Anita Ewing

@BenisonMrs @NiaEducational @grok I agree with this. I do think dr and tr are different though. Maybe it’s our South Louisiana accents but many students write jr for dr and chr for tr. I think it has to do with tongue placement for those blends. When I say “drop” my tongue feels in position to say /j/ not /d/.

facebook.com/groups/7126917… "UFLI uses the word "blend" as a verb, not a noun. That is, we blend sounds together, but we don't teach "blends." Dr. Lane says, “There are already 26 letters and 44 phonemes to learn. Almost every letter corresponds with more than one phoneme, and almost every phoneme corresponds with more than one letter or letter combination to make more than 300 graphemes. Why on earth, on top of all having to learn all that, would I want for kids to have to learn around 70 more things we call "blends"? If they know the sounds for S and T, they don't need to learn ST as a separate unit. They just need to know how to blend those two sounds together. And, in a word like STOP, the ST combination is no more important than the OP combination. Most kids have difficulty pronouncing isolated consonant clusters in a way that sounds anything like they do within words. Kids will attempt to pronounce BL in isolation, and it sounds like "bull." FR will end up sounding like "fur." Then, we wonder why they have difficulty decoding words like BLACK...bull-ack? FROG...fur-og. I've been told that some kids have trouble detecting the distinct sounds within consonant clusters, but I find this to be exceedingly rare when they are taught well. If you use manipulative letters and introduce this like this, they will have no problem. Have them spell a word like LIP. Then, add S to the end to make LIPS and have them read it. Then, move the S to the beginning and have them read it. Then change the L to K, and so on. Activities like this help kids manage consonant clusters with little or no trouble. A lot of practice manipulating the sounds within consonant clusters calls attention to them far more effectively than teaching them as units.”__Dr. Holly Lane That said, you expressed that all your students are succeeding with what you are doing, so do what works for your students. I am just sharing because I did not want to leave this conversation halfway through. Best of luck.

Interesting POV bc in my copy of The Gillingham Manual they have a section about Consonant Blends. This book was first published in 1936. @grok when was the term consonant blends first used in the Gillingham Manual?

A lot of you parents are going to be in for a rude awakening when your child is unable to keep a job because they were raised to believe rules don’t apply to them. Nobody is going to continuously give them grace and or correct their behavior. They are going to fire them and send them on their merry little way.

@BenisonMrs The problem is having a curriculum that includes books with 600+ Lexile levels in 1st grade. The kids can’t read that. 😢

Hot take/question: If we tracked how much time K–6 kids spend truly reading (eyes on text), I am increasingly concerned that if we were to investigate, we’d find the number to be shockingly low. Many teachers spend between 45 minutes on read-alouds (they should not), endless projects, and nonstop interruptions, so kids aren’t getting nearly enough time to do actual reading or writing, receiving explicit instruction and practice they so desperately need. In districts or classrooms where this is happening, this is a crisis. Wherever this is happening, fixing it has to be priority number one, and steering that ship will demand all hands on deck. Why? Because it will not matter if kids have access to whole books or to excerpts or both if they are not actually spending time reading those texts and writing about them.

🔥 If someone tells you explicit instruction is “boring,” “mindless lecturing,” or “not engaging,” please share this clip with them. In just 60 seconds, Anita Archer explains what explicit instruction actually is. It's interactive, intentional, effective, and promotes student success. youtube.com/shorts/g1lOVrx…

If a child starts behind in reading, the odds of catching up fall fast: • 49% in kindergarten • 29% in first grade • 18% in second • 5% in third We don’t have a third-grade reading crisis. We have an early learning problem. Great take, @ChadAldeman. chadaldeman.com/p/do-not-wait

SPED is the most ineffective, red-tape laden, program in all of education. All while employing some of the hardest working, caring teachers in the field. We must find a way to free these teachers of the paperwork and allow them to work more with students.

I loved visiting Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. Learning more about Acadian history was nice but the town of Lunenburg was my favorite stop. #TikTok tiktok.com/t/ZP8hJ3Ksv/

@SabrinaSalazar Softball games are 7 innings. Baseball has 9 innings.

When I first heard of this initiative I was overly excited. I had wanted something like this for YEARS! Early on we were recognized as a Model of Excellence. The 2nd picture shows our results. I knew it was possible and was not surprised. #teamwork

1st grade is pivotal. If U want to decrease referrals & behavior problems focus on 1st grade. Kids who learn to read by 1st grade have a decreased probability of having behavior problems, anxiety, & depression throughout their school life. Dr. Fletcher Big Sky Literacy Summit

It doesn’t even feel like summer break. I feel like I haven’t stopped but I also feel like I haven’t accomplished much.

I was buying a car yesterday and told the salesman my bi-monthly gross income. My dad looked at me and said, “Sarah makes more than that in a week.” Sarah is my 25 year old niece with no college degree. I have a M.Ed and 24 years experience. 🥴

Two coworkers are moving from 1st to 3rd grade. I made that move years ago. I told them it was like going from Spanish I to Spanish III. Students are more mature and know basics. I compared moving back to 1st grade from 3rd like going from Spanish to French. I love it though.

I got this today. My coworker got one saying she was the nicest teacher ever. She truly is so sweet! I love how personal these were coming from a 1st grader. She is also fun and I am nice. To describe us using one word though, this is perfect!

The comments on this post. I feel the same way as everyone who uses the curriculum that I use. Everyone should read the comments to see how teachers feel. Check out Kristyn Wagenleitner's video! #TikTok tiktok.com/t/ZT2T8YBs6/

This is the reality of teaching students with disabilities whether it’s learning to get over a curb, read, or interact appropriately. Check out Chase Harris's video! #TikTok tiktok.com/t/ZT2cfJf6d/

My coworker told me she was nervous before an IEP meeting. I was excited. A parent advocating for their child will never scare me. I’m advocating for their child too even if we disagree. The meeting went well. 🙌🏼

Check out Special Education Boss's video! #TikTok tiktok.com/t/ZT27ueCPS/ I have seen this before! It still blows my mind.