We’ve brought our popular Phonics Fridays to our blog page!
Now, all of our fun, friendly, fabulous and free information can be archived and accessed more easily!
It’s Phonics Friday with Your Friends on the Safari!
Long and short vowels – what are they?
We explain it this way: The vowels are special letters. They each have two sounds when they appear in words – a long sound and a short sound. Long vowels sound just like their names, so they are easy to remember! A – E – I – O – U Sometimes, you’ll see a line above long vowels when they are being taught . You’ll see a curved line above short vowels, indicating a short sound. These marks above the letters are called diacritical marks.
It’s Fun!
You know that a moat was a deep ditch, dug around castles and filled with water. A drawbridge was let down or lifted up to allow persons to come and go from the castle, over the moat. But, does your child know? Use these tools and play this positively medieval game to master reading words with long “o”, and to learn about moats and dragons! The dragons are pretend… but the learning is real! We’ve also included a funsheet on the long and short sounds of the letter “o” for your mastery. Click on the pictures below to print out the game, and then click here for the Extra Game Gear Card!
Enjoy!
It’s Friendly!
A pair of unlikely friends find one another in the Power Reader entitled, A Home for Joe. Expedition #26 teaches everything your reader needs to know about reading words with the long sound of the letter “o”.
Power Readers have been color-illustrated using a child-friendly, simple style of art. They have been organized according to reading level and written using only the words mastered from The Reading Place. Expeditions to Excellence has customized every one of its books with a special section at the end entitled “Conversation Station.” This important part of every single book has been designed based upon the input of top reading experts, teachers, parents and school administrators. It includes reading comprehension questions, as well as topics for conversation about the story to extend the reading and learning experience. In addition, every book suggests an activity for story recall, and every book also includes a special sequencing activity. By pointing to the pictures presented, in the order they occurred in the story, a reader retells the story in his or her own words. Finally, the last page of every book is a reading award. This certificate of reading excellence is designed to have the reader demonstrate his or her reading mastery to three other people. This type of repetition serves to solidify mastery and builds self-confidence and interpersonal skills at the same time.
It’s Fabulous!
Never forget these handy tips:
- You are the model for your reader. If you are relaxed and positive about the reading experience, your student will be relaxed and positive, too.
- Several sessions of fifteen or twenty minutes per day is better than one very long session, especially for a young child.
- Continue to always review past concepts and words. Practice really does make perfect.
- Make every Reading Expedition fun! Go to BeExcellent.com, where imagination is king of the jungle!
It’s Free!
Our program is always free. Why do we provide our exclusive literacy system to millions of children around the globe at no cost? Because literacy is the foundation of all education and is critical to the future of our nation. How do we do it? With the help of people like you who call on us to help with all of your real estate needs, anywhere across America and especially in Colorado! We personally fund 100% of the costs associated with the Expeditions to Excellence – Fun and Friendly Phonics Safari!