At the end of the day, if I can say I had fun, it was a good day.
―Simone Biles
Fun with Words
When Andy and I were babysitting our three-year-old nephew, he was looking for a garble. “I need to find the garble and put it with the others,” he said, pointing to the pile of marbles.
“Oh, you mean a marble,” Andy said.
Wade put his hands on his hips and declared, “I mean a garble. Marbles are in my head. Garbles you play with on the floor.”
When our daughter was four, she was always looking for the tamote. She grumbled to a babysitter, “Everyone around here calls it a remote, but I know it’s really a tamote.”
I bet you have your own delightful story of wordplay. It’s one of the joys of learning language, and it’s fun to play with words.
In one of the new articles this week, Bitsy Parks writes this:
We would all agree that there is a place for structured phonemic awareness and phonics lessons in the school day, and there is a place for language play and fun!
This week we look at engaging with word study—plus more, as always.
Shine on,
Ruth Ayres
Editor in Chief
If you enjoy fun facts, trivia, and great ideas, then you’ll love the National Today roundup of information about National Poetry Month 2024.
Gretchen Schroeder looks for new ways to help high school students learn words. If you’re overwhelmed when it comes to vocabulary instruction, this is a great first step.
Tammy Mulligan turns to her students for advice on how to make phonics lessons “sticky.” The Be the Teacher Center was created and has become a staple in her primary classroom.
If you are an instructional coach, you don’t want to miss the Coach-to-Coach network that meets once a month for a cams-on, high-energy, good vibes dose of positivity and practicality. Join FREE by registering on our sister site, The Lead Learners. The next meeting is Wednesday, March 20, from noon to 12:35 p.m. (EST).
Do you wish you had more time to share new books with your students? We know you don’t need fluff or pretty activities. Instead we get to the heart of what you need to thoughtfully share new books in your classroom.
NEW! Our book guides are created and vetted by in-the-field educators. They hold true to the tenets of giving students choice and voice in their reading lives, while empowering a teacher to expand the representation of books shared with students. Click here to see all of our new book guides.
Begin with the 2024 Caldecott winner…
Big, written and illustrated by Vashti Harrison, is the story of a young girl who receives many messages about what it means to be big and which of those messages she chooses to own.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
We would all agree that there is a place for structured phonemic awareness and phonics lessons in the school day, and there is a place for language play and fun! Bitsy Parks shares some of her favorite in-the-moment, highly engaging word study experiences in her first-grade classroom.
There is much debate in today’s educational landscape around what and how to teach young readers about print. No matter what your classroom realities are around teaching how sounds, words, and language work, Ruth Metcalfe attests that using a morning message is an engaging way to support word study and conventions.
Lisa Mazinas suggests eight short phonemic awareness games that are quick and engaging.
Choice Numeracy | Mandy Robek uses picture books to help her students build their identities as mathematicians. Mandy shares the process and a book list.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
Suzy Kaback transfers an instructional practice from her elementary classroom to her college classrooms for preservice teachers. Read about the variety of ways Opening Moments can engage, teach, and build community with students of all ages.
Shane Templeton suggests considering word histories in our word study.
High-achieving students may be silently struggling with anxiety. Lauren Katzman offers ways schools can relieve some of the pressure.
Quote It:
Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.
—Rumi
That’s all for this week!
