A Kindergarten student said to me the other day…
"“Is" is a trick word."
And immediately I wanted to say “actually…it's not.”
At first glance we might believe him.
At first glance, it sounds like “is” should be spelled “i-z”.
BUT - that is because he simply has not been taught a really important spelling lesson.
He has not been taught that “s” actually makes 2 sounds.
(Well, actually “s” makes at least 4 sounds…but that's a story for another time and a higher level spelling rule than a Kindergartener needs to know!)
The rule he is missing, is that “s” makes 2 sounds.
“S” says /s/ but “s” also commonly says /z/ in a lot of words that a Kindergartener is reading.
If he knew this one rule, it would make life a lot simpler for him.
Instead of believing there are SO many trick words out there…
Instead of believing the narrative that the English language is impossible! and full of exceptions….
We really just need to teach rules in a systematic, developmentally appropriate way.
If he knew in Kindergarten that “s” makes 2 sounds…instead of just 1 /s/ sound…he wouldn't have to “memorize” trick words.
You know how I feel about teaching that relies on 5 year old to memorize…
and you can imagine how I feel about the phrase “trick words” when working to instill confidence in children…
So let's just make the English language make sense.
Instruction rooted in the Science of Reading does just that!
When we teach children in Kindergarten that “s” says both /s/ and /z/ they can not only read words like “sit” and “bus” but they can also read other common words like “his” and “is” and “dogs” which if they didn't know rule #2 they both couldn't read or write these words.
At Next Step Education, I believe in teaching children not only spelling rules - but spelling rules delivered in a systematic way.
This mean teaching children rules that support the spelling of most commonly used → least commonly used patterns and least complex → most complex.
It just makes sense!
It's how our brains are wired to learn to read!
Let's eliminate guessing, memorizing and frustration.
If you are looking for systematic reading instruction that supports how children's brains are already wired and if you desire to teach your child to read in a way that feels like going with the current instead of confusion and overwhelm…
I have a few spots left for my 1:1 program this spring and I would look forward to welcoming your child into my world of keeping the JOY in reading and instilling confidence as they build their reading foundation!
You can complete the application here to begin!
Happy reading!
Ms. Schelzi
Kommentare