Lake Erie College Partners with Phonics in Motion

Lake Erie College has awarded Phonics in Motion, a statewide $500,000 tutoring grant. This partnership will better prepare LEC education students to teach through a science of reading-aligned program, putting them ahead of other educators.

Phonics in Motion is a science of reading-aligned, comprehensive early literacy program designed for students aged preschool through third grade. The program teaches students how to read and write by pairing sounds with various, unique hand motions, which are then integrated across four literacy routines.

“Phonics in Motion is so effective because it engages kids and they literally beg for it, they love it,” Carina Powers, CEO of Phonics in Motion, said. “It’s multi-sensory.”

Through Phonics in Motion, teachers and education professionals teach students to read by pairing every sound in the English language with a unique hand movement. The motions are designed to mimic what the mouth does as they say the word out loud. The hand movements can be used throughout the day as the teacher is talking, allowing students to pick up on these sounds more naturally.

“So kids use these motions to identify sounds in our language through poems, as they go about their days,” Powers said. “You can use the motions anywhere to get the kids hunting for sounds.”

Jenn Miller, director of professional development at Lake Erie College, is incredibly excited about the partnership.

“Phonics in Motion is an easy choice for LEC to partner with because of the solid foundation of literacy and phonics instruction,” Miller said. “Not only does Phonics in Motion align with science of reading research, but it also provides a Tier 1 instructional program that works!”

The science of reading research explains how the brain best learns how to read and write. Phonics in Motion uses this research to develop its multisensory program. Through this partnership, Lake Erie College undergraduate students and teachers enrolled in our professional development programs already have access to this new way of teaching.

“The overall goal of Phonics in Motion is to change the ways that kids learn to read and write,” Powers said. “And to make sure that kids are having fun along the way.”