Reading Incentives to Increase On-Task Independent Reading: Read for Beads!

 

I am always telling my students, “The only way you get better at reading is READING!”

It’s true.  Beginning readers need LOTS of practice reading.  Sounds easy right?  Just give them some books, and time to read.   Unfortunately, when something isn’t easy for you it is hard to stay motivated to do it.  Most struggling readers do not enjoy independent reading…YET.

Which is WHY I encourage you to try using READING INCENTIVES in your classroom.  Start with something little like a sticker chart, a graph to color in, or a reading log.   The SECRET to incentives is to know when they are no longer an incentive and change it up. That's why it is good to have lots of ideas up your sleeve.

After the other motivators have worn off, like maybe after winter break, it’s time to bump it up a notch with…

READ FOR BEADS!

The middle of the year is the perfect time to give this a try.  Your routines and expectations are in place and students should be able to handle something new.   

What you need:

• Beads

• Bead Organizer

• Pipe Cleaners

Optional:  Key chain rings and string.

Sort the beads into three levels of EXCITEMENT.   Have simple beads that students get for reading one book, a little bit more special beads to earn after 5 books are read, and some really COOL beads for when they get to 10 books.  After each book is read the student gets a bead and puts it on their pipe cleaner.  Pipe cleaners are the perfect thing to use because the beads will not slide off and stay put.  Even the beads with super small holes will still fit on.  After the pipe cleaner is full, they can wear it like a bracelet, put the beads on a string for a necklace, or add a key chain ring to it and hang it on their book bag!

Reading incentives are a great way to keep students on task and motivated.  Give them a try in your classroom!  If you want to get the Read for Bead banner, reading log, and labels for the beads for FREE just CLICK HERE.

                                     

Science of Reading Lesson Plans, Games and Activities for you Structured Literacy Lessons and Centers

 Are you new to teaching structured literacy lessons or have you been teaching for years?

Either way, I think you can get something new to use in your classroom right away from these Science of Reading freebies.   I have compiled my most engaging, easy to use and successful phonics games and activities for you to download and implement. 

Here are my TEN favorite activities to uplevel your learning!  

*Just click on the picture of the activity that you want or scroll to the bottom and get them all. *

1.  Small group planning for structured literacy intervention lessons is easy with this lesson planning template.

2. Glued sounds ink, ank, onk, unk has never been so fun.  Throw these no prep printables into a literacy center and your planning is done!

3.  Open and closed syllables are such a hard skill to master.  This syllable sort makes introducing this skill so much easier!

4.  These READ FOR SPEED fluency pages are perfect to send home for homework.  One-minute timed readings make a huge impact on a student's words per minute.

5.  Rapid Automatic Naming or RAN sheets are an important piece of a structured literacy lesson.  These sheets are perfect for a group of THREE.   Each student gets to read five words and two sentences.

6.  But you may have bigger groups as well.  I have these fluency words and sentences for group of five.

7.  Learning doesn't have to always be so structure, there is time to have a little FUN.  This SILENT E phonics game is always a favorite!

8.  ROLL READ and KEEP games are a great way to increase on task reading.  This one is to practice nonsense closed syllables.

9.  Roll and Reads are also a great way to have multiple repeated readings.  Making it a game increases engagement.   Here is a sample of letter names, vowel teams, and CVC words.

10.  Repeated practice is the best way to master a phonics skill. These no prep highly engaging worksheets for short a CVC words is a way to give students practice reading and writing words.

I hope these help you with your Science of Reading journey.   Best of luck teaching this year!

I also would love to show you how to plan an entire week with the phonics skill FLOSS, BONUS LETTER, FSZL whatever you call the skill.  This free sample has over 100 games and activities as well as lesson plans to teach this skill. 

Unlocking Literacy: The Fundamental Importance of Learning Letter Names and Sounds and How to Teach It

 

The ABCs of Literacy:

From the moment a child begins their journey through education, the alphabet becomes their trusty companion. Learning the names of letters and the sounds they represent lays the groundwork for reading and writing proficiency. Just as one cannot construct a house without a solid foundation, literacy cannot flourish without a solid grasp of these fundamental building blocks.

Bridging the Gap Between Spoken and Written Language:

Understanding letter names and sounds acts as a bridge between spoken and written language. When children learn that the letter "A" makes the "ah" sound, they're not just memorizing abstract symbols; they're connecting the dots between the spoken word they hear and its representation on paper. This connection forms the basis of phonemic awareness, the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken language—a skill essential for reading success.

A Systematic Approach to Teaching Letter Names and Sounds:

I have found that teaching letter names and sounds is best done using a multisensory systematic approach.  I used what I learned in my Orton-Gillingham trainings to develop such a plan.  The pacing is two days for each letter with a spiral review but can be used as a letter - a - day pacing with both days of the lesson done in one day.  It is intended for a beginning of the year resource to introduce students to the alphabet, alphabetic principle, phonemic awareness and letter-sound correspondence.   It is a simple lesson plan that can be filled out and used in small groups as an intervention or as a whole group for the first 26 days of school to introduce students to these concepts.  

The Lesson Plan Format: 

Each lesson has two recording sheets.  The lesson plan can be printed and filled in or just used as an outline for your lessons.

Day 1 

Day 2

Day 1 Teachers the students the student letter formation, and reviews previous letters taught.  

Day 2 teaches the letter name and sound. 

This systematic approach allows students to solidify their letter names and sounds.  Perfect for a Kindergarten, Preschool Teacher or Tutor!  

CLICK HERE TO GET THE LESSON PLAN AND RECORDING SHEETS

Phonemic - Phonological Awareness Lesson Plan Ideas for Preschool and Kindergarten Interventions - Segmenting and Blending

First things first... What is phonemic awareness?  Is it the same as phonological awareness?

The answer?  Phonemic awareness is under the umbrella of phonological awareness.  Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate the spoken parts of words, Phonemic awareness is the ability to manipulate the sounds or phonemes in a spoken word.

Learning to read starts with phonemic awareness.  Phonemic awareness simply is listening to, producing and playing with sounds…  If you are old like me, you may have developed most of your phonemic awareness skills from your parents singing nursery rhymes to you or by watching Sesame Street.   I know my own kids developed a LOT of phonemic awareness from Blue’s Clues.   

Where do I start teaching phonological awareness? 

Rhyming is usually the first skill that a child develops.  They learn rhyming by hearing rhyming is books and songs.   They start to hear that some words sound the same at the end.  Nursery Rhymes are the absolute best way to practice rhyming.

Get your sample here

After rhyming I find it easiest to think that there are two main goals of phonemic awareness…blending sounds together, and segmenting sounds apart.  It is good to practice both skills daily.  

Blending and Segmenting are the Big Picture

There are subcategories below each of these but if you start with blending and segment words, they might just get it with practicing at that level. If they cannot blend a word after a while independently, then try breaking it down to saying the syllables in a word, the first sound in the word and blending the onset and rime of the words. 

A super fun way to practice first sound

Same with segmenting if they cannot segment all the sounds in the word then try segmenting off the first sound in the word.   The ultimate goal is to be able to blend and segment words, and the quicker they can get to that goal the quicker they will become readers.  

If your student can blend and segment 2-3 sound words, get them into text! Do not hold them back because they cannot do earlier phonemic awareness skills. The earlier skills are just steps to help to the blending and segmenting. Some kids might not need the steps, they can just jump to the top.

Get yours here

How to Teach Phonemic Awareness

When I first started learning about phonemic awareness, it was thought to be something that is can be “done in the dark”.  There is more research out now that encourages you to included print into your phonemic awareness practice as early as possible.  This helps get that brain firing.

This can be as simple as using words that you will be teaching in your phonics lesson.  

SEGMENTING:

Your script could be...

Tell me all the sounds you hear in the word… 

Say a word to the student and have them break the word into sounds.

Example:

Teacher: Tell me all the sounds you hear in the word cat.

Student: /c/ /a/ /t/

Segmenting Ideas

Segmenting "Mother May I" : Have two to three students stand side by side.  Give the first students a word.  They can take a step for each sound in the word.  Give the next student a word they can take a step for each sound they hear.  The student that reaches you first is the winner.

Hop the sounds:  Instead of having the students just say the sound.  Have them hop out the sounds like a rabbit.  Get them up and moving.  Gross motor activities always gets the brain wiring! 

Pull apart the sounds: Use a slinky.  Pull is slowly apart as you say the sounds in a word.  

BLENDING:

Your script could be...

I’m going to say the sounds in the word, you tell me the word...  

Say the sounds of a word to the student...

Example:

Teacher: I'm going to say the sounds in the word, you tell me the word, /c/ /a/ /t/.

Student: cat

Blending Ideas:

Get them moving:  Have students hop for each sound in the word then blend the word, jumping jack the sounds, squat the sounds…

Give each student a letter in a word have them stand in front of the class and each say their sound and have the class blend the word.

**MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE activity to do with both segmenting and blending is to line students up by calling out the student's name in letter sounds and having them try to figure out who the student is. It is also fun for students to break apart the sounds in their friends' names.

Phonemic Awareness Lesson Plans

When I first started teaching, I would write out my phonemic awareness plans for the week using a lesson planner like this.  This helped me be intentional in my activities and organized.

Get your copy here

In Conclusion  

Phonemic awareness is important to teach students.  It is one of the number one predictors of reading success.  Practice some sort of segmenting and blending every day.   Read books with rhyme and alliteration to your students.  Play with sounds, play with their names, do silly poems, read Nursery Rhymes, have fun with WORDS!

Thanks for reading friend!

Amy

As always, if you ever have any questions feel free to email me at 180daysofreading@gmail.com

BOOKS I RECOMMEND: (affiliate links)

Phonemic Awareness in Young Children 

Phonemic Awareness Playing with Sounds to Strengthen Beginning Reading Skills

Equipped for Reading Success

Nursery Rhymes and Good Ol' Times Dr. Jean CD

If you liked this blog post, you might also like: 

I used to hate teaching syllables 

Unlocking the power of reading fluency

How to teach a Science of Reading Lesson

Another game you might like....

Simple Easter Egg Hunt Idea: NO CANDY! { Fun way to gift a gift card! }

UGH. Easter egg hunts. I NEVER know what to put in the eggs. Sound like you? Try this scrambled gift card Easter egg hunt this year!

One year I hid dollar bills in the eggs. I had a wad of dollar bills in my purse for weeks after because the boys traded them in for money to use online. I racked my brain for something different and came up with this scrambled gift card Easter egg hunt.

Get your simple Easter Egg Hunt HERE

How does it work?

Download the product. Decide if you will use the editable or printable product. Purchase a gift card for your child. Take the 16 digit code on the card and copy it onto the egg cards. Cut up the egg cards and hide the cards in plastic eggs. Leave the recording sheet out for your child to use. After they find the eggs, they will match and record the code onto the recording sheet. After all the digits are full, they will have the code they can use to purchase what they want! I guarantee it will be a HIT!!! Even with your TEENS!

This is a great product to use at home with your own kids, but how can you use it in the classroom?

You could use gift cards and use them to purchase something that the class has needed. BOOKS maybe? This will save you from buying a bunch of junk for the eggs and get something nice for the classroom.

OR

Make it a secret word. If you search 16 letter words, there are a lot of them. What a great way to practice syllabication and reading big words!

Get it at my ETSY POP UP SHOP HERE

How to make your new year resolutions stick | free printable goal trackers included

 Happy New Year!

This year I am obsessed with a new way to look at planning for the new year.  I've been reading a lot about HABITS.  These are the key to success.  So instead of making new year resolutions this year, I am looking at implementing new HABITS this year.

I've been dabbling in this since the school year started and have found some real success with HABIT STACKING.  This means taking something that you don't like doing and pairing it with something you do like doing.   I have paired a TV show that I can only watch in the kitchen with cooking and emptying the dishwasher.  I also listen to podcasts while I clean.

I am going to make 2024 the best year yet!

I know in 2023 I made a TON of progress toward my goals, but I have little visual "proof" of my journey.  This year I wanted a way to find a way to see my growth.  I made some planning sheets to share with you.

24 for 2024

First, I am writing 24 goals for 2024.  I did this for 2023 and just recently went back to see what I had accomplished.   It was a really great way to reflect back on the year.

daily tracker

This next one I am SO excited to use.  At the end of the year, I will be able to see the entire year of progress on one sheet!  What a great visual for tracking progress.

weekly tracker

I have some business goals that I needed to track weekly this year, so I am going to try these weekly trackers.

mood tracker

This one I'm interested to see what it looks like at the end of the year.  I have never tracked my mood on a daily basis.  I like to think that I have mostly good days, but I guess I will see very soon.  I am going to color in each heart a different color, then each day color the box that matches my mood. 

 Who is on the journey with me?  I would love to see your planning sheets.   Tag me on Instagram @180daysofReading and show me what goals you are working on!

Cheers to a fabulous new year friend! 

Amy