Have you ever thought, "Wow! If I could only use my own materials to teach reading, even online, how much easier it would be to prepare my lessons"? Iâm here to tell you, you can!
When I teach reading online, I rarely share a slide or a website. đą So, what do you need to teach online successfully as you move into the new school year? What should you have by your side to make sure your lesson is engaging and easy to prep?
Here are five tips to teach reading in a low-tech way:
# 1 Correct-sized sound cards/ Fundations/ Lively Letters
First, you need the right sized sound cards. I love to use Wilson reading sound cards and Lively Letters for those teachable moments. Both are really easy to hold up to the screen. Lively letters have clear visuals where each card shows the mouth movement. The Wilson cards are easy to manipulate to build words, and theyâre color-coded so students can differentiate between vowels consonants, and glued sounds. If you canât get your hands on these materials, try these free sound cards.
#2 Try some props
Whether itâs a puppet đ¨, blending board, or a fun wand, props are going to liven up your lesson! The best part is there's no prep involved and can be within reachable distance. I find that props work best when working with the little ones. So, if youâre working with somebody with early literacy needs, make sure you have props close by!
#3 To practice fluency you need word cards
Try these free friendship word cards. Theyâre easy to hold up in video or put under the document camera. I also like using Wilson reading word cards that can be divided into steps. You can also make your own word cards with an index card. This will also be key while youâre teaching multisyllabic words. Itâs so much easier to take an index card and write a syllable on each one. I like to laminate the index card so I can change the syllable over and over again.
#4 Decodables
Decodables were one of the hardest things to use low-tech. I really wanted to go to the websites where I found my books online. But now, I prefer that you can easily use decodable under the document camera. Bonus: your kids can mark them up with a scooping tool.
#5 Games
No online reading lesson would be complete without games! đ˛ I love to use word cards to make games. Itâs a perfect time to add in a game whether youâre putting words in categories, playing tic-tac-toe, or using a fun freebie with a bonus card that will let your kids make up the rules. Itâs always key to have a low-tech game.
So, if your kids are taking over your lesson, if itâs hard for you to share the remote control, if thereâs scribbling all over the screen, or students are losing their materials, these are ways to get back in control of your lesson.
Need More Support?
Are you struggling with student engagement in your reading lessons? Sign up for tonight's webinar, I'll take you through every part of the structured literacy lesson, including sound card drills, word-building activities, fluency practice, and how to use decodable text. đ
You'll also learn how to use your own materials and turn them into a reading lesson using the video and the document cameraâall without relying on slides or website subscriptions. đ
Sign up for the webinar now and you'll also get:
âď¸ A workbook to support a structured literacy lesson with less technology
âď¸ A special bundle of editable word card games to start the new school year
Click HERE to join us Aug 02, 7:30 PM â 8:30 PM EDT, Zoom Online Webinar.