Sight Words vs. Decodable Words
What are Sight Words? Sight words are words that students need to be able to recognize instantly (or within just a few seconds). Some words are sight words because they appear in text so frequently that students should learn to recognize them without much effort. Other words are sight words because they do not fit […]
The Connection Between Reading and Writing
For a long time, reading and writing were taught as two separate subjects. In some classrooms, they still are. And although they are generally considered different skill sets, one cannot exist without the other. After all, everything we read has an author, right? Research shows that when we teach reading and writing interdependently, students’ skills […]
Strategies for Tackling Complex Text
Kids often have a hard time navigating the difficult texts they have to tackle in middle school and high school. Between complex ideas and challenging language, these readings can feel impenetrable. That’s why Braintrust CEO and Co-Founder, Mara Koffmann, was so excited to speak with Alexis Ulaj about strategies for supporting students through these types […]
At-Home Strategies for Helping Kids Connect Letters to Sounds
The first step in learning how to read is developing the understanding that printed letters represent sounds in spoken language. This is aptly called The Alphabetic Principal. As students are developing this awareness, it’s important that they receive many opportunities to practice connecting letters with their sounds. There are so many fun and engaging ways […]
Multisensory Phonics Instruction
Learning should happen through all five senses as much as possible. When learning is multi-sensory, it becomes deeper and lasts longer. It also provides learners with multiple modes of working with the content. Many of us associate learning phonics with seeing and saying individual letter sounds, then combinations of letters, and eventually full words. While […]
What are Phonemes and Graphemes?
Are you a passionate educator who loves helping kids understand phonemes and graphemes? Join our team and become a Braintrust tutor today! Understanding Phonemes and Graphemes Any lower Elementary school teacher knows that teaching reading is a complicated science. It is filled with terminology (for the teachers to know, not necessarily the students) and procedures […]
The Many Jobs of Silent ‘e’
One of the first phonics rules students learn in Kindergarten is the job of “silent e” or “magic e.” Most of us know or remember this rule as applying to words that end in a “vowel-consonant-e” pattern. The ‘e’ at the end of the word makes the vowel before it long (so ‘cap’ becomes ‘cape’ […]
Using Syllabication to Decode
Some students learn how to read somewhat effortlessly, with no need for explicit instruction or strategies. They just “get it.” But many don’t. And all too often, reading instruction in classrooms assumes students will learn to read largely on their own. There may be a smattering of phonics and/or decoding work here and there. But […]
How to Improve Reading Comprehension
Are you familiar with the struggle of reading the same page over and over again without making sense of it? So are lots of kids. Even those who are easily able to decode words sometimes struggle with reading comprehension. And while there isn’t any systematic, skill–based curriculum out there that focuses exclusively on comprehension, there […]
How to Talk to Your Kids About the Books They Read
Many parents have a go-to list of questions to ask their kids after they’ve finished a book. “What was your favorite part?” and “Who was your favorite character?” are some of the most popular. And while engaging kids in this type of reflection after they read is great, there are so many more ways to […]
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