Welcome to the Learning Spark

I am a passionate elementary school teacher and a very determined learner. The past few years have taken me on a wild ride as I have learned so many eye opening things about literacy and learning disabilities. My learning journey continues and I hope you will join me as I share the discoveries I make along the way.

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The 7 Deadly Errors of Teaching Reading

There’s a wrong way to teach reading and, unfortunately, it’s also the most popular way. So, if you’ve ever committed these teaching errors, don’t worry, you’re not alone. I’ve been there, too. I was shocked when I realized that many teacher prep courses and even professional development classes are teaching reading methods not supported by science. If you’re reading this blog and find yourself surprised or even defensive at these “errors,” please take a moment to step back, take a deep breath, and use it as a springboard to start your journey into learning more about the science of reading. Instead of feeling denial, guilt, or anger…I encourage you to simply learn more and do better. Deadly Error #1: 3-Cueing Strategies (aka the Beanie Baby Reading Strategies) I know they’re cute and cuddly. I know everyone uses them. I know you’ve scoured dozens of thrift stores to finally complete your set. But there is actually no research to support these “B

Sink or Swim: The Appearance of Reading

When my two oldest boys were in swimming lessons, I remember watching them, amused, as they'd literally walk back and forth between the width of the pool while making big swim strokes with their arms. I'd see other kids in the class actually swimming...but my boys? They were walking. They were going through the motions of swimming, without actually swimming. This is often what we see in classrooms today. Students appear to be reading...some even become quite expert at keeping up the appearance. Their arms are doing their strokes perfectly...but if you look under the water? They're only walking. Let me explain. I had a student one year who severely struggled in school. By the end of her kindergarten year, she only knew a handful of letters. I remember placing a book in front of her as I administered our state-mandated end-of-year kindergarten test. She vaguely looked at the words on the page and then studied the picture. She looked back down and found th

Phonemic Awareness: Where Do I Start?

The Why: I was shocked when I read that phonemic awareness is the most common source of reading difficulties. What!?! Why in the world was I never taught about this in college? Luckily, it has now become quite a hot topic in education, and for good reason. Before we get into the how of phonemic awareness, let's clear up a few terms that are often confused. First of all, this: (Image from https://www.theliteracynest.com/ ) I often hear teachers use the terms phonics and phonemic awareness interchangeably, but they are two separate things. Phonemic awareness is an awareness of the individual sounds in a word. When you tie those sounds with print (letters)....it then becomes phonics. Another term that is often confused is phonological awareness and phonemic awareness. Phonological awareness is the umbrella term for the knowledge of sounds in spoken language. Phonemic awareness is a subset skill and is the highest level of phonological awareness. It is critical that

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