Instead of encouraging more and more small group teaching, districts should provide professional development in the most effective ways to deliver whole class instruction.
Direct instruction, teaching spelling patterns, frequent repetition, and support for mastery of highest frequency words are key to sight word instruction.
Recent studies indicate that teaching phonemic awareness and the alphabet together generally has a much higher impact on later reading achievement than phonemic awareness teaching alone.
What better way to welcome a new baby than with a shelf full of classic books? Reading books together from the very beginning lays the foundation for literacy and takes parent and child on shared journeys that bring shared discoveries and joy. So if there’s a new child joining your family or circle of friends, welcome them with a basket of books — and a lap upon which to share them.
