Using the Secret Stories® Resource to Teach Phonics
A free sample of How to Teach Phonics Using the Secret Stories® Resource can be downloaded at the end of this post.
Have you witnessed the “magic” of Katie Garner’s Secret Stories® in your classroom? In all my years of teaching, I’ve never had a phonics resource that resulted in such success for my students. Once I delved into the manual and accompanying posters and flashcards, I personally needed to determine a procedure for integrating this resource into my literacy program. I say this despite Katie Garner’s expert opinion.
“A secret is most effectively introduced in context with existing daily curriculum and activities across the entire instructional day, not as a designated phonics lesson for the purpose of teaching isolated skills. Our brains don’t learn like that! Instead, they learn best on a need-to-know basis. In other words, the brain learns best on its own agenda and for its own designated purpose.”
Garner, Katie. Secret Stories: Cracking the Code With the Brain in Mind.
Asheville, North Carolina, Marenem, Inc., 2001, p. 23.
I most definitely reference the Secret Stories® throughout my day, which is why all the posters are displayed from the very first day. Whenever possible, I connect what’s happening in our lessons to the Secret Stories. I teach individual students a Secret they need to know. Having said that, I personally needed a more concrete plan as to how I was going to explicitly teach and reinforce these skills with my whole class. If you’re also wanting some direction in terms of how to use the Secret Stories® resource in your classroom, I hope you find these ideas helpful.
#1: A Teaching Sequence
In my resource, you’ll find a list of the order I explicitly teach the Secret Stories®. Naturally, this order is flexible, based on my students’ learning needs.
#2: The Students’ Secret Story Sheet
I created a sheet my students use to record the Secret Story, draw their own picture, and print some words that contain the Secret. These sheets are put into a duo tang folder so students can reference them anytime.
#3: Word Lists for Each Secret Story
Since part of the Secret Story sheet the students complete includes listing words that contain the Secret, I wanted these at my fingertips. So, the resource includes word lists for every Secret Story. I also included words with more than 2 syllables. Why? The Secrets are ideal for students who are in higher grades but have not yet mastered all the necessary phonics skills. The resource includes a page with a full explanation.
#4: Multisensory Activities to Reinforce the Secrets
I use six different routines to have my students practice using the Secrets they’ve learned. Some of these activities can be used at literacy centers but they are ideal for small-group instruction. Since I usually need to differentiate follow-up instruction based on my students’ varying mastery levels, these activities are perfect for that purpose.
How do you guide your students to practice the Secret Stories® in your classroom?
Download a free sample of How to Teach Phonics Using the Secret Stories® Resource.
You might like to check out the full resource in My Shop. It includes word lists for all the Secret Stories®. Look under the Phonics tab to find How to Teach Phonics Using the Secret Stories® Resource. Click on this button to check it out.
