Reading aloud is a common practice in primary classrooms and is viewed as an important vehicle for vocabulary development. Read alouds are complex instructional interactions in which teachers choose texts, identify words for instruction, and select the appropriate strategies to facilitate word learning. This study explored the complexities by examining the read aloud practices of four primary teachers through observations and interviews.
Knowing vocabulary words is key to reading comprehension. The more words a child knows, the better he or she will understand the text. Using a variety of effective teaching methods will increase the student’s ability to learn new words.
The scientific research on vocabulary instruction reveals that 1) most vocabulary is learned indirectly, and 2) some vocabulary must be taught directly.
How can volunteers help build children’s literacy in their communities? Rotary International and IRA developed these questionnaires and teachers’ wish list to help you determine the right literacy project for your community.
Through VolunteerMatch, you can enter your zip code, city, state, keywords describing the opportunity you’re looking for, skills you have (or would like to develop) and be matched with organizations needing help. VolunteerMatch is also a great place to look for summer service opportunities for kids.
Vroom is a set of tools and resources designed to inspire families to turn everyday moments into “brain building moments” by layering activities that are essential to healthy brain development onto existing routines. Parents can add learning to mealtime, bathtime, bedtime, or anytime with 1,000+ fun, free activities.
A look at three pivotal longitudinal studies that clearly show: Late bloomers are rare; skill deficits are almost always what prevent children from blooming as readers.
The Walking Classroom program is an in-school obesity intervention that promotes health literacy and develops and supports lifelong fitness habits for all students while addressing different learning styles. The method combines standards-aligned academic content and exercise during the regular school day. Using WalkKits pre-loaded with a year’s worth of standards-aligned audio content, students walk, listen and learn.
