Episode Summary:

If you’ve ever had a student who reads “c...a...t...” and by the time they finish the sentence, they can’t remember what it was about, this episode is for you! Today, we're diving into a super common (and totally normal!) stage of early reading: sound-by-sound decoding — why students get stuck there, and how to help them move into smoother, more confident word reading. You’ll walk away with simple, practical steps you can start using tomorrow to bridge the gap from choppy decoding to fluent reading.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• Why students get stuck in sound-by-sound reading

• How to check and strengthen decoding foundations

• Blending strategies that actually make reading easier

• How to use blending lines for daily fluency practice

• What comes next after students move past sound-by-sound reading

Key Takeaways:

✅ Accuracy always comes before speed — strengthen the foundation first ✅ Teach and model blending explicitly (traditional, successive, and continuous) ✅ Use blending lines daily for structured, targeted practice ✅ Celebrate small wins — fluency is built word by word!

Resources Mentioned:

• Printable version of this episode (Message me @literacyedventures on Instagram to grab it!)

• Stay tuned for Episode 2, where we’ll cover sentence- and passage-level fluency strategies like echo reading, fluency pyramids, phrase-cued reading, and more!

Connect With Me:

• Instagram: @literacyedventures

• Website: Literacy Edventures

If You Loved This Episode:

Would you leave a quick review or share this episode with a teacher friend? Your support helps me reach more educators and keep these episodes coming!