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Your Go-To Source for all things Elementary teaching and learning, featuring a range of literacy, numeracy and pedagogical resources.
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Teaching Soft C and Soft G: Rules, Examples, and Classroom Activities
Soft C and Soft G are spelling patterns that often confuse students at first. Many children learn the hard sounds of C and G early on, so it can be surprising when those same letters suddenly make different sounds in words like city or giant . Once students understand the pattern, however, these sounds become much easier to recognise while reading. In the classroom, I’ve found that students learn these patterns best when they see them repeatedly in word work, reading pract
How to Teach Digraphs in the Classroom + FREEBIE!
Digraphs are one of those phonics concepts that can look simple on paper but take time for students to truly master. When two letters combine to make one sound, early readers often try to pronounce each letter separately before they realise the letters work together. Once students understand the concept, however, digraphs become an important stepping stone for reading many common words. In this guide, I’ll share some practical ways to introduce digraphs, along with simple cla
How to Teach Three-Letter Blends in the Classroom
Three-letter blends can look intimidating to young readers at first. When students see several consonants at the beginning of a word, they often try to skip sounds or guess the word instead of blending each sound carefully. With the right instruction and practice, however, students quickly learn that these blends follow predictable patterns. Once they recognise the patterns, reading words like street, splash, and scrub becomes much easier. In the classroom, I’ve found that a
Teaching Soft C and Soft G: Rules, Examples, and Classroom Activities
Soft C and Soft G are spelling patterns that often confuse students at first. Many children learn the hard sounds of C and G early on, so it can be surprising when those same letters suddenly make different sounds in words like city or giant . Once students understand the pattern, however, these sounds become much easier to recognise while reading. In the classroom, I’ve found that students learn these patterns best when they see them repeatedly in word work, reading pract
How to Teach Digraphs in the Classroom + FREEBIE!
Digraphs are one of those phonics concepts that can look simple on paper but take time for students to truly master. When two letters combine to make one sound, early readers often try to pronounce each letter separately before they realise the letters work together. Once students understand the concept, however, digraphs become an important stepping stone for reading many common words. In this guide, I’ll share some practical ways to introduce digraphs, along with simple cla
How to Teach Three-Letter Blends in the Classroom
Three-letter blends can look intimidating to young readers at first. When students see several consonants at the beginning of a word, they often try to skip sounds or guess the word instead of blending each sound carefully. With the right instruction and practice, however, students quickly learn that these blends follow predictable patterns. Once they recognise the patterns, reading words like street, splash, and scrub becomes much easier. In the classroom, I’ve found that a
How to Teach R-Controlled Vowels (Bossy R) in the Classroom
R-controlled vowels can be challenging for early readers because the vowel sound changes when followed by the letter R . Instead of saying the usual short or long vowel sound, the R controls the sound , creating patterns like AR, ER, IR, OR, and UR . Because these sounds appear in many common words, students need repeated exposure and structured practice to recognize them quickly while reading and writing. Using explicit instruction, word work activities, and targeted reading
Understanding Y as a Vowel: Rules, Examples, and Teaching Strategies
The letter Y is one of the most versatile letters in the English language. It can function as both a consonant and a vowel, which often confuses young readers. Teaching Y as a vowel is an essential part of phonics instruction, helping students understand vowel patterns, pronunciation rules, and decoding strategies . In this blog post, we’ll explore: When is Y a vowel? Common Y vowel sounds Examples of words with Y as a vowel Effective strategies for teaching Y as a vowel Wh
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