TRT Podcast#61: Reaction to Fountas & Pinnell #5 - Here's why you SHOULD use decodable books Fountas and Pinnell aren't moving when it comes to decodable books. They believe these books are contrived and that decodable books teach children that their reading doesn't have to make sense. But decodable books are exactly what our beginning readers SHOULD be reading. Here's why. Listen to the episode here Full ... Read More
Reaction to Fountas & Pinnell #4: Here are the problems with guided reading
TRT Podcast#60: Reaction to Fountas & Pinnell #4 - Here are the problems with guided reading For Fountas and Pinnell, guided reading is the key piece of the reading block. But there are some problems with the guided reading approach in K-2. Listen to the episode here Full episode transcript Related resources ... Read More
The Best books about teaching phonics
Looking for books about teaching phonics? Here are my top recommendations! ... Read More
Reaction to Fountas & Pinnell #3: Yes, you ARE teaching guessing
TRT Podcast#59: Reaction to Fountas & Pinnell #3 - Yes, you ARE teaching guessing No one likes to admit they're teaching kids to guess at words, but that's exactly what's happening when we teach beginning readers to use three-cueing. This short episode explains the connection. Listen to the episode here Full episode transcript Related resources Fountas & Pinnell's series: Just to Clarify Louisa C. ... Read More
Reaction to Fountas & Pinnell #2: Fountas & Pinnell are wrong about three-cueing
TRT Podcast#58: Reaction to Fountas & Pinnell #2: Fountas and Pinnell are wrong about three-cueing Despite the lack of evidence for three-cueing, Fountas and Pinnell aren't budging. In this episode I respond to their recent blog post in which they claim that we must help students use multiple sources of information to solve words. Listen to the episode here Full episode transcript Related ... Read More
Reaction to Fountas & Pinnell #1: You CAN have conversations about the science of reading
TRT Podcast#57: Reaction to Fountas & Pinnell #1 - But you CAN have conversations about the science of reading Fountas and Pinnell tell us they're staying out of the current debate about teaching reading because it isn't productive. But there ARE safe, sane places to discuss the current research. Tune in to learn more! Listen to the episode here Full episode transcript Related resources Fountas & ... Read More
Introducing a new series: Reacting to Fountas and Pinnell
TRT Podcast#56: Introducing a new series: Reacting to Fountas and Pinnell Fountas and Pinnell are big names in the field of literacy education. But for years they've been accused of advocating methods that do not align with reading research. Fountas and Pinnell have finally responded to this criticism in a 10-part blog series called "Just to Clarify." This episode is the introduction to a 10-part series in which I ... Read More
A simple process for teaching sight words
TRT Podcast#55: A simple process for teaching sight words We've learned that teaching students to memorize sight words as wholes isn't the way to go. But what should we do instead? This episode will walk you through a simple process for teaching sight words. Listen to the episode here Full episode transcript Related resources Our sight word blog series begins here. Free sight word lessons and decodable ... Read More
Editable sight word games
Our students need to turn a LOT of high frequency words into sight words ... words they recognize instantly without sounding out or guessing. In this sight word series, we've talked extensively about how to TEACH sight words. But how do we practice them? After all, students need to encounter the words multiple times to orthographically map them. The answer? Editable sight word games! If ... Read More
Sight word worksheets – based on the science of reading!
Are you on the hunt for sight word worksheets? Check out our set for 240 sight words … in two levels of difficulty. Bonus - they align with the science of reading! Have you been following along with our sight word series? This post is the 7th in a ten-part series. So far, we've shared: Today we're going to look at how to choose the best sight word worksheets. How to choose sight word ... Read More