“Fizzle/Floss Rule”
Does Sammy really like fried zebras? The pattern of doubling <f>, <l>, <s>, and <z> in a one-syllable word after a short vowel, sometimes referred to as the “Floss” or “Fizzle” rule, has a few people still puzzled. For the...
Thoughts From My Notebook
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-ch or -tch, which witch?
/ch/ -tch after a short vowel Don’t you love that we have a pattern that is so simple to follow? Yes, but people ask me, what about much and sandwich? Let’s take a look at the historical aspects of these...
/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...
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...
Don't let a scope and sequence dictate your decodable book choice!
Like everything in education, the pendulum swings; this time, it brings to light decodable readers' importance. For better or worse, I am on a few FaceBook pages about the Science of Reading and, of course, Orton Gillingham. I see everyone...
i before e except after c?... does that work for you?
Is the <i> before <e> rhyme really accurate or consistent? Why are there so many different sounds for these two vowel pairs? How do I teach <ie> and <ei>? These are questions I frequently hear from OG practitioners. ...
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...
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...
What is mastery in an Orton Gillingham Lesson?
I was recently asked by a school administrator to define mastery and to present it in written form. I have to admit the question set me back a bit. No one has ever asked me to quantify this, much less...