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
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
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
Flex the Sound is a decoding plan for helping students with visually similar words. As early readers encounter unfamiliar words, they need flexible decoding strategies to problem-solve tricky spellings. In English, which has many irregular spellings, kids will come across words that don’t follow the usual rules.
Research shows that to read these tricky words successfully, children need to recognize when a word doesn’t sound right and adjust their pronunciation. This skill, called “set for variability,” helps them match what they decode to the correct word they know. How easy this is depends on how clearly the word’s spelling connects to its pronunciation.
Flip the Vowel is a simple yet powerful strategy that helps early readers gain independence. Teaching young readers to decode unfamiliar words is a big step toward reading independence. This
Buffalo Fluffalo is a fun story of understanding who you are and loving who you are. The author, Bess Kalb, wrote a delightful book, sure to be a favorite. I
Fluency isn’t just for big kids! When we think of fluency, we often picture older students reading smoothly and expressively. But fluency starts much earlier than that. Even our youngest
Daily journals can be an essential piece of writing practice is for young learners in kindergarten and first grade. Writing journals provide a structured yet flexible way to reinforce foundational
Phonics Games are the ticket for engagement and involvement. As primary educators, we know that young learners thrive when they’re actively engaged, especially when play is involved. Integrating games into
5 Star Writing is an easy way to help students gain accountability and independence for their writing. Teaching young writers to take ownership of their work can feel like a
28 days in February doesn’t seem like a lot of time to learn about special people in Black History, but Charles Smith, Jr’s book does a great job! Check out these great people throughout the 28 days.
Syllable Types are easier than you know and more important than you realize. As we guide our young learners through the wonderful world of reading, it’s essential to understand the
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 am blessed with a very supportive husband and two grown boys. 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!
This is an Amazon Affiliate Link. I make a small percentage of all sales with it.
