Looking at Reading Interventions
In this special Reading Rockets video series, reading expert Linda Farrell works one-on-one with students in grades K-3 to help ensure that they master the skills they need to become proficient readers.
The video series shows what it really takes to teach critical skills such as naming letters accurately, blending and manipulating the sounds in words, mastering the connection between letters and sounds, recognizing spelling patterns, and reading multisyllable words. Looking at Reading Interventions shows how teachers can help children develop their skills, overcome difficulties, and become proficient readers.
We hope that every K–3 teacher will watch!
How to use these videos for professional development
Scroll below to find our free downloadable Viewer's Guides and Facilitator's Guides for each video, to support professional development in your school or district.
These guides were produced in partnership with the National Education Association.
Episode 1: Letter Names with Reese, Kindergartener
Ms. Farrell helps pre-reader Reese master the letter names, with a focus on distinguishing between "y" and "v".
Professional development guides:
- Episode 1: Viewer's Guide (PDF)
- Episode 1: Viewer's Guide (fillable PDF)
- Episode 1: Facilitator's Guide (PDF)
Episode 2: Blending Sounds in Syllables with Autumn, Kindergartner
Ms. Farrell works with Autumn to master specific pre-reading skills, with a focus on strengthening her phonological awareness and giving Autumn extra practice with onset and rime.
Professional development guides:
Episode 3: Mastering Short Vowels and Reading Whole Words with Calista, First Grader
Ms. Farrell works with early stage reader Calista on short vowel sounds, blending and manipulating sounds, reading whole words, and fluency.
Professional development guides:
- Episode 3: Viewer's Guide (PDF)
- Episode 3: Viewer's Guide (fillable PDF)
- Episode 3: Facilitator's Guide (PDF)
Episode 4: Learning ‘b’ and ‘d’ and Reading Short Vowel Words with Aiko, Second Grader
Ms. Farrell works with Aiko on distinguishing between the letters ‘b’ and ‘d’, practicing looking at the text, and reading short vowel words.
Professional development guides:
- Episode 4: Viewer's Guide (PDF)
- Episode 4: Viewer's Guide (fillable PDF)
- Episode 4: Facilitator's Guide (PDF)
Episode 5: Mastering ‘Silent e’ and Becoming More Fluent with Michael, Third Grader
Ms. Farrell helps Michael with mastering the ‘silent e’ pattern in order to speed up his print processing.
Professional development guides:
- Episode 5: Viewer's Guide (PDF)
- Episode 5: Viewer's Guide (fillable PDF)
- Episode 5: Facilitator's Guide (PDF)
Episode 6: Reading Multisyllable Words with Xavier, Third Grader
Ms. Farrell gives Xavier a strategy for reading multisyllable words — and lots of practice to master the skill.
Professional development guides:
- Episode 6: Viewer's Guide (PDF)
- Episode 6: Viewer's Guide (fillable PDF)
- Episode 6: Facilitator's Guide (PDF)
Episode 7: Reading Fluency with Chloe, Second Grader
In this online lesson, Ms. Farrell helps Chloe master the three key elements of reading fluency — accuracy, reading rate, and reading with expression. (Produced in partnership with the National Education Association)
Professional development guides:
- Episode 7: Viewer's Guide (PDF)
- Episode 7: Viewer's Guide (fillable PDF)
- Episode 7: Facilitator's Guide (PDF)
Extras: Working with Struggling Readers — Every Child Can Succeed
Ms. Farrell talks about her role as a reading intervention specialist, and what more than 20 years of experience working with kids, teachers, and schools has taught her about the potential of struggling readers.
About Linda Farrell
Linda Farrell is a founding partner at Readsters, an Alexandria, VA-based firm that helps schools implement research-based reading instruction. She is committed to effective early reading instruction to help struggling readers become strong readers, and to ensure that strong readers achieve their full potential.
Linda works in schools throughout the U.S. training and coaching teachers and modeling effective reading instruction. She also has designed curricula in Niger and Senegal for children to learn to read in their local languages.
Linda is a former English teacher and she was a National LETRS trainer for seven years. She has co-authored assessments and curricula for teaching reading, as well as several other published works. Linda can be reached at: [email protected]
Comments
I am starting a tutorial program at my school and I wanted to konw if your program can be used to teach small groups of 2-5 grade students who are one to two grades behind how to read?
I was wondering were I can get the ABC list or how to recreate it from the first video?
Assignment Topic: We learnt that learning how to read and teaching children to read are two sets of complex activities. Now, as a future professional elementary teacher, give an account of how you can counter or prevent the perception that teaching children to read is a difficult or complicated endeavor. Share a practical scenario which may help to comprehend your argument.
I am thankful I found this readingrockets. It is very helpful for me as a multigrade teacher teaching K to 3.It is my big problem on how to teach struggling readers.. Thank u so much for sharing your expertise. I hope i can apply to my students
Having 3 children in the Torrance California school system has been beyond frustrating. I keep getting told to wait until your child completely fails and can't read or write before doing anything. The principle was upset when I expressed my feelings regarding her lack of drive and professionalism as an educator. I wish I would have found this site much sooner and had someone locally that could help. Awesome page!
I really appreciate how engaging, kind hearted and bright Ms. Linda Farrel is with the children. I have only seen a few videos and I already love her. I can tell she really knows how to engage, encourage and challenge children to find their highest potential!! Thank you so much for making learning a life long adventure!!
Mrs. Linda Ferrell, I would like to ask you a lot of questions. In short, I’d like to pick your brain on several issues I’ve encountered. I want to say that I am a new Kindergarten Teacher. I’ve been teaching Kindergarten for 3 years now and have found several things I don’t know what to do with. I used to Teach 2nd Grade but my heart was saddened when I AWESOME!!! They reached this grade without reading and I didn’t know how to help them. Therefore, I started teaching Kindergarten so that I could do my best to prepare them and have them reading by 1st Grade. I want to learn EVERYTHING THERE IS TO TEACHING READING. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE help me? Thank You so very much for all you doI have been blessed to come across your channel on YouTube. Again, Thanks a Million!!!
I am teacher and i love your videos and the way you teach. I cannot thank you enough for teaching me ..... your videos are so helpful
Hi can we get your resources anywhere? ie vowel fluency one finger two finger sheets, etc Thank you, I found your strategies informative and helpful
I wish I had 1-2 go to books as you were using that had all the important skills step by step and how to teach in in intervention. I am trying to pull from too many sources. What book/ publisher could you recommend? I don't want a textbook that reads like a college course. A spiral bound master skill-activity guide is best.
I wish I could spend a full week with you observing how you go about helping the children with reading. Learnt so much from the videos - imagine how well I could get equipped to support my learners... Thank you for sharing.
Hello Linda,
I found Your videos are very helpful for my reading Intervention groups. Specially, reading multisyllables words and blending sounds.
Thank you very much for these amazing videos.
Thanks so much for sharing the differemt videos. It is very special that educators go out their way to make sure that students are okay when they don't show for school. When educators show interest, have patient, and get involve with students, it pays off with the children receiving an educaton. There are so many strategies that are and can be implemented in school that will allow student to learn. My philosophy is that every child can learn.
Very informative
These are some of the most common problems my most struggling students have and I have hit road blocks with them. Thank you for showing and taping these lessons. I am excited to try them tomorrow.
Lo más lindo es enseñar a los niños con este proode lectura para corregirle esas diferencias de letra que muchos niños lo tiene yo siempre he trabajado con niños de dos años.
I was wondering how to help struggling readers and your videos have all the answers to my problems. I am going to apply the strategies that you have demonstrated to help my students in reading. Thankyou so much!
This the best strategy to teach children how to blend letter sounds.
Thank you
Reading is essential.
I have found these videos extremely enlighten for 1. To know/recognize exactly and explicitly how a student has a language weakness. 2. To know the reasons behind the intervention with an authority in the matter. and 3. To see step by step how to do an intervention. In many, many schools in this country, there is not a literacy teacher that helps the struggling students. Those students are most of the time ignored and oversight. They just become a statistic under the infamous slow students or the LEPs categories.
Thank youuuu! I appreciate very much your insights and work Ms. Ferrel and Reading Rockets.
Can't wait to view the videos and practice the strategies with my Deaf Students.. Of course I need to use additional technique and accommodations. However, it is GOOD to know that there is a practicing expert and Vet leader demonstrating this information for our readers.
Hello, Linda!
I truly enjoy watching you teach children one on one - especially because I teach children one on one every day after school. Although I have been teaching young children to read for over 20 years in both public and private schools, I have recently learned that what I was doing was not working as well as I thought! I have become a better and more effective teacher by learning how to teach my students explicitly and systematically. This is exactly what you do so very well and I am grateful to have stumbled upon your videos today. Thank you for sharing your work with the world. With respect and admiration, Kim.
Thanks so very much for these amazing videos! I'm using them to train grade level teams. This is such a great model for teachers to learn these important strategies. So often we leave them hanging as to what will work with our struggling readers.
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