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.

Why How Many Minutes of Teaching Something Isn't the First Thing to Ask of Research

September 16, 2016

Question: I am now director of literacy in my district. I am advocating for interactive read alouds, shared reading, guided reading, and similar activities in our primary grades (K-3). Is there a research base that would allow me to determine how many minutes of these activities I should prescribe? Could you provide me with a copy of that research?

Should We Stop Using Guided Reading Because of Common Core?

September 2, 2016

Teacher question:

How Much Teacher Guidance Versus How Much Independent Work?

August 22, 2016

Teacher question:

The Role of Early Oral Language in Reading Comprehension

August 15, 2016

When I was 18 years old, I was a volunteer tutor in an inner-city school. I wasn’t an education major — that came later — but I was intent on saving the world. I was excited about the idea of going into the city and working with elementary school kids who were growing up in poverty.