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Free Printable Flashcards: Short Vowel Flashcards

February 1, 2018 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

We’re back with another set of free printable flashcards! This time, we’re talking about short vowel sounds.

Personally, I didn’t learn to read with phonics and neither did our oldest daughter.

Our oldest boy, though, really needed help with phonic sounds, so we focused on long and short vowel sounds pretty early.

I thought I’d make a set of short vowel flashcards to share with my lovely readers today!

These are really simple to use and what makes them even better is that they’re FREE!

Phonics Skills with Printable Short Vowel Flashcards

Read on to see how to get your set!

And if you like these, don’t miss these long vowel flashcards as well!

These printable short vowel flashcards make it simple to practice phonics with kids!

Free Printable Flashcards: Short Vowel Flashcards

To use these flashcards, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are provided here for convenience. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

  • Printer (with ink)
  • Printer paper
  • Scissors
  • Laminator (to reuse the cards later)
Printable Short Vowel Flashcards

Like our long vowel flashcards, these short vowel flashcards include words that help kids practice recognizing and differentiating short vowel sounds.

Printable Short Vowel Flashcards for Kids

In this flashcard pack, you’ll find cards for the following short vowel words:

  • Alligator
  • Egg
  • Igloo
  • Octopus
  • Umbrella
Practicing Phonics with Printable Short Vowel Flashcards

The pack includes a set of cards with the pictures and words, a set with only the pictures, a set with only the words, and a set of each with pictures and vowels only.

Working with Printable Short Vowel Flashcards for Kids

Kids can practice matching up the long vowel cards with the word cards.

Or use the picture cards to quiz them on their short vowel sounds!

Printable Short Vowel Flashcards for Kids to Use
Scroll down to get your copy of our free printable flashcards: short vowel flashcards!

More Resources for Teaching Short Vowel Sounds:

Looking for more short vowel resources? Try these!

  • Gran on a Fan: Silly Short Vowels by Kevin Bolger
  • Educational Insights Stick-To-It Phonics Short Vowels Game
  • Circus Vowels: The Long and the Short of It by Jodi L. McMaster

Don’t miss some of our other reading flashcards!

Free Printable Flashcards Long Vowel Flashcards @ Look! We're Learning!
Printable Winter Sight Words Flashcards - Look! We're Learning!
Free Printable Flashcards: Alphabet Animals - Look! We're Learning!
Free Printable Flashcards Short Vowel Flashcards @ Look! We're Learning!

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You’ll get the short vowel flashcards sent directly to your inbox, plus this week’s newsletter on Sunday night!

Click here to get your printable resource

>>> Short Vowel Printable Flashcards <<<

Filed Under: Free Printables, Homeschooling Printables, Language Arts Tagged With: flashcards, free printable flashcards, free short vowel flashcards, homeschool printables, phonics, printable flashcards, printable short vowel flashcards, printables, reading, short vowel flashcards

31 Beautiful African American Story Books for Kids

January 29, 2018 by Selena Robinson 4 Comments

Read these wonderful African American story books for kids with your little ones!

As a mom to four African American children, I’ve been hard pressed to find great kids’ books that feature black characters (at least in our local library). They’re there, but it’s hard to find them, unless you have a few author names to start with.

I strongly feel it’s important for my kids to “see” themselves in what they read, especially when it comes to reading about history or receiving positive messages about themselves.

So – without further ado – here are 31 African American story books for you and your kids to explore this school year! The books are geared toward kids aged 3 to 12 and include fiction, historical fiction, and nonfiction selections.

If you enjoy these stories, check out our list of must-read black history books for kids!

These beautiful African American story books for kids feature wonderful characters for children to explore!

 31 African American Story Books for Kids

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1. The Toothpaste Millionaire by Jean Merrill

2. The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles

3. Tommy Traveler in the World of Black History by Eloise Greenfield

4. Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra by Andrea Davis Pinkney

5. The Colors of Us by Karen Katz

6. Lola at the Library by Anna McQuinn

7. I Love My Hair! by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley

8. Julian’s Glorious Summer by Ann Cameron

9. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

10. Miami Jackson Gets It Straight by Patricia McKissack

11. The Buried Bones Mystery by Sharon M. Draper

12. Moja Means One: Swahili Counting Book by Muriel and Tom Feelings

13. STAT: Standing Tall and Talented #1 by Amar’e Stoudemire

14. Donovan’s Word Jar by Monalisa Degross

15. I’m a Pretty Little Black Girl! by Betty K. Bynum

African Kingdoms Unit Study

Pages: 1 2

Filed Under: Book Lists, Reading Tagged With: african american books, african american literature, african american literature for kids, african american story books, african american story books for kids, book lists, booklists, reading, reading for kids, story books, story books for kids

Cozy Bedtime Books for Toddlers

December 14, 2017 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

10 Bedtime Books for Toddlers
Cozy Bedtime Books for Toddlers and Parents to Share

We have a very active little one in our family. She’s running around learning everything she possibly can. But, because she’s so excited about what’s she learning to do, getting her to settle down for bed has become a bit of problem. Every time I walk her into her room at night, she says “I want to get up in the morning, Mama.” Every. Single. Time. 🙂

So I thought I’d look for some bedtime books that would help her settle down and get ready for sleep. Today, I’m sharing a roundup of adorable bedtime books for toddlers!

If you and your little one enjoy these stories, be sure to check out my list of the absolute best picture books for three-year-olds!

These cozy bedtime books for toddlers are the perfect way to share a bedtime story with your little ones!

Bedtime Books for Toddlers

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1. The Going-to-Bed Book by Sandra Boynton

2. The Goodnight Train by June Sobel

3. Kiss Good Night by Amy Hest

4. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

5. Time for Bed by Mem Fox

6. A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na

7. Clifford’s Bedtime by Norman Bridewell

8. Bedtime in the Meadow by Stephanie Shaw

9. If Animals Kissed Good Night by Ann Whitford Paul

10. Snuggle Up, Sleepy Ones by Claire Freedman

See even more cozy bedtime stories for toddlers on the next page!

Pages: 1 2

Filed Under: Book Lists, Reading Tagged With: bedtime books, bedtime books for toddlers, bedtime stories, bedtime stories for toddlers, book lists, booklists, books for toddlers, kids books, picture books, prek reading, preschool reading, reading, reading for kids, toddler bedtime books, toddler books, toddlers

Winter Sight Words Flashcards

November 27, 2017 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Make early reading fun this winter with these printable winter sight word flashcards for kids!
Printable Winter Sight Words Flashcards - Look! We're Learning!

Winter is quickly approaching and it’s a great time to introduce a set of handy Winter Sight Words Flashcards!

Learning sight words is a big part of early literacy education. After all, phonics are great, but the typical phonetic rules don’t always apply!

Some words are simpler to learn through memorization and repetition drills.

Printable Winter Sight Word Flashcards

And that’s where these winter sight words learning cards can be a huge help.

Read on to get your set!

And be sure to grab our printable snowflake counting cards for some wintery math practice!

Use these winter sight word learning cards to help early readers build reading fluency!

Printable Winter Sight Words Flashcards for Kids

To use these sight words flashcards, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are listed below. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

  • Printer (with ink)
  • Printer Paper
  • Scissors
  • Laminator (optional)
  • Hook and loop adhesive coins (optional)
  • Dry erase markers (optional)
Fun Winter Sight Word Flashcards for Kids

In this printable pack, you’ll find picture flashcards for the following winter-themed sight words:

  • Coat
  • Cake
  • Fire
  • House
  • Hill
  • Wind
  • Snow
  • And Shoe
Winter Sight Word Literacy Cards

There is a set of cards with images and words. A second set of cards features just the images.

A third literacy card set shows only the printed words.

Labeling Winter Sight Words with Kids

There’s also a set of blank word labels for writing the words on the labeling cards!

How to Use the Winter Sight Words Flashcards with Students

There are several ways to use these learning cards with early readers.

Using Word Labels with Winter Sight Word Flashcards

Review the picture cards, especially if you’re working with pre-readers or ELL students.

When students are ready, have them practice matching the pictures they’ve learned to the picture matching cards.

This is a nice way to introduce them to the written sight words.

Printable Winter Sight Word Cards for Early Readers

As your early readers become more comfortable, let them begin practicing labeling the picture cards with the written sight word labels.

Printable Winter Sight Word Learning Cards for Kids

They can even use the blank word labels to write the sight words themselves!

If you laminate the cards, students can label the pictures using dry erase markers.

Winter Sight Word Picture Labeling Cards

You may even want to turn the matching exercises into reusable activities with hook and loop adhesive coins.

Scroll down to get your copy of our printable Winter Sight Word Flashcards!

Don’t miss these other literacy learning ideas!

Learn the Spanish ABCs with this fun Spanish alphabet literacy center for early learners!
These fun dinosaur word matching puzzles are so fun for early literacy practice!
These printable beach number literacy mats are perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergartners!
Seasonal Sight Word Cards Cover

To get your copy of our Winter Sight Words Cards, pick up our Seasonal Sight Words Learning Cards!

You’ll find the winter-themed sight word activities, plus practice for spring, summer, and fall nouns too!

Get a look at this resource in the video!

To get your copy of our Seasonal Sight Words Learning Cards, visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store or check them out below!

Filed Under: Homeschooling Printables, PreK Homeschooling Tagged With: flashcards, homeschool printables, printables, reading, sight words

Fall Sight Words Flashcards

October 26, 2017 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Use these printable fall sight word flashcards to help early learners practice sight reading!

Are you in the fall mood yet?

Fall Sight Word Flashcards - Look! We're Learning!

We had our first actual cool weather day here yesterday and it was wonderful.

I put on my favorite sweater, walked out the door, and enjoyed a hot coffee. Of course, we’ll have highs in the 80s again later this week, but for those few minutes, it really felt like fall had arrived.

Printable Fall Sight Word Literacy Cards

Fall is a great time to focus on building sight word skills with students.

If you’re working on sight words this year, these fall sight words flashcards are a fun way to strengthen reading skills and get into the fall spirit!

Practicing Fall Noun Sight Word Skills with Kids

Keep reading to see how to get your copy.

By the way, be sure to take a look at our Fall Alphabet and Number Playdough Mats too!

These fall sight word learning cards are perfect for building literacy skills during autumn!

Printable Fall Sight Words Flashcards

To use these fall sight words flashcards, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links are listed below. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

  • Printer (with ink)
  • Printer paper
  • Scissors
  • Laminator (if you want to reuse them later)
  • Hook and loop adhesive coins (optional)
  • Dry erase markers (optional)
Hands-on Fall Sight Words Practice

These flashcards are perfect for kids who are working on sight word skills, whether they’re toddlers or even first graders!

In this early literacy resource, you’ll find flashcards for the following fall-themed sight words:

  • Apple
  • Bear
  • Cat
  • Cow
  • Farm
  • School
  • Night
  • And School!
Practicing Fall Sight Words at Literacy Centers

There’s also a blank set of cards without the words so that kids can practice identifying each picture.

A set of cards with just the words is also included to help students learn to recognize the words alone.

Fall Sight Words Matching Activity

There’s also a set of cards with the words only to practice recognizing the words on their own.

How to Use the Fall Sight Words Flashcards with Students

There are several ways to use these fall noun sight words learning cards in the classroom.

Fall Themed Sight Words Learning Cards for Kids

Cut apart the picture cards and let students practice identifying each item before introducing the written words.

Fall Themed Sight Words Practice for Kids

Add in the written noun sight word flashcards and practice identifying each picture by reading the words.

Students who are ready to practice writing can use the blank word labels to write the sight word for each card.

Fall Sight Words Labeling Activity

You may wish to laminate the cards and hand out dry erase markers for the labeling activity.

Fall Sight Words Flashcards for Kids

Keep the flashcards nearby for students to check their work at centers or in morning tubs.

Fall Noun Sight Words Literacy Activity

You can even add hook and loop adhesive coins to turn the matching activities into reusable practice at centers.

Scroll down to get your fall sight words flashcards!

For even more fall fun, check out the following kids’ books about fall as well as some fun fall crafts and activities for children!

Kids’ Books about Fall

1. Hooray for Fall! by Kazuo Iwamuara

2. Fall (The Seasons) by Nuria Roca

3. Mouse’s First Fall by Lauren Thompson

4. I See Fall by Charles Ghigna

Kids’ Fall Crafts and Activities

1. Fall Playdough Recipe – Learn Play Imagine

2. 50 Free Fall Printables – Look! We’re Learning!

3. Fall Button Tree Quiet Bin – Hands On As We Grow

4. Leaf Stamping Fall Tree Craft – Crafty Morning

5. Fall Snow Globe Craft – Look! We’re Learning!

Get even more ideas for learning about fall below!

Use these realistic leaf identification activity cards to help students recognize common tree species!
Use this printable preschool fall activity calendar to plan an entire season of ideas for early learners!
This hands-on oak tree life cycle sequencing activity makes learning about fall plant science fun for early grades!
Seasonal Sight Word Cards Cover

To get your copy of our Fall Sight Words Flashcards, pick up our Seasons of Sight Seasonal Sight Word Learning Cards set!

The fall sight words learning cards are inside, plus noun sight word practice for spring, summer, and winter too!

Watch the video to get a look at this resource in full!

To get your copy of our Seasonal Sight Word Learning Cards, visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store or check them out below!

Filed Under: Homeschooling Printables, PreK Homeschooling Tagged With: fall, fall flashcards, fall printables, fall sight words, fall sight words flashcards, flashcards, prek, prek flashcards, prek printables, printable flashcards, reading, reading flashcards, sight words

20 Beautiful Owl Books for Kids

October 17, 2017 by Selena Robinson 5 Comments

We’ve had fun studying about nocturnal animals and one of those animals is…the owl! There are owls here in Georgia, but we hardly ever see them because they’re up when we’re asleep. 🙂

Since we’ve been talking about animals that are night “owls” (get it?), I rounded up some beautiful owl books for kids that we can share together. If you’re studying owls this fall, check out these storybooks and nonfiction books for some awesome owl facts!

Owl Books for Kids to Read

If you love these, don’t miss our list of bear books for kids as well! And for a fun craft project, see how to make a cute coffee filter owl craft with the kids!

These owl books for kids feature gorgeous pictures and illustrations for learning about these nocturnal flyers!

Owl Books for Kids:

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1. Owls by Gail Gibbons

2. Little Owl’s Night by Divya Srinivasan

3. Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

4. National Geographic Readers: Owls by Laura Marsh

5. Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton

6. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

7. Exploring the World of Owls by Tracy Read

8. The Barn Owls by Tony Johnston

9. Owl at Home (I Can Read Level 2) by Arnold Lobel

10. Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise by Sean Taylor

Fall Playdough Mats

See the rest of the list on page 2!

Pages: 1 2

Filed Under: Book Lists, Reading Tagged With: animals, books about owls, books for kids, children's books, fall, kids books, kids books about owls, owl books, owl books for kids, owls, reading, reading for kids

Simple Kindergarten Homeschool Reading List

October 3, 2017 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Our kindergartner is off to the reading races! She’s really progressed in her ability to read over the summer and now there’s no stopping her. She reads street signs and menu items and instructions on gas pumps and – basically, any word, anywhere.

Which thrills me. There is no more important skill in life than the ability to read. I firmly believe that a love for reading is the most important part of a good education.

But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be fun, right? So, for this year, I wanted to create a simple kindergarten homeschool reading list that my little one could complete without pressure and have fun while doing it! Take a look at our reading selections for this year and see if you can’t find some new stories for your family!

For more on our kindergarten plans for this year, take a look at how we’re planning a minimalist homeschool kindergarten curriculum!

Ready to get your little one reading? This simple kindergarten homeschool reading list features early readers kids will love!

Images c/o: StockUnlimited

Kindergarten Homeschool Reading List

Affiliate links provided here for convenience. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.

1. My Mouth Is a Volcano! by Julia Cook

2. Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne

3. Pete the Cat: Pete At the Beach by James Dean

4. Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown

5. Curious George: The Donut Delivery by H.A. Rey

6. The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak

7. There Is a Bird On Your Head! (An Elephant and Piggie Book) by Mo Willems

8. What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada

9. Enemy Pie (Reading Rainbow Book) by Derek Munson

Kindergarten Reading List for Kids

10. Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña

11. Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty

12. They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel

13. The Day The Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt

14. What’s The Difference? Being Different is Amazing! by Doyin Richards

15. The True Story of The Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka

16. Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall

17. This Is How We Do It: One Day In the Lives of Seven Kids from Around the World by Matt Lamothe

18. Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts

Simple Kindergarten Homeschool Reading List

What books are you reading with your kindergartner this year? Share your kindergarten homeschool reading list in the comments!

Try these other tips for planning your kindergarten homeschool year!

Get your little one off to a gentle start with this minimalist homeschool curriculum for kindergarten!

Liven up your lesson plans with these free printable flashcards for kids!

Overwhelmed by planning your kindergartner's homeschool lessons Try this simple homeschool kindergarten program instead!

Get more tips for teaching early grades on my Learning for Little Ones Pinterest board!

Did you know that our email subscribers get exclusive learning printables? Sign up to get yours using the widget below. 🙂

Share easy readers and fun stories with this simple kindergarten homeschool reading list!

Filed Under: Book Lists, Reading Tagged With: homeschool kindergarten, homeschool reading list, reading

15 Beautiful Children’s Books about Harvest

September 25, 2017 by Selena Robinson 5 Comments

We’re getting well into the harvest season and it’s a perfect time to read about this time of year with the kids!

We’ve already featured a harvest unit study, but I wanted to share a few more children’s books about harvest that feature picking apples, pumpkins, corn, and all kinds of fall produce.

There are even books that talk about the harvest moon, which is a great way to talk about lunar cycles.

Harvest Books for Kids to Read

Once you read a couple of these books, be sure to take the kids pumpkin picking, apple picking, or running through a corn maze. You might even want to make an apple pie with your kids!

By the way, if you can make an apple pie successfully, please explain it to me. I’m terrified of attempting to make a pie from scratch.

If you love these books, don’t miss our roundup of 50 Fall Books for Kids or our list of Children’s Books about Farms!

These beautiful harvest books for kids are lovely for sharing autumn stories together as a family!

15 Beautiful Children’s Books about Harvest

This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.

1. Possum’s Harvest Moon – Anne Hunter

2. Strega Nona’s Harvest – Tomie dePaola

3. We Gather Together: Celebrating the Harvest Season – Wendy Pfeffer

4. Pick a Circle, Gather Squares: A Fall Harvest of Shapes – Felicia Sanzari Chernesky

5. Hello, Harvest Moon – Ralph Fletcher

6. Fall Harvests: Bringing In Food – Martha E. H. Rustad

7. It’s Harvest Time! – Jean McElroy

8. Curious George: Apple Harvest – H.A. Rey

Harvest Books for Kids

Fall Playdough Mats

9. Apples, Apples Everywhere!: Learning about Apple Harvests – Robin Koontz

10. By the Light of the Harvest Moon – Harriet Ziefert

11. Tractor Mac: Harvest Time by Billy Steers

12. Harvest Time: Celebrate Fall! by Erika L. Shores

13. Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin by Tad Hills

14. Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie (Picture the Seasons) by Jill Esbaum

15. Bitsy’s Harvest Party by Melody Carlson

Children's Books about Harvest

Don’t miss these other book lists for kids!

These kids' books about leaves are packed with gorgeous illustrations - perfect for reading this fall!

Pick up this printable fall books for kids booklist to keep track of the gorgeous fall stories you share this autumn!

These fun farm books for kids are perfect for reading about farms, learning about farm animals, or doing a farm unit study!

Learn about how food is grown with these great children's books about harvest!

For more tips to make your kids into readers, check out my Reading for Kids board on Pinterest!

This post is part of The Massive Guide to Homeschool Reading Lists by iHomeschool Network! Click over to read tons of awesome booklists shared by my fellow homeschooling bloggers!

ReadingLists

Welcome the fall season with these beautiful harvest books for kids! Share a few of these children's books about harvest during read aloud time!

Filed Under: Book Lists, Reading Tagged With: book lists, children's books, children's books about harvest, fall, fall books, farm books, farms, harvest, harvest books, harvest books for kids, kids books about harvest, reading

How to Improve Reading Fluency with Nessy Reading & Spelling

April 18, 2017 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

My seven-year-old is well above grade level at reading comprehension, math, and writing, which thrills me. But his reading fluency needs a little help. Because he has ADHD, he’s super active. (And I mean, super active.) And that makes him rather…impatient.

When he tries to read aloud or spell words, he gets frustrated whenever he can’t do it right the first time. But, like most kids, he loves to play. So it was it a wonderful gift to get to try out Nessy Reading & Spelling – a game-based reading and spelling program that makes it simple to improve reading fluency for active kids or children with dyslexia!

Using Nessy Reading & Spelling Program to Help Active Kids Read

Read on to see how we’re using this fabulous reading program to help our child with ADHD work on reading and spelling. Plus, learn how to score a 15 percent discount on a monthly subscription AND a free book about dyslexia!

Disclosure: I received access to this program in exchange for this post and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.

Help your early readers improve reading fluency and spelling with Nessy Reading & Spelling! See how in this partnered post!

How Nessy Reading & Spelling Works

Nessy Reading & Spelling looks and operates much like a video game, so your kids are not going to fight you when it’s time for reading practice. I promise. 🙂

When you first sign up, you’ll receive login information and then you can create a “monkey” (an avatar) for your child. Or you can let them create it on their own.

Nessy Reading & Spelling Student Assessment

Kids can use their own name to sign in, so you don’t have to worry about helping them remember a username. Once they log in for the first time, they’ll get a quick tour of how the program works.

Nessy Reading & Spelling Opening Tour

The tour is really helpful, because it shows kids how to navigate between “islands” (game levels) and how to find all the activities for each island. Nessy Reading & Spelling is touch-centric, so it’s awesome to try on a tablet, by the way.

Collecting Points with Nessy Reading & Spelling

After completing the video tour, kids receive “nuggets”, which are basically points. As they progress through games and levels, they receive more that they can use in MonkeyTown, which I’ll talk about in a bit.

Once they take the tour, kids are prompted to complete the Nessy Challenge – an assessment of their current reading level.

Using Nessy Reading & Spelling to Assess Student Ability

During the Nessy Challenge, kids fill in blanks with the appropriate word. As they complete words correctly, the questions get more and more difficult.

Completing the Nessy Reading & Spelling Student Assessment

I will admit: The Nessy Challenge is long. It takes kids through all ten levels, and the challenge automatically proceeds to the next level once one is finished.

After about five levels, my guy was at the end of his patience limit. So I let him stop and go on to the Home screen to find an island he could explore. (You can always resume the challenge or take it again at a different time.)

Nessy Reading & Spelling Islands

Here’s a look at the “islands” in Nessy Reading and Spelling. Each one corresponds to about half a grade level, so Islands 1 and 2 are roughly equivalent to kindergarten, while islands 9 and 10 equate to fifth grade or so.

Phonics Practice with Nessy Reading & Spelling

You might wonder: How can you go over half of an elementary grade on one of these islands?

Easy! By including a ton of standard-specific exercises! These islands are jam-packed with reading practice, lessons, games, and even printables!

Sight Word Practice with Nessy Reading & Spelling

There’s even sight word and mnemonic practice included – and that’s just in Island 1!

Nessy Reading & Spelling Monkey Town Play Area

Remember MonkeyTown? Here’s a look at it. After kids complete their schoolwork for the day, they can go play in MonkeyTown – a game area that’s just for fun. You can set limits as to how long they can play in this area or how many lessons they must complete before entering.

Using Nessy Reading & Spelling to Improve Reading Fluency

Once my seven-year-old finished the Nessy Challenge, he was placed on Island 5. After looking through the standards, we started him on compound words – a topic he hadn’t learned much about yet.

Using the Nessy Reading & Spelling Program for Active Kids

Since he was already familiar with the concept of compound words (two small words joined together to make a larger word), he went straight to the games.

Compound Word Game with Nessy Reading & Spelling

In the game “Monkey Words”, kids can help their monkeys jump to the top of the tree by correctly combining small words to form compound words. My guy did pretty good with this one.

Nessy Reading & Spelling Game Report

See? At the end of the game, you can see a report that shows you which words kids learned, how they scored, and how long it took them to complete it. You can set the passing score however you like, but the default is 8 out of 10.

Compound Word Spelling Game with Nessy Reading & Spelling

Then it was on to another game – “Hands Off My Bananas”. This was a great activity, because it was practice in typing, spelling, and recognizing the same compound words he just practiced in the previous game.

Playing a Nessy Reading & Spelling Compound Word Game

In this game, he had to listen to the compound word being spoken and then type it correctly. I love how Nessy Reading & Spelling lets kids work on reading and recognizing the same group of words through a variety of exercises. So much better than just drilling them over and over!

Working with Nessy Reading & Spelling for Active Kids

And, as you can see, even though he worked on the same group of words for about 20 minutes, he didn’t get impatient or frustrated at all. He loved it!

Nessy Reading & Spelling Compound Word Bingo Game

Finally, for that lesson, we used one of the printable resources: A compound words bingo game! We printed out the game and let my two boys play against each other.

Playing Nessy Reading & Spelling Compound Word Bingo

As with the previous exercises, this game focused on the very same set of compound words. The challenge for each boy was to find the compound word I called out and get “BINGO” before the other.

Spotting Compound Words with Nessy Reading & Spelling Bingo

Since the game boards aren’t identical (each one contains different words), there’s truly no way to know who will win.

Compound Word Bingo with Nessy Reading & Spelling

But my seven-year-old won anyway. 🙂

Playing Compound Word Bingo with Nessy Reading & Spelling

And I made them both shake hands afterward. Good game, fellas!

We really had a ball working with Nessy Reading & Spelling and this was just a few exercises from one of the over 100 lessons! There’s so much to work with here for kids from grades K-5. It’s truly an excellent, comprehensive program for building reading fluency and spelling skills!

To learn more about Nessy Learning and how you can get a subscription to Nessy Reading & Spelling, follow the company on social media:

  • Facebook
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  • Pinterest
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And if you’re ready to sign up for a monthly Nessy Reading & Spelling subscription, you can save 15% with the promo code BLOG17!

Plus, score an ebook about how dyslexia affects kids – FREE! This is super important if you have a child that struggles with dyslexia or if you suspect your early reader may be displaying signs of a learning disorder. Download the free Dyslexia Explained ebook to learn more about how to help your kids master reading, even if they’re living with dyslexia.

Get more tips for helping your readers on my Reading for Kids Pinterest board!

Filed Under: Curriculum Reviews, Reading Tagged With: curriculum reviews, improve reading fluency, nessy reading, nessy reading & spelling, reading

Must-Read Black History Books for Kids

January 10, 2017 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

In our family, black history is history. We teach it along with every other topic. We’ve covered African history, civil rights, and even jazz history with our children over the years. But we’ve also enjoyed sharing African-American storybooks that help them “see” themselves in stories.

As part of learning about history, we’ve read some wonderful black history books for kids over the years. Today I’m sharing some of the selections that I consider “must-read” books! If I missed any of your favorites, feel free to share your suggestions in the comments!

Learning about black history is such an important part of a child's education. Make it fun with these must-read black history books for kids!

Image c/o: Brainsil / depositphotos

Must-Read Black History Books for Kids

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1. 100 African-Americans Who Shaped American History by Chrisanne Beckner (If you only get one, make it this one.)

2. Rosa by Nikki Giovanni

3. When the Beat was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip-Hop by Laban Carrick Hill

4. My Name is Truth: The Life of Sojourner Truth by Ann Turner

5. Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America

6. Fly High: The Story of Bessie Coleman by Louise Borden

7. Firebird by Misty Copeland

8. Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream by Deloris Jordan

9. Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad

10. A Weed is a Flower: The Life of George Washington Carver by Aliki

11. Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky by Faith Ringgold

12. Black Cowboys by Ryan P. Randolph

13. Fifty Cents and a Dream: Young Booker T. Washington by Jabari Asim

14. The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles (Check out our Ruby Bridges unit study!)

15. Alvin Ailey by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Beautiful Black History Books for Kids to Read - Look! We're Learning!

16. Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker by Patricia Hruby Powell

17. 28 Days: Moments in Black History That Changed the World by Charles R. Smith, Jr.

18. Fort Mose: And the Story of the Man Who Built the First Free Black Settlement in Colonial America by Glennette Tiley Turner

19. Molly, By Golly!: The Legend of Molly Williams, America’s First Female Firefighter

20. Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson (Don’t miss our Nelson Mandela unit!)

21. Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World’s Fastest Woman by Kathleen Krull

22. Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra by Andrea Davis Pinkney

23. Tommy Traveler in the World of Black History by Tom Feelings (This is a tough one to find, but it is so worth it.)

24. The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch by Chris Barton

25. What Color is My World?: The Lost History of African-American Inventors by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

26. Mister and Lady Day: Billie Holiday and the Dog Who Loved Her by Amy Novesky

27. Jump Back, Paul: The Life and Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar by Sally Derby

28. Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X by Ilyasah Shabazz

29. Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip Through the Motown Sound by Andrea Davis Pinkney

30. Stealing Home: The Story of Jackie Robinson by Barry Denenberg

31. When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson by Pam Munoz Ryan

32. Nothing But Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson by Sue Stauffacher

33. Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins by Carole Boston Weatherford

34. We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson

Must-Read Black History Books for Kids - Look! We're Learning!

Check out these other black history posts!

Studying the Harlem Renaissance with Kendall Hunt Publishing

31 African American Story Books for Kids - Look! We're Learning!

Ruby Bridges Unit Study

Plus, grab our ebook “We Got Jazz” for 120 pages of unit studies and activities about jazz greats, including Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and more!

We Got Jazz eBook - Look! We're Learning!

Follow my Living History for Kids board on Pinterest for more history teaching ideas!

This post is part of the “Must-Read Books” linkup from iHomeschool Network! Stop by to read more awesome book lists from my fellow bloggers!

Must-Read Books linkup

Filed Under: Black History, Book Lists, History Tagged With: black history, black history books, black history books for kids, book lists, books, books about black history for kids, books for kids, history, history books, history books for kids, homeschool history, kids books about black history, must-read black history books for kids, reading

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