quick retrieval of words so that reading comprehension isn't skewed. Saw? Was? Very? Every? Have you ever had students who confuse "was" and "saw?" Or "of" and "from?"…
This intervention has a special place in my heart. Years ago, we were sitting with our School Intervention Team and seeing many second grade struggling readers. We realized the students weren't just struggling with reading in second grade, they had…
Another area we have historically needed to improve was the spelling portion on the PALS test. PALS provides spelling tests for their quick checks, but doesn't have a procedure to follow. To complicate this intervention, our school uses word study…
CVC Blending holds the key to early readers. When students can blend the letters and sounds to make a word so many doors are opened in reading. However, blending sounds takes practice. CVC Blending: Choppy Seas Students start blending with…
Quick Checks are a part of my day. You know I am lucky enough to be in a primary school. I have a little more than 500 students from kindergarten to second grade. I also have a "campus-style" school.…
PALS Interventions. I already talked about the PALS Spelling Intervention. In Virginia, we use the PALS (Phonological Awareness and Literacy Screening) test as our universal screener in K-2. PALS 1-2 contains sub-tests for spelling, words in isolation, and reading. …