Reaching Every Reader
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08/03/2021
📖 STORY TIME 📖
When I was a classroom teacher in middle school, I wore this SUPER cute t-shirt that read: “Reading is RAD” in a beautiful cursive font. During my first class of the day, I had a group of students ask me, “Miss, what does your shirt say?” I was taken aback as I told them, and that’s when they told me they were never taught cursive in school. After that day, I remember many students asking me to teach them cursive so they could “officially” sign their name. At the time, I had no idea the actual importance of cursive handwriting & how easier it would make many of their lives.
✏️✏️✏️✏️
Hopefully, we all know that explicit teaching of handwriting skills is imperative for reading and writing instruction. Handwriting is actually a written language skill that enables the transcription of sound & morpheme units into spelling written words. This then enables the student to translate ideas into written sentences. Teaching handwriting is the foundation for all levels of written language -- letters, written words constructed from letters, and written sentences constructed from multiple words.
Research actually tells us that ALL students benefit from cursive handwriting instruction in 3rd and 4th grade. Why? The connecting strokes between letters help link letters into word spelling units and also help increase students’ speed in writing words. Cursive handwriting is actually simpler for a student to inscribe than print. Additionally, research has shown that this has contributed to better spelling and composing in 4th-7th grade. Other benefits of cursive handwriting:
📝 Eliminates a student’s need to decide where each letter should begin because all cursive letter shapes begin on the baseline.
📝 Provides directional movement from left to right.
📝 Provides unique letter shapes that are not mirror images of other letters
📝 REDUCES reversals by eliminating the need to raise the pencil when writing a single letter or series of letters in a word.
For more information on handwriting instruction, check out Birsh & Carreker (2018).
08/02/2021
Sharing this important post from one of my colleagues. Swipe to read her caption, too.
Parents, is your child’s school utilizing leveled texts? Teachers, is your school district providing you with leveled readers to use in your classroom? This is something very important to read and consider. Comment or DM for any questions!
08/01/2021
“Men lie.
Women lie.
Numbers don’t.
As a former juvenile detention counselor, I know these statistics are true. ❌🛑
“The movement is a rhythm to us
Freedom is like religion to us
Justice is juxtapositionin' us
Justice for all just ain't specific enough” - ”
Thank you, Mr. Lit EDU, for your support!
Urbana-Champaign Books to Prisoners
https://www.instagram.com/p/CSAoV0osAz1/?utm_medium=copy_link
07/29/2021
🔤 ALPHABET ARC 🔤
It is likely we have all encountered a student who has struggled with LMNO or W when sequencing letters of the alphabet. Utilizing an alphabet arc can help students master alphabet knowledge including letter names but also letter sequence. This is also a great opportunity to introduce & build student vocabulary with words like sequence, initial, medial, and final, which will then transfer & be used as students begin decoding. Why use an arc instead of a straight line? Arcs can seem less overwhelming then a straight line. More importantly, arcs help student visualize because of the midpoint at the top. It’s simpler to identify medial letters!
Check out this FREE activity that includes printable alphabet arcs from Florida Center for Reading Research:
https://fcrr.org/sites/g/files/upcbnu2836/files/media/PDFs/student_center_activities/vpk_alphabet_knowledge/AK1_Letter_Arc_color.pdf
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