Primary (Paradise) Teaching

The vowel team syllable can seem complex. There are many vowel teams in the English language, so how can we teach vowel teams to our students? Let's look at what a vowel team is generally and how to …

Y as a vowel in English is more common than you might think. In fact, y spells vowel sounds more than it spells a consonant sound. Y often spells the long i and long e sounds, and it can spell the sh…

Getting started with the science of reading can feel overwhelming. It can be hard to know where to start with structured literacy or understanding phonics. While there is a lot of information out the…

Teaching students when to use ch or tch can seem tricky. Is there a simple, clear phonics rule? Today we'll look at how to know when to use tch vs ch and how to teach this to your students.

With 10 ye…

Learn about the 7 jobs of silent e and how to teach them to your students. Silent e, or magic e, does a whole lot more than make the vowel sound long. Learn how silent e changes the sound of s, c, an…

When teaching a new phonics skill, you don't need to have 500 strategies up your sleeve. Instead, you need a handful of simple, engaging, effective activities. Here are 12 phonics based strategies to…

Open syllables: what is an open syllable and how do you teach the open syllable type to your students? In this video, learn what the characteristics of of an open syllable are, look at some examples,…

What is a long vowel and when should you teach long vowels to your students? Let's explore the definition of a long vowel, look at some examples, and discuss the order to teach long vowel sounds. I'l…

How can you know when to use CK or K at the end of a one syllable word? Follow this simple, easy and you'll never pick the wrong one again. Plus, learn 4 strategies for practicing ck and k with your …

Learn what a consonant digraph is and what are the most common consonant digraphs. Learn how to teach consonant digraphs to your students using these practical strategies.

A classroom teacher with 10…

Closed syllables are the first syllable type you should teach your students. But, what exactly is a closed syllable, why should you teach closed syllables first, and how can you help your students un…

Short vowels are typically the first vowel sounds that children learn, but why is that? Let's take a look at what short vowels are, some important facts for understanding short vowels, and how the he…

Learn the best order to teach sounds to your students and what makes a strong phonics scope and sequence. In this video, Martha explains step by step the order an ideal phonics curriculum would follo…

Decoding and encoding are both important for strong literacy development. Let's explore what it means to decode and encode in English, how each process happens in our brain, what students need to kno…

How should we teach the six syllable types? Let's take a look! In this video, we'll explore 5 strategies for teaching the 6 syllable types in your classroom: closed syllables, open syllables, silent …

Understanding the 6 syllable types is a key piece of strong literacy instruction. In this video, we'll explore the basic characteristics of each of the 6 syllable types of the English language which …

In episode 3 of Phonics Rules for Teachers (and How the Heck to Teach 'Em), learn what exactly syllables are and why you need to teach the 6 syllable types in your classroom.

A classroom teacher with …

In episode 3 of Phonics Rules for Teachers (and How the Heck to Teach 'Em), learn all about consonants and vowels, why we can't just call AEIOU vowels and call it as day, and specific strategies for …

In episode 2 of Phonics Rules for Teachers (and How the Heck to Teach 'Em), learn what the difference is between letter names and letter sounds, why students need to understand the difference and the…

If you're an elementary school teacher who is trying to teach phonics in your classroom, but you never actually learned all of those phonics rules in college, you've come to the right place. In the f…