In today’s episode of The Education Connection, Robin shares exactly how she teaches the r-controlled vowels er, ir, and ur in her classroom — and why her students absolutely love it. After hearing Katie Garner explain that all three make the same “errrr” sound, Robin completely shifted her approach. Now she teaches the patterns, using a playful, hands-on activity with toy cars that instantly grabs kids’ attention.

You’ll hear how Robin labels cars with er, ir, and ur, lets students “drive” around the carpet, and then park their cars on matching word cards to build automatic recognition of spelling patterns. She also explains orthographic mapping in a simple, teacher-friendly way and walks through additional routines that help young readers truly understand these tricky vowel combinations.

If you want an engaging way to teach r-controlled vowels — one that feels fun, makes sense, and sticks — this episode will give you the exact ideas you can use tomorrow.

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In this Thanksgiving week episode, Robin offers a gentle heart to heart for every teacher who feels tired, stretched thin, or simply ready for a moment to breathe. Together, we pause to reflect on gratitude, acknowledge the reality of the season, and prepare our hearts for the next three busy weeks leading up to Christmas.

Robin shares encouragement for finding calm, noticing the wins that matter, giving yourself grace for the messy moments, and stepping into December with intention instead of overwhelm. This episode is a reminder that you do not have to conquer the holidays. You only have to be present, steady, and grounded in the work you already do so well.

If you need a peaceful reset before the Christmas countdown begins, this episode is for you.

In this episode of The Education Connection, Robin shares one of the most important turning points in her teaching journey. Long before she became a confident and successful reading teacher, she remembers the season when she struggled, prayed for guidance, and felt unsure of how to help her students grow. God answered that prayer through an unexpected path that became the foundation of her reading instruction today.

Robin teaches how glued sounds work and why they matter, and she breaks them into simple steps that any teacher can use. You will hear three practical activities you can implement right away to help your students master am, an, all, ing, ang, ong, ung, ink, ank, onk, and unk with confidence. She also shares how rhythm and routines make phonics learning natural and joyful.

This episode blends the heart of a mentor with the experience of a seasoned teacher. Robin has spent years refining her practice, and her passion is helping other educators finally feel confident with the parts of reading that used to feel overwhelming.

If this podcast encourages you, please share it with another teacher or homeschool mom.

And if you leave a 5-star rating and review on the podcast platform you use, you will be entered into a monthly drawing for a $25 gift card. Your support helps more teachers discover simple and effective ways to grow strong readers.

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Teaching is heavy work. In this episode, Robin unpacks cognitive overload, the emotional weight of student trauma, the pressure of teacher evaluations, and the toll it takes on your heart and mind. With research, honesty, and encouragement from Lamentations 3:24, this episode offers strength and hope for educators in demanding seasonsI

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If this episode encouraged you, I would love for you to leave a five star rating and a quick review. When you do, you will automatically be entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card. It is a simple way to support the podcast, and your review helps other teachers and homeschool families discover these conversations. Thank you so much for taking a moment to share your thoughts.

Fluency starts with confidence, and confidence starts with sight words! In this episode of The Education Connection, Robin Wilson shares practical ways to help young readers recognize high-frequency words instantly, freeing their brains to focus on comprehension and meaning.

You’ll learn how sight words support fluency, how many to focus on each year, and why those little words make a big impact. Robin also shares her favorite classroom-tested activities and a free resource to help you put it all into practice.

🧠 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why sight words are the key to building fluent, confident readers
• The difference between Fry and Dolch lists (and how to start if you don’t have a program)
• How the first 100 words make up about 50% of what kids read — and the first 300 words cover 65%

🎯 Try This in Your Classroom:

Sight Word Parking Lot Write words on index cards and let students “drive” toy cars to the ones you call out. This quick, movement-based activity builds instant recognition while keeping learning playful and fun!

Grab Robin’s Free Spelling Practice Pack, perfect for reinforcing sight words and phonics patterns through editable weekly templates. 👉 Download it now at Robin Wilson First Grade Love Spelling Practice First Grade

“Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” — Galatians 6:9 Every sight word you teach is a seed of confidence that will grow in your students over time.

If this episode encouraged you, please share it with a teacher or homeschool mom—it helps more than you know! And when you leave a 5-star rating and review, you’ll be entered into a $25 Amazon gift card giveaway.

Subscribe to The Education Connection so you never miss a new episode filled with practical classroom ideas and heart-centered teaching inspiration.

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Your students can decode words — but something’s still missing. They’re reading words but not books, and it’s choppy, slow, and uncertain. That’s where fluency comes in, the bridge between sounding out and real reading.

In this episode, Robin Wilson shares:

• What fluency means
• Why 20 minutes of daily reading changes everything
• Three simple ways to build fluent, confident readers
• How to keep reading time fun with variety and choice

🎁 FREE RESOURCE: Download Robin’s The Read Everyday Challenge. 10 fun ways to practice reading every day! 👉 Click here to download the free guide

⭐ ENTER TO WIN! Leave a 5-star review of The Education Connection on Apple Podcasts, and you’ll be automatically entered into a drawing for a $25 Amazon gift card. It’s my way of saying thank you for supporting the show and helping other teachers find it too! 💛

🎧 Listen now and discover how to turn decoding into joyful, fluent reading — one day at a time.

This week on The Education Connection, we’re moving forward on our phonics journey by exploring plurals — when to add s and when to add es to show “more than one.” We’ve already built strong foundations with letter sounds, CVC words, blends, and digraphs. Now, we’re helping our students apply those skills in real reading and writing.

In this episode, I share simple language to teach the rule, plus three easy activities you can use right away:

• “One or More?” oral practice game
• s/es sorting activity
• Plural Detective reading activity

These can be done whole group, small group, or in literacy centers.

We’ll wrap up with a scripture reminder that small steps matter and a prayer of encouragement for your week. Tune in — let’s grow confident readers together.

If The Education Connection podcast is encouraging you, helping you in the classroom, or giving you something to think about each week, I would be so grateful if you would take a moment to leave a positive review for the show. Your kind words truly mean the world to me. 💛

Leave a 5 star rating and a positive review on this podcast and you will be automatically entered into a drawing for a $25 gift card as a thank you. 🎉

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In this episode of The Education Connection, Robin Wilson explores the power of word families—focusing on am, at, and an to strengthen early reading skills. Discover three engaging, low-prep activities that make decoding fun and meaningful for young learners. Plus, learn how to apply these same ideas across all the basic word families in first grade. Scripture and prayer close out this episode with encouragement for teachers guiding little readers each day.

Get Ready for next year with these ultimate resources.

Get Ready for Kindergarten

Get Ready for First Grade

Get Ready for Second Grade

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