This month we focus on Phonemic Awareness – the understanding of, and the ability to manipulate the individual sounds (called phonemes) in spoken words. Phonemic awareness is essential to the development of word recognition and ultimately automatic word reading. Read...

Over the next few editions of our newsletter, we will share some of the research and tools we know will be helpful to teachers through the school year.  We begin by sharing: The Literacy How Reading Wheel Read Newsletter Here

In this issue, we focus on background knowledge, the second big idea about comprehension instruction in our book “Comprehension: Knowledge to Practice.” Thanks to the popular work of Natalie Wexler and Daniel Willingham, there is widespread recognition that knowledge helps readers take in new information, think about it, and retain it.

April 2020 In the last issue, we discussed the value of oral storytelling. Here we delve into the importance of explicitly teaching the text structure of narratives as one means of facilitating students' comprehension. Text structure, one of the five big ideas...

April 2020 We're Thinking of You! Over the past few weeks, as we try to adapt to new ways of teaching and learning—and the unknowns of what the "new normal" will be—we have been been thinking of you and listening to you. One message has come across loud and clear....

March 2020 "Look for the helpers." That's what Mr. Rogers' mother would tell him when he was a boy frightened by the news. Here are some resources to help you with remote teaching and at-home learning*. We also encourage you to listen to the experts. Create and...