All things phonics are moving to a new website at www.phonicspow.com…please join us there! Find links that were formerly here at Word Families.
Short Vowels
All things phonics are moving to a new website at www.phonicspow.com…please join us there! Find links that were formerly here at Short Vowels.
English is Weird
English is weird, oh yes, it is! There are vowels that can be spelled in lots of different ways, consonants that can have different sounds, and lots of exceptions. The rules are more like guidelines that give us a clue.
Slideshare Credits
Charts from Boostforreaders.com
Short/Long Chart: First Grade Wow
Bossy R: carlscorner.us.com
Defender D & FLOSS Rule: maketaketeach.com (exceptions to FLOSS rule: gas, bus, yes)
Schwa: http://www.logicofenglish.com
Synonym/Antonyms: vocabularypage.com
Homograph/Homophones: heerenshappenings2.blogspot.com
Strategies for Reading
Learn more at the phonics pow website:
- Be Aware of Schwa
- Sight Words
Phonics Kit
All things phonics are moving to a new website at www.phonicspow.com…please join us there! Many of the links that were formerly here are now at Sequence for Teaching Reading or follow the links below. Learn more about the Phonics Pow Toolkit now available at Gumroad. Add fun with games, Build skills with memorable introductions, and follow a Color Coded sensible sequence in 260 pages of phonics information. Get word lists, clip strips, word sort games, and more freebies too!
I. GET READY
- a. Information – charts at www.phonicspow.com/resources/tutor-tools/
- b. phonological and phonemic awareness
- c. letter knowledge
II. SOUND OUT WORDS
- a. Short vowels and word families
- b. Blends
- c. Short vowels that vary
III. VOWEL PATTERNS
- Silent e
- Bossy R
- Diphthongs – Vowel Teams with (mostly) new sounds
- Vowel Teams – More Ways That Vowels Can Be Long
- Vowels that vary
IV. CONSONANT PATTERNS
- a. Consonant Digraphs
- b. Hard or Soft C and G
- c. More consonants that vary
V. MULTI-SYLLABLE WORDS
- a. Open & Closed Syllables
- b. Consonant -le
- c. Schwa
Still in the process of moving the information below…
- Fun Online Games to Practice Reading Skills
- Active, Board, and Card games to practice phonics skills are now at The ABCs of Games for Reading.
- Literacy statistics and ideas for Incentives for Reading.
Create a portable, affordable phonics kit
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Supplies for a Phonics Kit
In a plastic Sterlite file box:
- Hanging files and files with plastic covers
- Dry erase pockets. (these are easy to make-apply 3/4” decorative duck tape on two open sides of a report cover.)
- Zip lock bags for game pieces
In a 8 x 11 box in front of Sterlite file box:
- Dice (two)
- Transparent plastic bingo chips in assorted colors to use as markers for games. (Find them at Oriental Trading Company, or at Mardel.)
- A container to draw word cards for sorts (an empty Extra Refreshers gum container works great)
- Highlighters
- Dry erase markers
Nice to have:
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- a magnetic whiteboard and letters.
- card stock for printing word sorts.
- 1″ circle punch for soccer word sort games.
The Super Tutor Tools Store at Teachers Pay Teachers has many resources I’ve created for tutoring reading. Most have a small charge, but there are freebies there too.
Download the free Silent e set, which includes resources on silent e from the Phonics Fun Folders set, a Space Race game board from the Phonics Patterns Game Board Set, a page from the Spot and Dot Phonics Patterns set, and a Soccer Sort Game. Add these sets for fun ways to learn phonics. Download a pdf Chart to see the options for resources at the Supter Tutor Tools Store at Teachers Pay Teachers.
More Free Phonics Resources:
- Bookmark Set Freebie – These bookmarks include Write the Pattern activities for many Phonics Patterns.
- Pattern Chart Set Freebie – These can be used as sort mats, posters, or printed on business cards for other sorts. Credits: Some artwork copyrighted by Mark A Hicks, illustrator, www.MARKiX.net. Used with permission. Sources for other graphics at Pinterest.
With a Phonics Kit you have the needed tools to help students learn reading skills!
Simply Dinner: The Game Plan
Do you dread the question, “What’s for dinner?” Deciding what to cook is the hardest part. Get your copy of Simply Dinner: The Game Plan, an eCookbook that will take the pain out of meal planning and help you get your dinner done. It includes 28 easy, basic entree recipes designed for a low-carbohydrate diet using ordinary ingredients. (please note this is not a vegetarian cookbook.) Plus 12 more recipes for vegetables, dessert, & misc., for a total of 40 recipes. Check out the list of recipes included. The recipes pair perfectly with a simple system for choosing meals.
But that’s not all! Solve the dinner dilemma and end dinner drudgery with: a month of menus, a blank recipe card template, a low-carbohydrate grocery list, a contact grill chart and a list of foods with 15 grams of carbohydrate. Easily add your own recipes and customize for what works for you. Just print to keep in a binder with tabs, or print recipes on card stock and cut out to use in a 3 x 5 card file. A perfect gift for: graduates, new couples, single people, or anyone trying to get dinner done!
A one page personal strategic planning form
BRAND: a promise to deliver benefits that are different from the competition.
When you know your brand, you will know how to plan.
The tools for strategic planning are geared toward developing a personal brand, but many can also help for business branding. A few that are for business branding can be adapted for a personal brand. Don’t miss all the tools at the Brand and Purpose Toolkit, including an editable Venn diagram for Mission, Vision and Values. Explore the Discover U Toolkit and Personal Branding at Wakelet.
Visual inspired by creativesandbusiness.com
Download a one page Strategic Plan (pdf)
- Cezary Pietrzak has wonderful examples and a Marketing Fundamentals Canvas with definitions of terms at the post.
- Great activities for groups (many can also be used by individuals) at The User Experience Team of One from UX Magazine.
CURRENT STATUS
What are my strengths? What needs to be done to develop strengths? Who is the competition? What makes me unique and different?
PURPOSE
What problem do you always want to solve? What are your top values? What is your purpose? What will the world look like in the future if you solve the problem?
ACTION PLAN
What do you do? How do you solve the problem that you are always chasing? Which channels will be most effective at reaching your target audience and getting your message across? How can you connect to a social cause you believe in?
PROGRESS
Benefits | Measures: Balanced Scorecard, Key Performance Indicators (KPI) Dashboard, Personal Annual Metrics, Personal Development Plan | Target Audience: Personas, demographics | Results
What do you need to measure to know when you are reaching your goals? What are the benefits of what you do? Who are you trying to reach with your message?
BRAND COMMUNICATION
Brand promise, elevator speech | Appeal to emotions, storytelling | User Experience | Design/appearance
How can you most effectively communicate your message verbally and in print? How do you want people to feel when they interact with you? Are people delighted by their interactions with you? Do you provide value? Do you respond promptly? Do your social media pages and promotional pieces clearly communicate your message?
Learn more: Strategy Map at Wikipedia | Marketing U
Pinterest boards on
Posted in Ideas That Work
Smart Skills Trading Cards: Productivity
GREAT Skills are a) in demand in the workplace b) rarely taught, and c) very helpful in all areas of life! GREAT Skills Trading Cards provide key information from experts for learning these skills. The links below lead to more resources. 
This Trading Card Set features information on Productivity, and includes:
- David Allen, author of “Getting Things Done” (the system)
- Stephen R Covey, author of “First Things First” and “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” (the focus)
- Tony Schwartz, author of “The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working.” (the routine)
- Kerry Gleason, author of “The Personal Efficiency Program.” (the plan)
- Vishen Lakhiani, author of “The Code of the Extraordinary Mind.” (the goal)
Each of the GREAT Skills Trading Card sets cover skills you might not have learned in school (and probably wish you had). Collect the cards as you develop strengths to close the skills gap and open doors to opportunity! You may also be interested in weekly activities for a Year of Personal Growth and resources to develop the top 10 skills employers want. Find more tools the Personal Development Toolkit.
Download this set at Slideshare.net.
There are four important elements of productivity: The System, The Routine, The Focus, and The Plan. The first four authors each contribute to understanding the four elements, and Vishen Lakhiani provides an understanding of End vs Means goals.
For more information about productivity, check out Time Management 101, and learn with the study of productivity, videos and courses. You might also like to see my favorite books about productivity, the Daily PlanIt Productivity Pinterest board, and The Keep It Super Simple System.
2016 Reading Roundup
Of the non-fiction books I read in 2016, here are a few stand-outs:
Your Brain at Work by David Rock
Insight Out by Tina Seelig
The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky (there’s a free 3-week online course based on the book)
Three Secrets of Effective Time Investment by Elizabeth Grace Saunders
Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
My Year in Books at Goodreads
Posted in Books
End Goals Lead to a Meaningful Journey
I came across a BIG idea recently. In the book “The Code of the Extraordinary Mind,” Vishen Lakhiani talks about the difference between means goals and end goals.
Means goals vs End goals
A means goal is motivated by the thought that it will lead to something else in the end. It is the means to how you get something else. A means goal can be one of many possible paths to reach an end goal. For example, a means goal might be saving money so that you can go to college. In the video below, Vishen uses the example of pursuing a college degree. If the motivation is the benefits once it is completed, it is a means goal. If the motivation is that you love education and want to learn, it is a end goal.
End goals speak to our hearts, and are more meaningful. (a little ironically) When we pursue a means goal, we believe “If only I had this [fill in the blank] I would be happy.” With means goals we are seeking future benefits, sometimes to the detriment of present happiness, and based on guesswork about what will make us happy that can often be wrong. With end goals we directly experience happiness as we pursue something that we love. Setting end goals leads to a journey that makes you happy.
“Happiness is a journey, not a destination.” -Alfred D Sousa
“The point is not the end of the journey…Remember to sing and dance along the way.” –Alan Watts
Set End Goals
To set end goals, consider The Three Most Important Questions from Vishen Lakhiani.
- Identify how you want to contribute.
- Think of experiences you want that will lead to positive emotions.
- Decide how you will grow to create these experiences and make these contributions.
Setting End Goals is a huge shift! Suddenly, goals are about what you CREATE, not about what you HAVE! End goals still need to be attainable, but making this shift is empowering and you have a lot more fun on the journey. You can’t buy happiness, but you can create it when you follow the BE MEASURING practices and set meaningful end goals.
Vishen Lakhiani on the difference between means goals and end goals…
When you know how you want to contribute, you know the right direction to go. There may be many possible paths to take, different means goals to achieve the end goals. The biggest obstacle to a meaningful journey is not knowing how you want to contribute. Discover how to Uncover Hidden Talents and create a value statement that pinpoints what you do and why.
In the following video, “Why Happiness is the New Productivity,” Vishen talks about the Four Different States of Mind. He calls these: 1. The Negative Spiral, 2. The Current Reality Trap, 3. Stress & Anxiety, and 4. Bending Reality. To Bend Reality, combine happiness in the present with a vision for the future to find flow. Make shift happen by creating something now while moving forward, compelled by a vision for the future.
Tools to Plan an Awesome New Year
With these tools, you can set some goals, make resolutions, and track your progress. I made these to add to my Planner binder in 2017, but they still work well! Don’t forget to grab a copy of the printables at An Annual Review too!
GOALS for the year
Download the Annual Goals Master List
INSTRUCTIONS
- For each area, think of one word that describes what you want to CREATE.
- Next, think of what you need to DO to make that happen.
- Pick a few goals that are the most meaningful, and make them SMART.
- Break the goals into smaller steps.
- Track your progress.
Resolutions
Download Resolutions on a one page printable, with a visual cue for different areas. Make your resolutions SMART with ideas for metrics to track at An Annual Review.
HABIT SCORECARD
With this Habit Scorecard, you can track 6 daily habits at a time.
I am planning to make some amazing shift happen! How about you? Review How to Set Goals, find ideas for goals at the Goal Plans tab, or consider getting my ebook, “Get Goaling: the simple guide to set and achieve your goals.”
Posted in goals
Daily PlanIt 