Word Games for Word Instruction

Tim Rasinski is a renowned professor of literacy education whose research on reading fluency and word study has made him a literacy hero to many. Below, he shares his thoughts on how games can be used for word instruction. Given that

How to Build a Better Writing Block

Constructing an effective writing block can be overwhelming. In a limited chunk of time, teachers need to teach a whole group lesson, conference with small groups, and allow independent practice. It might seem like too much to handle all at

Words Do Matter, and So Does Word Instruction

Stages of Second Language Acquisition

Babies are not natural born linguists. A “goo” or “gah” might slip in between milk bottle feedings and dirty diaper changes, but infants go through months of mutterings and mumblings until they utter their first word. In order to acquire

30 Need-to-Know Spanish/English Cognates for the Classroom

When you speak a different language than your student, information can easily get lost in translation. Asking your Spanish-Speaking English Language Learner (ELL) to wash their hands with “soap” may cause confusion. “Soap” sounds much like the word “sopa”, the

What Matters in Effective Reading Instruction

Tim Rasinski is a renowned professor of literacy education whose research on reading fluency and word study has made him a literacy hero to many. Below, he shares his thoughts about the core competencies needed in effective reading instruction. I’ve

Create Word Walls that Work for ELLs

Teachers carefully craft classroom walls to dazzle and sparkle as well as engage and inspire. Student work, alphabet charts, and number lines transform walls into learning-enhancing tools. One specific wall serves to build vocabulary and word knowledge: the word wall.

How to Build an ELL-Friendly Classroom

Most of us have been the new kid at school before. We’ve had those pesky what-ifs wander into our heads: What if I get lost on my way to class? What if I walk into the wrong class? What if I can’t

Any Port in a Storm: Learning English Idioms

Now that Hurricane Irma has past, I’m riding home to Ft Lauderdale. VocabularySpellingCity is headquartered in South Florida so we shut the office last week and everyone scurried like ants to safety. In my case, my “port” was a dog-friendly

5 Successful Strategies to Engage ELLS

One of my earliest elementary school memories is sitting on a multicolored carpet in Mrs. B’s pre-k class. I remember watching her sway back and forth in a rocking chair, picture book in hand. Then her sweet voice suddenly stopped