Category Archives: Uncategorized

… rather than what you THINK is there seems to be the other really big problem that plagues many readers. I’ve taught reading for long enough that I see this is both young beginners as well as established readers well … Continue reading →

Sometimes it seems like the hardest part for beginning readers to grasp is that of seamlessly blending sounds together to form syllables or words. I’ve found that tapping the individual sounds one after another, starting out slowly, then moving faster … Continue reading →

The dictionary defines comprehension as the capacity of the mind to understand; power of the understanding to receive and contain ideas; capacity of knowing. The verb form of the word, comprehend, means to take in, to take with, to imply, … Continue reading →

The arts of language really are composed of four actions: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Everything in the Big Five of Literacy, indeed in all English classes on the planet, are some subtopic of one or more of these four … Continue reading →

Today’s post was supposed to be about writing, but that’s a huge topic for me and time is short.  Instead, I am going to insert a picture for you to consider.  It’s about everything that goes into being a skilled … Continue reading →

I learned a new word.  Dysteachia means “confusion in teaching” and the gist of it is that it deals with teaching that is ineffectual.  This could very well be the state of reading instruction in many schools–public, private, and personal–around … Continue reading →

Spelling is critical to reading success! Great spellers are nearly always great readers; however, great readers don’t always make great spellers. How can this be? Let’s examine what spelling is. Spelling takes place in an area of the brain quite … Continue reading →

Reading speed does matter, but it probably doesn’t matter as much as accuracy or comprehension, which are also critical aspects of the umbrella term “fluency.” Even the best readers will slow down their pace when faced with either densely packed … Continue reading →

The word fluency is often applied to the speed that readers read. While the speed at which a person reads matters to some extent, fluency encompasses much more, such as intonation and cadence. Fluency has a lot to do with obeying … Continue reading →

Vocabulary is an interesting part of the Big Five Components for Literacy because it can be considered in multiple ways and can be taught in just as many.  No matter what you think of it or how you teach it, there’s no … Continue reading →