Understanding phonograms is vital to your child’s success in reading and spelling—but the thought of teaching them may seem intimidating. Fear not! Phonograms are actually very simple to understand and easy to teach.

Let’s start with a quick definition.

Have you heard of Learning Ally?

I first became aware of this wonderful organization back in 2000 when my son’s struggle with Tourette’s syndrome and dyslexia made it difficult for him to focus on text. Back then, the organization was known as Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, but in 2011 they became simply Learning Ally.

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Do your children have a hard time sitting still during read-alouds? Many kids do. They can sit still for two minutes, and then—ZOOM!—they are off. There are so many interesting things to do at any given time. There are block towers to construct, cool insects to check out, computer games to play, and physical feats to perform. Sometimes all at once! Life is great!

What Is Print Awareness?

A child who has print awareness understands that print represents words that have meaning and are related to spoken language.

Spring is Here!

Springtime is that wonderful time of year when life bursts forth—trees and flowers bloom, lambs and calves are born, and baby chicks emerge from their eggs.

And here’s a great way to hatch some springtime fun in your kitchen!

Welcome to our mini teaching guide on suffixes! In this post, you’ll find many different tools to help you teach suffixes to your child, as well as downloadable resources and activities. Let’s dig in!

Have you ever taught your child something one day, only to have him completely forget it the next? That is one of the most frustrating things as a teacher, isn’t it? One of your main goals is to make reading and spelling “stick” in your child’s brain, and this blog post will give you solid techniques for doing just that.

Are you looking for a classic series to add to your family read-aloud time? Do you have a child who loves animals and epic adventure? If your family loves The Chronicles of Narnia or The Hobbit, it’s time to take a look at the Redwall Series!

Who’s the best detective in your family? Let Hedbanz help you find out! But first, check out our short video to see the hilarious fun that Corey and Emelia had playing Hedbanz with their dad!

Have you ever felt like your child just doesn’t “get it”? You push and you teach and you teach some more, but you’re just met with resistance. A wide range of things can cause resistance when you’re teaching reading and spelling.

It can be challenging for young readers to read at the right pace. Some kids read too slowly, while others read too fast.

Reading too fast may seem like a somewhat unlikely problem. Having a child who reads too slowly can throw up obvious red flags, but parents and teachers aren’t always as concerned when a child reads too quickly.

Closed and open syllables are the first two syllable types students should learn. Out of the six syllable types, these two are the easiest for students to master.

What Is a Closed Syllable?

In its simplest form, a closed syllable is a vowel followed by a consonant. Examples include cap, sit, and up.