3 Tips for selecting decodable texts
In my last blog post I shared three shifts I’ve had in my thinking when it comes to the use of decodable texts in the early reading classroom. (Click here …
Decodable Texts- Yay or Nay?
Should you use decodable texts in the reading classroom? Are all decodable texts useful? Will they automatically improve reading? Which ‘side’ are you on? Are ‘sides’ even helpful? I’ve been …
8 books about Australia’s Stolen Generations
National Sorry Day occurs on May 26 every year in Australia. On this day in 1997, a report called Bringing Them Home was tabled in Parliament. It recommended that the Prime Minister …
5 FAQs about Phonological and Phonemic Awareness
In this post I’ll be answering 5 of the most frequently asked questions I received after my previous post titled, ‘What is Phonological Awareness and why does it matter? Let’s …
NAPLAN vs the 6+1 Writing Traits
“Will teaching my students about the traits improve their NAPLAN writing score?” It’s fast approaching NAPLAN season here in Australia, so the mad rush of ‘test prep’, ‘NAPLAN sprints’ and …
5 options for non-verbal cues to use in the classroom
In Michelle Obama’s book, Becoming, she mentions a motto she and Barrack used when dealing with the low acts of the opposition: “When they go low, we go high.” When …
Writers And Their Notebooks: Jaclyn Moriarty
A few years ago I started a research project. I wanted to learn more about how published authors REALLY used their writer’s notebooks so I could help teachers and students …
9 books to celebrate International Women’s Day
A quick look at the Australian calendar will tell you that the month of March is all about celebrating, commemorating, and talking all things women. In addition to being Australian …
How to structure reading conferences
In my recent blog post on effective writing conferences, I discussed the idea of stripping these now complex meetings back to their original roots. The most effective conferences (be they …
What Is Phonological Awareness And Why Does It Matter?
There are a lot of ‘ph’ words involved in teaching reading, but unfortunately too many of us were never exposed to them in our university degrees. I’ve done a LOT …