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kindergarten teacher helping students make the sounds in words

Basics: Phonological and Phonemic Awareness

Before children learn to read print, they need to become aware of how the sounds in words work. They must understand that words are made up of individual speech sounds, or phonemes. A child’s skill in phonological and phonemic awareness is a good predictor of later reading success or difficulty.

three middle school boys discussing a text they are reading in class

Reading 101 for English Language Learners

Get the basics on how to support the literacy achievement of your English language learners. You’ll find instructional strategies based on the five components of reading as well as oral language and the role of students’ home language.

Photo by Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for EDUimages

Assisting Students Struggling with Reading: Response to Intervention (RtI) and Multi-Tier Intervention in the Primary Grades

Assisting Students Struggling with Reading: Response to Intervention (RtI) and Multi-Tier Intervention in the Primary Grades

This guide offers five specific recommendations to help educators identify struggling readers and implement evidence-based strategies to promote their reading achievement. Teachers and reading specialists can utilize these strategies to implement RtI and multi-tier intervention methods and frameworks at the classroom or school level. Recommendations cover how to screen students for reading problems, design a multi-tier intervention program, adjust instruction to help struggling readers, and monitor student progress.

Blending Sounds in Syllables with Autumn, Kindergartner

Blending Sounds in Syllables with Autumn, Kindergartner

This episode focuses on phonological awareness. Reading expert Linda Farrell helps kindergartener Autumn learn to blend two parts of a syllable (onset and rime). Watch how Ms. Farrell gives Autumn explicit practice with onset and rime — a core phonological awareness skill that helps kids recognize and blend sound chunks within syllables. This is an essential step toward developing phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness, a vital pre-reading skill, is being able to blend, segment, and manipulate the sounds in words.

two young children using laptops and headphones in class

New Electronics: Turn Them On for Learning

Many computer products have built-in accessibility options such as text-to-speech, screen magnification options, or voice input controls. Learn what some of these optional features are and how to integrate them into instruction and studying.
Elementary school aged boy reading a book beside classroom library bins

Types of Texts and How to Use Them

Find guidance on determining text readability, the importance of using grade-level texts, how to scaffold complex texts, and when to use predictable, decodable, and controlled vocabulary texts.

Photo by Allison Shelley for EDUimages

elementary teacher working with a small group of students in class

English Language Learners with Learning Disabilities

Bilingual speech-language pathologist Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan discusses effective assessment and instruction strategies for English language learners with learning disabilities, as well as ways to help encourage the active involvement of parents of ELLs with LD in their children’s schools.

word wall in first grade classroom filled with vocabulary words

Using Context Clues to Understand Word Meanings

When a student is trying to decipher the meaning of a new word, it’s often useful to look at what comes before and after that word. Learn more about the six common types of context clues, how to use them in the classroom and the role of embedded supports in digital text.
Henry Winkler

Reading and the Brain

What happens when neuroscience meets Dr. Seuss? Hosted by Henry Winkler — who has had his own struggles with reading — Reading and the Brain explores how brain scientists are working to solve the puzzle of why some children struggle to read and others don’t. 

Reading Fluency with Chloe, Second Grader

Reading Fluency with Chloe, Second Grader

In this online lesson, reading expert Linda Farrell helps second grader Chloe master the three key elements of reading fluency — accuracy, reading rate, and reading with expression. Watch how Ms. Farrell gives Chloe explicit instruction and encouragement through all three steps, each building on the previous stage.

Illustration of parent with child reluctant to go to school

Self-Esteem and Reading Difficulties

Reading difficulties can have a significant impact on a child’s self-esteem. Children who struggle with reading may feel embarrassed, frustrated, or ashamed. Find out how to help your child, through active encouragement and by focusing on strengths and successes. Getting extra help from a tutor can help your child improve their reading and build their confidence.

Elementary girl in colorful striped sweater reading a book

Typical Reading Development

Learn about the typical stages we see in children as they become readers, from pre-K through high school. Literacy begins with a strong foundation in oral language comprehension and word recognition (decoding). 

elementary teacher in lively conversation with students who have hands raised

Establishing an Effective Reading Program

In this webcast, literacy experts G. Reid Lyon, Timothy Shanahan, and Charlotte Parker talk about research-based reading instruction and discuss how schools and districts can choose the best reading programs.

Elementary teacher giving a student a high-five for encouragement

Assessment: On Track for Reading Success

How can teachers make sure that each student is not only being taught, but is actually learning? In this webcast, Roland Good, Mary Ruth Coleman, and Michael C. McKenna talk about how assessment can be used to lead students to reading success.

Young girl in striped short reading a book next to a cat

About Reading: An Introduction

It’s not an easy thing, learning to read. This article provides a brief overview of what is involved and what parents, teachers, and everyone else who touches the life of a child can do to help those who struggle.
Fluency: Activities for Your Second Grader

Fluency: An Introduction

Fluency develops gradually over time and through practice. At the earliest stage of reading development, students’ oral reading is slow and labored because students are just learning to “break the code” – to attach sounds to letters and to blend letter sounds into recognizable words.

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