On May 26th, 2021, we saw a spectacular total eclipse of a super moon. Many children would have stayed up to watch it. I have added some photos from that eclipse to the introductory page for the letter “m” in Gilead Success with Phonics, Level 1 to capture their interest.
Another key to success is expanding their vocabulary. A page of information, via the “For parents and teachers” link, helps to explain, in simple terms, the key vocabulary that children may have heard on the news or at school, in relation to the eclipse – super moon, lunar eclipse, total eclipse, blood moon, totality … There are also links to two short NASA videos that give very good explanations with simple animations.
With all children, particularly those who are struggling to learn to read and spell, it is essential to capture their interest. This is critical for older students who may see the help that they still need with the basics as “babyish”.
All of the photos and videos on this introductory page for the letter “m” are designed to encourage questions, discussion, research … Microscope, moon, mountains, masks, motorbikes, magpies, mouse, messy.
“What did he see when he looked down the microscope?” …
“What do you think those people in masks were doing?” “Could we make some masks?” …
“Can you see the runners with the Olympic torch?” “Why were they running around Tasmania when the Olympic Games was in Sydney that year?” “Why were the police there on their motorbikes?” …
“Oh dear. What happened?” “Look. It’s just ice-cream making them messy.” …
Capture their interest, expand their vocabulary, research together, borrow a book from the library, encourage curiosity, build relationships around reading … Learning to read with logical, sequential, synthetic phonics is not boring, it is an adventure to enjoy together. Success leads to more success, competence, confidence and satisfaction.
See also Videos to Teach Reading Level 1_2
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