Secret Stories® Phonics Blog with Katie Garner: November 2016

Sharing the Secret Stories® just got a whole lot easier! Teachers' favorite secret weapon for teaching all (and I mean ALL!) of those tricky letter sounds and phonics skills just got a "face-lift!"

Introducing the latest edition of Secret Stories® Cracking the Reading Code with the Brain in Mind!— Version 2.0!

The NEW Secret Stories® Phonics Book— Version 2.0! by Katie Garner

This NEW edition of the Secret Stories® book and posters was just released this fall! If you've been waiting for the right time to update yours, or if you have always wanted to buy it, now is the time!

The new look, layout design makes it easy to start sharing the Secrets! Instructional icons, in-line text boxes and "just-so-you-know" tags, the new book is easy to navigate and grab what you need in a hurry! Plus, it's jam-packed with new sections, including how to dig even deeper into the affective learning domain for accelerated reading and writing (phonics) skill access!

The NEW Secret Stories® Phonics Book— Version 2.0!

And for those who might be wondering how to still make use of your existing book and/or poster set, here's the best tip ever....and one that might even convince your principal to purchase it for you!

Ideally, every classroom using the Secret Stories® should have a 'loaner' book available for parents to check-out, as needed, to remediate and/or accelerate learning at home. Your old book makes the perfect parent resource, plus it's an easy way to satisfy School Improvement Plans that Require teachers and administrators to connect school and home learning, so as to foster stronger home-school connections.

A VERY "Well-Used" Secret Stories® Phonics Book

Quite possibly, the world's most well-used "old" Secret Stories® Book!

Similarly, your old Secret Stories® posters can be bound together to make a 'big book' of all the Secrets that students can take turns taking it home to share. (This will be the most valuable commodity in your classroom, as all of them will want to be privy to new Secrets that you haven't yet shared, which makes it a great behavior incentive!) Simply staple or hole-punch/bind posters together. If you had originally cut your posters, don't fret, as they can easily be re-mounted onto large pieces of construction paper (preferably yellow, black or read) and them laminated.

Secret Stories® Phonics Posters in Peeps Classroom

(More on this adorable little PeeP-Pic on Instagram)

Both are ideal ways to "let parents in on the SECRETS®" and how kids use them in the classroom to read and spell words!

To celebrate the new release, I'm doing a special giveaway of the new book, along with the choice of poster styles (Fun & Funky, Space-Saver/Dual-Use Placards or Original) See Rafflecopter below for details on how to enter.

But you don't have to win to get started sharing Secrets, as you can download the FREE mini-anchor sample set, here, or by clicking on the link, below!

Secret Stories Phonics Mini Anchor Poster Sample Set

Download the FREE mini-anchor sample poster set

If you are subscribed to my newsletter, then you already know about the free download window for the SECRET STORIES® Guided Reader "In the Fall!" If not, be sure to grab it now before the window closes later this week!

Secret Stories® Phonics Guided Reader —In the Fall

And finally, here's a great video just posted to the SECRET STORIES YouTube Channel of some first graders just a couple of weeks into school, sharing the amazing "secret" discoveries they've made in their names! (For more background, read here, here and here!)

"Spotting SECRETS™ in my name!"

To enter the Raffelcopter Drawing (which begins at midnight on Thursday, Nov. 3rd) post a comment below. You can also follow on Facebook and Twitter (or if you're already following, just let me know :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Fall!!!

I hope to have the chance to meet many of you during my conference travels this year!