Blogs About Reading

Shanahan on Literacy

Timothy Shanahan

Literacy expert Timothy Shanahan shares best practices for teaching reading and writing. Dr. Shanahan is an internationally recognized professor of urban education and reading researcher who has extensive experience with children in inner-city schools and children with special needs. All posts are reprinted with permission from Shanahan on Literacy.

How to Analyze or Assess Reading Comprehension

November 11, 2019

Teacher question: I've attached a Student Work Analysis tool that we are using. I have read that you oppose attempts to grade students on the individual reading standards. Although this tool is not used for grading students, it is a standard-by-standard analysis of the students’ work, and I wonder what you think of it?

Cool New Study on Text Difficulty and Adolescent Literacy

November 5, 2019

I don’t do this often, but occasionally a study that catches my eye is particularly pertinent to questions that teachers are asking me.

When should reading instruction begin?

October 28, 2019

Teacher question: What does research say about early literacy and when to begin? I am aware that kids may reach the stage of development where they're ready for reading at different times. What does the research say about the "window" for when a kid can learn to read? What are the consequences if they haven't started reading past that time?

How Decodable Do Decodable Texts Need to Be?: What We Teach When We Teach Phonics

October 21, 2019

Teacher question: I know phonics should be taught explicitly and we have looked through several sources to determine the patterns to teach in first grade. I have been pouring through leveled texts and have found a high concentration of blends, digraphs, long vowel/silent 'e', and predictable vowel teams in text as low as levels 4 and 6.

I'm a Terrific Reading Teacher, Why Should I Follow the Research?

October 7, 2019

Teacher question: What does it mean that something has research support? I’ve been a teacher for years and I’ve taught hundreds of children to read. Now I’m being told that in our district we are expected to teach in some new way that has research behind it. I like how I teach reading and I don’t want to change. Why should I?

Five Things Every Teacher Should Know about Vocabulary Instruction

September 30, 2019

Teacher question: What’s the best way to teach and have students master vocabulary? Shanahan's response: My original reaction to this question was not exactly what I’d label a model of helpfulness.