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🎉 It’s almost time to celebrate SCHWA DAY! 🎉

From 🧘‍♀️ yoga & mindfulness to ☕️ hot chocolate & lemonade 🍋, there are so many schwa-filled ways to party it up with your class on (or around) April 7th — phonics style!

👇 Tell us how YOU plan to celebrate:
🧘‍♀️ = yoga & mindfulness
🍌🍕🥗🥯= feast on schwa foods
☕ = hot chocolate moment
🍋 = lemonade stand
📖 = phonics read aloud
🛌 = pajama day vibes

AND… if you want the FREE Educator Toolkit packed with schwa-tastic fun, comment SCHWA below and we’ll send it your way! 🧠💬

✨ Schwa party made possible by these amazing collaborators:
@the_lit_teacher - author of @phonicsreadalouds
@michelle_thecolorfulclassroom
@droppinknowledgewithheidi
@lindsaykemeny
@snippetsbysarah
@farmerlovesphonics

#nationalschwaday #schwa #phonicsreadalouds #thenotsolazyschwa

Phonemic Awareness CAN be done in the dark — but

Phonemic Awareness CAN be done in the dark — but it doesn’t mean it always should be.

Comment PA for a link to catch the rest of this episode with @kristinaharrill from @sweetforkindergarten all about hands-on phonemic awareness activities! 🎉

#literacyincolor #literacyincolorpodcast #podcast #educationpodcast #podcastforteachers #podcastforeducators #scienceofreading #structuredliteracy #phonemicawareness #iteachkinder #iteachfirst #homeschoolmama

Big news! 📣 I’m incredibly honored to be a ke

Big news! 📣 I’m incredibly honored to be a keynote speaker at Sacred Heart University’s 12th Annual Literacy Conference on Saturday, April 5th!

This year’s theme is all about creating joyful literacy experiences backed by science—YES, please! ❤️

I’ll be sharing a keynote titled “The Mighty Word: Connecting Phonics, Morphology, and Vocabulary to Build the Reading Brain” … diving into the magic of phonology, orthography, and meaning—and how it all fuels orthographic mapping & lasting literacy success.

And guess what?! It’s virtual & FREE to attend (but registration is required!).

Comment JOY for all the details!

#sacredheartuniversity #literacyconference #professionallearning #pdforteachers #scienceofreading

Building words is an important part of our literac

Building words is an important part of our literacy block, but changing up the routine with a little joy can certainly amp up the engagement!

In this reel, I spelled the words. However, if I was using this with kids, I would take the extra step to spell the sounds and blend them together to read the word!

Drop a 🟩 if you want to try this or 🟪 if you’ve used this before!

What other words can you come up with?

#structuredliteracy #phonicsfun #wordbuilding #buildingwords #encoding #spelling #literacyspecialist #readinginterventionist #readingintervention #literacycoach #homeschoolmama

GIVEAWAY CLOSED 🚪
Winner is: @themaddiedwyer 🎉

What do the words “celebrate”, “pajamas” and “lemons” have in common?! They all have a schwa sound! 🤯

Did you know that National Schwa Day is right around the corner?!

Want to win a FREE copy of The Not-So-Lazy Schwa to kick off the festivities?! 🎉

This playful, punny, and powerful little book is a must-have for any structured literacy-loving educator — and I’m giving one away to a lucky teacher! 🤍

Here’s how to enter:
1️⃣ Comment the word “schwa” below!
2️⃣ Download the FREE Educator Toolkit at nationalschwaday.org
3️⃣ For a BONUS entry: Tag a teacher friend who would love to join in on the schwa-tastic fun!

Giveaway closes Friday, March 28 at 3PM EST
Winner will be announced in stories by 6PM EST and contacted directly
Open to U.S. residents only
Book will be mailed out Monday, March 31st!

@phonicsreadalouds
#nationalschwaday

We know that having strong phonemic awareness is o

We know that having strong phonemic awareness is one of the best predictors of early reading success (Marilyn Adams)!

(Side note: Do you know the other best predictor? ➡️ Alphabet Recognition!)

Today on the podcast, I’m chatting with @kristinaharrill of @sweetforkindergarten all about phonemic awareness!

We debrief on what the research has to say and Kristina shares 3 ways to make PA (particularly blending) hands-on & engaging.

This episode is a great list for early childhood educators and even parents of Littles who want to promote literacy at home!

Drop “PA” in the comments for a link to listen! 🎧

#literacyincolor #literacyincolorpodcast #podcast #educationpodcast #podcastforteachers #podcastforeducators #scienceofreading #structuredliteracy #readinginterventionist #literacyspecialist #literacycoach #sweetforkindergarten #iteachk #iteachkinder #homeschoolmom #homeschoolmama

I’m always on my soapbox that programs don’t t

I’m always on my soapbox that programs don’t teach kids — well-informed teachers do.

Let’s take it a step further.

Just because a program is on an “approved list”, it doesn’t mean it’s evidence based or will move the needle.

The bottom line is this: teachers need to be smarter than their programs and make data-based decisions, being responsive to the students in front of them.

Comment MTSS to listen to more of this conversation with Dr. Stephanie Stollar of @readingscienceacademy !

#literacyincolor #literacyincolorpodcast #podcast #educationpodcast #podcastforteachers #podcastforeducators #scienceofreading #structuredliteracy #mtss #readingscienceacademy

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