tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91477174587799006932012-02-15T15:37:52.520-07:00Find resources and support to teach a child to read! Welcome!Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.comBlogger2221100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-64705035499095801092012-02-14T20:16:00.000-07:002012-02-14T20:16:19.859-07:00

Are you teaching a beginning reader? This post is part of a series. This series combines free printable books with repeated language for early readers with ways to practice sounding out and learning sight words. I Can Draw is a patterned text book for early readers. The author, Leanne Guenther, has been kind enough to share this free children's book and many others on another site. The high

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-37455340747848634572012-02-09T15:03:00.001-07:002012-02-09T15:05:22.126-07:00

What is the schwa sound? The schwa sound says, "uh". All vowels will make the schwa sound in some words. Here are some examples of words with the schwa sound:The letter a: about, banana, was The letter e: the, open, travel, item The letter i: animal, family The letter o: above, gallon, dinosaur, another The letter u: particular When a short or long vowel sound doesn't work, try the schwa

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-17814439385961369742012-02-02T13:01:00.003-07:002012-02-02T13:16:50.560-07:00

Are you looking for an online learning site to help get a child ready to read? PBS Kids Island might be the free online learning site you need.PBS Kids Raising Readers is a national literacy campaign. It's part of an initiative called Ready To Learn. It focuses on building reading skills at home, at school, in child care, and in the community. Visit the PBS Kids Raising Readers website's

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-9300307082844748462012-01-28T19:29:00.000-07:002012-01-28T19:29:43.452-07:00

Most sight words can be taught through rules and letter to sound relationships. Children learn words much quicker this way. Words become sight words through repeated exposure. A new reader can be taught sight words by sounding them out, practicing them with flashcards, and playing with magnetic letters. I think the best way to learn to read sight words quickly is to have a reader practice

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-75910872262619073932012-01-24T12:15:00.000-07:002012-01-24T12:15:51.918-07:00

Reading levels help me choose books for my kids. I'd love to hear your opinion about reading levels and have you join my Blog Frog Community. I'm embedding a discussion here on my blog. If you are interested in learning more about reading levels or have some ideas or opinions to share, I welcome you! Thanks in advance for your time. One of the best parts of writing this blog has been connecting

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-47526970006034295782012-01-23T16:41:00.000-07:002012-01-23T16:41:32.003-07:00

I just found a good resource titled Keep Reading Together from The Boys and Girls Clubs of America today and added it to my Reading Resources page. I think it's so important for parents to continue to read together with their children. The link I shared will hopefully motivate parents to make time to read together with children even after they know how to read themselves. Many readers of my

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-40033911057250781422012-01-19T22:18:00.000-07:002012-01-19T22:18:51.586-07:00

` Fruit is a patterned text book for early readers. The author, Leanne Guenther, has been kind enough to share this book and many others on this site. I've shared some of my favorite books from the site and free printable high frequency word flashcards with sounding out tips in a previous post. The flashcards that go with this book are: I and like Teach the silent e rule. You can show the words

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-28657178957522450402012-01-13T11:00:00.003-07:002012-01-16T14:07:24.241-07:00

Watch this video to learn about the making of this book. Here's Simms Taback's official site. I found this video and learned about this amazing author at the beginning of this year. He died December 25, 2011. He will forever live on in his work and the hearts of his loved ones. His site is a beautiful tribute to his work. I hope you take some time to learn about him. There Was An Old Lady

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-12746177824268887372012-01-10T22:29:00.002-07:002012-01-17T12:58:13.389-07:00

You can own one or more of these bookmarks and support LitWorld. Just send me a check written to LitWorld of $1.00 for each bookmark you would like along with a self-addressed stamped envelope to:Michelle Breum 2205 Lyman Ave. Billings, MT 59102 I will send the bookmarks you request in the envelope you provide. This will make it quick and easy to send out bookmarks. I've ordered 250. I hope to

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-91325868765677097932012-01-05T19:36:00.000-07:002012-01-05T19:36:51.330-07:00

I Can Draw is a free printable book a beginning reader can read with a little support. It's a good book for a reader to practice reading by pointing under words to make sure each word a child reads is on the page. Pointing under words is a little like one to one matching when counting. High frequency words and picture clues will help a beginning reader "read" words.Early reading experiences

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-83591396068247293142011-12-31T16:03:00.000-07:002011-12-31T16:03:26.974-07:00

It's been a great year here at Beginning Reading Help! I'm growing as a blogger and learning from others. I will continue into 2012 sharing my knowledge and improving on my delivery of helpful information for parents and teachers to support beginning readers. Thank you to everyone who has supported me and/or added to my knowledge in 2011!I've selected one post from each month of 2011 to bring

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-62170373636268297652011-12-22T14:15:00.006-07:002012-01-04T16:42:56.885-07:00

Yes! It is official. I'm helping with a charity that is doing amazing things to improve literacy in the United States and Worldwide! You can get involved with LitWorld on Facebook. LitWorld on Facebook World Read Aloud Day - March 7, 2012 I will be setting up an event in Billings, Montana to promote World Read Aloud Day and do some fundraising. My goal is to raise at least $100 for Litworld.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-34932941672910860122011-12-20T17:56:00.000-07:002011-12-20T17:56:13.701-07:00

This post is part of a series combining high frequency word flashcards and free printable books for early readers. You can learn more and get caught up here. The words in Building a Bird House that go with the free flashcards from this series are I, am, we, with, my, bird, house, have, and a. Did you print the flashcards? You can teach an early reader these words with the sounding out tips on

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-31877727611378504252011-12-13T14:19:00.000-07:002011-12-13T14:19:59.175-07:00

Many early reader books have sentences that repeat except for a few changes like in the free printable books I've shared with you for this series of posts combining free flashcards and early reader books. The free printable book Go Car Go! has easy to sound out words for early readers to practice separating sounds and blending sounds. Magnetic letters work great to help a child separate and

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-76343575011716174072011-12-10T08:06:00.004-07:002011-12-12T20:10:15.326-07:00

Parents don't have to leave testing reading levels to schools only. Parents now have a low cost option to test a child's reading level for an entire year with high quality fiction and non-fiction passages. Total reader will give a child reading practice and provide a Lexile reading level to help in selecting books at or close to a child's reading ability. Children can get online from any

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-48970096735400403342011-12-03T15:54:00.000-07:002011-12-03T15:54:01.202-07:00

This post is part of a series. You can get started here and catch up. Visit this link to print the book. -  Go Car Go! (I put a little clear packing tape over my staples to keep the staples from snagging things or cutting fingers.) Visit this link to print flashcards to go with the series. This post will cover a number of things an early reader can learn. You'll find short videos

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-16316681485447893692011-12-03T14:16:00.000-07:002011-12-03T14:16:31.991-07:00

Hearing separate sounds in words is an important early reading skill. This skill can be taught even before letters of the alphabet are taught. Hearing separate sounds is words is called phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness is part of a larger set of skills called phonological awareness.One way to teach a child to hear separate sounds in words is to use objects for each sound in a word.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-27890231854413566042011-11-29T10:36:00.002-07:002011-11-30T12:41:08.458-07:00

Let's teach the words I, a, an and car from the free flashcards I made to go with eight free printable books for early readers. I recently added 10 more cards. If you've already printed the first 20, you'll find the 10 extra here. If you are just joining, welcome! Please print these flashcards and join this series of helping beginning readers learn high frequency words by grouping similar words

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-681096617001956102011-11-21T22:57:00.001-07:002011-11-22T08:53:48.751-07:00

I'm not quite finished with my next post to go with the free high frequency word flashcard series of posts. I have added ten more words to the cards. You'll find the bonus flashcards in this post.I started a discussion in my Beginning Reading Help community about a way you can donate books to families in need. A friend of mine sent an email to me about a LitWorld event and a book drive she is

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-23870310502665822562011-11-19T17:53:00.004-07:002011-11-20T07:46:59.798-07:00

This may seem simple to most people, but it's not. Many children who struggle with reading need some help and practice hearing the separate sounds in words. Being able to hear and say separate sounds in words in called phonemic awareness. Each sound is called a phoneme. The written representation in called a grapheme. Here's an extremely useful list of phonemes and the letter representations of

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-57541161664088420442011-11-14T17:00:00.007-07:002011-11-30T12:34:50.414-07:00

Have you printed the free high frequency word flashcards I shared in a previous post? The speed you go through and introduce these words will depend on the skill level and interest level of each child.As I present this series, I will share a variety of ways to introduce and practice these words. Since you know the child or children you are teaching best, please only use what works for your

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-21045788688210451612011-11-10T11:34:00.000-07:002011-11-10T11:34:41.043-07:00

There are many stories and popular children's books read aloud online for kids. Many sites are free. Here's an article I wrote at Squigly Jr. with some of the best online sites with free stories and books for children.  I've started a discussion in a BlogFrog community where I share one free online story per week. Parents, teachers, and children are asked to watch the story and share their

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-7074028432481760112011-11-08T13:58:00.007-07:002011-11-30T12:33:33.040-07:00

Let's start this series with the words go, we, and see. These words have two sounds. The word see is a good introduction to how letters can make one sound together.First make sure all sounds are known. Point and practice together. I wrote the letters on a Magna Doddle for the youtube video I made showing how to practice the sounds in these words. You can find files and directions to print and

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-50523460541764790052011-11-07T13:56:00.008-07:002011-11-30T11:49:51.599-07:00

Here is the first in a series of posts to introduce and teach 30 high frequency words. You will find free printable early reader books and more information about why I created these flashcards here.Here are the links to download and print the free high frequency word flashcards I'd like you to try out: Mini Book Flashcards Front Mini Book Flashcards Back 10 More Mini Book Flashcards Front 10

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-9158419858898323662011-11-04T10:46:00.001-06:002011-11-07T14:07:01.084-07:00

I've been a member of BlogFrog for awhile. I haven't used my community much, but I see how this community could bring readers of Beginning Reading Help together. I'd love for you to join and start or add to discussions! There is a welcome discussion and a discussion to ask questions about reading with babies to young adults. Ask a Question Discussion . Welcome! Discussion . I'm still

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-33423180982592610212011-10-31T11:14:00.005-06:002011-11-27T10:18:04.657-07:00

Most sight word learning resources and activities do not show how to sound out the words. My children were taught "sight words" this way in school. Five new unrelated words were taught each week in Kindergarden. My children were taught to memorize words. Flashcards were sent home for practice. I went along with this way of teaching, but I missed an opportunity to help my children read words.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-17082015273191481592011-10-25T12:00:00.010-06:002012-02-06T07:27:57.720-07:00

I like to teach children to sound out sight words. I call sight words high frequency words since I prefer not to teach these words by shape or memory. All sight words have some sounds that make sense and other sounds that can be taught. Once a high frequency word is learned it can be used to help sound out words that have similar sounds or rules. I use a simple system to teach children to sound

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-39846880954985863862011-10-13T10:14:00.001-06:002011-10-18T07:56:40.751-06:00

Most early readers struggle with fluency and reading with expression. This is normal. Early readers are practicing reading skills. Children must learn to walk before they can run. Until they learn to run on their own. Show them what it feels like to "run while reading" by reading outloud often. Here's a link to some free online stories you can include in your family's busy life. I've set my

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-22268509572983515272011-10-11T12:52:00.000-06:002011-10-11T12:52:27.799-06:00

I've created book introductions for all ten phonics stories in my favorite phonics series for learning short vowel sounds. The phonics books are in a set called Playful Pals by Nora Gaydos. I don't show or read the inside of the books since the books are copyrighted. Here's the video of book introductions for Playful Pals. I included work with magnetic letters for the first two books. I'm

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-35965983379808850932011-10-07T11:11:00.000-06:002011-10-07T11:11:41.964-06:00

I'm working on my first video I plan to make available online and through in home Beginning Reading Help parties. My focus of the videos I'm creating will be to show children and parents how to use the products I sell at Beginning Reading Help parties.I'm very excited about my first video. It's called Basic Phonics: Short Vowels. It's not available as of today, but when it is I'll share a link

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-35632865504602903902011-10-04T22:04:00.000-06:002011-10-04T22:04:43.761-06:00

Learning to read starts with the sounds of letters. Are you looking for help teaching letter sounds? These videos are great to help you teach a child the alphabet and letter sounds. I've shared some good websites to learn letters in a previous post.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-75243556102987837722011-09-30T13:25:00.002-06:002011-09-30T13:30:39.525-06:00

Readers need to correctly hear and make short vowel sounds. Teach short vowel sounds early. Many readers I've worked with who struggle with reading at the end of first grade have problems with short vowel sounds. I'm currently tutoring a third grader who makes the short a sound when she tries to make the short e sound. There are confusions with the other short vowels at times too. So, teach

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-45365128956451037732011-09-30T13:12:00.000-06:002011-09-30T13:12:08.108-06:00

My ten year old son loves the Animorphs Book Series. Have you heard about these books? He loves books filled with action, and usually reads these books in a few days if he has time. The first book in the Animorphs series was published in 1996 and the last book was published in 2001. There are 54 books in the Animorphs series.You may enjoy reading some of these books out loud to your children and

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-15680279892480882012011-09-21T17:43:00.001-06:002011-09-29T12:58:05.371-06:00

Teaching and learning vowel sounds for English words is hard. A beginning reader must learn vowel sounds and know when to use which sound. Most older readers who struggle with reading have problems with vowel sounds.  The letter "e" is long in the word "me", but it makes the schwa sound in the word "the". The letters "oo" make the long u sound in the word "too", but the letter "o" makes a

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-51837130781529777972011-09-19T12:28:00.000-06:002011-09-19T12:28:58.194-06:00

I just set up an account with Pinterest. I found it through a linky party. Here's the link.Pinterest Linky Party Please sign up and follow me at Pinterest. It looks like an easy place to make connections, share information, and find information. I know many of my readers have blogs or like to share with others. I'd really like to connect with you at Pinterest. Let me know what you think about

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-65452484894173677332011-09-15T13:05:00.002-06:002011-09-15T13:26:21.962-06:00

Teaching reading to children is a challenging task. Some reading programs say they have all the answers to teaching a student to read. I haven't found one with all the answers. Most parents I meet struggle with teaching their children to read. I'm working on a reading program that will include videos for parents and teachers, videos for young children, and videos for older struggling readers.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-66412160710329045372011-09-06T07:50:00.000-06:002011-09-06T07:50:26.708-06:00

Beginning readers should be read to often. A great way to get beginning readers interested in reading is to share read some books. Ask a beginning reader to jump in and read parts when he or she feels comfortable. Encourage a beginning reader to ask questions, talk about the story and pictures, and even share how a book is similar to another book or something that happened in his or her

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-2713496142298614472011-08-23T17:28:00.001-06:002011-08-23T17:30:14.245-06:00

I found an article written by Wiley Blevins that answers this blog post's question. Understanding Phonics by Wiley BlevinsI share quite a bit about teaching phonics and phonemic awareness on this blog. I found Wiley Blevin's article to be easy to understand and based on the latest research I've been reading. I hope you find it informative.  Here are some posts I labeled with phonics and phonemic

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-89852141847798572962011-08-02T19:31:00.006-06:002011-08-02T20:20:08.281-06:00

Early readers need to learn short vowel sounds. Here are links to some videos to help your beginning reader practice and learn short vowel sounds.  Hop on Pop is a great book to read aloud to a child learning short vowel sounds. You can have your child try to read short vowel words. Check out this video I made showing teaching a child to read, mix up, and put back together a group of

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-92064833349196641302011-07-29T08:22:00.002-06:002011-07-29T08:26:28.927-06:00

Brand New Readers are some of the best books I've found for early readers. These books also offer support for parents helping a beginner reader. The front cover has a scripted introduction for an adult to share before reading the book. This engages the reader and improves comprehension. The back cover has suggestions for adults to make first-time reading easy and fun. An entire version of The

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-34623143145980047212011-07-22T08:46:00.069-06:002011-07-23T11:57:19.745-06:00

Many teachers and parents teach sight words. It is helpful for a beginning reader to have a few words to use as anchor words when reading early reader books, but I don't think children should be taught lists of unrelated sight words. I think children should learn to read words by individual sounds or phonograms. I've steered away from this controversial topic for some time as not to offend

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-44775159553070891972011-07-19T14:55:00.000-06:002011-07-19T14:55:29.627-06:00

Are you having a fun filled busy summer? Are your kids reading as much as you think they should? Have you taught your beginning reader as much as you'd like?This post has ways to sneak in more reading and links to some of my best posts to teach a child to read. Here are a few ways to sneak in some extra reading time. Check out some audio books from your library. Many libraries let you

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-56329653777679819302011-07-12T07:12:00.001-06:002011-07-12T09:26:40.003-06:00

I searched the terms TEACH READING with google and found an amazing site to share with my readers.  Building Blocks for Literacy Click on the link to access the site. Parents, educators, and child care providers can watch videos to learn about ways to help young children acquire early reading skills. There are two options to sign up. You can register as a parent/other or educator/provider. I

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-36521123941132591232011-07-08T14:29:00.001-06:002011-07-09T09:36:30.212-06:00

Beginning readers benefit from learning more than one letter phonograms early. Phonograms are defined as one or more letters that represent a sound. Lately on most Fridays I make a Phonogram Friday post for anyone interested in teaching phonograms. Here's a post with free common two letter phonogram flashcards for you to print and use.   Here are some videos you may find useful if you are

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-65397627977299701852011-07-06T15:08:00.000-06:002011-07-06T15:08:38.734-06:00

What are good books to read to children? What books do children like the most? When a child asks for a story to be read many times, you know you've found a good book. Watch this video from a librarian to give you some help finding good books to read to your child. Here's a previous post with books I think young children like. A List of Stories for Young Children I recently went through my

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-23464700267657545792011-06-27T10:30:00.001-06:002011-06-27T13:01:22.700-06:00

Reach Out and Read is an organization that has been around for ten years giving books and read aloud advice to parents. Doctors give the books and advice to children and parents. Many children have been served and the program is an effective intervention. Children who are read to at home are better prepared to learn to read themselves.Here's an uplifting promotional video for you to watch.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-86606274098446689962011-06-26T08:26:00.002-06:002011-12-01T13:50:59.878-07:00

Are your kids interested in who wrote the book they are reading? Getting to know authors and reading a bunch of books by the same author is a lot of fun. It helps children connect to books. You can talk about the purpose of each book. Was it to inform and teach? Did the author want you to laugh? Did the author take you on an adventure? You can see how some books are the same and some books are

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-39845529043470985442011-06-24T10:07:00.000-06:002011-06-24T10:07:06.516-06:00

A beginning reader will benefit from practice with a few two letter phonograms and blends. Most readers will learn phonograms and blends not specifically taught if they are given the opportunity to practice and overlearn sounding out words with some of the most common phonograms and blends.Phonograms and blends can be introduced, practiced, and taught in a number of ways. 1. Show in books.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-15000277223732666982011-06-21T08:56:00.001-06:002011-06-21T09:01:31.422-06:00

Handwriting and letter formation can be taught without worksheets or even a pencil. You can use a large laminated piece of construction paper or the slick side of freezer paper taped to a table. Here's a video showing how to get the finger paint ready to become a writing surface. The letter shows up white after pressing into the paint with a finger. Here's a video showing forming letters

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-73813311973640137312011-06-18T00:49:00.000-06:002011-06-18T00:52:43.635-06:00

Last Friday, Rebecca from The Joy of Literacy asked if I had a particular sequence to teach the phonogram flashcards I shared for parents to follow. I couldn't come up with an order. There are some phonograms that are more common and therefore easier to practice and learn first. Here are some of the most common phonograms you may want to teach first. ay - day, play, say, way ou - out, shout, our

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-56790457890139493442011-06-10T10:34:00.000-06:002011-06-10T10:34:26.231-06:00

Do you point out letters in books while you read to your child? Does your child like to find letters he or she knows in books, on signs, and everywhere? Usually a child who is learning letters and letter sounds is fascinated by letters and loves to find letters.Looking for and practicing more than one letter phonograms can be just as much fun for young children. Phonograms are defined as the

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-20529263312405774052011-06-06T10:45:00.000-06:002011-06-06T10:45:26.108-06:00

You should check out some of the free online stories I've collected. Kids love computer time. Try having your kids listen to a few stories a day. It's a great way to get a few more stories read to your kids.Sitting on a parent's lap or snuggled up next to a parent is a child's favorite way to listen to a story. I hope you are taking the time to do it. Most likely if you are reading my blog, you

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-42067371536455337372011-05-31T11:08:00.001-06:002011-05-31T11:12:08.559-06:00

Robert Munsch has written some very funny stories with repeated language. I just found out some interesting information about Robert Munsch today from a video. Robert Munsch began telling his stories in daycares. My kids love Robert Munsch stories. I suggest taking a trip to the library and checking out a stack of Robert Munsch books. Your kids will want to listen to them more than once.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-16481111808014648082011-05-28T11:27:00.000-06:002011-05-28T11:27:22.776-06:00

Literacy Begins at Home: Teach Them to Read is a helpful publication for parents with checklists of what parents can do with toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarteners, first graders, second graders, and third graders. I love the simple format of this booklet. It directs you to a specific age. There are many programs available online to teach children to read. Many are computer programs with

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-15649552962583709122011-05-24T10:17:00.000-06:002011-05-24T10:17:03.317-06:00

Many phonics books have short vowel words. My last post shared a good phonics book set with short vowel words. There are 10 short vowel phonics stories in the Playful Pals book set. I added an extra way to practice reading short vowel words to that post. You may want to go back and check it out. You can find free online short vowel phonics books at Starfall, Progressive Phonics, and

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-41871534944542821552011-05-22T08:44:00.001-06:002011-05-24T09:57:23.219-06:00

Does your reader know letter sounds? There are many free online resources to learn letter sounds. Reading alphabet books can be fun and teach letter sounds and letter recognition.Many beginner reader books and phonics books start with words with short vowel sounds. It's good to get a reader comfortable with short vowel sounds and introduce long vowels and long vowel spelling patterns after some

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-13479343435297106092011-05-16T12:22:00.001-06:002011-05-16T12:27:08.884-06:00

A beginner reader needs to be taught a few things and then given the chance to practice reading. A child learns about books and reading by being read to early and often. A child needs to learn about letters, letter sounds, letter combinations, phonics, vocabulary, and how to make sense of reading. I've addressed these areas and more on this blog. Once a child knows a little about reading and is

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-64069845274713846992011-05-13T23:39:00.005-06:002011-05-14T08:02:10.930-06:00

Phonogram Definition: Phonograms are one letter or a group of letters that make a sound. Are you teaching phonics and phonograms? Phonograms can be one letter or a group of letters. You can point out phongrams in some of the books you read out loud. Single letter sounds are usually taught first. I like to mix in a few more than one letter phonograms as early as possible. Start with a few at a

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-70386727242048528062011-05-08T08:22:00.001-06:002011-05-10T07:01:24.305-06:00

I read to my children a lot when they were young. It was a favorite thing to do. I've created a website for parents that gives advice on how to read to babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and children just learning to read. I'd love it if you checked it out and shared it with friends with young children. Parent and Child Reading Assistance Today is Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day if you are a mommy

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-50396279192864808382011-04-29T20:18:00.000-06:002011-04-29T20:18:10.494-06:00

Every Friday I will be sharing ways to teach phonograms with free phonogram flashcards. The last phonogram post I made was titled Teach Phonograms with Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? Put Me in the Zoo and Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? are two great books to use to teach phonograms. These are books young children will listen to over and over. You can teach new phonograms each time you read these

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-70428595761386371692011-04-26T13:08:00.001-06:002011-04-27T21:58:11.995-06:00

The best thing a parent can do is read to a child starting at a young age. Many parents stop reading to their children as they get older. I'm guilty of reading less to my school aged children. Parents? Does your child avoid reading? Does your child say he/she can't find a good book to read? Your child might be struggling with reading comprehension. You can help. 7 Keys to Comprehension has been

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-31450090772938170032011-04-20T20:00:00.000-06:002011-04-20T20:00:58.067-06:00

The best way to help a child learn to read is to have plenty of good books around. Reading to a child and listening to a beginning reader read everyday is a must. Pack books in the car. Have books in every room of your house. I purchased many of my children's books at used stores. Here are a few sites you may find useful when looking for good books. The Book Seer Babies Love Books Scholastic

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-70688186480947255052011-04-16T08:02:00.000-06:002011-04-16T08:02:24.228-06:00

Most Saturdays I share some links on this blog to things I've found while surfing the web during the week. I share online reading games for children, online stories for children, and resources for parents teaching children to read. You will find some online reading games and more at WordWorld. DLTK' s Mini-books can be printed, folded, and read with a beginning reader. I have personally printed

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-42530085593316578772011-04-15T13:21:00.001-06:002011-04-15T14:29:51.209-06:00

Starfall is one of my favorite free sites to teach children to read. This site has free resources to teach a child about reading.Recently I shared free two letter phonogram flashcards for you to print and cut yourself. I think when an early reader learns phonograms, it makes sounding out words easier. Starfall has free online games and stories to teach a child r contolled vowel phonograms. Car

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-27686661846042347982011-04-11T13:37:00.002-06:002011-04-11T13:41:29.106-06:00

Crayola Dry-Erase Crayons easily wipe off sheet protectors. I don't recommend using crayola dry erase crayons on dry erase boards. It takes a lot of work to rub the crayon off and smudges are left behind. Dry-erase markers work best for dry-erase boards. I love using dry-erase markers for teaching children, but I get nervous about leaving them alone with the markers. Dry erase markers leave

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-39828614465211165142011-04-10T09:15:00.003-06:002011-04-10T13:45:43.351-06:00

Book Pig is a book rental business. You have to check out their website. What a great idea for a business! BookPig I bought most of my books at used stores and checked out books at the library when my kids were young. I had time when they weren't in school all day and busy with activities to go and pick out books. I still have a lot of books at home they can read, but they are becoming quite

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-37093592923022955602011-04-08T22:22:00.000-06:002011-04-08T22:22:21.491-06:00

Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? is filled with common two letter phonograms. Have you printed the free phonogram flashcards I shared in a previous post? Here are the two letter phonograms you can point out while reading Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? to your child. (oo, ow, ou, or, ee, ea, ai, ur, ar, er, ew, oi) This is a good book to start introducing how two letters can work together to make one

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-66569276344858604482011-04-05T22:08:00.000-06:002011-04-05T22:08:49.821-06:00

When a more than one syllable word comes up in a story a child is reading you can teach a child to use phonics rules for each syllable in the word. An adult helping a child read can show the first syllable of the word. Then the child can attempt to read the first syllable using phonics rules. I've been volunteering at my children's school as a parent reading tutor. I work with two children twice

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-23732951784394223362011-04-02T09:49:00.001-06:002011-04-02T09:51:22.342-06:00

Welcome to Surf's Up Saturday! Every Saturday I share free online reading games for children, free online stories for children, and resources to teach children to read I've found surfing the web. Free Online Stories for Children - Children's Storybooks Online Free Online Reading Games for Children - Online Games for Children to Hear Individual Sounds in Words Free Resources to Teach

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-9116146797537918112011-04-01T11:12:00.000-06:002011-04-01T11:12:09.357-06:00

Phonograms are letters or groups of letters that represent a sound. Readers and writers must be able to hear and make individual sounds in words and know which letters are used for the sounds of language to read and spell. Phonological awareness may need to be taught before expecting a child to sound out and identify phonograms.I've shared free common two letter phonogram flashcards to print and

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-86508339675581949752011-03-28T22:32:00.001-06:002011-03-28T22:35:21.943-06:00

Last Monday I shared a way I'm helping my seven year old twins with spelling. I'm making a list of words I find in their school work and journals of common words they misspell. Then they practice these words by mixing up magnetic letters and putting the words back together. Their lists are put on the refrigerator to see everyday. I think this is a good way to learn to spell words before a wrong

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-32488261461591313142011-03-26T08:38:00.000-06:002011-03-26T08:38:56.262-06:00

Welcome to Surf's Up Saturday! I'm sharing two online stories for children (this week there's one story and one interview with the author), two reading games for children, and two resources for you to help teach reading every Saturday. Online Stories: Jon Scieszka Interview on Video and Smash Crash from Barnes and Noble Reading Games: Songs for Letters of the Alphabet and Name That Picture Games

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-89700370604663181702011-03-25T07:50:00.003-06:002011-06-24T05:34:50.001-06:00

Beginning readers need to learn letter and vowel sounds to read. The individual sounds of language and the letters that represent these sounds are called phonograms. Children usually learn single letter phonograms including soft c, soft g, long vowels, and short vowels first. There are many resources to teach these sounds.This post gives you a video and free phonogram flashcards to use to teach

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-41410006973563927602011-03-21T14:03:00.000-06:002011-03-21T14:03:58.110-06:00

Last Monday I made a post suggesting parents make a list of words their children misspell regularly in their writing.My second grade twins have become pretty good spellers, but I found a word for each of them to practice with magnetic letters from school papers this week. My seven year old daughter needs to practice the word answer. I've added the word answer to a list I'm making for her.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-90396960414465459302011-03-19T00:00:00.001-06:002011-03-20T08:32:05.935-06:00

Welcome to Surf's Up Saturday!  I'm always finding links I'd like to share on this blog. You will find lists of links in pages at the top of this blog. Sometimes it can be a little overwhelming looking at a whole list of links. I've decided to make Saturday a day to highlight a few links you may want to check out. Then you can explore a few at a time and bookmark your favorites. I don't know

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-71744215665090424112011-03-18T13:28:00.001-06:002011-03-31T12:38:06.524-06:00

Phonograms are letters or letter combinations that represent a sound. I will be focusing on teaching phonograms every Friday for awhile. Here's a link to common two letter flash cards to print and cut for practice. My previous Friday focuses have been Phonological Awareness and Flashcards. Click on the highlighted links to view these posts starting with the most recent and working backwards.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-60625498162713679922011-03-14T11:31:00.001-06:002011-03-14T11:37:38.557-06:00

Most elementary school aged kids have a test for spelling words every week. Many do well on these tests, because they study. Many spelling lists show children similar patterns and rules. (You can make this kind of studying fun by using magnetic letters. I've made a video showing how to make and break words with magnetic letters.) I'd like you to try something new with your child. Make a list of

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-72411877289428828352011-03-12T01:00:00.003-07:002011-03-18T18:26:27.722-06:00

 Welcome to Surf's Up Saturday! I've surfed the web just for you and your kids this week. I found two links with resources to teach reading, two online stories, and two online reading games.  For You:Reading Tips for Parents from Reading RocketsAward Winning Kids' Books from Reading Rockets For Your Kids:Two Online StoriesTwo Online Reading Games

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-60931790853598380802011-03-11T16:44:00.001-07:002011-03-11T16:46:23.489-07:00

I shared free high frequency word flashcards on this blog recently with directions to print and cut. Every Friday I posted ways to teach with these flashcards. This will be the last post about these flashcards. You will find links in this post to help navigate my previous posts related to these flashcards. Please share this post with others if you like. Books to Practice High Frequency Words

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-38804891382374361912011-03-07T11:59:00.002-07:002011-03-09T21:42:21.821-07:00

Welcome to the ninth Magnetic Letter Monday post. Do you have magnetic letters? Are they organized? Find an easy way to organize magnetic letters here. You will find many ways to use magnetic letters on this blog. I've collected most of the videos I've created using magnetic letters to teach phonics in a lens I created with Squidoo called Teach a Child to Read with Phonics. It's Magnetic

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-25578796145531693852011-03-04T14:02:00.000-07:002011-03-04T14:02:54.361-07:00

I shared free printable flashcards on this blog through MediaFire. Many people have printed them. Every Friday I've been posting about teaching with these flashcards. Some high frequency words follow phonics rules and some don't. I think children should be taught to match letter sounds and adjust some sounds when teaching a child high frequency words. I'm not an advocate of teaching words by

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-43709819905977359202011-03-04T11:23:00.001-07:002011-03-07T07:34:11.700-07:00

You can join this quest if you are a child, parent, teacher, blogger, grandparent, or just someone who loves children's books. I wrote a lens at Squidoo called Reading Starts at Home. This lens has lists of Top 10 Children's Books separated by age groups. You will find the Top 10 lists toward the end of my write up. My goal is to get a ton of participation in these lists. I'd like to have valid

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-60963090045488468702011-03-03T11:03:00.003-07:002011-03-04T06:47:53.665-07:00

My kids and I got out our favorite Dr. Suess books. My second grade twins brought their favorites to school. My daughter brought The Sneeches and Other Stories. My son brought Green Eggs and Ham. We have such happy memories of reading Dr. Suess books together! I celebrated something all by myself. I woke up to find a lens I wrote and nominated to be a perfect Lens of the Day for Read Across

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-16774315532697783212011-02-28T23:15:00.002-07:002011-03-02T08:42:51.037-07:00

Many people teach beginning readers word families.This is also called onset-rime. The onsets are the beginning consonant sounds, and the rimes are the ends of words. The theory is that children will be able to read words with the same spellings or rhyme at the end.The problem some readers face with onset-rime blending is the distortion that occurs with stop sound consonants. Vowel sounds are

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-44582528964483926162011-02-25T17:10:00.002-07:002011-02-26T07:16:12.100-07:00

I've shared some sight word flashcards with phonics rules on the back with directions to print and cut here. You will find all the posts I've shared on this blog related to these flashcards here.I prefer to call these words high frequency words. Teaching a child to read words by shape and sight caused problems for my daughter and students I've tutored with reading. A human brain is limited in

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-7266905584423321522011-02-23T19:18:00.002-07:002011-02-24T07:27:22.849-07:00

Katie Smith from First is a Fairytale gave me the Stylish blogger Award. I'm honored. I love Katie's blog. I hope you take a look. There's also a link to her blog and some of my other favorite blogs in my sidebar. You can check out the latest posts of my favorite blogs in my sidebar anytime. I should do some updating. If you have a literacy related blog and would like me to add it to my blog

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-59672993614769906652011-02-21T15:34:00.001-07:002011-02-22T12:41:40.385-07:00

Shared reading allows a child who can't read words yet to pretend read a familiar book. If your child can't read yet, you should read this book to your child a number of times before asking a child to share read this story.If your child is beginning to read, you can have a child practice reading words. You can get your child ready to read words in this book by using magnetic letters. One way to

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-90887983955685672282011-02-18T06:32:00.002-07:002011-02-22T09:08:47.255-07:00

Have you printed the high frequency word flashcards I shared. You will find a link to print these and the directions to cut them here. Find ways I've shared to practice and teach with them here. The Berenstain Bears and The Spooky Old Tree is a fun beginning reader book. It is still one of my children's favorite books. They all had to read it when they saw our copy on the table today. I think it

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-3716167744973770452011-02-16T06:50:00.001-07:002011-02-16T06:57:09.899-07:00

I tutor children with reading, but I'd rather help parents be a reading tutor to their own child. That's why I write this blog. I've done some writing at Squidoo lately to share information with parents, so they don't have to get a reading tutor for a child. Parents who know a little about teaching reading can make a huge impact. I think I've shared some simple ways for you to help your child

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-55082886520485632782011-02-15T13:56:00.002-07:002011-11-28T14:21:09.403-07:00

Do you dread taking your children to the grocery store? I've found that my children behave better when they are my helpers. One way to get your children helping is to have them make a grocery list. You can use your set of magnetic letters to help a child sound out and spell items on a grocery list. You will be able to teach phonics rules, rule breakers, letter sounds, and special letter

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-45660422785014851802011-02-14T13:27:00.001-07:002011-02-14T13:33:39.338-07:00

Magnetic Letter Monday's post will be published on Tuesday this week. I've had a busy day with my children's class parties etc. I'm only half done writing the post. Look for it tomorrow. I hope you are having a wonderful Valentine's Day.Please check out previous Magnetic Letter Monday posts until then. You can check out a great Facebook community I created called We Teach Children to Read.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-69511162974818626062011-02-11T19:22:00.000-07:002011-02-11T19:22:08.520-07:00

Print and cut the high frequency flashcards I shared in a previous post. Teach and practice some of these words your way or use some of the ways I've shared. Make some blank cards to teach and practice new words with related phonics rules. You can add a few more words that follow these rules. Learn more about teaching phonics here. When children are first learning and practicing new words with

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-69060180557303513142011-02-07T15:38:00.001-07:002011-02-07T18:30:28.853-07:00

Does your child guess at longer words? Today I'll show you how to help your child read longer words.Watch this short video. It is helpful to break a word into smaller parts. Phonics rules can be used and seen. The rules won't always work, but the word attempt will be close. A child who is good at guessing words will be able to try and read the word again changing the necessary sounds slightly

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-19866808054433373052011-02-04T12:25:00.000-07:002011-02-04T12:25:28.642-07:00

Free Online Stories: Each story has a stop button. You can use the stop button to look for high frequency words a child knows, practice reading together, or let a child reread a page on his or her own. If a child is making a mistake on more than one in twenty words, the story is not at his or her reading level. You can give support by telling a word, helping a child sound a word out, reading

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-44459235040609293032011-01-31T21:40:00.002-07:002011-02-03T06:04:51.372-07:00

I've been sharing ways to use magnetic letters every Monday recently. You'll find my recommended magnetic letters in my Amazon store and all Magnetic Letter Monday posts here. If you want to organize a box of magnetic letters, look here.Today I'll show you one activity to help a child spell. Magnetic letters become a puzzle. A child looks at a word, sees the letters that make the sounds in the

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-26216153038146606812011-01-28T19:16:00.003-07:002011-01-28T22:47:52.221-07:00

Have you printed the free high frequency word flashcards with phonics rules on the back I shared in a previous post? You may find them helpful. Make some blank flashcards to write more high frequency words you want your beginning reader to practice. Be sure to visit this link for more teaching ideas to use with the flashcards. I've shown ways to introduce some VC words and CVC words.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-66624994078454447742011-01-27T13:38:00.000-07:002011-01-27T13:38:07.963-07:00

My favorite type of printing is manuscript form with mostly continuous strokes. This form is similar to D'Nealian printing. The videos in this post I share from my YouTube channel will be  manuscript printing. If you prefer ball and stick printing, you will find some links further down the page showing the correct formation for this type of printing. You can still teach ball and stick printing 

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-16954101185114475502011-01-24T22:01:00.006-07:002011-04-27T07:11:23.891-06:00

You can select a few words from a book your child is about to read and practice sounding out these words before reading the book. This strategy can be used with children who tend to guess at words using meaning and picture clues. My daughter was this type of reader. She did great with beginning readers, but she fell behind her twin brother as books included more words and less picture

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-68089735257865886862011-01-23T09:17:00.010-07:002011-01-23T22:39:19.310-07:00

Have you seen any Scholastic Storybook Treasure videos? My children loved them when they were young. There are three sets available.  I found many of these videos at the library for my children. If you buy these videos, consider donating them to your local library when your children get older. If you have a child five or under, I'm sure these videos will be a hit around your

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147717458779900693.post-8801954622060269002011-01-22T15:47:00.000-07:002011-01-22T15:47:28.953-07:00

Beginning readers need practice making short and long vowel sounds when reading words. I found some great games at candohelper. Try out these games with your beginning reader.Short Vowel Game 1 Short Vowel Game 2 Short Vowel Game 3 Short Vowel Game 4 Short Vowel Game 5 Long Vowel Game 1 Long Vowel Game 2 Long Vowel Game 3

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14301555963338021290noreply@blogger.com1