#ReadtopiaGO
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spenceycohen.bsky.social
I was fortunate to co-create/puppeteer Geartrude the Robot for @buildingwings.bsky.social’s #ReadtopiaGO series of educational videos.

I also got to write and record the songs that Geartrude and the other characters sing, which was a blast.

#Songwriting #EarlyLearning #SpecialEd
buildingwings.bsky.social Building Wings @buildingwings.bsky.social · Jun 5
🎵 Some ReadtopiaGO books are more than just fun to read — they’re made to be sung!
Familiar tunes help learners connect language and print, build confidence, and enjoy reading even before decoding.

Let’s read. Let’s sing. Let’s grow. 💜
#ReadtopiaGO #LiteracyThroughSong #EarlyLearning #SpecialEd
Colorful graphic featuring five ReadtopiaGO book covers: Ask a Question, Breathe, Breathe, Breathe, The Goops, Happy Earth Day, and We Belong Together. A friendly robot character holds a microphone, and music notes float around. Text reads: “Reading Along, Singing Songs.”
June 5, 2025 at 8:52 PM
spenceycohen.bsky.social
Grateful to be a part of @buildingwings.bsky.social’s #ReadtopiaGO team.

#Puppeteer #Puppetry #Puppets #SpecialEducation #EarlyChildhoodEducation
buildingwings.bsky.social Building Wings @buildingwings.bsky.social · Jun 4
Puppets like Geartrude do more than entertain — they boost vocabulary, social-emotional learning, and engagement through evidence-based practice.

Curious how puppets can elevate your early learning classroom? 💜🎭 Read more here: bit.ly/3S2Q60A

#EarlyChildhoodEducation #Puppets #SpecialEducation
A close-up of a brown, furry dog puppet held in front of the camera with its front paws raised, appearing playful and expressive. In the background, sitting on a black couch, is Geartrude—a friendly-looking, purple robot puppet with large googly eyes, a wide smile, and thick black eyebrows.
June 4, 2025 at 11:24 PM
allmeansalltj.bsky.social
Met an incredible class today using Geartrude the puppet to bring #ReadtopiaGO to life! 🌟 Inspiring to see how they’re embracing comprehensive #LiteracyForAll with creativity and connection. 💛📚

#LiteracyForAll #SpecialEducation #EduSky #AllMeansAll
A teacher engaging with a student using a bright, colorful puppet named Geartrude in a classroom setting. The student is seated in a wheelchair, and the classroom is filled with educational materials, emphasizing inclusion and literacy
January 28, 2025 at 11:49 AM
buildingwings.bsky.social
🎵 Some ReadtopiaGO books are more than just fun to read — they’re made to be sung!
Familiar tunes help learners connect language and print, build confidence, and enjoy reading even before decoding.

Let’s read. Let’s sing. Let’s grow. 💜
#ReadtopiaGO #LiteracyThroughSong #EarlyLearning #SpecialEd
Colorful graphic featuring five ReadtopiaGO book covers: Ask a Question, Breathe, Breathe, Breathe, The Goops, Happy Earth Day, and We Belong Together. A friendly robot character holds a microphone, and music notes float around. Text reads: “Reading Along, Singing Songs.”
June 5, 2025 at 3:14 PM
buildingwings.bsky.social
The Science of Reading tells us what works. Comprehensive Literacy for All (CLFA) shows us who we must include. Readtopia + ReadtopiaGO help you do both—every day, with every learner. 🧵👇
#ScienceOfReading #CLFA #LiteracyForAll
An infographic titled "Does 'Comprehensive Literacy for All' align with the Science of Reading?" shows two columns. The left column lists aspects emphasized by the Science of Reading (SOR): "Diverse, Daily Instruction," "Explicit & Systematic Phonics," "Phonemic Awareness," "Language Learning," "Vocabulary Development," "Equity and Inclusion," and "Writing." The middle column with checkboxes indicates alignment. The right column explains how Comprehensive Literacy for All (CLFA) expands on each aspect, including emergent learners, phonics, sound identification, interactive read-alouds, vocabulary development, assistive technology integration, and options for alternative pencils. A colorful design with a silhouette of a child reading under a tree is at the bottom.
November 24, 2025 at 10:05 PM
buildingwings.bsky.social
Join us for an exciting webinar: Bringing Shared Reading to Life with Readtopia & Readtopia GO!

Shared Reading builds confidence, comprehension & a love of reading for emergent learners.

Register now! tinyurl.com/WebinarReadt...
Infographic: Bridges Canada Webinar. Thursday February 20, 2025 3:3 ET | 2:3pm CT| 12:3pm PT| Presenter: Mike Kelly, from Building Wings. Titled "Bringing Shared Reading to Life". Included are the Readtopia and ReadtopiaGO Logos. With colorful imagery of the Building Wings products.
February 11, 2025 at 3:04 PM
buildingwings.bsky.social
May is Mental Health Awareness Month 💚
ReadtopiaGO helps students explore feelings and emotions through SEL-centered books and lessons—like this one:

#MentalHealthAwareness #ReadtopiaGO #SEL
A young girl with long dark hair is sitting on a park bench, eyes closed, blowing bubbles with a yellow bubble wand. Several iridescent bubbles float in the air around her. The background shows blurred green trees and sunlight. Overlay text reads: “Feelings are like weather, in and out, they blow. There are sunny days and rainy days. They come, and then they go.”
May 1, 2025 at 2:48 PM
buildingwings.bsky.social
🌳📚 It’s National Reading Month—and reading can happen anywhere, in so many ways! 🎉

We’re celebrating with our friend Dr. Dennis reading “The Big Tree” from ReadtopiaGO! ✨

Tell us: Where’s your favorite place to read or listen to a story?

#NationalReadingMonth #ElementaryEducation #EduSKY
March 12, 2026 at 2:48 PM
buildingwings.bsky.social
Rigorous phonics instructions plus these strategies, will help all learners soar!

Readers use a variety of strategies to decode words, and the feedback we give can strengthen their phonological awareness.

#LiteracyForALL #PhonologicalAwareness #Readtopia #ReadtopiaGO #Reading
[White background with text overlay: Things to say instead of Sound it Out.... This word rhymes with.... How does the word begin? Does it look similar to any other words? Do you see any smaller words in the bigger word? Do you know another word that starts this way? What parts of this word do you already know?]
May 9, 2025 at 2:36 PM
buildingwings.bsky.social
📚✨ Ready to launch into the SY25-26 with confidence?

Join us July 30 at 3 PM CST for a FREE webinar with Jennifer Penzenik, M.Ed. Learn how to bring ReadtopiaGO to life in your K–2 classroom with joy, structure, and purpose.

Register now! bit.ly/3Ipa8RE

#BackToSchool #SpecialEd #TeachingJoy
July 18, 2025 at 4:33 PM
buildingwings.bsky.social
📚 Supporting emergent readers doesn't have to be complicated — just intentional.

Check out these 3 powerful strategies.

Each tip reconnects learners with the joy and purpose of reading. 💬✨
#LiteracyMatters #EmergentReaders #Readtopia #SharedReading #BuildingWings #ReadtopiaGO
Infographic titled "Tips for Emergent Readers" with three main sections: Read Aloud – Emphasizes the value of reading aloud and discussing books to support vocabulary growth and print awareness. Illustration: A smiling child with glasses holding an open book. Find Out What They Think – Highlights using the C-A-R (Comment-Ask-Respond) strategy to focus on students’ thoughts rather than just knowledge. Illustration: A head with a gear inside, symbolizing thinking. Independent Reading Time – Encourages daily opportunities for emergent readers to choose and explore books, even with support. Illustration: An open book with a pointing hand. The infographic is branded with the Readtopia and Building Wings logos.
April 11, 2025 at 1:34 PM
buildingwings.bsky.social
🚀 Missed our live webinar? No worries!

Catch "Unlocking Communication: Low-Tech Strategies for Language & Literacy" with Beth Poss on-demand 🎥✨

📌 Watch here: bit.ly/3CBIPRT
A ReadtopiaGO flip book is open on a wooden table, displaying a communication board on the left page and an illustrated story page on the right. The communication board, titled "Community Workers RTGO," features a grid of symbols and words, including occupations like police, teacher, doctor, and scientist, along with core vocabulary such as "help," "look," "play," and "stop." The right page of the book contains an image of a child wearing a homemade astronaut helmet made from a cardboard box, looking up as a rocket launches into the sky. The text on this page reads: "Others dream of magical things. But, there are no children who dream exactly like you. What do you dream?"
March 28, 2025 at 2:14 PM
buildingwings.bsky.social
🔤 New Alphabet & Phonics Daily Routines are here!

Join Karen Erickson, PhD, on Sept. 16 at 6 PM CST for a practical webinar of the new routines in Readtopia® & ReadtopiaGO™.

Explore placement, instruction & progress monitoring.

🔗 Save your seat: https://pulse.ly/rpbv1znhjq
A promotional flyer for a Building Wings webinar. The top of the flyer has a bright blue background. At the very top, the "Building Wings Webinars" logo features a white icon of stylized wings forming a person shape, followed by the text "Building Wings™" in white and "Webinars" in yellow. Below the logo, bold white and yellow text reads: "Readtopia® & ReadtopiaGO™: New Daily Routines in Alphabet and Phonics." "Readtopia® & ReadtopiaGO™:" is in yellow, and the subtitle is in white. A dark blue horizontal band across the center of the flyer displays the date and time: "September 16, 2026 | 6 PM CST" in bold white text. The bottom half of the flyer features a light blue background. On the bottom left, a circular headshot of speaker Karen Erickson shows a smiling woman with gray hair tied back, wearing a dark blue shirt. To the right of the headshot, a yellow rectangular banner contains the text "Speaker Karen Erickson PhD" in dark blue. The flyer has a thin yellow border on the left and right sides.
September 4, 2026 at 3:15 PM
buildingwings.bsky.social
New to Readtopia + ReadtopiaGO

We’ve added Learning Numbers—a teacher-led routine designed to build essential math skills for students with complex learning profiles.

Grounded in research by Dr. Karen Erickson & Dr. Claire Greer.

#Readtopia #ReadtopiaGO #SpecialEducation #EarlyLearning
Alt text: An astronaut in space raises a hand among scattered numbers 1 to 10 on white squares. The words "Learning Numbers" are in bold yellow at the top. A blue box with "Swipe to learn more!" and a yellow arrow is at the bottom. The Building Wings logo is also visible. A digital math app interface showing the number "4" and four colorful socks. The background is a starry night sky. Below, text reads: "Learning Numbers is a structured, interactive math program designed for learners of all ages who are at the earliest stages of mathematical learning." A blue bar at the bottom asks, "What is it?" Two digital screens with yellow borders display educational content on a starry background. One screen shows a "Lesson Setup" interface with sorting objects like mittens and pencils. The other shows a large number "4" for a "Whiteboard Focus." Below, text reads: "Each lesson is designed to strengthen foundational number sense, including counting, comparing groups, and one-to-one correspondence." A blue banner at the bottom says "Math Connections." Screenshot of an educational digital platform with a guidance tool showing tips and prompts. The screen has two sections: one with a "Say and Do Guidance" text and another with a sample instruction including "This is the number four." Below, text highlights the platform's use of embedded tips for educators, set against a starry night sky background, and the phrase “Educator Support” in a blue banner.
May 7, 2026 at 9:19 PM
buildingwings.bsky.social
SoR has moved literacy forward.

But how does it apply to students with significant cognitive disabilities?

On March 10, Dr. Erickson shares how comprehensive emergent literacy ensures access for ALL learners.

Register: https://bit.ly/4rr0obk

#ScienceOfReading #EmergentLiteracy #SpecialEducation
ReadtopiaGO & Emergent Literacy and the Science of Reading
Learn how ReadtopiaGO supports comprehensive emergent literacy using routines aligned to the Science of Reading and Science of Learning.
bit.ly
February 26, 2026 at 12:59 AM
buildingwings.bsky.social
📚 New to Readtopia or ReadtopiaGO?
Bringing new literacy tools into your classroom is exciting—and support makes all the difference. Our instructional coaching helps you build confidence and get the most out of every lesson.

👉 Read more: https://bit.ly/48Fzu5r

#EduSKY #AllMeansALL #Teachers
December 18, 2025 at 10:10 PM
buildingwings.bsky.social
If literacy feels like 🌀 for AAC users, this webinar is your reset button.
Dec 9 LIVE w/ Kelly Fonner, MS: routines + tools + Readtopia/ReadtopiaGO examples + engagement boosts.
Click to register: https://bit.ly/3M8p6xf

#AAC #EdTech #SpecialEd
Webinar announcement for "From One Teacher to Another: Practical Strategies with Readtopia and AAC" by Building Wings. Scheduled for December 9, 2025, at 12 PM CST. The speaker is Kelly Fonner, M.S. Includes a photo of the speaker.
December 2, 2025 at 11:04 PM
buildingwings.bsky.social
It’s Fat Bear Week! 🐻💙
At Building Wings, we’re celebrating with our bears too!

📚 Explore:

The Brown Bears of Katmai (Readtopia Short)

This Bear and You (ReadtopiaGO, Year 2)

NEW Fat Bear Week book on Monarch Reader

👉 bit.ly/3W4MUE4

#FatBearWeek #BuildingWings #MonarchReader #EduSKY
Monarch Reader
Digital books for beginning readers of all ages
bit.ly
September 23, 2025 at 6:45 PM
buildingwings.bsky.social
Every learner’s journey deserves a clear map. 🗺️✨

With Readtopia and ReadtopiaGO, you can measure growth and guide progress—turning assessments into meaningful plans for learner success.

🔗 Ready to start mapping? https://bit.ly/41674j1

#Education #SpecialEducation #Assessment #EduSKY
Alt text: A graphic featuring educational assessment documents from Readtopia, labeled "Assessment Roadmap: Middle School/High School," with tables and strategies. The foreground text reads, "Every Learner’s Journey, Clearly Mapped." Below, a yellow section promotes Readtopia and ReadtopiaGO for measuring growth and guiding progress. The Building Wings logo is at the bottom with the tagline, "How ALL learners soar."
September 18, 2025 at 12:21 AM
buildingwings.bsky.social
🚨 Last-Minute Alert! 🚨
Don't miss tomorrow's webinar with Jen Penzenik!

Tune in for insights, inspiration, and practical tips you can use right away.

Starts at 3 PM CST— grab your spot now!
🔗 bit.ly/3Ipa8RE

#WebinarAlert #BuildingWings #JenPenzenik #EducationLeadership #EduSky
Kick Off The School Year With Confidence! - Live Webinar
Watch this free webinar on how to kick off the school year running with ReadtopiaGO using strategies to help with lesson planning and classroom set up!
bit.ly
July 29, 2025 at 1:56 PM
buildingwings.bsky.social
Geartrude has joined the chat! She is our Champion For Literacy. 🤖💬 How have you introduced her to your learners? Drop your creative ideas below! #ReadtopiaGO #Geartrude #LiteracyLearning
A vibrant toy packaging box features Geartrude, a purple plush puppet with gear-shaped glasses and a spring-like antenna on top of her head. She’s smiling and waving while sitting inside a box decorated in bright blue and yellow. The top of the box reads "GEARTRUDE" and underneath it says, "THE GEARS IN MY HEAD ARE TURNING." Accessories include a flip chart with "ABCD," an easel labeled "STORIES," and two stacked books labeled "BOOKS." A large yellow question mark floats beside her. The bottom banner reads “CHAMPION FOR LITERACY.”
April 18, 2025 at 12:04 PM