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Character analysis

Do you ever have those magical moments during guided reading? Today I worked on character analysis with an advanced reading…
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Snowy shared writing and Cause and Effect

We had a little tease of snow at the beginning of the week. Not enough to cancel school, but enough…
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February Literacy Center Menu

In case you’re looking ahead already to February, here is a preview of my February center menu. Read, Think Match…
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Jan Brett Study week 1

This week we began our Jan Brett author study. First, we read The Hat. While reading this book, we talked…
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Ten on the Sled craftivity

Our Ten on the Sled verb craftivity turned out so cute and the first graders loved it! If you…
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Sarah's First Grade Snippets

4 days ago

This is really at the heart of what we believe about teaching literacy.Think about everything we teach: phonics, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and comprehension. We know they’re all important, but so often, they’re taught in their own little silos.One of the things we love most about morphology is that it gives us a way to connect all those pieces!When we explore how words are built, we’re doing so much more than teaching prefixes, suffixes, and bases.We’re helping students understand how words are pronounced, how they’re spelled, what they mean, and how they work in sentences.And those connections matter!We’re not saying morphology replaces explicit instruction in any of these areas. But we believe it can help bring them together in meaningful ways.That’s what we’re working toward at Logos Literacy Academy. We want to help teachers move beyond teaching word parts in isolation and use morphology to build a deeper understanding of language.Because to us, morphology isn’t just about building words. It’s about building language. ❤️Are you interested in learning more? Comment BEYOND. ...

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Sarah's First Grade Snippets

2 weeks ago

Happy Halloween! 🎃👻 Let’s talk about something that’s been haunting English spelling for centuries… GHOST LETTERS!Did you know that many of the letters we call silent today weren’t always silent?Long ago, the k in knee, the w in write, the g in gnaw, and the b in lamb were actually pronounced! Over time, pronunciation changed, but the spellings stayed. Those letters are like little ghosts of sounds from the past! 👻Some of these spelling patterns have fascinating connections to meaning.👻 kn: Notice how words like knee, knuckle, knit, and knife relate to joints or sharpness. 👻 wr: Many words beginning with wr involve twisting, turning, or bending. Think about how wrist, wring, writhe, wrench, and wreath relate to twisting.)👻 gn: Words like gnaw and gnash share a connection to biting or grinding. Even a gnat is an insect that bites! 👻 mb: These words have another interesting story! While the b in lamb was once pronounced, the b in words like thumb and numb was added to the spelling later, likely because of the influence of other words. (Source: etymonline.com)Of course, these aren’t “rules” that we should apply to every word. They’re fascinating patterns and interesting tidbits though! So these sounds may be gone, but the letters are still haunting our spelling! 👻Happy Halloween! 🎃If you’re interested in learning more about words and how to integrate morphology, phonics, vocabulary, and grammar, comment BEYOND. ...

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Sarah's First Grade Snippets

2 weeks ago

When we teach spelling, are we just teaching students to put letters in the right order? There’s so much more to it! English spelling is influenced by both sound and meaningful structure. Words are made up of meaningful parts called morphemes. And when students begin to recognize those parts, they start to understand WHY words are spelled the way they are.One way we can help students notice this is by “spelling out” a word. When we spell a word aloud, we can help students notice how that word is built. Instead of just naming each letter, we say the letters in a way that highlights the word’s structure. (Check out the examples on the slide.)Michelle and I are so passionate about bringing morphology into our literacy instruction. 💗 That’s exactly the kind of teaching we explore inside our Beyond Phonics Club.We created this community to help teachers connect the pieces of literacy instruction, from phonics and spelling to morphology, vocabulary, and beyond. We have videos, a growing library of lessons and student materials, and monthly community calls. Teaching reading doesn’t stop at phonics, and neither should our professional learning!💗 Want to join us? Comment BEYOND and we’ll send you the details! ...

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Sarah's First Grade Snippets

4 weeks ago

When you think of dyslexia, what comes to mind? 🤔A common misconception is that it’s mixing up letters or reading words backward. But those aren’t the signs we should be looking for!There are signs we might notice in a student’s reading, spelling, writing, and even before they start learning to read.And dyslexia doesn’t look the same in every child! It exists on a continuum, with varying degrees of difficulty and different patterns of strengths and weaknesses.So what should we do when we notice these signs?Screeners like DIBELS and Acadience can help us identify students who may be at risk for reading difficulties. From there, we can dig deeper to understand exactly where a student is struggling and what instruction they need.And remember, we don’t need to wait for a dyslexia diagnosis to begin providing targeted intervention!The more we understand what dyslexia can look like, the better equipped we are to recognize students who may need extra support. 💗Save this one to refer back to! Want a copy? Comment DYSLEXIA and I’ll send the link to this free download along with a few others. ...

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Sarah's First Grade Snippets

1 month ago

If you’re looking for a quick reference guide and visuals like this one to post around your school, comment “dyslexia” and I will send you the link to a free resource. Every October, we talk about dyslexia awareness, but awareness is just the first step. What truly changes outcomes is understanding how to teach, support, and empower these students day to day.Students with dyslexia process language differently, so reading requires intentional, structured instruction that helps build the pathways fluent readers use automatically.If you’re looking to learn more: 📚 Casey Harrison 🦋The Dyslexia Classroom®️ has a wonderful new book full of insight and practical guidance. 📚Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz is a must-read!🎧 Listen to Michelle Sullivan • Science of Reading • Literacy Podcast October podcast series on dyslexia awareness.🌐 Visit your local Decoding Dyslexia chapter to connect with advocacy and resources in your state.💡 Explore The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) website for definitions, fact sheets, and training opportunities. ...

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