So Cal Reading Lab

How do you bring a fluency passage to life for a little? Have them draw a picture of what they read after each sentence! This is a creative and fun way to discuss setting, characters, plot, intentions, and outcome. My student got to choose a fun eraser that matched each sentence and add them to her picture. If you have a student who struggles to get through a fluency passage…this is magic!

If your child struggles with b/d confusion when reading or writing…go get a butterfinger and a donut or just keep this visual handy! The other thing I teach my students is to pay attention to their mouth position. Just like b starts with a line, so do your lips when you form the letter! And just like d starts with a c shape as you write or read it, so do your lips as you make the sound! You got this!

Spotlight on this amazing 7 year old. Over the last few month, she has learned ALL of her consonant and vowel sounds, how to blend, sounding out for spelling, and how to write ALL of her letters. And now…she’s reading words and sentences with wonderful comprehension and beautiful expression. Why is she looking at me like this while she reads? Because I customized her sentence to say “Can Sophia rap?” She giggled and went on to rap a song for me. Instant comprehension in customized silly sentences for the win! Individualized, multi-sensory, structured literacy…this is what it’s all about!!!

This Spelling Superstar mastered her suffix -ed today in combination with her milk truck rule and floss rule. Sometimes my students need a review day to put ALL of their skills together. Grateful we can take the time to do just that. Good job Super Star! Proud of you!

“Nailed it!” She certainly did!!! This is the power of structured literacy. So proud of this student and her hard work, dedication, and growth! Love 💕 seeing my amazing students smile as confidence increases and they truly crack the code!!!

We use CHOPS (capitalization, handwriting, read out loud, punctuation, and spelling) to check our sentences. This is easy to remember and so helpful! What’s more fun than editing your own sentence??? Editing MY CRAZY sentence. Students can often find errors in my work that is hard to see in their own! It’s a great, no pressure, fun, educational way to reinforce the concepts we are learning. What do you use to edit?

THIS is what multi-sensory, explicit literacy instruction looks like! We take the guess work out of reading, writing, and spelling, and unlock the code for learners of all ages! The smile says it all! Can’t steal her joy!

Proud of this amazing 7 year old! She mastered 5 more heart words. Why do I call them heart words instead of sight words? Because not all of the word needs to be memorized…just the irregular parts. For would, could, and should, the first and last graphemes can be sounded out. For the middle “oul” this is making the oo sound like in “wood.” We learn W-oh you lucky ducky! And bam! All 3 difficult words are demystified!

Just a reminder for all of my families on this journey….you are not alone, I see you, and your child has challenging deficits and incredible strengths!