The Science of Reading Simplified
Quick Quiz: What’s Your Reading Teacher Personality? Find Out!
Let’s talk about something that’s probably been driving you crazy lately – why do some kids seem to pick up new words like they’re collecting Pokemon cards, while others struggle to add even a few new words to their vocabulary? Trust me, I’ve been there, and the answer might be simpler than you think. It […]
You know that magical moment when a struggling reader suddenly recognizes a word they’ve been sounding out for weeks? I live for those moments! Last week, I watched one of my students, who had been carefully decoding “because” for months, suddenly read it effortlessly in a story. That’s orthographic mapping in action, and trust me […]
“They’re too old for read alouds.” Heard that one before? Me too! If I had a dollar for every time someone told me middle schoolers don’t need read alouds, I could retire early! But here’s the thing – this common misconception isn’t just wrong, it’s actually holding our adolescent readers back from some pretty amazing […]
Hey there, fellow teacher! Ever been in this situation? You’re wrapping up your weekly team meeting when a new colleague quietly asks the question we’ve all wondered at some point: “How do I make read aloud time more meaningful?” I totally get it. Their lesson plans look perfect—small reading groups organized, phonics activities prepped—but story […]
You’re wrapping up a hectic morning of literacy centers when you announce it’s read aloud time. Suddenly, the energy shifts. Even your most reluctant readers perk up – and that moment taught me just how powerful a classroom read aloud can be for developing literacy skills. If you’re like me, sneaking in professional reading during […]
You know that magical moment when you pull out a read aloud book and suddenly your most reluctant reader scoots closer, completely captivated by the story? When even your wiggliest students settle in, hanging on every word? If you’re like me, sipping something caffeinated while planning tomorrow’s lessons, let’s explore why read aloud is important […]
Grab your favorite beverage and settle in, because we need to talk about something that’s been weighing heavily on my heart lately – the “Sold a Story” podcast. Like many of you, I’ve spent years in the classroom trying my best to help every child learn to read. And like many of you, I thought […]
What if I told you that some of the most powerful reading comprehension strategies aren’t complicated at all? That sometimes, the simplest changes make the biggest impact? I’ve spent years researching and testing reading comprehension strategies with struggling readers, and here’s what I’ve learned: we often overthink comprehension. Let’s cut through the noise and focus […]
You know that moment when you’re reading aloud to your class, and you hit a word that makes half your students scrunch up their faces in confusion? We’ve all been there! Just the other day, I was working with a teacher who had this exact experience with the word “crampon” during a mountain climbing story. […]
You know that moment when a student looks up at you, beaming with pride after reading a passage perfectly? It’s not just about getting all the words right – it’s about how all the reading fluency components came together to create that magical moment of real reading. I had one of those moments last week […]
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