Simply For Teachers

  I am throwing a sale Monday, November 30th & Tuesday, December 1st!! Everything in my store will be 20% off.  Happy Holidays!  Merry Christmas!

  High Frequency words are an important part of our literacy instruction, especially at the primary level.  As students internalize their high frequency words they are able to progress more easily through the guided reading levels. We use a system that integrates high frequency words (the Fry list) with an Orton Gillingham red word approach. We have a set of words for each marking period and classroom teachers work through several words per week depending on the grade level.  For example, Kindergarten has 50 words, 12-13 per marking period.  They are able to practice about 2 words per week.   Each week students focus on these words to say and spell, arm tap, practice on word cards, incorporate into games, hunt in books, etc.  At the end of the marking period teachers assess students on their ability to read each word.  They then send letters to parents sharing which words are secure and which ones students could benefit from practicing at home. It...

  I am a huge advocate for the Orton Gillingham Approach to teaching phonics and word study.  As a Reading Specialist, primary grade teacher, interventionist, and based on years of study......this is the most effective approach out there!  It is based in the science of reading, which has recently been getting the attention it deserves.   Not everyone has the benefit of being OG trained, and not all trainings are created equally.  My training was AMAZING and our district committed to training all of our K-3 teachers using the same method, amazing.  This has enabled us to be well informed, use common language, conduct meaningful assessments, and align our instruction.  I feel very fortunate. If your district/school has not made this level of commitment, you can still use meaningful components of OG instruction to address the needs of your students.  I have posted previously about the "vowel intensive" activity, very effective.  If you didn...

I am super excited to share that I've added a writing element to the Fall High Frequency Words Easy Readers Pack!  Now the pack features the cute five little books, plus a set of word cards, and a sentence writing page for each book.   We need to fully support our early writers and English Language Learners.  These readers offer all of the research based practices used for both.  Now there is an element to offer support for early writers.  The same structured approach for both reading and writing.  The writing pages feature a repetitive structure, reinforce the high frequency words used in the readers, uses the readers as a model for sentences, includes a place to illustrate, and uses "I can" statements to keep learning focused. Stop by my TPT store to grab the set!  Print and Go!  

There is so much to share and so little time to BLOG!  I've been wanting to share this resource for a years, yes you read correctly YEARS.  Better late than never..... In my TPT store you will find a new resource: Vowel Sticks Intervention Activity.  This activity is inspired by my Orton Gillingham training from IMSE (Institute for Multi-Sensory Education).  I use this activity at least once a week in my intervention groups receiving multi-sensory phonics instruction. In the training you learn the steps for the vowel activity.  Please visit my TPT store to purchase the Vowel Sticks Intervention Activity for $2!  Here are my modified steps and stages.  Stage 1: Students are being introduced to the activity and learning the process of call and respond.  Students remove the vowel sticks from the bag in a sequential and identical order, I use a, e, i, o, u.  (ideally you would only include the short vowels that you have taught to ...

  I LOVE Fall! It is my favorite season and there is so much to love about fall.  Kiddos love fall too, but there aren't many books about fall that early readers can enjoy.....so I made some! These little cuties are easy readers using simple high frequency words.  Each page helps new readers make a one-to-one correspondence with words.  The stories are heavily supported with picture cues and are short in length.  The repetitive text enables early readers to successfully engage with a book with practicing meaningful foundational skills.  This little set of five works nicely together. Each book shows the set of high frequency words included as well as vocabulary on the back cover and title page. I'll be sharing some simple and effective activities to do with these little readers.  Stay tuned, but head over to my TPT store to purchase your set for the starting price of just $5!!! For 5 Readers!! Visit me or follow me on Instagram at simply_for_teachers a...

 Hello! It has been a long time since I've posted.....about 2 years long!! So what has been going on?  Well I went back and earned a 2nd Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and that consumed all of my time.  My family was wonderful and patient and supportive.  I am thankful everyday for their support. So now I have another diploma and a couple more certificates.  The journey was worth it, but now I'm ready to refocus and get back to something else I love...sharing with and supporting others in education. I have started a new Instagram account that should be up and running soon!  I've been working on some new products for my TPT store and will start uploading shortly.  I will be working on new posts to share ideas for supporting your instructional world.  In the meantime....it's great to start up again.  So come back and let's grow together.