In today’s post, I introduce you to the concept of Structured Literacy (SL). As explained by Louise Spear-Swerling (2022), SL is a comprehensive approach to reading interventions that caters to children with various reading difficulties. SL covers a broad spectrum of instructional strategies and is designed to support students with diverse reading challenges, not just those with specific types of difficulties. SL is not limited to phonics instruction. It includes teaching foundational skills like phonemic awareness, phonics, and spelling, as well as advanced literacy skills such as reading comprehension and written expression. This makes SL effective for both decoding problems and comprehension issues (Louise Spear-Swerling, 2022). In this post, I…

In today’s post, I am covering a very important strategy in teaching vocabulary—the Frayer Model. This graphic organizer has transformed the way educators introduce and explore new words across various subjects and grade levels. More specifically, I delve into the definition of the Frayer Model, outline effective implementation strategies, highlight its numerous benefits, and conclude with practical examples. Whether you’re a seasoned educator or new to teaching, understanding how to leverage this tool can significantly enhance your instructional approach and improve student outcomes in vocabulary development. What is the Frayer Model? Frayer model is “an instructional strategy that utilizes a graphic organizer to teach vocabulary” (Dazzeo & Rao, 2020, p.…

Today’s post is all about “Turn and Talk,” an engaging and interactive instructional strategy used in classrooms. If you haven’t heard about it or are looking for ways to implement it more effectively, this post is for you. I will start with a definition of what “Turn and Talk” is all about, explaining its purpose and how it works in a classroom setting. Next, we will discuss practical tips for integrating “Turn and Talk” into your lessons, ensuring you can maximize its benefits. Then, I’ll provide some examples of “Turn and Talk” activities to inspire you and help you get started. Finally, we’ll conclude with insights from research, showcasing the…

In today’s post, I discuss a key teaching and learning strategy known as Think-Pair-Share (TPS). More specifically, I will cover what recent research says about the effectiveness and use of TPS, delve into the key advantages of using this strategy in classroom teaching, and provide tips to help teachers seamlessly integrate TPS into their daily teaching routines. To conclude, I’ll showcase practical examples across various subjects to demonstrate how this strategy can be applied effectively in diverse educational settings. Whether you’re a seasoned educator or new to the profession, this post aims to enrich your teaching toolkit with insights and actionable steps for implementing Think-Pair-Share. For those of you interested…