Thoughts From My Notebook

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/k/ can be tricky!

  Let’s talk about these three spellings of /k/. When do we use <c> and <k>, and what is the pattern followed for <ck>? Do you struggle with what to tell your students when they ask, “Should I use a...

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Too many rules and exceptions!

As the Science of Reading pushes awareness of how to teach reading and spelling, people are jumping on the bandwagon. Publishers also see an opportunity to make money, so they are cranking out a “phonics-based “ curriculum with all the...

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Why teach syllable accents?

Why teach syllable accents?

I don't hear syllable accents, do you? Have you ever wondered how many of your students are unable to discern the stressed syllable from the unstressed syllable? Teaching syllable accents seems to be a prevalent activity in classrooms and many...

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Teaching r-controlled vowels

Teaching r-controlled vowels

Bossy r? I never let consonants boss me around, do you? So why would we call r bossy? R controlled vowels can be some of the trickiest concepts to teach, this is true, but is calling them bossy r to...

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When two vowels go walking...

When two vowels go walking...

well, if you do see two vowels walking, this is a problem. Along with my aforementioned knee jerk reactions to hearing magic e, I cringe equally hard hearing people in the reading world say to their students, " When two...

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What does Multisensory look like in an OG lesson?

What does Multisensory look like in an OG lesson?

Orton Gillingham is a multisensory approach, sometimes referred to as multisensory learning, which is not the same as teaching through learning styles. Multisensory instruction has undoubtedly caught the attention of educators, however, this is not a new craze; it has...

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