You don’t always have to read a list of words off a sheet of paper to do the review words section of a lesson. Sometimes just changing up the format helps make a drill feel different, and any time students can pick up and handle something off the page it … Continue reading >
Use this pre-reading exercise to help students practice ahead of time words they will encounter in their controlled reading text. Choose words from your story for the main characters and setting, and key nouns or verbs related to the plot. This will allow students to practice important words they will encounter … Continue reading >
If you suspect your student may have a problem with a given sound on a card in the visual drill, place it closer to the front of the deck so that if they miss it, they will have the opportunity to practice it again later in the drill. It is also helpful to place newly learned sounds towards the front of the deck for the same reason.
Many of my students come in having already learned “when two vowels go walking the first one does the talking” to help them remember the long vowel sound of a vowel team. But that saying isn’t very helpful once they start needing to sound out words like “shout” and “hawk”. So … Continue reading >
When students are reading from a list of review words, it is tempting to give a verbal response or even a nod after each word is read. However, you should try to minimize this during the drill. You don’t want your student looking to you for confirmation before they will go on to the next word. Or worse, trying out different pronunciations until they get you to indicate they hit on the right one.
If a student does give more than one response on a word (ie, rat/rate), ask “which one is it” and have them explain why to make sure they aren’t just guessing both ways.
Here’s a fun alternative to pencil and paper for doing spelling words when you have younger students working with one-syllable words. You will need magnetic letters and a magnetic doodle board. This works best if your magnetic letters have the magnet shaped like the whole letter. Have your student do the normal finger … Continue reading >
