For years, many of us taught sight words the same way: a stack of flashcards, a word wall and lots of "just remember it." Some children soaked the words right up. Others could say "the" on Monday and stare blankly at it on Tuesday. If that sounds familiar, the heart-word approach may be the change […]
There is a moment every K-1 teacher waits for: a child looks at m-a-t , says the sounds, and then their face lights up as they say "mat!" That moment does not happen by accident. Blending sounds into words is a skill that has to be taught directly, practiced often and built up in small […]
High-frequency words, sometimes called sight words, are crucial in helping emerging readers, like kindergarteners, first graders, and other young learners, become more fluent readers. Whether you are looking for fun sight word activities for the classroom or at home, these fun games will help in learning sight words, build fluency, and engage learners! What are […]
The letter g can sometimes be tricky for beginner readers since it is one of the consonants that makes two different sounds. The hard sound, or /g/, is heard in words like girl, bag, or groggy. The soft sound, or /j/, is heard in words like Germany, mangy, and edge. These letter sounds may initially […]
Kindergarten students are lovely to teach for many reasons, but it is incredibly awesome to see the growth in the early readers! It is like Kindergarten magic! With many months of consistent and purposeful practice, that magic shines through! One of the most effective ways to build reading in the early years is to teach […]
