Sokor Space/ShutterstockArguments about the best way to teach children to read can be intense – they’ve even been described as “the reading wars”. In England, as in many other countries, much of the debate has been over the use of phonics, which helps children understand how sounds – “phonemes” – are represented by letters. The government requires teachers to use a particular type of phonics teaching called “synthetic phonics”, and the emphasis on this technique has become overwhelming in English primary schools. Supporters of synthetic phonics teaching have argued that teaching of phonemes and letters should be first and foremost. On the other side have been supporters of whole language instruction, who think that reading whole texts – books for...
With far too much frequency, older students often need intensive instruction to learn to read with competence. You may have heard of the ‘third grade wall’, or the ‘fourth grade slump’. Both terms refer to students who managed to get by in Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade, but when they reach third or fourth grade they ‘hit a wall’ and stop progressing. These students, for any number of reasons, may have missed the foundational skills in reading. Perhaps the curriculum didn’t adhere to Science of Reading, or follow a structured literacy format. Perhaps the student had attentional issues that impacted his or her ability to focus on instruction. If you teach third grade or beyond, you’ve probably met these struggling...
Once ‘a Pun’ a Time – a Guide to Reading and Telling Jokes for Kids by Wolf Cub Chlo Publisher: Self-Published Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Non-Fiction, Contemporary Rating: 5 Stars Reviewed by Astilbe What do you get when you mix a 6 year old with a global crisis? If you twirl around, click your heels three times while chanting “there’s no place like home,” you get a jokes for kids book! Tired of reading the same boring books? Want to read something funny and learn a secret at the same time? Then you’ve come to the right place! Read silly jokes for kids in part I and learn the secret joke formula...
I am grateful that a variety of schools I attended as a child made an intentional effort to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. In middle school, my classmates and I were participating in a discussion about him and my teacher corrected us whenever we called him “Martin Luther King.” She reminded us that the proper way to refer to him is as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This is indeed a man worthy of great respect and remembering the title he earned is just one of many ways to show him that respect. One of the things I respect most about Dr. King is that his brilliance was at a level and a style purely his own. Sometimes I...
Do you feel like you have no uninterrupted time with small groups or to support students one-on-one? This is such a common issue that we all have dealt with at one time or another! Response notebooks are one of my top tools for fostering independence in the classroom. Once they're in the groove, students can easily grab this notebook and practice comprehension, writing, and word work skills with little to no support. Here's how to make response notebooks a part of your routine and free up your time! Set Up The Reading Response Notebook is entirely customizable to your class's needs! Both spiral and composition notebooks work great! All of the printables have sizes for each. Choosing your Menus To...
