SLP Literacy Corner Blog
Welcome to the blog! Read more about literacy instruction and activities.
R-Controlled Vowel Sound Spellings
A quick reference for R-controlled vowel sounds and their many spellings. Also called “bossy R” and vocalic R sounds.
English is Morphophonemic: What This Means for Reading and Spelling (Plus Free Morphology Resources)
Did you know that English is a morphophonemic language? This blog explores what that means for teaching reading and spelling, and provides FREE morphology resources to support your instruction.
4 Ways to Support Spelling in Middle and High School
Do you know middle or high school students who still struggle with spelling? The key isn’t memorizing word lists, it’s helping them understand how spelling works. This includes breaking words into syllables, recognizing the schwa sound, learning multiple spellings for sounds, and building morphological knowledge.
Spelling Test Practice That Actually Works: A Better Way to Study Spelling Words
This blog and the accompanying FREE Spelling Practice Templates are designed to help you support students with spelling practice in a way that promotes orthographic mapping rather than rote memorization.
Speech Sound Disorders and Literacy
Research has established that children with speech sound disorders (SSDs) are more likely to have difficulties with literacy. This blog provides information about the connection between SSDs and literacy, links to recent research, and ideas for incorporating literacy into speech therapy.
Short Vowel Sound Spellings
A quick reference for “short vowel sounds” and their different spellings.
Your New Favourite Alphabet Book
The alphabet book I wrote, N is for Nom: An Amazing Alphabet, is now available! You can get the digital version immediately, and the physical board book is open for pre-orders.
Triple R Teaching - Podcast Guest Ep. 231
I had the pleasure of being a guest on the Triple R Teaching podcast, and the episode is out now! This blog includes links to listen to the podcast and all the resources we mentioned.
Speech, Language, and Literacy
It’s well established that speech and language shape literacy. This blog provides a quick reference to explain key components of speech, language, and literacy.
Letter Names, Sounds, and Forms
Letter knowledge is the foundation for understanding the sound-spelling (phoneme-grapheme) correspondences required to read and spell. It involves learning each letter’s name, common sound(s), and written form.
Orthographic Mapping
Did you know that we all learn to read the same way?! Orthographic mapping is the mental process that all successful readers use to become skilled, fluent readers.
My Poetry Reading Routine
Do you incorporate poetry into your literacy lessons? You can work on a lot with just one poem if you have a solid routine. Check out my poetry reading routine and my favourite sources for free poems!
Literacy Sources
The biggest piece of advice I have when it comes to literacy training and continuing education? Get your information from more than one reputable source! Here’s a running list of my sources.
Bringing Words to Life - Book Summary
This post summarizes what I learned while reading Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction by Isabel L. Beck, Margaret G. McKeown, and Linda Kucan.
One Task, Many Literacy Skills
Did you know that is it beneficial for instructional activities to work on multiple literacy skills simultaneously rather than in isolation? It’s true! Check out how I integrated multiple important literacy skills into one spelling activity.
SLP Corner - Podcast Guest Ep. 137
I was invited back as a guest on the SLP Corner podcast, and the new episode is out now! I’ve linked all the resources and references we mentioned in the podcast here in this blog.
Free Decodable Texts
FREE digital and PDF decodable texts to help beginning readers develop the skills and confidence necessary to become strong readers!
Long Vowel Sound Spellings
A quick reference for “long vowel sounds” and their many spellings.
SLP Coffee Talk - Podcast Guest
I had the pleasure of being a guest on the SLP Coffee Talk podcast, and the episode is out now! This blog includes links to listen to the podcast and all the resources we mentioned.
Big Words For Young Readers - Book Summary
This post summarizes what I learned while reading Big Words for Young Readers: Teaching Kids in Grades K to 5 to Decode―and Understand―Words With Multiple Syllables and Morphemes by Dr. Heidi Anne Mesmer.