Geeta Kumar Equity, Literacy, Professional Learning and Growth

Teaching Reading is Equity Work!

For the past several years, my annual learning goals have centered around deepening my understanding of Structured Literacy—an approach rooted in the Science of Reading and grounded in decades of research into how children’s brains acquire and process written language.

As educators, we know that teaching reading is not just an academic goal—it is a matter of equity. Ensuring that all students receive access to high-quality, evidence-based literacy instruction means we are actively dismantling barriers to learning. We are building a culture of belonging, wellbeing, and opportunity.

Structured Literacy prioritizes clear, intentional, and research-informed instruction. Here are the core principles that define this approach:

  • Sequential
    • Skills are introduced in a logical, developmentally appropriate order, with careful scaffolding to ensure mastery before moving forward.
  • Explicit
    • Instruction is direct, intentional, and interactive. The gradual release model—“I do, We do, You do”—supports learners through modelling and guided practice.
  • Systematic & Cumulative
    • A structured scope and sequence ensures instruction builds progressively, helping students connect new learning to prior knowledge.
  • Diagnostic
    • Assessment is ongoing and timely. It drives instruction and allows educators to respond to students’ evolving needs with precision.

If you are beginning your journey understanding the Science of Reading and Structured Literacy, it is encouraged you to explore the resources listed below. The Margaret Wilson Library is a great place to check out books !

  • Supporting classroom practice: Lessons language curriculum 2023 (ETFO)
  • Shifting the Balance by Katie Egan Cunningham, Jan Burkins, Kari Yates
  • 7 Mighty Moves: Research-Backed, Classroom-Tested Strategies to Ensure K-to-3 Reading Success, by Lindsay Kemeny
  • Know Better, Do Better: Comprehension: Fueling the Reading Brain With Knowledge, Vocabulary, and Rich Language by David Liben, Meredith Liben
Devon Clarke General, Literacy

The Importance of Explicit Writing Instruction and Practice: Part I – The Writing Process

I must admit, I haven’t always enjoyed writing or considered myself to be a good writer. Part of the reason for this statement is that in previous years I had a questionable understanding of the writing process. Meaning, while I understood the steps in the process to include prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing, I lacked strategies to engage in each stage and I didn’t know what to do when I experienced challenges at any stage in the process.

To develop my understanding, I read writers manuals to gain essential insights, watched videos where skilled and published writers shared their writing processes, and recalled the lessons I learned from good teachers from all levels of my education. What I’ve learned from these collective experiences is that navigating the writing process is contingent on a host of other factors I had yet to consider. Some of them include the genre, the purpose of the writing composition, the intended audience, the length of the piece, the background knowledge and evidence required to support claims, a robust vocabulary, competent spelling skills, and proficient transcription skills. In essence, I grew to understand that writing is a much more complex contextual interconnected and iterative process than I anticipated and that even the most skilled and successful writers, those who write and publish their work often, experience challenges.

Reflecting on the challenges I experienced with writing and learning to improve my writing skills as an adult and in service teacher, coupled with witnessing the students I taught in prior years struggle through the writing process due to what I perceived to be a questionable understanding of how to navigate it, motivated me to now prioritize explicit writing instruction and practice in my language program and advocate that other teachers do the same.

When I work with students in junior/intermediate grades who are developing their writing skills or teachers who want to improve their writing instruction, I begin by sharing the insights above to provide what I believe to be a more comprehensive overview of the writing process. I then explain that that students require explicit instruction in all parts of the writing process and lots of regular practice to become confident competent writers. I conclude by debunking the myth that writing is easy or straightforward and remind audiences that challenges are a natural part of the process; yet a clear knowledge of what I believe to be the comprehensive writing process, useful strategies to navigate it, and regular practice will help to alleviate some of the stress and perhaps anxiety associated with teaching writing and learning to write.

In, What the Science of Reading Says about Writing, authors Jennifer Jump and Hillary Wolfe support this approach. They write, “Research confirms that students need strategies to successfully engage in each of these stages. They need modeling and explicit instruction, with a gradual release of responsibility to boost their confidence and foster perseverance. When students are taught how to engage in the process of writing, their compositions become longer, full, and qualitatively better”.

I now enjoy writing and consider myself to be a competent writer because I have a variety of strategies to engage in the writing process and I know what to do when I experience challenges. While my hope is that the students I teach learn to enjoy writing because in part, they develop the knowledge and skills to engage in the writing process. The real lesson that I hope to impart is the value of good writing; that is writing that is coherent and cogent, in addition to the importance of developing competent writing skills and how those skills increasingly become an asset as they progress through life within and beyond school.

Kelly.McLaughlin Language Learning, Literacy

Word Study using a fun game

The Fun Way to Ace Spelling: Playing a spelling game using “Reading Rods”

Hey there, word wizards and spelling enthusiasts! 

Today, I want to share a super fun and effective way to improve your student’s spelling skills, especially those tricky high-frequency words we use every day. Using this game is a great way to get your students spelling. I find my students are asking me “Is this a word?” when creating different words so they still need practice identifying words. 

Why Spelling High-Frequency Words Matters

High-frequency words are the building blocks of our daily communication. Getting these words right is crucial because:

  1. They enhance readability: Misspelled high-frequency words can make your writing hard to understand.
  2. They build confidence: Mastering these common words boosts your overall confidence in writing.
  3. They improve literacy: Strong spelling skills contribute to better reading and comprehension.

But let’s face it—drilling spelling words can be a bore. That’s where using “Reading Rods” comes in! Using “Reading Rods”  is a game designed to make spelling practice both fun and interactive. The game can be played solo or with friends, and it’s perfect for classrooms or at-home learning. Here’s how it works:

The Basics

  1. Materials Needed:
  •     The actual game which comes with snap cubes for: vowels, consonants, common word endings (ex: ing, in, le, ed…) and common word beginnings (ex: sh, ch, th, sn…)
  • Paper to write down the words they created on with a spot for the score on the bottom
  1. Set Up:
  •    Provide students with a few cubes from each category

How to Play

  1. Students create words using different combinations of cubes for example:
    1. Round 1- Create as many words as you can using the green word beginning cubes and the yellow word ending cubes (set timer for one minute)
    2. Round 2- Create as many words as you can using the red vowel cubes, the consonant cubes, and the word ending cubes (set timer for two minutes)
    3. Any combination of the above 
    4. Students pass their paper to me at the end and I count up their score (one point for each word)
    5. I always make sure I have students who are the same level playing at the same time so nobody is spelling 100 words where their friend has spelt three.

Why this game works

Not only are you getting your daily word work in for the day in your literacy program, this game isn’t just about fun—it’s rooted in educational benefits:

  • Engagement: Turning spelling into a game keeps you engaged and motivated.
  •  Hands-On Learning: Using blocks adds a tactile element that can help with memory retention.
  • Competition: Friendly competition (even with yourself) encourages quick thinking and reinforces learning.

Feel free to share your word work experiences or any other fun spelling games you love in the comments below. Let’s make spelling fun together!

 

Kelly.McLaughlin Curriculum Planning, Language Learning, Literacy

MVP of 2023

Every new year, I start a writing assignment where students have to brainstorm to decide who their MVP of 2023 will be. We generate lists based on possible categories such as:

  • Actors
  • Musicians
  • Athletes
  • Educators
  • Political Figures
  • Doctors
  • Youtubers
  • Citizens
  • Environmentalists

Then, I teach my students how to write a five paragraph essay. They start off by identifying the three main reasons that they think their person had an incredible year. This is usually a challenge as some of the main ideas are based around the same reasons such as they are generous, kind and charitable. We then talk about how our three main ideas should be very different from each other. I then approve the three main ideas before students start to research their person.

Students are encouraged to search through various sources to find quotes to prove their point- why their person should be the MVP of last year. They are encoruaged to find relevant, recent ideas that would make their person a stand out citizen. Then, they work on explaining their proof with their own ideas. I created an essay organizer which they filled out during their research stage to help with organization and flow. After that, they could start to type their first draft.

So many of my students were excited to see how long their first essay was. They were so excited to be able to write about a role model of their choosing and were excited to share their choice with the class. They also learned about proper citation format as well as thesis writing. Many of my students are in grade eight so this is something that they will be doing lots of this time next year. One of my old students came to me halfway through his grade nine English course and reminded me of how important the MVP assignment is that we did last year because it teaches all the necessary skills needed for high school English. I was very glad to hear this as I know it helped prepare him.

At the end of the essay assignment, students are able to read their peer’s essays and review them with our success criteria. Students are assessed based on:

  • developing ideas
  • organizing ideas
  • voice
  • word choice
  • revisions

After marking all of their essays this year, I was very proud to say that everyone excelled at developing and organizing ideas. I am wishing I had done a word choice lesson with similes, etc. before the writing process started as that was the area students needed to work on.

We also had a bracket tournament where everyone’s MVP was listed on the board. Students had to read their thesis for the competition so classmates could vote for the MVP of 2023. The final two canditates were one of the student’s moms vs. Cristiano Ronaldo. The winner for this year was…”My Mom” as it is hard to compete with a mom.

I look forward to doing this assignment again in the future as their are many present and future applications for it and students get to look for role models and reflect why they are important to them and to our world.

Picture by C-B studio
Iyanuoluwa Akinrinola General, Literacy, Mindfulness, Resources, social emotional learning, Student Ownership, Student wellbeing, Student-led projects, The Arts, Wellbeing, wellness

The Art of Cursive Writing: A Valuable Journey.

In the bustling world of elementary education, where the focus often lies on specific subjects and foundational skills, including cursive writing might seem like a quaint notion. However, delving into the art of beautiful writing from an early age brings forth many benefits.

Alright, picture this: little ones in elementary school getting into the groove of cursive writing. You might think, “Wait, isn’t that more for grown-ups?” Introducing cursive writing to the kiddos early on is like unlocking a treasure trove of skills that go way beyond just pretty handwriting.

Primarily, cursive writing serves as a nuanced exercise in fine motor skill development. The meticulous movements required to craft elegant strokes with a pen or brush contribute significantly to the refinement of hand-eye coordination. As students navigate the intricacies of cursive writing lettering, they concurrently enhance their motor control, laying the groundwork for improved dexterity in various academic and extracurricular activities.

Moreover, cursive writing imparts invaluable lessons in patience and focus. The deliberate and measured approach demanded by the art form instills a sense of meticulousness in young learners. In an era characterized by constant stimuli and distractions, instilling the ability to concentrate on a singular task becomes a transferable skill that can positively impact a student’s overall academic experience.

But it’s not all serious business. Cursive writing is a way for kids to show off their personality. Scribbling becomes an art form, a canvas for expressing feelings and ideas. That creative outlet isn’t just about making pretty letters; it’s about feeling proud of what they create and boosting their confidence.

Within the language arts domain, cursive writing uniquely combines visual and verbal communication. As students engage with this art form, they naturally develop an enhanced appreciation for the aesthetic aspects of language. This heightened sensitivity to the visual nuances of letters and words can elevate their understanding and enthusiasm for written expression, transforming language arts into a more captivating and enjoyable subject.

The advantages of learning cursive writing extend beyond the academic sphere, reaching into the realm of mindfulness and well-being. This art form’s deliberate, meditative nature gives students a serene space to explore creativity. In navigating the rhythmic flow of ink on paper, students can cultivate mindfulness, offering a valuable respite from the frenetic pace of contemporary life.

The integration of cursive writing into elementary education transcends the mere enhancement of penmanship. It represents an investment in the holistic development of students, fostering skills that span from refined motor control and patience to enhanced creativity and an enriched appreciation for language arts. The early introduction of cursive writing catalyzes comprehensive student growth, leaving an enduring impact on their academic journey.

Kelly.McLaughlin Curriculum Documents, Curriculum Planning, Language Learning, Literacy, Small group instruction

Word Study meets Novel Study

My students just recently took a trip down to our learning commons to select a novel that they will read for the next month or so. With their novel, I like to do many activities that relate to reading such as comprehension, word study and fluency. 

In the past, I have put a few questions on the board that students can connect to such as:

  • Connect the part you just read in your novel to your own life. How was it similar or different?
  • How does the part in your novel that you just read contribute to the overall storyline?
  • Summarize what just happened in your novel 
  • Why does the author spend so much time describing certain parts of the text?
  • Identify a time in today’s reading that you had to use imagery
  • Why do you think the author selected the title for your story? Use evidence to support your answer
  • How would your story be different if a specific character was changed in some way?

These questions I would have my students answer in their language book or sometimes orally in a small group. 

However, since our annual plan and school focus is on small group instruction with a focus on decoding, I am incorporating the word study from the new language curriculum into my novel study this year. I will save the comprehension for when students have finished their novel. 

This week, I worked with students in groups of six and had them read a specific section of their book to me. I told students that we would be focused on suffixes today. I had them guess what a suffix is which few knew. Then, I asked students to bring their whiteboards and to copy this chart on them:

ed ing ly s

These are some of the most common suffixes I explained. Then, students were asked to find words in the page of their novel that they had just read and fill them in on the chart. Students found many words and were able to do this. However, when asked to underline the root word, many students find this part challenging as some words that they put under “s” were words that ended in yes but did not have a suffix (ex: yes, us, his). They then found out that the “s” was added to singular words. They did not have as much trouble with the other three prefixes. 

Next lesson, we will try prefixes. Once again, this lesson and related concepts are from the resource from our reading specialist team that I will cite again here:

“Teaching phonics & word study in the intermediate grades” by Wiley Blevins.

Kelly.McLaughlin Combined Grade Classes, Curriculum Planning, Language Learning, Literacy, Professional Learning and Growth, Resources, Struggling Readers

Intermediate Reading- Part One

This year, myself as well as the other intermediate teachers in my school will be taking place in a three-part reading school sponsored professional development. We will be looking at phonics and its place in the intermediate classroom. I look forward to blogging about these three sessions.

For these sessions, Kate and Ashley (our consultants) came in to lead us through our reading PD. We had our first session last week with the focus on what everyone’s current literacy block looks like and how much time we are devoting to word studyfocus on the right to read report. To start our PD session, we looked at our different students and what their current needs are. We know that some of our students are starting to read, reading with some understanding or reading with a good knowledge of what they are learning about. We want to focus on assisting each student at where they are at.

We were introduced/re-reminded of what a literacy block should look like:

Literacy Block

  1. Whole group oral language and knowledge building- 30 minutes
  2. Whole group word study- 20 minutes
  3. Small group instruction- 20 minutes
  4. Reading and writing- 20 minutes 

Our focus for our first PD would be whole group word study and how we can incorporate that into our language lessons. Recently, our school support staff helped complete a CORE phonics assessment for our students. The data showed where students were at and what their needs were. Some examples of needs were: reading  multisyllabic words and di & trigraphs. The lessons we use in our class should be based on our core phonics reading data and the gaps displayed in that data. 

Our focus and curriculum expectation for our the lesson we would be co-creating would be:

Grade 7:

B2.1- use generalized knowledge of the meanings of words and morphemes (i.e., bases, prefixes, and suffixes) to read and spell complex words with accuracy and automaticity

B2.2-  demonstrate an understanding of a wide variety of words, acquire and use explicitly taught vocabulary flexibly in various contexts, including other subject areas, and use generalized morphological knowledge to analyze and understand new words in context

B2.3- read a variety of complex texts fluently, with accuracy and appropriate pacing, to support comprehension, and when reading aloud, adjust expression and intonation according to the purpose of reading

Grade 8:

B2.1- use consolidated knowledge of the meanings of words and morphemes (i.e., bases, prefixes, and suffixes) to read and spell complex words with accuracy and automaticity

B2.2- demonstrate an understanding of a wide variety of words, acquire and use explicitly taught vocabulary flexibly in various contexts, including other subject areas, and use consolidated morphological knowledge to analyze and understand new words in context

B2.3- read a variety of complex texts fluently, with accuracy and appropriate pacing, to support comprehension, and when reading aloud, adjust expression and intonation according to the purpose of reading

 

Throughout our PD, we looked at how to teach our students these important skills and how they could be integrated into our other subjects. Some strategies include:

  • Using the vocabulary from our science units 
    • Break up the syllables, read, identify consonants and vowels
  • Using the vocabulary from Nelson literacy texts
    • Break up the syllables, read, identify consonants and vowels

Our school provided us with a book that would help us teach this new learning. The book is:

“Teaching phonics & word study in the intermediate grades” by Wiley Blevins. I have already tried one lesson from this book and my students had a great time. This lesson was designed with Kate & Ashley with other intermediate teachers.

Word Study Lesson

Activity: 

Write the word “fabric” on the board. Have the students count the syllables in the word and divide the syllables with a line. Identify underneath the consonants and vowels in the word. Then, repeat with several other words without saying the word aloud to them. Have students read the word out together after they have broken up the syllables. 

Duration:

We did this for about 20 minutes as a whole class with multiple words. 

Consolidation:

We talked about patterns and how we noticed that the word was broken up in between its consonants. We also talked about what type of words we were reviewing and how they were all closed vowel words.

Other words used:

  • Husband
  • Beverage
  • Jogger
  • Active
  • Package
  • Splendor 

I look forward to trying another lesson from the book during my next language class. 

Kelly.McLaughlin Challenging Topics, Language Learning, Literacy, Small group instruction

Holocaust Education Week

In my school, the focus is on small group instruction, specially targeting reading. On a daily basis, I am looking at pulling small groups to focus on a literacy skill. During Holocaust Education Week (November 1-9), I pulled my small groups and we read “My Secret Camera”, an article in the Nelson literacy grade eight text that focuses on making inferences. 

With each small group, students took turns reading the photo essay. I also looked at vocabulary as on each page, students came across words that they were unsure of. So we made sure to define unknown words, especially as for some, this was new learning and a very sensitive topic. Students had some prior knowledge and were able to use that as well as looking at the photos to make inferences. Students were shocked as the photos in this photo essay were quite telling as they painted the picture of the harsh realities during the Holocaust. 

After reading the essay, I gave students a chance to answer orally. We have been doing a lot of written responses and I thought it was a great opportunity (especially seeing as I wanted to be finished with the activity in one class) to answer orally. Students were asked to answer one of the three questions:

  • Do you find it easier to make inferences by viewing the photos or reading the text?
  • How does the author want you to feel after reading this photo essay?
  • What inferences about the Łódź Ghetto can you draw from the photos? 

Students were able to refer to specific parts of the text and certain photos while answering each question. 

I was able to work with each student by the end of the week and felt that everyone learned a lot and were able to give it their all. As many schools have copies of the Nelson Literacy text, I encourage you to have your students read this photo essay as it was a very powerful lesson for my students. 

For more information about Holocaust Education, please visit this ETFO resource page which was featured in our member news on November 8th:https://www.etfo.ca/socialjusticeunion/anti-semitism/resource-links

Additional resources can also be found here: Link

Reference:

Hume, K., & Ledgerwood, B. (2008). My Secret Camera. In Nelson Literacy (pp. 20–23). essay, Nelson Education.
Will Gourley Curriculum Documents, English Language Learners (ELLs), General, Literacy

the vowels of education

Phonemes, morphemes, and graphemes. Oh my!

It is like a linguistic speech, sound, and readapalooza since the new Language curriculum dropped. To celebrate, I wanted to share something creative for everyone who has ever witnessed the incredible joys of learner language acquisition. 

vowels of education

a – attitude, acceptance, alacrity, artful, acknowledgement, allies, activists, reconciliation,
e – enthusiasm, enjoyment, encompassing, equity, empowerment, reconciliation,
i – independence, inspirational, identity, diversity, inclusion, reconciliation,
o – openness, observation, open-mindedness, opportunity, reconciliation,
u – understanding, unafraid, universal design, bullies, truth
y – rhythm, hybrid, psycho-educational assessments, 

vowel sounds of education

ae- vitae, zonae, nebulae, maestra(o)
ai – aim, wait, mosaic, chairs, prevail
ao – aortas, extraordinary, chaos
au – autism, laud, caution, laughter, plateau
ay – essays, always, relay, crayoned, dismays
ea – theatre, measurement, teamwork, tears
ee – greetings, meetings, burpees, redeemed
ei – reintegrate, eight, eighths, neighbours
eo – video, reorganization, geology, neotypes, people
eu – neuroplasticity, scaleup, takeup, euphoria
ey – obey, eyes, they, convey, beyond, surveys
ia – media, piano, social, biases, dialects, diarchy
ie – friendship, grief, tiers, fierce, defies, belief
io – actions, biology, curious, axions, vision
oa – approaches, broadens, coaxes, coaches
oe – heroes, tiptoe, echoes, poetic, oeuvres
oi – voices, doing, choices, noises, heroic
ou – announcements, curious, souls, yours, ours
oy – joyful, envoys, voyages, deployed, toys
ua – gradual, graduates, equally, nuanced
ue – cues, continue, guesses, valued, issues
ui – acuity, anguish, building, guidance, intuition, equity
uo – mellifluous, quotable, virtuous, virtuosos
uy – buys, wiseguys

eau – beautiful, bureaucracy
iou – audacious, anxious, gracious, curiosity,
uai – quaint, acquaintances, reacquaint,

So much goes on behind the scenes in schools whenever a new curriculum is introduced. With the new Language document fresh off the proverbial presses teachers across the province have been working to familiarize themselves with how to integrate fresh expectations into their instructional milieus. I hope the words shared here will encourage everyone who reads them. 

Arianna Lambert Digital Citizenship, Literacy, Media Literacy, Technology

Media Literacy & Digital Citizenship Resources

I love it when a good plan comes together. I’m currently taking my Teacher-Librarian AQ and was recently tasked with creating a Digital Toolkit with resources for Digital Literacy. Considering October marks Media Literacy Week and Digital Citizenship Day, I thought it was serendipitous as it gave me the opportunity to reflect on past tools that I have used with students and consider what else I might use. In this post, I’m sharing the resource and a few other ideas that we might use with students. 

My Digital Toolkit

By no means is this an extensive list. I tried to get a few different types of resources to include in the toolkit – digital, books and a video. I also tried to include information for teachers and students. Click on the image below and you will be able to access a PDF version of the file. The links are live and will take you to the resource. 

Additional Resources

Listed below are a few other resources that I found particularly helpful when reflecting on activities I wanted to try with my students. Please check them out!

TDSB’s Digital Citizenship and Cyber Safety Guide – Resources for different panels of students and educators. Many include resources we have access to through the TDSB Virtual Library.

Lego Build and Talk – Great conversation starters for families around Digital Citizenship.  Lego Gloom Busters is an online activity to help children learn about online safety. Lego Doom the Gloom is an interactive experience to build online safety skills.  Lego Smart Dash is an online game to teach children how to make the internet a safer place.

PBS Learning Media – Digital Citizenship Lessons for a variety of grades

Media Smarts – Media Literacy 101 – Simple videos that support students in learning the key concepts of Media Literacy. Videos include a question or challenge at the end for students to consider what they have learned and/or a real-life application. 

While we’re close to saying goodbye to October, there’s an ongoing need for students to further develop their Media Literacy and Digital Citizenship skills. I hope that you may have found something new or useful to use with your students.