by Karina Richland | May 24, 2026 | phonics
The debate between sight words and phonics has confused parents and teachers for decades. One camp says children need to memorize common words by sight. The other insists on systematic phonics instruction that teaches children to decode words sound by sound. So who is...
by Karina Richland | May 15, 2026 | phonics
If your student can read “cat” and “sit” but stumbles on words like “rain” or “boat,” vowel teams are likely the missing piece. These letter pairs show up in thousands of English words, and understanding them is a...
by Karina Richland | May 13, 2026 | Decoding, phonics
Closed Syllable Examples and How to Teach Them Closed syllable examples help children see why a vowel usually makes its short sound in words like cat, bed, sit, hop, and sun. When a vowel is followed by one or more consonants in the same syllable, the consonant closes...
by Karina Richland | May 12, 2026 | Phonemic Awareness, phonics
Phonemic Awareness vs. Phonics: What Every Parent Needs to Know If your child is learning to read, you have probably heard both terms: phonemic awareness and phonics. Teachers use them at back-to-school nights, reading specialists reference them in evaluations, and...
by Karina Richland | May 9, 2026 | Orton-Gillingham, phonics
When a child encounters a long, unfamiliar word, what happens? They freeze. They guess. They skip it entirely. Syllable division rules give students a reliable strategy for breaking those intimidating words into smaller, manageable chunks they can actually decode....
by Karina Richland | May 6, 2026 | phonics
What Is a Consonant Blend? A consonant blend (also called a consonant cluster) is a group of two or three consonant letters that appear together in a word, where each consonant sound is heard individually. The sounds blend together quickly, but they do not merge into...
