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On the Kindergarten home page, click the word CAT at the bottom of the second column. This game offers great blending practice.

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Ready-made, print and go activities to support foundational skills

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Teacher Resource Guide | Alphabet Knowledge | Phonological Awareness | Language & Vocabulary

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Shifting the Balance

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Lori is an experienced educator and certified Orton Gillingham instructor who has worked as a classroom teacher and a private tutor. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education and a Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Lori has worked with students at all levels on the dyslexia spectrum, from early learners to illiterate adults. She is driven by her own experience as a classroom teacher who felt ill-prepared to help older students struggling with decoding and fluency and the empowerment of then learning how to help students push past the roadblocks of dyslexia through systematic, explicit instruction that is rooted in science.

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Webinar-Archive-Video_Why Teach Articulation Awareness? The Importance of Accurate Sound Production in Literacy | Heggerty

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"Did you know? Articulation and speech sounds help facilitate phonemic awareness, positively impacting literacy development! Join Literacy Specialist, Lori Jurjovec for a NEW Heggerty webinar to learn why articulation matters, see real examples of how it can influence student's reading and spelling accuracy, and how to avoid common errors when working with students at home or in the classroom.

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Shifting the Balance by Jan Burkins and Kari Yates

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Sound wall cards

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angelashelton526@gmail.com

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jordan@erinkentconsulting.com

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The newest addition to Scholastic's "Science of Reading" collection is an early literacy handbook written by a teacher for teachers. This book is about decoding and phonics. Lindsey uses her impeccable body of research to create a powerful translational work interpreting reading science. She employs a scaffolded approach to teaching foundational skills, starting with decoding and oral language, moving through phonemic awareness and sound-spelling knowledge, and ending with fluency. Of particular value is the focus on bridging to practice: activities and lessons presented here can be used immediately in the classroom. The book is predicated on the "Essential Instructional Swap" of substituting ineffective activities for more effective, evidence-based routines. For example, "Fewer Rhymes, More Phonemes" and "Less Pointing to Text in Predictable Books, More Engaging in Shared Reading." The depth of research backing this text cannot be overstated. Lindsey refers to the findings of meta-analyses throughout, and the book sports a beefy and current reference section. VERDICT This title can be used as a handbook for professional educators; its clear organization and focused language will be useful for early literacy teachers.-Jennifer Townesα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

" Reading Above the Fray is a wonderful resource, a book I read from cover to cover. The scholarship is impeccable, citing the central and most impactful studies surrounding foundational skills and their importance to reading acquisition. Authored by a passionate educator, the book is rich in stories, lessons, activities, and ideas. It is a joy to read and will become a well-worn guide for teachers and students of reading!"Book Smart: How to , Julia masterfully connects the deep research base on how kids learn to read to what teachers can do tomorrow in their classrooms. What I love even more about the book is her focus on the joy of helping students develop the tools they need to achieve reading success."

- ANNE E. CUNNINGHAM, Professor, Learning Sciences and Human Development, University of California, Berkeley; author of Develop and Support Successful, Motivated Readers Letter Lessons and First Words: Phonics Foundations That Work

"This book speaks to something near and dear to my heart-the power of early literacy to lead to lifelong learning and immeasurable opportunities. With clarity and precision, Dr. Lindsey cuts through the distracting noise around reading instruction. Her book should be required reading in preservice and inservice programs. With it, we can chart a course forward to literacy for all."

- SHARIF EL-MEKKI, Chief Executive Officer, Center for Black Educator Development

"One of the best books I've read on decoding and phonics. With passion for teaching, Dr. Lindsey interprets reading science in ways that are directly transferable to the classroom. Her book is chock full of techniques, activities, and strategies-a veritable 'go-to' resource. This is exactly the kind of translational work the field needs!"

- SUSANNE NOBLES, Chief Academic Officer, ReadWorks

"Accessible, timely, and easy to use, this is a book that needed to be written for teachers, literacy coaches, and school administrators looking to develop efficient and effective literacy instruction. Dr. Lindsey simplifies the complexities of foundational skills instruction, synthesizes research by bridging it to practice, and provides routines that can be implemented the very next day. I predict it will become a primary resource that educators return to time and again."

- REBECCA MILES, Early Literacy Consultant and Coach Coordinator, Berrien Regional Educational Service Agency

"If you think a professional book about decoding and foundational skills can't be engaging, think again! Dr. Lindsey artfully combines wit, wisdom, and classroom realism with evidence-based routines that we can implement immediately. Most important, she centers each chapter on children, calling us to value and build upon the strengths, perspectives, and cultural assets they bring. This book is a win for educators and, by extension, the children and families they serve!"

- ANNIE PETROZZELLI SPEAR, Literacy Specialist, Consultant, and Author

"Elementary teachers have been waiting for this one! Dr. Lindsey explains not only the 'why' behind the essential elements of decoding, but also provides explicit guidance and routines to help any teacher swap out ineffective practices for more effective and efficient research-based ones. She makes it easy to align instruction to reading science
and teach 'above the fray.'"

- KATHARINE NOONAN, English Language Arts Instructional Coach, District of Columbia Public Schools
- HEIDI ANNE MESMER, Professor of Literacy Education, Virginia Tech; author of Reading Above the Fray

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Reading Above the Fray: Reliable, Research-Based Routines for Developing Decoding Skills (The Science of Reading in Practice)

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Julia Lindsey's evidence-backed routines help young readers decode words efficiently so they can spend more energy on comprehending--and enjoying--what they read! You'll find:1. need-to-know essentials of how kids learn to read.2. principles of high-quality foundational skills instruction.3. teac...

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Literacy Consultants & Consulting Services | Erin Kent Consulting

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About the Community | Erin Kent Consulting (EKC)

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A few special gifts for signing up now: a strategy call with Erin Kent or an EKC Senior Strategist to get started using the EKC Community to support your current literacy initiatives; and 5 free spots in our live, virtual winter courses ($1495 value!)

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Letter formation is the ability to form the letters of the alphabet correctly. It is an important skill in learning to write.

While many young children are not quite developmentally ready to hold a pencil and write letters, there are many ways that you can incorporate letter formation activities into your literacy and fine motor centers.

Working on letter formation activities can provide multi-sensory input to enhance letter recognition activities and phonemic awareness activities. Using many of the ideas below will also help build fine motor skills to prepare kids as they begin learning to write letters.

How Do You Teach Letter Formation?

Top to Bottom - Teach kids to form letters from the top down. Starting letters at the top is generally easier and will eventually enable children to write faster with less fatigue.

Starting Point -Letter formation activities with arrows and numbers all over them are confusing to young kids. Instead, I prefer to provide a simple dot at the starting point of a letter. This dot provides a simple visual cue to remind kids of where to place their pencil or crayon when writing a letter.

Uppercase and Lowercase - While it may be easier for kids to form uppercase letters, I am not a fan of focusing solely on uppercase letters at the beginning of letter formation instruction.

In the real world, most print is in lowercase, and asking kids to write everything in uppercase and then switching to the correct way is confusing to kids.

My son worked with many occupational therapists when he was young. The handwriting program that all of them used began instruction with uppercase letters. It was VERY difficult for him to transition to writing lowercase letters when they concentrated so much on uppercase letters.

If your kids need a little extra practice before working on letter formation, you can begin with simple mazes, pre-writing activities, or printable fine motor crafts with tracing practice opportunities.

Using Letter Cards for Letter Formation Activities

Now I want to show you many different ways to write letters and work on letter formation with your kids. Many of these fun letter activities don't even involve holding a writing instrument, so they are perfect for kids who aren't ready to start handwriting.

Letter Formation By Finger Tracing

One of the simplest and easiest ways to work on letter formation is with finger tracing. Using their index finger and starting at the dot, kids can trace the letters on the cards. You can also create tactile letter cards by gluing items to the cards.

Salt Tray for Letter Formation Practice

Make a salt tray by adding a small amount of salt, sand, rice, or other sensory filler to the bottom of a tray. Then, using the letter card as a reference, kids can trace letters into the salt tray materials.

Cover Letters with Mini-Erasers or Small Objects

Kids can cover or trace the letters with small objects like mini-erasers, beads, gems, etc. Add tweezers, and you have a fun fine motor activity.

Making Letters with Stickers

Kids can cover the letters with stickers. You may get bonus points if the stickers relate to the letter (h is for happy). Of course, I'm kidding about the bonus points. Seriously, don't stress yourself out finding coordinating stickers. Your kids will enjoy the activity either way.

Tracing Letters with Wikki-Stix

Kids can use waxed yarn to form the letters.

Pipe Cleaners for Letter Formation

No waxed yarn? No worries! Get out some pipe cleaners so that kids can form the letters with the fuzzy stems.

Dot Marker Letter Tracing

Bingo daubers are fun to use with these letter cards for letter formation activities. Kids can use one color or multiple colors to form the letters.

Painting Letters with Water Color

Get out the watercolor paint and a paintbrush, and your kids can work on letter formation by painting the letters.

Using Stamps to Trace Lettes

If you have little stamps, kids trace the letters with stamped images.

If you don't have little stamps, they can use a pencil eraser to stamp small circles to trace the letters.

Making Uppercase and Lowercase Letters With Playdough

Laminate the letter cards, and they make perfect little alphabet playdough mats. Kids can roll the playdough into a coil and then smoosh the playdough for a fun multi-sensory alphabet activity.

Use Tape on the Letter Cards

Kids can trace the letters with tape.

Color Letters with Crayons

Kids can use crayons to color or trace the letters on the cards.

Rainbow Write Letters

They can use several colors of crayons to rainbow write the letters.

Create Textured Letters with Colored Glue

Squeezing glue is fun and a great way to build hand strength. Kids can trace the letters with a line of glue. When the glue dries, you will have a great tactile letter card for finger tracing.

Trace Letters with Markers

Provide markers, and your kids can decorate the letters or trace them.

Use Dry Erase Markers for Letter Formation

Do you want to use the cards over and over again? Then, laminate them, and you can use them with dry-erase markers for letter formation practice.

Glue objects or Pom-Poms on the Letter Cards

The variety of objects that you can glue to the cards is endless. For example, dig some craft pom-poms out of your craft supply closet, and kids can glue them in place to form the letters.

Glue Sequins to the letter Cards

Want something a little fancier? Sequins are fun!

Cover Letters with Craft Noodles

If you don't want to deal with glue, craft noodles are a great alternative. Provide a damp sponge or damp paper towel. Kids can tap the end of a craft noodle to moisten it, and then they can stick it to the letter.

Q-tip painting Letters

Kids can use cotton swabs and paint to trace the letters, or perhaps they will prefer to trace the letter with dots of paint.

Purchase the Letter Cards today

The versatile letter cards featured in this post can be purchased in my store. They are part of my Hands-On Alphabet Bundle or they can be purchased separately.

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Letter Formation Activities: 20 Ways to Help Your Preschoolers

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Letter formation is the ability to form the letters of the alphabet correctly. It is an important skill in learning to write.

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Equipped for Reading Success A Comprehensive, Step-By-Step Program for Developing Phonemic Awareness and Fluent Word Recognition

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Amazon.com: Equipped for Reading Success A Comprehensive, Step-By-Step Program for Developing Phonemic Awareness and Fluent Word Recognition: 9780964690363: David A. Kilpatrick: Books

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Determining whether a student's speech and language errors result from influences from their native language or whether they are indicative of speech or language impairment is a challenge many educators face. One in every five children in the United States comes from a home in which English is not the primary language. In this book, we compare and contrast English with 12 other languages and African-American English. The information is laid out in charts and diagrams to facilitate the decision-making process about student needs.

Our goals are to:

Help teachers know when a referral is needed

Equip speech-language pathologists with information they need to accurately analyze speech and language samples

Get students the support they need

Reduce disproportionate referrals of culturally and linguistically diverse students for special education services

The development of this book stemmed from the needs of a group of speech‐language pathologists evaluating the speech and language skills of children from many different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The framework used to distinguish language differences from language disorders is beneficial for all educators, and the use of this framework will result in improved instructional targets for culturally and linguistically diverse students in the general education classroom, as well as more appropriate referrals for special education evaluations.

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Difference or Disorder? Understanding Speech and Language Patterns in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

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Rapidly identify speech-language patterns related to second language acquisition to distinguish differences from disorders. 12 languages and AAE included!