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How School Teaches Reading Now

Three short lessons for grown-ups on how many schools teach reading today: sounds before letters, blending, "magic e", and the small set of words learned by heart.

For grown-ups, from what MapPals teaches children at Spark & Anvil.

  1. Lesson 1Sounds and blending
  2. Lesson 2"Magic e"
  3. Lesson 3Heart words and decodable books
At the table · a grown-up and a child, 4 to 7

Sound buttons

You'll need: paper and a pencil.

  1. Write a short word, like "chip".
  2. Draw a dot under each sound: one under ch, one under i, one under p.
  3. The child touches each dot and says its sound, then sweeps a finger under the word to blend it.
  4. Swap: the child writes a word and draws the dots for you.

Print the guidebook (all lessons + the table activity) →