Reading wiki: free-reading.net

A “wiki” is a website or other online resource which allows users to add and edit content collectively. By now, most of us are familiar with Wikipedia (opens in a new window), the online encyclopedia. But there are other wikis too.

There’s a wiki devoted specifically to early literacy. Have you seen it? It’s free-reading.net (opens in a new window). According to the site, free-reading.net is an open resource center and community for early literacy teachers. Because it’s a wiki, the content is continually being revised and changed. There is an advisory board for the site that “refines the ongoing research and development agenda of Free-Reading.” The advisory board includes well-known researchers Catherine Snow, Michael Kamil, and Barbara Taylor.

I feel like such a fuddy-duddy when I say it, but I’m a bit suspicious of wikis! I mean, how can I trust a site whose content can be changed by virtually anyone?? But, I have to say, there are some terrific resources that you should see:
[list]
[*]64 activities to teach phonological awareness (opens in a new window). Several of the ones I looked at included video too.
[*]Vocabulary lessons (opens in a new window) using popular children’s books. The sequence they recommend for teaching the words is a good one.
[*]A Chipmunk Rap (opens in a new window). Yes, that’s right. And as the mom of two young girls, this one was a BIG HIT.
[/list]

In addition to activities, guides, videos and rap, free-reading.net offers a full 40-week intervention program (opens in a new window) for K/1 students. I haven’t reviewed it yet, and don’t see any links to research done with it, but it might be worth looking over! Now, if I can just do something about the references to “tricks” on the site…..