What is Tapping Out with Tiles?

Tapping Out With Tiles is a student-centered, brain-based phonics instructional program that uses explicit daily lessons and hands-on-practice to help children become confident speller, readers, and writers.

Teachers show children to “tap out” words and manipulate tiles to spell interactively. Students learn to segment words in a progressive order, decode words, learn word recognition skills, and become more fluent readers. Tapping Out With Tiles, works!

100% hands-on

ZERO worksheets/workbooks

Why teach phonics?

Children who are taught phonics explicitly will have greater gains in reading, writing, and spelling. We teach phonics because Phonics gives us the TOOLS we need to learn thousands of words without depending upon memorization!

Phonics is emphasized because it provides a reading foundation for children that is based on the sounds and letters of the alphabet. When children learn the 26 letters with their 44 sounds and 70 common spellings, they are equipped with the tools they need to read words.

Critics of phonics instruction argue that English spellings are too irregular for phonics instruction to really help children learn to read words. The point is, that phonics instruction teaches children a system for remembering how to read words. Systematic and explicit phonics instruction makes a bigger contribution to children’s growth in reading than instruction that provides non-systematic or no phonics instruction.

Regardless of the label, the goal of phonics instruction is to help children learn and use the alphabetic principle.

What do we offer?

1st/2nd Grade Teacher Kit

Also ideal for Third Grade, ELL, and Home School
  • First/Second Grade Teacher’s Manual (includes 170 daily lessons)
  • Built-in QR codes where teachers may view selected lessons
  • 1 large Teacher Daily Instructional Board
  • All Consonant Letter Cards for instructional modeling for Teacher Board
  • All vowel cards for instructional modeling on Teacher Board
  • Set of 25 reversible Student Boards
  • 11 Mouth Position Cards
  • 5 Large Vowel Variation Cards
  • 3 Large Signal Cards
  • Literature Selection booklet
  • 1 B-M-E Phonics Train for Teacher’s daily Instruction
  • 1 set of 2,000 tiles
  • Teacher storage
  • 25 student containers
  • Box of Velcro
  • Required Training

Kindergarten Kit

  • 1 Teacher’s Manual (102 daily lessons)
  • 1 large Teacher Instructional Board
  • All Consonant Letter Cards for instructional modeling on Teacher Board
  • All Vowel Cards for instructional modeling on Teacher Board
  • Set of 25 reversible Student Boards
  • Literature Selection booklet
  • 30 Phonics Friends Cards
  • Enlarged Set Consonant and Vowel Cards for Student Activities and Instruction
  • 1 set of 2,000 tiles
  • Teacher Storage
  • 25 Student containers
  • Box of Velcro
  • Required Training

Professional
Development

Trainings are required when purchasing a package.

  1. Full day trainings
  2. Half day trainings
  3. Classroom visits for coaching/modeling
  4. Email Correspondence Q & A

Contact Us for Pricing Today!

Meet the Authors

Dede Pinson

Dede Pinson

Dede Pinson began her teaching career in 1976. Dede has taught different grade levels, but the majority of her career has been devoted to first grade. Dede has taught in various settings in several regions of the country. From prominent private schools, to low socio economic schools, to mainstream classrooms, to academic magnet schools, Dede has witnessed firsthand how explicit phonics instruction develops mastery in all students. She has seen firsthand how all students from all backgrounds can become masters in spelling, reading, and writing. While teaching in St. Louis, Missouri, Dede attended graduate school at Webster University and earned a Masters of Arts in Teaching. She has been awarded Teacher of the Year twice in two different schools and was awarded the Reading Award from the Tennessee Reading Association in 2013. She has consulted and presented for professional development trainings and conferences at the local and state levels. Aside from teaching, Dede and her husband, Frank, have been married since 1976 and have two grown children, and four grandchildren.

Stephanie Lynch

Stephanie Lynch

Stephanie Lynch began her teaching career in 2002. She has taught fifth grade and third grade, but the majority of her teaching experience has been in first grade. Stephanie has taught in several states in diverse school systems. She, too, has seen firsthand how all students from all backgrounds can become masters in spelling, reading, and writing. From high achieving magnet school students, to ELL students, to students with dyslexia, and students in mainstream classrooms, she has helped numerous students reach their full potential. Stephanie received the honor of being named one of the top 40 Most Influential People in Sumner County, Tennessee not only for teaching, but for her community involvement as well. She has consulted and presented for professional development trainings and conferences at the local and state level. In 2010 Stephanie won the title of Mrs. Tennessee United States and placed 2nd runner-up to the title of Mrs. United States. She is happily married to her husband, Brian, and they have one daughter.


Both Dede and Stephanie had the privilege to teach together, side-by-side for seven years at one of the top 100 schools in America as reported by U.S. News and World Report.

We are proud to share that numerous years our first grade students from both of our classrooms received the Celebrate Literacy Awards honoring the best writers in first, second, and third place at both the local and state levels. These accomplishments exhibit talent, hard word, creativity, and imagination. Tapping Out With Tiles helped to make this dream possible.

Fun Fact: Stephanie and Dede’s friendship extends outside of the classroom. The duo taught side-by-side for seven years, and also helped each other in different areas as well. In 2006 Stephanie was a contestant on Deal or No Deal and Dede was one of Stephanie’s “advisors” on stage. They have been a great team since the day they met!!

Testimonials

Roxann Krautkramer, Instructional Coach, Coppell, TX

Tapping Out With Tiles is one of the greatest teaching tools to come into my classroom during my 20 years of teaching. By teaching students to pay attention to the position of their mouth when making letter sounds while at the same time tapping out words and moving manipulatives, learners are mastering the skills of reading and spelling at an amazing rate. Student of all levels, including my non-English speakers, have shown tremendous growth in just a few weeks of using the program.

Brad Schreiner, Principal, Hendersonville, TN

After observing Dede Pinson teach a first grade lesson using “Tiles”, I said, “Where is the manual for this strategy? Other teachers need to know about “Tiles!”

I’m so glad Dede and Stephanie have created a step by step program for teachers to use in their classrooms. Their initiative to instruct young learners in phonemic awareness and phonics skills will revolutionize early reading and writing instruction in schools across the country.

All learning styles are targeted

 

VISUAL

AUDITORY

KINESTHETIC

Contact Us

If you would like to get in touch with Phonics Foundational Builders, please fill out the following form.

You may send us mail at:

 

P.O. Box 1221
Hendersonville, TN 37077
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