Episode Details

Figuring out how to help kids learn to spell can be confusing. If you've ever helped one of your kids or students spell a word, only to have them forget what you taught them the next day, you know what I mean.

The challenge is that if kids don't automatically catch on to reading skills, they get further and further behind as the years go on. That makes it hard for them to keep up in school, and over time they start to dread going. No one wants their child or their students to be in that situation.

While a lot of curriculums are getting pretty good at addressing early phonics skills, there are some other essential skills that aren't emphasized as much. But addressing these skills can make all the difference.

That's why in episode 28 of the Are they 18 yet? ™ podcast, I talk about:

✅The commonly overlooked skills that kids need to read/spell longer, more difficult words.

✅Why you shouldn't assume that certain words are "too difficult" for your kids to spell (even if they're struggling readers).
 
✅Why referring to difficult spellings as "exceptions" that "don't follow the rules" does kids a disservice.
 
✅Specific concepts you can teach kids to help them read more fluently and improve reading comprehension.
 
✅Why "memorizing" spelling words doesn't work for struggling readers (and what to do instead).

In this episode, I mention a blog post called "What is texting doing to reading and spelling skills?" where I dive further in to this conversation.

I also talk about my Word Study Toolkit, which offers a set of definitions and concepts you can use to help build the skills kids need to be fluent readers and spellers.

The De Facto Leaders podcast was formerly the “Are they 18 yet?®” podcast. As of November 2022, the name of the show has changed, and we’ve shifted from a focus on parenting to a focus on supporting clinicians and educators to design effective services for kids (but parents are still welcome to listen). 
Episodes published before November 24, 2022 will still contain some of our old branding. 

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL and Renaissance:

Learn more about Renaissance:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to l