cultivate_literacy

05/17/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BBNBwXNm9/?mibextid=wwXIfr

05/11/2026

https://youtu.be/L_iKE8lbunk?si=zuEl4biXiSqaNGh1

The Saskatchewan government has said tools will be available in 2027 for early reading screening, after a 2023 Saskatchewan Human Rights report. Una Malcolm ...

04/10/2025

I am working on a new project and looking for parents' input. All who complete the survey below will receive a free resource.

Feel free to share the survey!

Do you have a child who struggles with reading and spelling? Would you like to learn how to help your child develop lifelong literacy skills? Literacy is my passion, and I'm seeking input on the support parents need. As an Orton-Gillingham Associate Practitioner, I work one-on-one with children to d...

06/20/2023

It is unfortunate that many teachers' colleges do not provide comprehensive science-based reading instruction for aspiring teachers. This leaves teachers unprepared to effectively teach reading to their students. Without a strong foundation in this subject, educators do not fully understand the complexities of reading development.

Teachers poor in foundational language knowledge struggle to identify and address students’ reading difficulties. This results in students falling behind in their reading skills. Students with poor reading skills miss out on important opportunities for academic and personal growth.

Teachers' colleges MUST change. Prioritizing science-based reading instruction will ensure that educators are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to support their students’ reading success.

What was your teacher training like?

Do you feel like it prepared you to adequately teach reading?

06/18/2023

The letter S has two sounds: the "voiced" and the "unvoiced" sound. The unvoiced sound of the letter S is the most common, and it's the one we use when a word begins with S, such as "sky" or "student". This sound is produced by the hissing sound air makes when it passes through a narrow opening in the mouth. The "voiced" sound of the letter S is less common and is pronounced when the letter S is between two vowel sounds, like in the word "dessert". In this case, the S is more like a "z" sound, and it's produced by vibrating the vocal cords while making the hissing sound. Understanding the difference between these two sounds of the letter S is important for correct pronunciation and spelling in English.

05/13/2023

Please pray for this young girl, for safety and for those looking for her.

Heavy police presence searching for Grade 6 student last seen at St. Kateri Outdoor Learning Centre; 'We continue to pray for the safe arrival of the missing student'

04/05/2023

Oooo happy mail from ! I've been eagerly anticipating this package. I can't wait to open it. Any guess about what's inside? It's very exciting!!!!👀

❤️books

03/11/2023

These two pictures are of some fun we had with letters today!

The second picture is of a St Patrick’s Day activity booklet my youngest brought home. One of the activities was a word scramble. He was having a hard time “unscrambling” the words, so we did a little scaffolding❤️ Out came the Bananagram tiles!

Once he could physically manipulate the letters he quickly came up with the mystery words. This is a perfect example of how scaffolding helps students with weak executive functions. These kids are clever and capable, they just need alternative ways to manipulate the information. Alternative ways of presenting information levels the playing field.

The first picture is of me experimenting with how to further the Bananagrams as a tool for learning. A little Scotch tape and you have ready made vowel team's, digraphs and r-controlled vowels!

Have you used Bananagrams in your reading instruction? Drop a comment to tell me how else you would use Bananagrams.

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