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Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in working with struggling readers who require additional help in reading fundamentals and comprehension skills development.

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Guides from Other Organizations

Listed alphabetically below are many of our favorite guides, published by organizations devoted to reading and literacy issues. We hope this makes it easy for you to find and download what you need.

A Child Becomes a Reader I

Proven Ideas for Parents from Research – Birth to Preschool
(2002)
A Child Becomes a Reader I

Researchers have found that children begin to learn reading and writing at home, long before they go to school. This booklet summarizes the most important research findings, defines important terms, and lists reading skills that kids at different ages are developing. Developed by The Partnership for Reading.


A Child Becomes a Reader II

Proven Ideas for Parents from Research – Kindergarten through Grade Three
(2002)
A Child Becomes a Reader II

This booklet offers advice for parents of children from grades K-3 on how to support reading development at home and how to recognize effective instruction in their children's classrooms. Developed by The Partnership for Reading.


A Compact for Reading and School-Home Links

(1999)
A Compact for Reading and School-Home Links

A Compact for Reading is a written agreement among families, teachers, principals, and students to work together to improve the reading skills of kindergarten through third grade students. The guide helps individuals set reading goals. The School-Home Links (SHL) Reading Kits are a collection of research-based activities designed to help families reinforce the reading and language arts skills that their children are learning at school. Developed by the U.S. Department of Education.


Every Child Reading

Action Plan and Professional Development Guide
(1998/2000)

The Every Child Reading Action Plan outlines eight steps to improve reading instruction and increase the reading proficiency of all children. The Professional Development Guide provides strategies to help teachers improve their skills as reading instructors. Developed by the Learning First Alliance.


Getting Ready for School Begins at Birth

How to Help Your Child in the Early Years
(2004)
Getting Ready for School Begins at Birth

This 12-page booklet for parents and caregivers describes key skill areas children need to develop to become lifelong enthusiastic learners and what adults can do to support that development. Developed by Zero to Three.


Helping Your Child Become a Reader

(2002)
Helping Your Child Become a Reader

This 60-page booklet features dozens of fun activities parents can use to build the language skills of young children from birth to age 6. It has a reading checklist, typical language accomplishments for different age groups, and resources for children with reading problems or learning disabilities. Developed by the U.S. Department of Education.


Literacy Resource Guide for Families and Educators

(2003)
Literacy Resource Guide for Families and Educators

This guide highlights the enormous amount of literacy resources available from the U.S. Department of Education through its clearinghouses, networks, projects, and partnerships. Developed by the Federation for Children With Special Needs and the Parents' Place, a Massachusetts statewide Parent Information and Resource Center.


OSEP Tool Kit

(2006)

If you are a parent of a child with a disability, please visit the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Tool Kit website for information made just for parents. Topics include assessment issues, instructional practices, behavior, and accommodations.


Pathways to Success

(2004)
Pathways to Success

This brochure offers families advice on helping children succeed in school. It includes academic tips in each core subject from prekindergarten through grade 12, and provides handy information for parents and guardians on many of the key issues affecting their children's education. Topics include vocational education, the No Child Left Behind Act, standards and testing, and resources for English language learners and students with disabilities. Developed by the American Federation of Teachers.


Put Reading First

The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read
(2001)
Put Reading First

This 64-page booklet summarizes what National Reading Panel researchers have discovered about how to teach children to read successfully. Clearly written and well organized, the guide lists the main research findings related to phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension and suggests best instructional practices in each area. Developed by The Partnership for Reading.


Put Reading First

Helping Your Child Learn to Read: A Parent Guide, Preschool through Grade 3
(2001)
Put Reading First

This brochure describes the National Reading Panel's findings on how to help children learn to read. Designed for parents, it lists the most important things parents should see teachers doing at school, and gives suggestions for how to help a child at home. Developed by The Partnership for Reading.


Reading Tips for Parents

(2002)
Reading Tips for Parents

This publication offers practical ideas parents can use to help get their children ready to read and strengthen their reading skills. It lists guidelines for identifying a good early reading program, and describes the five essential components of reading. A brief sketch of the No Child Left Behind law is also included. Developed by the U.S. Department of Education.


Simple Things You Can Do

To Help All Children Read Well and Indpendently by the End of Third Grade
(1997)
Simple Things You Can Do

This booklet provides a guide for community members on how to help children learn to read and become better readers. It includes a general outline for starting a literacy program, with suggestions for families, schools, child care providers, businesses, senior citizens, and others.


Teaching Our Youngest

A Guide for Preschool Teachers and Child Care and Family Providers
(2002)
Teaching Our Youngest

This guide draws from research to provide practical tips to foster children's language abilities, increase their knowledge, help them become familiar with books and other printed materials, learn letters and sounds, and recognize numbers and learn to count. Developed by the Early Childhood-Head Start Task Force.


Teaching Reading IS Rocket Science

What Expert Teachers of Reading Should Know and Be Able to Do
(1999)
Teaching Reading IS Rocket Science

This report discusses the current state of teacher preparation in reading. It reviews the reading research and describes the knowledge base that is essential for teacher candidates and practicing teachers to master if they are to be successful in teaching all children to read well. Developed by the American Federation of Teachers.


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"As a teacher/coach working with 31 teachers from high poverty schools, I just want to thank you for all of the excellent research-based articles/resources you provide."
~ Dee G.

Colorin Colorado
Find out what it really takes to turn our schools around with this PBS special narrated by Morgan Freeman called 'A Tale of Two Schools.' Go to store.