Skip to content

Listen to My Latest Podcast Episode:

Home
About
Learn
Shop
Contact

Guest on the Stellar Teacher Podcast: Evidence-Based Strategies for Building Student Vocabulary

Literacy

Click here to listen!

Post Tags: #podcast

Post navigation

Guest on the Route 2 Reading Podcast: Building Background Knowledge

Key Takeaways from Lexia’s LETRS Applied Inaugural Conference

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Latest on Instagram

English is a morphophemic language: it’s governe

English is a morphophemic language: it’s governed by the meaning units AND the sound units.

Sometimes, we’ll come across a letter string that SEEMS like it potentially COULD be a grapheme — but it’s functioning differently in that word!

After all, when we see “ea” together in a word, we know it could say:
◻️long e like in eat
◻️short e like in bread and
◻️long a like in steak
(Do you like the mnemonic: eat bread & steak? 🥰)

However, here’s a tip for you: graphemes don’t cross morphemic boundaries! In the case of “react”, the “ea” is not and cannot function as a vowel team!

Drop a 🤯 if you learned something new (even if your brain has automized this!)

Be sure you’re following along to build your own morphological knowledge!

If you enjoyed this tidbit, comment 101 to tune into my “Morphology 101” podcast episode! I think you’ll enjoy it!

#literacyincolor #literacyincolorpodcast #podcast #educationpodcast #podcastforteachers #podcastforeducators #scienceofreading #structuredliteracy #structuredwordinquiry #morphology #morphologymatters #teachingmorphology

Building automaticity at the word level doesn’t

Building automaticity at the word level doesn’t have to be boring! 🥰

Drop a 💙 is you think phonics is FUN — and comment GRIDS for a 🔗 to this resource!

#phonicsfun #phonics #iteachphonics #fluencygrid #fluencygrids #vowelteams #longa #readingengagement #readinginterventionist #literacyspecialist #literacycoach #structuredliteracy

💡 When @snippetsbysarah throws down a challenge

💡 When @snippetsbysarah throws down a challenge to have fun with the base “duce”… you better believe I’m up for it! 😎

Thanks to @snippetsbysarah for the inspiration to dig deeper into how the root “ducere” (to lead) has shaped words like educate, produce, reduce, and introduce.

“Educate” is just one piece of the puzzle! These related words show how the meaning of “lead” flows into different directions. The beauty of structured literacy is watching how these connections light up in students’ minds. 🙌✨

If you’re interested in my Latin Word Lists (on slides 5 & 6), they’re currently part of my Latin Word Matrices Bundle. I’m thinking about offering them separately as well! What do you think? 🤔

Let’s keep the word study party going! 🎉 What base should @snippetsbysarah & I explore together next?! ⬇️

#morphology #etymology #wordstudy #advancedwordstudy #relatedwords #wordstudy #latin #latinroots #structuredliteracy #structuredwordinquiry #getlogofied

Two of your @scienceofreadingminicon presenters jo

Two of your @scienceofreadingminicon presenters join forces for Episode 27 of Literacy in Color!

I had a blast chatting with Yvette Manns, author of @phonicsreadalouds (like The Not So Lazy Schwa)! We unpacked the power of the schwa sound, its impact on decoding and spelling, and why it deserves way more love in structured literacy instruction.

But that’s not all… Yvette is also bringing her oral language expertise to the Science of Reading MiniCon! Her session will dive into how to build oral language in fun & impactful ways.

📅 When: July 10th, 2025
📍 Where: Gorgeous Downtown Racine, WI (just a quick drive from Milwaukee or Chicago!)

🎤 With powerhouse presenters (like @droppinknowledgewithheidi , @jake_daggett , @farmerlovesphonics , @the_lit_teacher - author of @phonicsreadalouds ) including yours truly @michelle_thecolorfulclassroom , we’re bringing you hands-on sessions, tons of resources, and an unforgettable day tailored to K-5 literacy educators.

Here’s what’s waiting for you at SOR Mini-con:
📚 Actionable Strategies you can implement right away
🎉 Evening Mixer to connect with like-minded educators
🎧 Music + Fun with DJ Amar F spinning your favorite hits
📖 Exclusive Book Signing with Anna Geiger @themeasuredmom , author of Reach All Readers!
▶️ Pre-recorded bonus content from literacy experts in the field (like @mequelboldenconsulting & @stuffaboutreading )

🔗 Drop a YES in the comments if you want more details about SOR MiniCon (and to listen to the rest of this podcast episode)!

#scienceofreadingminicon #sorminicon #sorminicon25 #orallanguage #literacyincolor #literacyincolorpodcast #podcast #educationpodcast #podcastforteachers #podcastforeducators #scienceofreading #structuredliteracy #phonicsreadalouds #nationalschwaday #schwa #notsolazyschwa

Shout out to @itsbobbyfinn (and his latest page @e

Shout out to @itsbobbyfinn (and his latest page @englishbobbyfinn ) for always making me laugh with his English classes!

“That’s why!”

Videos and comedy bits poking fun at English spelling never fail to give me a chuckle. (Keep them coming!)

HOWEVER, I’m also here to do some myth busting. English is not as crazy as it appears; it’s just a complex system.

Check out this reel to see why tsunami is spelled the way it is!

What other words should I break down?

Also, if you want to get a closer look at my Spelling Frequency Posters, comment FREQUENCY & I’ll send you the link! 🔗

#bobbyfinncomedy #englishlesson #englishisntcrazy #englishspelling #spellingfrequency #englishorthography #structuredliteracy #elementaryteacher #teachersofinstagram #readingteacher #literacyspecialist #morphology #etymology

Have you ever heard schwa referred to as the lazy

Have you ever heard schwa referred to as the lazy vowel?

Well, did you know it’s THE most common vowel sound in our language?

Maybe it’s not so lazy after all. In fact, maybe it deserves its own celebration!🥳

On today’s podcast, we’ll hear from Yvette Manns, author of the @phonicsreadalouds series — including “The Not So Lazy Schwa”!

She breaks down what schwa is, why it’s important, and practical ways to teach it.

We also chat about National Schwa Day (April 7th) — and all the clever & creative ways you can celebrate!

(There’s also a FREE Educator Toolkit with tons of resources you can use to have a Schwa-tastic day! Be sure to download it in order to be *officially* included for the Schwa Day count!)

Comment SCHWA for the link to the episode! 🎉

#literacyincolor #literacyincolorpodcast #podcast #educationpodcast #podcastforteachers #podcastforeducators #scienceofreading #structuredliteracy #phonicsreadalouds #nationalschwaday #schwa #notsolazyschwa

🛑 Stop the scroll, and comment FLIP! 🙌🏼📚

POV: Your students just learned a new phonics skill, but you’re scrambling between dozens of resources to give them plenty of meaningful repetitions.

This reel features the Diphthing: OU Flip Book, but here’s what all my flip books deliver:
⚪️ Phonemic Awareness Activities
⚪️ Letter-Sound Practice
⚪️ Scaffolded Warm-Ups
⚪️ Word-Level Reading
⚪️ Phrase-Level Reading
⚪️ Sentence-Level Reading

Whether you’re targeting CVC words, vowel teams, or everything in between, these flip books have just what you need!

#phonicsflipbooks #phonics #phonicsfun #diphthong #diphthongs #smallgroupreading #readingintervention #scienceofreading #structuredliteracy #readinginterventionist #literacyspecialist #homeschooling #homeschoolingresources

© 2025 The Colorful Classroom • Becca Paro Design Co.

Home
About
Learn
Shop
Contact

Search for:

Search for:

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok