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.

Do We Teach Decoding in Small Groups or Whole Class?

December 8, 2015

Teacher question: You are confusing me. You have said that we should “never do in small group what could have been done as well as whole class,” but you also say that phonological awareness and phonics instruction are more effective when they are taught in small group. What should be taught in small group and what can be taught in whole class?

On Progress Monitoring, Maze Tests, and Reading Comprehension Assessment

November 30, 2015

Teacher question:

Please Be Charitable for Literacy

November 19, 2015

As regular readers know, this is the time of the year that I identify charities that try to help improve children's literacy and language and to make books available to kids. Readers of my blog obviously care about whether kids can read and why not make that cause part of your charitable gifting as well.

RtI: When Things Don't Work as You Expected

November 10, 2015

When I arose today I saw lots of tweets and Facebook posts about a new U.S. Department of Education study. Then I started getting emails from folks in the schools and in the state departments of education.

Teaching Letters in Kindergarten

November 3, 2015

Teacher question:

Fluency Instruction for Older Kids, Really?

October 29, 2015

School Administrator: Dr. Shanahan ... for grades 3-5 does it make sense to use classroom time to have students partner read? If our ultimate goal is improving silent reading comprehension, I wonder at this age level if we are not using time efficiently. Shanahan's response: