How does the mind work — and how does it learn? Teachers’ instructional decisions are based on a mix of theories learned in teacher education, trial and error, craft knowledge, and gut instinct. Such gut knowledge often serves us well, but is there anything sturdier to rely on?
Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a language problem. Children with DLD have difficulty with language whether they are speaking, listening, reading, or writing. About half of children with DLD also have dyslexia or ADHD.
Students must be taught to write and then be expected to write for a variety of purposes to a variety of audiences, including in mathematics, science, and social studies. As part of building the writing prowess of students, they must write routinely, both short and long pieces. As part of a comprehensive writing curriculum, students’ writing fluency should be fostered, students should participate in lessons designed to build their composing skills, and students must learn to write from the sources that they read.
These standards provide an evidence-based framework for course content in teacher training programs and instructional reading programs. Written for general educators and specialists, the standards address the needs of all students – students with dyslexia, students struggling with learning to read, and proficient readers. The standards are not a curriculum; they list critical content knowledge, skills, and abilities — the foundation for good reading instruction. They can also be used to help parents select and advocate for effective teaching methods.
Music stories are compositions of a narrative or descriptive sort. Students can listen for the story in the music, and this type of music can be integrated with literature, literacy, social studies, science, mathematics, and the other arts.
Drawing on instructional materials, classroom images, and observational data from research, the authors illustrate these principles: establishing efficient, rich routines for introducing target word meanings; providing review activities that promote deep processing of word meanings; responding directly to student confusion; and fostering universal participation in and accountability for vocabulary instruction.
Travel to Bradford in West Yorkshire with Launa Hall as she visits a diverse primary school where students speak more than 40 languages. As she explores how educators teach children to read English in the U.K., she finds a familiar foundation to support growing readers: decoding.
The NICHD Early Interventions Project was designed to increase reading achievement in nine low-performing schools in the District of Columbia. This article describes the experience of one researcher working with these schools, and makes recommendations for policymakers and administrators.
High-leverage practices (HLPs) and evidence-based practices (EBPs) when used together can become powerful tools for improving outcomes for students with disabilities and those who struggle. This brief shows the promise of these practices in advancing educator preparation and practice.
