Flash Cards Printing: Fill & Download for Free

I came up with three principles for using these tools effectively, and I would be interested in hearing others’ ideas. Here are mine:(1) Always study vocabulary in the context of real example sentences; never study isolated words.(2) Beware of using flash cards to "go through the motions" of studying, a form of productive procrastination.(3) Memorize example sentences, but never memorize definitions.Since I am about to add a feature to WordBrewery that will allow users to print flash cards and vocabulary lists with example sentences, I spent some time thinking about what role these popular methods play in language learning. Personally, I have learned a lot through digital flash cards on apps like Anki and Kanjibox, but I have also wasted plenty of time and energy on low-value activities like creating flash cards and studying isolated words on flash cards.I discuss these ideas at greater length in a blog post I wrote this morning. Check it out if you are interested.-- Ryan from WordBrewery

Babies who start reading flash cards at 12 months are a subset of the type who have parents who start showing them flash cards at this sort of age. Another subset is the group that ignores the cards. Most normal parents don't do this kind of thing.Way back in the 1960s, an American called Glenn Doman published a book called Teach Your Baby to Read, and I assume there must be a few copies of this still around. He demonstrated that even babies with Down’s Syndrome could be taught to read flash cards like this, so it isn't necessarily proof of high intelligence.A toddler who starts decoding printed words on his or her own is pretty exceptional. One who learns to read flash cards when shown them may be very bright, but not necessarily.I taught one of my children to read early, or rather helped her, because she desperately wanted to be able to read, and said so, though I should say that I made almost no use of flash cards - I like having a daughter who can decode any word, and can spell! She learned very quickly, and was and remains a voracious reader. But I would not force it onto a preschooler who didn't really want to learn, and in fact I think my daughter might have been better off learning more about how to throw and catch a ball, and play with other children.Don't push it. There's more than enough for a one-year-old to be learning and doing, without sitting looking at flash cards.

A reading specialist has different laws from that of a classroom teacher.I’ll focus my laws on a first-grade student I had a number of years ago.Make the Lessons Personal.He hasn’t learned the art of reading so he’s very reluctant to pick up a book. How do I overcome that?Say his name is John. If I write stories using his name and including things he likes to do, that would give him an incentive to read.That’s what I did with my young first-grade student. I folded a sheet of paper into fourths with a title page and 3 other pages for the stories.The title: John Can Hit the BallThen every page would be about John and hitting the ball.2. My Student Has a Short Attention Span. Make the Lessons/activities Short.Each activity would last 5–10 minutes at the most.3. He is “Antsy”. I Need to Keep Him Moving in Order to Keep His Interest.I send him to the dry board where there are plenty of colorful markers. I’ve written words on the board which I’ll call out in random order. He’ll locate the word and erase it. OR I’ll call out three-letter words which he then has to print with his favorite color.4. It’s Nice to be in Control When School Offers a Student Very Little of it.I have 4–5 activities lined up on the table and allow Sean to choose the order in which we work through the activities.5. While My Student Works, I Observe Him Closely.Is the activity too difficult? Does his body language tell me he’s becoming frustrated so that I need to pull back a bit and present it later?6. If a Child is Right Handed, I Sit on His Left Side.It’s important that I watch Sean as he prints and creates a short sentence. I learn a lot that way.7. Let the Student Determine the Pace.I have the luxury of allowing my first-grade student to “tell” me if I’m going too fast or if I can move on to the next level.8. Make Activities Multi-purpose.I don’t use standard flash cards. I place colored pencils and 3x5 cards on the table then he chooses a colored pencil and makes several flash cards each day. He practices printing at the same time, which is not easy for him. Then he has a stack of flash cards with the top card reading “Sean’s Flash Cards”.9. Record His Reading so He Has Concrete Evidence of Improvement.I know his mother well, so my student has made recordings of the little stories I’ve written for him. He takes them home at the end of the month and plays them for the family.10. The Most Important Observation of All.He’s a very bright child. His single issue is not that he’s a delayed reader. His single issue is he’s not developmentally ready for 1st grade. He struggles.Should he have waited another year? No. He’s very tall for his age and physically mature . He’s a star athlete on the playground. The girls think he’s cute. The boys admire his agility and skill playing kickball. Nobody cares that he can’t read because they’re too busy admiring his physical superiority.By 3rd grade, he’s a star in the classroom. He just needed time for his reading superiority to catch up to his physical superiority.