What We Do in a Literacy Lesson! Routine Overview

Routines for Teaching Reading and Writing based in the Science of Reading

Reading Bridge Tutor lessons follow the curriculum from the University of Florida Literacy Institute (https://ufli.education.ufl.edu/). This curriculum follows the science of reading and when facilitated by a teacher who is skilled in teaching reading and writing, it can be effectively adapted to the specific needs of each student. Students (plus parents and teachers!) thrive when they follow a routine. When students know what to do, instead of spending their brain energy on directions, they can put all of their focus into learning the objective of the lesson. Having a bank of games in rotation makes it so students don’t have to learn the directions each time, but it still keeps the lessons fresh and exciting. Students also like to know what is coming in a lesson and they often feel satisfaction when they complete all of the objectives.

Why should you learn what we do in a lesson?

By learning the lesson routines, you can implement some of them on your own with your child on the days they do not meet with their tutor . Your child’s tutor/teacher can help with what specific spelling patterns/ heart words/ phonemic awareness skills to work on.

There are 8 steps in each lesson:

Step 1) Phonemic awareness practice:

identifying and manipulating individual speech sounds (think of the sounds it takes to write the word mat: /m/ /a/ /t/).

Step 2) Visual Drill:

Flash cards with spelling patterns to review and practice spelling patterns previously learned.

Blending Drill:

Students read words with previously learned spelling patterns, changing one letter at a time to create new words (this helps with reading automaticity).

Step 3) Auditory Drill:

Teacher says a sound, and the student responds by writing the graphemes(written letters) that make that sound.

Step 4) New Concept:

Teacher introduces a new sound and the corresponding graphemes (written letters). Teachers guide students to read and spell words with the targeted spelling pattern. A game will often be inserted here.

Step 5) Word work (Word Chain):

Word chains can be done with a whiteboard and dry-erase marker or plastic manipulative letters. There are two variations.

- Teacher guides students to manipulate a word, one sound at a time, to create/write a new word.

-Teacher tells students the new word, and the student must figure out what letter they need to change.

Step 6) Irregular words (Heart Words):

Words that do not follow the typical sound-letter correlation, and therefore the atypical part of the word needs to be memorized.

Step 7) Sentence Writing:

Teacher speaks a sentence and the student writes it. Sentences are corrected together. Students receive a point for each word spelled correctly to encourage self-checking their work. Sometimes students write the sentence independently, and other times it is written together. Sentences are intentional to review past spelling patterns and heart words.

Step 8) Decodable text:

Student reads a mini story that is decodable, meaning the words presented in the text follow concepts that the student has previously been taught.

All families have different time restraints and therefore some can do more homework and other families need less homework. I suggest parents start with doing the visual drill (flashcards) and reading the decodable text (story). If/when parents are ready for more, just talk with the tutor to get the homework sheets that go along with the lessons. The homework sheet has the heart words to practice, word chain, sentence dictation all ready for you.

Each week I will post a deep dive blog about one or two of the steps so you will be prepared with knowledge for how to help support your child at home.

These routines align to the UFLI curriculum, but similar routines will be found in many structured literacy lessons.