SLP Literacy Corner Blog
Welcome to the blog! Read more about literacy instruction and activities.
The Writing Rope - Book Summary
This post summarizes what I learned while reading The Writing Rope: A Framework for Explicit Writing Instruction in All Subjects by Joan Sedita.
What The Research Does Not Tell Us…
While the research on literacy development and instruction is certainly growing, there are still a lot of questions that have not yet been answered…
Suffix Spelling Rules
Morphology includes the study of word parts - prefixes, suffixes, roots, and base words. Explicit morphology instruction should include teaching these spelling rules for adding suffixes.
De Facto Leaders - Podcast Guest
I had the pleasure of being a guest on the De Facto Leaders podcast, and the episode is out now! We discussed: what it’s like to be a struggling reader, why evidence-based reading instruction is not just another trend, reading as a basic human right, and more.
The Schwa Vowel Sound
Do you know about the schwa vowel sound? And are you explicitly teaching this vowel sound to your students? Read this blog to learn about why and how you should teach this vowel sound.
What in the Word?
Decodable words, heart words, high frequency words, sight words… What do all these words mean and how should we teach these different words? If you’ve ever felt confused about this, keep reading!
The Reading Comprehension Blueprint - Book Summary
This post summarizes what I learned while reading The Reading Comprehension Blueprint: Helping Students Make Meaning from Text by Nancy Lewis Hennessy.
Writing Assessment
Writing assessments allow educators to better understand a student’s current spelling and writing abilities so that they can provide instruction specific to the student’s needs. A thorough writing assessment should address word, sentence, and paragraph level writing.
Benefits of Audiobooks
Audiobooks are books, and listening to audiobooks still counts as reading! Yes, it is a different reading experience than reading paper books, but there are many benefits to audiobooks including accessibility, building vocabulary, and modelling reading fluency.
Websites for Literacy - Pink Cat Games
Pink Cat Games offers a large library of over 200 games (4 are free!) and questions. Games can be customized to embed your desired target words, sentences, pictures or other targets within a game.
Websites for Literacy - Zoo Live Cameras
Have you tried going on virtual field trips with your students? Many zoos, such as the San Diego Zoo, have live cameras on their website so that you can watch the animals. Go on virtual field trips to get students engaged in a variety of literacy activities!
Websites for Literacy - The Hanen Book Nook
The Book Nook is a page on The Hanen Centre website that includes tons of practical information about emergent literacy. It is a helpful resource for Speech-Language Pathologists, caregivers, teachers, early childhood educators, and other educators.
Websites for Literacy - Pokémon Pokédex
Pokémon is one of my personal interests, and an interest I share with many of my students! The Pokémon Pokédex can be used in literacy lessons to work on phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, reading fluency, and writing.
Websites for Literacy - UFLI Foundations Toolbox
Many schools in Ontario, Canada have started using the UFLI Foundations program, an explicit and systematic program that teaches students foundational literacy skills. You need to check out all the amazing resources they have made available for free on their website!
Websites for Literacy - DK Find Out!
DK Find Out is my favourite online interactive encyclopedia for students. With school back in session, you’ll want to bookmark this website for nonfiction text reading and research for projects!
Effective Alphabet Instruction
What is the best way to teach the alphabet? The truth is, there is no one “perfect” or “right” scope and sequence when it comes to alphabet and phonics instruction, but research does suggest the following…
Websites for Literacy - Funny Fill-In
Check out the Funny Fill-In activities on the National Geographic Kids website! These “Mad Libs” like word games are an engaging activity for students of all ages, and you can target a wide variety of literacy goals within a single activity.
Medium Lady Talks - Podcast Guest
I had the pleasure of being a guest on the Medium Lady Talks podcast, and both episodes are out now. I talked about my personal journey learning to read, building the SLP Literacy Corner community, and all about learning how to read.
SLP Corner - Podcast Guest
I had the pleasure of being a guest on the SLP Corner podcast, and the episode is out now! I’ve linked all the resources we mentioned in the podcast here in this blog.
The Fluent Reader - Book Summary
This post summarizes what I learned while reading The Fluent Reader: Oral Reading Strategies for Building Word Recognition, Fluency, and Comprehension by Timothy V. Rasinski.