LeslieMar 234 minUsing Elkonin Boxes with Multisyllabic WordsRecently, I shared a post about a tactile spelling activity. While you could easily apply that same concept to multisyllabic words, I...
LeslieMar 92 minMake it Multisenory: A Tactile Spelling Activity!If you are searching for a way to strengthen your phonics instruction, I definitely recommend making it a multisensory experience for...
LeslieMar 21 minA Freebie: Using Elkonin Boxes to Support Phonemic Awareness DevelopmentSince we all love a good freebie, I thought I would share one of my favorites, available in the Tally Tales TPT store! This one is...
LeslieFeb 232 minLOVEly Instruction: Hands-on, Tactile Learning ExperiencesHello friends! Can you believe we have reached the last week of February already? March is coming at us fast. In honor of our last week...
LeslieFeb 162 minLOVEly Instruction: Building Fluency with "Pyramid Reading Passages"I love phonics instruction. Maybe it's just part of my K-2 heart, but I love watching readers grow as a result of explicit, skill-based...
LeslieFeb 93 minLOVEly Instruction: Low-prep, teacher-made materialsConfession: I love the "fancy" teacher stuff. I love shopping on Amazon, perusing Pinterest, and envisioning all the shiny, new things in...
LeslieFeb 22 minLOVEly Instruction: Morpheme Monsters - Teaching about Prefixes and SuffixesIt seems odd to begin my "LOVEly Instruction" showcase with a lesson on monsters (and you will really question my decision as you review...
LeslieJan 262 minBeginning Consonant Blends Mega-PackToday I want to highlight a TallyTales product devoted entirely to beginning consonant blends: the Beginning Consonant Blends MegaPack:...
LeslieJan 192 minA Handwriting Freebie: "Mr. BD Eyes" Hello, friends! Today I have a sweet little character to introduce to you (and hopefully, your students/children as well!) Years (and I...
LeslieJan 122 minTeaching Decoding Skills for Multisyllable WordsI recently had some questions about the syllable bags my students create in our class. Today, I want to elaborate on this a bit. I am...
LeslieJan 52 minEasy-to-Assemble Blending Board NotebookI am so excited to share this today. This was, by far, one of my favorite resources to create. It's not a new concept at all, but the...
LeslieJan 26, 20203 minUsing Small-Group Techniques in Whole-Group Phonics InstructionOne of my goals for this site is to highlight very specific strategies and resources for multi-sensory phonics instruction. This is a...
LeslieJan 20, 20204 min5 Big Tips for Using Anchor Charts EffectivelyHere are a few very real-life, no-fluff guidelines that I follow when using anchor charts in my classroom.
LeslieJan 3, 20202 minGoal-Setting: Fluency (and a Freebie!)Let me begin with this very clear point: fluency is MORE than just reading fast. It is so much more. The rate of reading (words read...
LeslieOct 6, 20193 minPhonemic Awareness: Activities for Beginning Sounds in CVC WordsPreviously, I shared the importance of phonemic awareness development among young readers. If you missed that post, you can access...
LeslieSep 7, 20193 minTeach Syllable Division Without Feeling Overwhelmed!So... you want to spend more time teaching syllable division in your daily instruction? WONDERFUL! But... you don't know exactly where to...