Learning with Ms M

21/04/2023

One pinch of adventure, a dash of friendship, a sprinkle of mystery and a HUGE spoonful of magic . . . Jamie Oliver, bestselling author and internationally renowned chef, delivers the perfect recipe for a page-turning children's fiction debut!

14/04/2023

This new series of our SPELD SA Phonic Books is based on our current series but has been written to reflect the scope and sequence of the Sounds-Write program.

30/03/2023

Comprehension activities that children want to do

Many children are switched off from comprehension activities because they entail writing long answers. They often get caught up with their spelling and letter formation - skills that have nothing to do with comprehension - and either forget what they wanted to write or abandon the activity angry and frustrated.

Our experience with struggling readers and spellers tells us that there are times when skills need to be separated so that we can focus just on one skill at a time. So, we have created comprehension activities which focus just on comprehension.

One of these activities is 'Find the untruths'. Even reluctant readers like to do these because there is nothing more satisfying than playing 'detectives' and uncovering the fibs in the story. These passages are taken from our decodable books but 'untruths' are inserted into the stories. The children have to read a short passage and detect them. These passages can be found in the workbooks that complement the reading series.

What have we achieved through this activity?
1. Children reread a short text with the target spellings in the corresponding book - they have revisited many target words in the text. This is a great way to revise the phonics taught in the lesson.
2. They then compare the text in the book to the text in the passage. This is a great way to get them to think about the words and plot and to comprehend both the book and the passage.

And all this comprehension without having to write one sentence on the page!

Take a look at the example below from our Dandelion Readers Vowel Spellings series, Level 3. The text is taken from the book 'The Kite' which introduces alternative spellings for the sound /ie/.

To see this series see go to:
UK https://www.phonicbooks.co.uk/product/dandelion-readers-level-3-jake-the-snake/

USA https://www.phonicbooks.com/product/dandelion-readers-vowel-spellings-level-3/

29/03/2023

PLAY SUNSHINE BINGO! ☀️ FREE BINGO! CARDS ☀️

Yes! More free resources!

Phoneme Bingo! Cards and Word Bingo! Cards (plus instruction sheet) for Sets 1, 2 and 3 are available now. Lots of fun and lots of learning.

Download the PDFs here:
https://www.sunshine.co.nz/bingo-cards/

19/03/2023

Great explanation Kylie!

17/03/2023

We used our disCARD game to get lots of repetition when blending to read CVCC words.

In the beginning, some children find blending to read a struggle. Many initially need lots of repetition blending to read when we move on to words longer than CVC.

First, we sorted the cards into vowel sounds, and I modelled blending to read. I also said the sounds in a few words, and my student had to say each word.

Next, we played the game. Because games are fun, students don't even notice how many words they are reading and all the repetition blending to read.

Grab 3 free packs and check out the post here 👇
https://www.theliteracyhill.com/post/discard-phonics-card-game

14/03/2023

13/03/2023

11/03/2023

10/03/2023

We are seeking to raise and enhance the capacities of teachers while, at the same time, placing ever greater burdens on them. But the inconvenient fact is that the nation needs nearly 4 million people to teach its children, and any number that large means the men and women who staff our schools and....

10/03/2023

Decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling) should be taught hand in hand. An activity such as dictation consolidates the bonds between reading and spelling.

Pictured here is a book from our Dandelion Launchers series of books, using the initial phonic code. Dictation is a great activity even with beginner readers!

Check out our books for beginner readers:

UK Beginner Readers: https://utm.guru/udqWD

US Beginner Readers: https://utm.guru/udqWF

10/03/2023

While looking over the Foundation to Year 2 content descriptors for Version 9 of the Australian curriculum, I developed a series of 'I can' statements to help you put the new achievement standards to work. Download your FREE I Can Statement sheet at https://www.jocelynseamereducation.com/blog/71654-version-9-of-the-english-curriculum-has,