Block 2 Readers have started working with a second type of welded letters, which are those ending with the letters <-nk>.  Examples of words with this welded sound are bank, blink, bonk, and bunk. We will continue next week to work with the <-ng> and <-nk> welds, syllabication, and morphology while performing end-of-year review and assessments. 

Students should continue to be exposed to text and practice reading skills during the summer months.  It is recommended that students at Gracepoint receive summer reading tutoring for skill retention.  Exposure to text through books, including graphic novels, and magazines, as well as reading aloud together as a family, will also be beneficial.  When helping your student select reading materials for enjoyment, remember that lots of easy reading makes reading easy.   The level of text is not as important as making reading a daily habit and making reading an enjoyable experience.

May has seemed to fly by and we are quickly approaching the end of the 2020-2021 school year.  It has been a privilege to watch the progress of the students.  I am proud of their ability to persevere and thrive despite the challenges that this school year has presented.  They are troopers!

Best wishes,

Julie

Block 2 Readers started May with a review of the soft sounds of <c> and <g>. We moved to words with the glued or welded ending of <-ng>: <-ang> as in fang, <ing> as in ring, <ong> as in song, and <-ung> as in lung.  The welded letter combinations make a unique sound and receive one tap when we listen to the letter sounds.  We will soon be working with the second type of welded letters, which are those with the letters <-nk>.  Examples of words with this welded sound are bank, blink, bonk, bunk. 

I hope all will enjoy a beautiful Mother’s Day on Sunday.  I enjoy your children very much, and I am grateful that you have shared your precious children with us at Gracepoint School.

Julie

This past week, Block 2 Readers started working with words with a soft G sound.  Similar to the soft C pattern, words with a soft <g> sound occur when a <g> is followed by an <e>, <i>, or <y>.  The <g> will usually make a /j/ sound.  Examples of words with this letter pattern and sound are gem, page, and plunge.  We will continue to work with words with both the soft C and soft G sounds next week.

We are grateful for these beautiful Atlanta spring days.

Take care and stay safe,

Julie

It was a joy to welcome students back to Gracepoint after Easter and spring break. After a review of VCCV and VCCVe words, Block 2 Readers began working with words with a soft C sound.  These are words in which the letter <c> is followed by an <e>, <i>, or <y> and the letter <c> makes an /s/ sound.  Examples of words with this letter pattern and sound are cell, cent, face, and dice.  We practiced a cheer to help us remember these letters.  The students are doing well with this pattern, and we will move next week to the soft sound of letter <g>, which usually makes a /j/ sound when followed by <e>, <i>, or <y>.  Examples of words with this letter pattern and sound are gel, age, and change.

Take care and God bless,

Julie

Block 2 Readers spent time practicing with VCCVe words.  The students were not consistent in moving from a short vowel sound in a closed syllable to a long vowel sound in a Magic E syllable.  We worked with both real and nonsense words to help with letter pattern recognition, and we also sorted syllable types and learned several new morphology terms.  When we return from break, we will review VCCV and VCCVe words before moving to the soft sound of <c>.

Best wishes for a fun and safe holiday break.  Happy Easter!

Julie

This week Block 2 Readers practiced reading and spelling words with a letter pattern of VCCVe (reptile words).  These are two syllable words in which the first syllable is closed and has a short vowel sound, but the second syllable is a Magic E syllable with a long vowel sound.  We also practiced morphology and syllabicating to help with letter pattern recognition. 

Next week after a review of words with VCCV, VCCVe, compound words, and words ending in <-ct>, we will move to the soft sounds of <c>.

The students are looking forward to Easter and the holiday break. Please remember to have your student practice reading daily.  Even a short amount of time spent decoding text is helpful to retaining skills and gaining fluency.

Julie

Block 2 Readers have been working with words with two closed syllables (VCCV or rabbit words), words ending with <ct> (act, fact, intact / these words never end with <kt>), and compound words.  The students are doing well reading words with these patterns, but spelling can remain challenging.  We will continue to practice reading and spelling these types of words as we move forward to words with one closed syllable and one Magic E syllable (VCCVe or reptile words, such as alpine, capsize, textile).  We continue to practice morphology by recognizing prefixes, base words, suffixes, and syllable types, along with associated vowel sounds.

The students are progressing well and I am proud of their hard work.  Thank you for sharing your student with us at Gracepoint School.  It is a joy to teach such remarkable students.

Julie

Block 2 Readers were happy to return to school after the winter break.  We had a productive week working with rabbit words (two closed syllables) and reviewing Magic E words (VCe).  We spent time listening and marking vowel sounds with a breve or macron in closed syllables and open syllables, as well as recognizing prefixes, base words, and suffixes.  It can be a challenge to correctly mark vowel sounds and to recognize a prefix, base word, or suffix outside of association drills.  We will continue to work on these skills as we move toward working with words that end in <-ct> and compound words.  The students are making good progress and they are proud of their work.  It is important to continue to review previously learned skills and rules as we move forward.  

I look forward to conferences and updating you on your student’s progress.  Since the conference days are school days, we will be sending home a packet of materials on Friday, March 5, for your student to review on March 8 & 9.

The beautiful weather this past week has given us hope for soon-to-come longer days and warm weather. It is a joy to see the bright faces of the children after being outside in warm sunshine.

Take care and stay safe,

Julie

We continued work with words formed with two closed syllables that have the letter pattern of vowel-consonant-consonant-vowel (VCCV) in Block 2 Reading this past week. The students gained fluency in reading words with the VCCV pattern, but spelling remained a challenge. We also reviewed closed syllables and Magic E syllables and the vowel sounds associated with these two syllable types.  Being able to quickly associate the short vowel sounds in closed syllables and the long vowel sounds in a Magic E syllable will help with both reading and spelling, especially as text becomes more complex.  When we return to school after the break, we will continue to review and drill closed syllable and Magic E syllables as we work to master words with multiple syllables. 

Best wishes for a safe holiday, and I look forward to our return to the classroom on February 22.

Julie

Block 2 Reading has started working with two-syllable words with the letter pattern of vowel-consonant-consonant-vowel (VCCV).  These words are made from two closed-syllables (basket, goblet, hummus, pellet).  The students have done well decoding real and alien words with this syllable pattern.  Spelling these words has been a bit tricky, but listening carefully and tapping each letter sound is helpful.  We will continue to work with VCCV words next week, as well as review magic e words and morphology cards.

Best wishes and please stay safe as we move toward winter break and Valentine's Day.

Julie

This past week Block 2 Reading worked with the Wild Old Words and then moved to working with two-syllable words with the vowel+consonant/consonant+vowel letter pattern (VCCV).  The students are gaining fluency in reading words with this syllable pattern, but spelling presents more of a challenge.  It is important for the students to listen to the vowel sounds in words and look for letter patterns.  This will help them decide if a vowel makes a short sound or a long sound, which will aid with pronunciation and spelling.  We will be using alien or made-up words to encourage letter pattern recognition.  Next week we will continue to work with VCCV words, and we will also introduce new morphology prefixes and bases.

It was a blessing to have a full week of in-person lessons this past week. The students continue to improve their reading and spelling skills, and it is a joy to watch them progress.

Take care and best wishes,

Julie

We had an adventurous week in Block 2 Reading as we held lessons remotely via Zoom.  Though the students said that they preferred in-person learning, all said that meeting via Zoom was a workable alternative for a short time.  Lessons proceeded as usual, though the association and dictation drills were difficult because of the audio quality.  In both these exercises, listening for subtle sounds is important, and hearing the sounds was challenging for some students on the computer.  Even with a few difficulties, we made good progress and we were able to complete lessons on the Wild Old Words (WOW, or closed-syllable words with a long vowel sound).  We will spend part of next week working with the Wild Old Words before moving to two syllable words with a vowel-consonant-consonant-vowel pattern (VCCV).

I look forward to returning to Gracepoint for in-person classes with your beautiful child on Monday.  Sharing smiles and laughter with the students is such a joy, and those things are best shared in person.

Please stay safe and best wishes,

Julie

Block 2 reading welcomed the new year with a review of Magic E words.  We then moved to working with a small set of words that educators like to call wild old words  (sometimes referred to by the anacronym WOW).  These words have a closed syllable pattern but the vowel sound is long (examples: wild, old, kind, most, jolt).  We will continue to practice reading and spelling the wild, old words next week, as well as working with prefixes and suffixes.

Kudos goes to our students for their flexibility and willingness to try new things.  Their patience, kindness, and ability to adapt has been remarkable. I look forward to seeing all next Tuesday morning via Zoom as we reconvene virtually.  I am hopeful that we will resume in-class learning for the final week of January.

Blessing for the new year to you and your family,

Julie

During the final week before the Christmas break, Block 2 Reading enjoyed reviewing all Magic E pattern words.  We practiced moving from short vowel sounds in consonant-vowel-consonant words (CVC words) to long vowel sounds in Magic E words. The students improved with fluency and spelling as the week progressed. 

When we return from the holiday break, we will learn a set of words that are rule-breakers:  Wild Old Words (WOW words).  In these words, the vowel sound is long but should be short. Examples include post, wild, kind, cold, and colt.  Sometimes those vowels just misbehave!  I know the students will enjoy working with these words when we are together again in January.

Merry Christmas to all!  Best wishes for a fun and safe holiday.  We look forward to a new year as we count our many blessings.  Having the privilege of working with your children has been a gift for me.

Julie

In Block 2 Reading this past week, we introduced long <Ū> as a Magic E syllable.  We practiced reading and making the two sounds that long <Ū> can make.  Remembering to spell these two sounds correctly can be a challenge, and we will continue to work with Magic E with <Ū>, as well as the other long vowel sounds, next week.  We have been working with our morphology cards and have practiced reading and spelling words with our newly learned prefixes and suffixes.  Recognizing patterns in words will help the students with decoding and encoding skills.

There is much excitement at Gracepoint as we approach our last week of school before the holiday break.  We will continue to work hard on reading and spelling skills before the holiday, and we look forward to adding new skills in January.

May God bless you and your family,

Julie