Parent Teacher Communication: Collaborating for Each Student
Effective communication in general is tricky, and communication between parents and educators takes this to a whole new level. There’s often so much emotion involved, both for the parents and the teacher and/or administrator. I have experienced this firsthand and often think of what I could have done differently (a lot of things I’m sure!) […]
Writing about whether phonics and syllable rules are necessary for student learning makes me feel somewhat anxious and quite vulnerable. I’m certain that teaching rules and syllable types is not necessary in order to learn to read well and quickly, but I am also acutely aware of the vitriol that can result from pushing up […]
R-Controlled vowels. Bossy r. Pirate r. R-influenced vowels. R in charge, rhotic and non-rhotic. What do these terms mean? These terms are referring to words that have one or two vowels with the letter ‘r’ after them in a word. The following words are r-controlled: far, for, war, earth, ear, bear, dollar, marry, word, and […]
The joy of reading and getting immersed in a great book is one of the main reasons we are obsessed with teaching kids and adults so they become proficient readers. Deviating from my typical format, this blog post will introduce you to the EBLI team, some of their favorite books, and why they love them. […]
Think of something that you are not adept at, something that you can muddle through but it isn’t easy or enjoyable. For me, technology and tennis come to mind. I can do the basics on the computer but am sure I could even do those more efficiently. If something goes awry when I’m working with […]
Those who read and write well, which most likely includes you if you’re reading this, typically take for granted the gift of literacy that allows us full access to society. The daily impact of sub-literacy, or low level reading, spelling, and writing, is not part of our experience. Even though you may not be aware […]
The seed that led to my involvement in The Truth About Reading documentary was planted back in 1997. My daughter’s reading struggles at the time were the catalyst that diverted my career path from nursing to literacy. Since then, my hope, passion, and life’s work have been focused on the goal of high-level literacy for all. Fast […]
Materials don’t teach children how to read, teachers teach children how to read. I don’t remember where I read or heard that but I do repeat it a lot because it is an integral component of EBLI teacher training and ongoing support! When I was learning all I could about how to teach reading in […]
Since soon after I first taught my daughter Colleen to read back in the mid 1990’s, an experience that set me on this obsessive literacy journey, I have been ultra-aware of the crucial role segmenting plays in reading as well as spelling. Colleen was in 2nd grade and could memorize words like a pro– both in […]
Let’s Marie Kondo literacy instruction! Or, follow the advice from the dynamic, amazing teacher and trainer Anita Archer: “Cut the fluff and teach the stuff.” Have you ever noticed that we all want things easier (and better) but often don’t know how to do it or find ourselves sabotaging our progress or resisting choosing to […]