Ready, Set, Spark
Spark Reading Newsletter | Sep 2022
Help reading confidence soar this back-to-school season with Spark Reading! In this issue, find tips, videos, and resources to get your class up and running with Spark in a snap. We’re also launching new fully decodable books (searchable by scope and sequence) to support phonics instruction. Plus, you’ll find books to help your class recognize The National Day of Truth and reconciliation—and a chance to win a set of bean bag chairs for your class!
Launch Spark in Your Class
As the new school year begins, we’re sharing helpful, tip-filled resources for teachers and students so you can kick off a year of reading success!
Teacher Time-Savers
Whether you’re new to Spark or a returning teacher looking for a quick refresher, these resources are for you.
- Watch this Spark Reading Overview video for a step-by-step guide on how to start using Spark with your students.
- Choose from our list of How-To Videos for quick and easy instructions on using specific features and tools.
- Encourage at-home reading with this editable template letter for parents. It’s a quick way to share everything parents need to encourage students to use Spark for reading at home.
- Have more questions? Explore our entire Help Site.
Student How-To’s
These quick how-to videos will help your students use Spark at school and home.
Feature Highlight!
Grow Their Reading Confidence With Decodable Books
As curriculums across the county focus more on phonics, decodable books can support explicit phonics instruction. Spark is ready to help with 60 new fully decodable books from Bug Club. We’ve also added new search functionality that makes it quick and easy to reinforce your explicit, sequential phonics instruction.
Practice Phonics in Context!
- Bug Club decodable books allow students to practice their phonics skills in context, so you can say goodbye to worksheets.
How to get started
- Inside Spark, look for a new filter called “Decodable Books”
- Click on the filter to look at the scope and sequence
- Select the set that aligns with the phoneme/grapheme you are currently teaching
- Select a book for whole class instruction or individual student reading and practice
Ideas for Using Decodables with Your Class
- Whole Class Instruction and Individual Practice: There are multiple Bug Club decodable books for each phoneme/grapheme set, so you can use different books for whole class instruction and individual practice.
- Try this: Use a book from set seven as part of your interactive read-aloud during explicit instruction. Then use Spark to assign your class a different book from that set for independent phonics practice.
Differentiation: Use Bug Club decodable books in Spark to support differentiation.
Try this: If you notice some students need extra support with earlier phonemes and graphemes, use Spark to assign books covering those skills to individuals or small groups for additional practice. You can send different books to groups and individuals depending on their needs.
Watch your Spark library (and our newsletter) as more decodable books are released to support phonics instruction in your classroom in the coming months.
Win a Class Treat!
You do so much for your students! To say thank you, we’re holding a World Teacher’s Day Giveaway! Complete the short form below for your chance to win one of 50 sets of 4 bean bag chairs for your class. Enter the contest here!
BOOK SPOTLIGHT
The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation
Encourage learning and reflection in your classroom on The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation (Friday, Sept 30th) with through-provoking books that address residential schools and Indigenous perspectives.
*Find even more related books within Spark by using the Indigenous Peoples filter under Topic of Interest/Inquiry.
