Gene Kerns

Vocabulary Reigns Supreme

Vocabulary Reigns Supreme

Presenter linkBrian M. PetePresenter linkGene KernsPresenter linkRobin J. Fogarty
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Categories: Instruction, Literacy

Based on Literacy Reframed

“After we learn the mechanics of reading early on, through phonics and decoding, reading growth then depends, more than anything, on our ability to develop students’ knowledge base and vocabulary” (Lemov, 2015; Pinker in Hirsch, 2016; Shanahan, 2011, 2014; as cited in Schmoker, 2018, pg. 270).

This makes perfect sense because the true roots of reading are in the “knowledge learned and knowingness retained,” both of which are embedded and conceptualized as the reader makes meaning of the message. Read more

The Sound of Literacy

Decoding—The Sound of Literacy

Presenter linkBrian M. PetePresenter linkGene KernsPresenter linkRobin J. Fogarty
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Categories: Instruction, Literacy

Based on Literacy Reframed

Listen, and you will hear, the sounds of literacy ringing in your ears.

As human beings, we come pre-wired to learn language by hearing it spoken. The first sounds of language are even heard in the womb. Tiny ears recognize the sound of Mom’s voice, distinct from Dad’s. These first encounters are followed by the oral language of “baby sounds,” mimicking what they hear and reproducing their interpretation of the sounds that grow naturally into speaking. Read more