About First Year Teacher

The First Year Teacher Program is a self-paced professional development course for novice teachers developed by Reading Rockets. The 10 modules include video segments featuring teachers using effective strategies and techniques in the classroom on subjects such as phonemic awareness, phonics, speech sounds, and text comprehension.

The First Year Teacher Program seeks to arm teachers – especially new teachers in the pivotal early grades (K-3) – with an in-depth knowledge of reading so they are prepared to mold their students into skilled and enthusiastic readers. First Year Teacher is not a curriculum. It teaches effective, research-based strategies that can be used within the context of an existing reading program.

Special thanks to Dr. Louisa Moats and Darion Griffin for their guidance, advice, and support.

Additionally, we'd like to thank Bonnie Massimino, Torie Rubin, and Michelle Hay for their invaluable input and suggestions.

The First Year Teacher Program supplements the First Year Teachers section of the Reading Rockets website, which was conceived and developed by Latrice Seals, with significant contributions from Jessica Burkhalter and Jess Snyder.